On March 27, 2026, 16 undergraduate students in Japan joined 50 graduate students in Norway for a virtual exchange focused on local sustainability challenges. The session was part of the SPICE Social Entrepreneurship course offered at Eikei University of Hiroshima (Eikei) and co-organized with the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design at the Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet). 

The exchange served as the culminating activity of a course that SPICE has offered at Eikei since 2022, made possible in large part by the vision of Hiroshima’s former Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki. The course guides students through community engagement, local sustainability challenges, and problem-solving using design thinking methods. This year, students tackled topics including rural transportation, migrant worker conditions, seniors' access to AI, and cybersecurity. What distinguished this iteration was the opportunity for students to test their ideas with an international audience whose academic background differed significantly from their own. 

To create that opportunity, SPICE partnered with OsloMet’s master’s program in Applied Computer and Information Technology. Though the two programs differ in size, location, and disciplinary focus – one rooted in liberal arts, the other in STEM – they share a common goal: helping students explore complex social problems through interdisciplinary and cross-cultural collaboration. To prepare for the virtual session, Eikei students created short video presentations introducing the sustainability challenges they had identified in Hiroshima. OsloMet students then reframed those challenges in their own local content and developed technical solutions in response. During the live session, students from both sides met in breakout discussions facilitated by Eikei student assistants, where Oslo teams proposed solutions and Hiroshima teams asked questions and explored implementation. 

For Eikei students, the most significant learning emerged from the reflective activities that followed. Students’ responses centered on two pillars the SPICE course had set from the beginning: intercultural competence and interdisciplinary thinking.

Eikei students reflecting on Japan-Norway student exchange | Photo Credit: SPICE

On the intercultural side, the exchange made clear how deeply local context shapes the way problems are understood and solved. A group working on AI and senior citizens, for instance, found that differing attitudes toward aging in Japan and Norway influenced both how the problem was defined and which solutions seemed viable. One student wrote: 

"The most memorable moment was when the very first prototype shown — from Group 9 — was an AI-generated image of a pizza with wheels, with an elderly person smiling next to it. I felt that our perspectives on social welfare and the public good were fundamentally different. Our conception of government's mission is something close to protecting the vulnerable. Their view, by contrast, were rooted in a focus on individual flourishing and self-actualization. It really took me by surprise."

Another student recalled a similarly unexpected moment:

“I received a lot of basic questions about everyday life in Japan — things like 'Isn't it normal for people in Japanese suburbs to ride electric scooters?' or 'How much do elderly people in Japan actually use smartphones?' I had expected questions about complex solutions, but I realized that even things I take for granted carry invisible assumptions and biases. In a cross-cultural setting, you have to align on the basics before you can go deeper."

These moments pushed students to examine their own assumptions and recognize how context shapes both problems and solutions. 

The interdisciplinary dimension was equally revealing. Eikei students admired how their Norwegian peers translated broad social concerns into concrete, technically grounded proposals. At the same time, the exchange helped them see the value of their own liberal arts education. One student reflected:

“Since the Oslo students each specialize in one field, it seemed like every group felt compelled to apply that expertise — which meant their solutions often ended up looking similar. We, on the other hand, are trained to approach problems from multiple disciplines and to include not just what’s immediately feasible but also future possibilities. Seeing that difference made so concrete was what left the strongest impression.”

Rather than viewing technical expertise as inherently superior, Eikei students came to see stakeholder engagement and contextual sensitivity as equally essential for addressing complex challenges, and concluded that effective solutions require both. This shift in perspective reflects a central aim of STEAM education: integrating a human-centered perspective into the traditional STEM framework (link to a related article). 

This experience reinforced the value of designing courses that connect students across institutions, disciplines, and cultures. The impact, it turns out, extended beyond the participants themselves. One of the Eikei student assistants who helped facilitate the session also reflected on what the experience meant to her (link). Many Eikei students expressed a desire for more sustained collaboration with their Norwegian peers, suggesting that future iterations of such a course could benefit from extending the exchange beyond a single session. More time and more exchanges would create greater space for mutual understanding and deeper engagement with complex "wicked" social problems.

