The following reflection is a guest post written by Yuto Kimura, an alum of the Spring 2021 Stanford e-Japan Program. Earlier this month he graduated from Waseda University’s School of Political Science and Economics.

This is the message I wish to share with high school students considering applying to Stanford e-Japan (or other SPICE programs). As a former participant about to graduate from Waseda University this spring, I can confidently say that the lessons and skills I gained through the program remain invaluable to me, even after five years.

The initial reason I applied for the program was to deepen my understanding of U.S.–Japan relations and U.S. society. Although I was born in the United States, I moved away when I was only a year old and have had little opportunity to engage with U.S. culture since then. While I certainly accomplished that mission through Stanford e-Japan, I came away with so much more. Here are my two biggest takeaways.

The first takeaway is purely skill-based. Throughout the program, we were required to digest a significant amount of reading material to prepare for every class. I vividly remember spending my one-hour train commute focused entirely on these readings. This routine lasted about six months and proved to be an incredible asset during my university studies.

Even at Japanese universities, reference materials are often provided in English; thanks to this program, I was already well-trained to handle them. Beyond reading, the program also honed my ability to write academic papers and deliver presentations. These skills directly contributed to my high grades in university, giving me a head start in areas many of my peers hadn’t encountered until after high school. By dedicating yourself to this program, you are able to sharpen skills that will serve you throughout your future career—a fact that has proven true in countless situations over the last four years.

The second takeaway involves my personal values and perspectives. The most impactful session in the program for me was the one on Japanese American Internment. In Japanese classrooms, we typically learn about the Pacific War through a specific lens—from the Pearl Harbor attack to the invasion of Southeast Asia to the two atomic bombings. However, there is always a flip side to every story.

The program challenged me to look at the war from a U.S. perspective, exploring topics like the rationale behind the atomic bombings through U.S. textbooks, and the internment of Japanese Americans by hearing from some storytellers. You may not necessarily agree with every viewpoint, but acknowledging the existence of differing ones, I believe, is essential to living as a global citizen.

This mindset has stayed with me since then. During my recent solo trip to Malaysian Borneo—an area formerly occupied by Japanese forces—I never missed the opportunity to visit war heritage sites, museums, and Japanese cemeteries in every city. I wanted to reflect on my learning from the program and understand the history through the eyes of the locals.

Lastly, as a proud Waseda alumnus, I also want to highlight the strong, decades-long connection between Waseda and Stanford. From a century-long baseball tradition to Waseda professors of Stanford alumni to countless e-Japan alumni studying here, the bond is deep. If you are considering Japanese universities, I highly recommend Waseda for its rich Waseda–Stanford connections.

Stanford e-Japan is one of several online courses for high school students offered by SPICE, including the China Scholars Program, the Reischauer Scholars Program, the Sejong Korea Scholars Program, Stanford e-Entrepreneurship U.S., Stanford e-China, Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan, as well as numerous local student programs in Japan. For more information about Stanford e-Japan, please visit stanfordejapan.org.

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