Eikei students in SPICE Social Entrepreneurship course | Photo Credit: SPICE

Acknowledgement: I am deeply grateful to Professor Tulpesh Patel at OsloMet for making this partnership both possible and genuinely rewarding. Since we began working together in August 2025, it has been a true collaboration, the one built on regular conversation, mutual trust, and a shared belief in the value of human-centered, context-sensitive learning, an approach that lies at the heart of STEAM education. Working with Professor Patel has been a personal reminder of why cross-cultural and interdisciplinary collaboration matters. 

SPICE's course on Social Entrepreneurship with Eikei University of Hiroshima is one of SPICE’s local student programs in Japan.

To stay informed of SPICE news, join our email list and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

In its June 20, 2026, edition, the Nikkei Shimbun's Market Beat financial analysis column, titled US Stocks Attract Japanese Money, examines how the U.S. stock market is becoming a "major league" that is increasingly attracting capital from Japanese individual investors. Several factors drive this phenomenon:

• Massive IPOs: Unprecedentedly large IPOs, as seen by SpaceX, are capturing global attention and investment.
• Structural Advantages: U.S. markets are moving fast to include new, large companies in major stock indices, which forces index-tracking funds to buy shares and creates automatic demand.
• 24-Hour Trading: U.S. exchanges like the NYSE and Nasdaq are moving toward near 24-hour trading to specifically capture Asian daytime investors, making it easier for them to participate.

The column describes how Japanese investors are increasingly bypassing domestic options to capture the immense growth driven by American AI, data infrastructure, and advanced technology IPOs. "Founders and early-stage investors prefer large-scale markets that offer price discovery, liquidity, and visibility. This is likely to accelerate the concentration of innovative companies in the United States," says Curtis Milhaupt, the William F. Baxter-Visa International Professor of Law and APARC faculty affiliate.

The article notes that the speculative nature of advanced tech sectors inevitably fuels market volatility and could pose risks for Japanese investors looking across the Pacific, urging Japanese investors to identify promising domestic companies.

Eikei University of Hiroshima (EUH) is a liberal arts institution dedicated to fostering solutions- and impact-driven leaders who create social value in today’s world. Its goal is to cultivate practical skills for solving real-world issues through active learning, international perspectives, and interdisciplinary education. SPICE’s Social Entrepreneurship course, developed and taught by Dr. Mariko Yang-Yoshihara, is an intensive program that reflects the university’s objectives by helping students recognize and address social issues through a human-centred approach. Having taken the course twice, first as a student and later as a student assistant, I gained valuable skills, perspectives, and knowledge from both experiences.

The key learnings acquired this year placed greater emphasis on interdisciplinary exchange, sharing, and combining perspectives on social issues. The course instituted an exchange between liberal arts students at EUH and STEM students at Oslo Metropolitan University (Oslomet) in Norway. The EUH students identified human-centred social issues related to technology-based themes found within Hiroshima and shared with the Oslomet students, and the Oslomet students provided solutions or prototypes in response to these problems, with a discussion exchange that was held online toward the conclusion of the course.  

I found this exchange to be very interesting and engaging, even with my role as a student assistant in this course. The difference in perspectives between liberal arts students and STEM students was quite evident during this discussion, especially through the concepts and factors emphasized in the assigned theme by both groups of students. Due to vast differences in class sizes, we, the Eikei students, were required to review multiple prototypes submitted by the Oslomet student groups. Initially, all of the prototypes provided for my group’s theme seemed similar, but my perspective significantly changed after communicating and discussing with the Oslomet student groups during the online exchange. Their overview of prototypes shared similarities from an external point of view, but their features, emphasis, and priorities were quite different. This differentiation only became evident during the interactive session through the exchange of viewpoints between students from both universities.

A cultural comparison between the two universities was also a key observation. The exchange of participants’ views on the feasibility of said prototypes within Norwegian and Japanese societies was intriguing to observe through a thorough comparison of social aspects in both countries, particularly governmental assistance, hierarchical structures, and the focus of the prototype. This further highlighted the contrasts in the same target demographics across both countries, leading to the realization that the same prototype may not have the same impact on both societies. 

Another important note was the difference in priority and emphasis between the assigned theme and problem statement for the liberal arts students and the STEM students. There was a clear distinction in focus areas between the two universities. The EUH students solely prioritized the human-centred aspect of the provided theme, while the Oslomet students, on the other hand, targeted the technological aspect. It was quite intriguing to witness STEM students and liberal arts students trying to understand each other’s perspectives on the same situation.

Interestingly, rather than observing two major groups of students taking part in this course, I noticed three different groups. The first group is the Norwegian students who had never been to Japan, who viewed the problem statement based in Hiroshima from an external perspective. The second group consists of native Japanese students currently living in Hiroshima who viewed the problem statement from an internal perspective. The third group was international students (non-Japanese students studying at Eikei, including myself) who are also currently living in Hiroshima but viewed the problem statement from a pseudo internal-external perspective. All three groups had differing opinions and thought processes, which led to a significantly interactive and dynamic session. I was able to perceive the importance of having people with differing experiences and cultures participate in a discussion, as it progressively leads to a more adaptable and inclusive long-term approach towards achieving a common objective.

Additionally, my experiences in this course resonated with my own experience as the president of the international student organization club at our university. Oftentimes, while having meetings with Academic Affairs and International Affairs at our university regarding new initiatives, changes, or plans, I always aim to gather various opinions and concerns of my international peers, representing their needs and concerns as well. These concerns or opinions are quite varied, since the international student community has students who come from different regions of the world, resulting in a wide range of perspectives. When these varied concerns are addressed, it encourages developing solutions that aim at supporting a diverse community.

Chhavvi Anilkumar reflects on her experience in the course, Social Entrepreneurship | Photo courtesy of Chhavvi Anilkumar

This course has given me important insights and perspectives that I am sure will continue to shape my views in the short- as well as the long-term future. As a person interested in diversity and multiculturalism, this course’s experience considerably strengthened my understanding of how social structures and different experiences shape the perspectives of an individual. I believe this insight will assist me in interacting with a diverse range of people in a more inclusive manner, especially when creating solutions or strategies that can cater to various demographic groups.

Facilitating such interactive sessions, observing, and understanding the differences between the given prototypes reinforces more than just the value of collaborating with individuals coming from other backgrounds. Including different groups to participate in a situation or problem with their differing perspectives and skills increases the potential of having an adaptable solution idea that could further positively impact more than just the targeted audience. Hence, courses such as Social Entrepreneurship play a significant role in encouraging and fostering collaborative initiatives and approaches that lead to developing unique, adaptable, and successful solutions.

SPICE's course on Social Entrepreneurship with Eikei University of Hiroshima is one of SPICE’s local student programs in Japan.

To stay informed of SPICE news, join our email list and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

Stanford e-Tottori is a distance-learning course sponsored by the Tottori Prefectural Board of Education and the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) at Stanford University.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Stanford e-Tottori Program, a milestone that provides an opportunity to reflect on a decade of learning, cross-cultural exchange, and partnership between Stanford University and Tottori Prefecture.

Launched in 2016, Stanford e-Tottori was the first regional program in Japan developed by SPICE. The program was created through a partnership between SPICE and the Tottori Prefectural Board of Education with the goal of helping high school students in Tottori engage in global issues, deepen their understanding of the United States and U.S.–Japan relations, and strengthen their English communication skills.

When the program began, none of us could have imagined that it would still be thriving 10 years later. Over the past decade, approximately 250 students from across Tottori Prefecture have participated in the program. Through weekly assignments, online discussions, virtual classroom sessions, guest lectures, and independent research projects, students have explored topics ranging from education and entrepreneurship to sustainability, diversity, leadership, and U.S.–Japan relations.

Having taught every cohort since the program’s founding, I have had the privilege of working with an extraordinary group of students. Each year, I am impressed by their curiosity, thoughtfulness, and willingness to engage with complex issues. Although students enter the program with varying levels of English proficiency and different academic interests, they consistently demonstrate a desire to learn, challenge themselves, and better understand perspectives beyond their own.

One of the defining features of the program has been the students’ final research projects. At the end of each course, students select a topic of personal interest, conduct independent research, and present their findings in English. Over the years, they have investigated subjects as diverse as artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability, education systems, cultural identity, social welfare, entrepreneurship, history, and international relations. These presentations have provided students with opportunities not only to strengthen their research and communication skills but also to share their passions and interests with others.

The success of Stanford e-Tottori also helped to lay the foundation for SPICE’s broader expansion of regional programs throughout Japan. What began as SPICE’s first regional program has grown into a network of educational partnerships that now serve students in prefectures and cities across the country. Today, SPICE offers regional programs in Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Oita, Tottori, and Yamaguchi prefectures, as well as in the cities of Kagoshima, Kawasaki, and Kobe.

One of the greatest joys of the program has been seeing students experience California and Stanford University firsthand. Each year, two top-performing students are invited to Stanford as honorees in recognition of their outstanding achievement in the course. During their visits, students participate in award ceremonies, tour the Stanford campus, meet Stanford faculty and staff, and connect with fellow students from other SPICE regional programs.

These visits have also provided opportunities for students to glimpse into American high school life firsthand. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of accompanying students to local schools, where they have attended classes and met with American students. I am especially grateful to local educators, including Yoko Sase of The Nueva School in Hillsborough and Matt Hall of Gunn High School in Palo Alto, who have generously welcomed our students into their classrooms and school communities.

The Stanford e-Tottori Program would not exist without the vision, dedication, and support of many individuals and organizations. I am especially grateful to Takeshi Homma, whose passion for education, entrepreneurship, and international exchange helped inspire the creation of the program 10 years ago. Since its inception, Homma-san has remained a steadfast supporter, generously sharing his experiences and insights with students through annual guest lectures on entrepreneurship, innovation, and global citizenship.

I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to Governor Shinji Hirai for his longstanding commitment to international education and global engagement. His support of educational exchange between Tottori and Stanford has helped create opportunities for hundreds of students to broaden their horizons and develop a deeper understanding of the United States and U.S.–Japan relations.

I am deeply grateful to the Tottori Prefectural Board of Education for its partnership and commitment to providing meaningful international educational opportunities for students. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of working with many dedicated educators and teacher consultants whose efforts have been essential to the program’s success, including Koji Tsubaki, Takuya Fukushima, Tomoya Minohara, Shuichi Hata, Natsu Odahara, and Satoru Hamahashi. Their enthusiasm, professionalism, and unwavering support have helped make the Stanford e-Tottori Program a rewarding experience for students throughout Tottori Prefecture. 

As I reflect on the past 10 years, what stands out most are not the individual lessons, assignments, or presentations, but the relationships that have developed through the program. Education is ultimately about people, and one of the greatest rewards of teaching Stanford e-Tottori has been the opportunity to learn from and work with so many talented students, teachers, and colleagues in both Japan and the United States.

As Stanford e-Tottori enters its second decade, I am excited to see what the future holds. I look forward to continuing to learn alongside future generations of students and to strengthening the bonds of friendship and understanding that have connected Stanford and Tottori over the past 10 years.

Congratulations to all of the students, educators, and partners who have been part of the Stanford e-Tottori story. Thank you for making the past 10 years such a remarkable journey.

Stanford e-Tottori is one of SPICE’s local student programs in Japan.

To stay informed of SPICE news, join our email list and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

The following reflection is a guest post written by Minami Ohno, an alum of the Fall 2025 Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan (SeEJ) Program. SeEJ’s next application period will open July 31, 2026.

The Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan program is a powerful platform for the next generation of social entrepreneurs looking to address future social issues.

From the day of our first virtual meeting, the Sunday blues became a happy Friday-equivalent—an electric and thrilling day. Something I looked forward to.

The fall 2025 SeEJ program lasted approximately four months, with virtual meetings on Sunday every two weeks. Each session was very memorable, covering areas from public health to environmental sustainability. While there were only a total of 10 remote classes, each session was truly an educational journey that transformed my views on entrepreneurship. The program attracted students with diverse multicultural backgrounds, and students had a wide range of views and experiences. Our group projects and individual research papers covered topics from advocacy for financial literacy to animal therapy. I was fortunate to learn about these various ideas and proposals alongside students who had direct experience and knowledge in those fields.

Some of the most powerful experiences in the program were our sessions interacting with guest speakers, successful social entrepreneurs. SeEJ has a strong network of successful social entrepreneurs across the globe. These entrepreneurs were truly visionaries with a strong sense of social responsibility, aiming to drive change for a better world. They shared their inspirational stories in building businesses to tackle serious societal problems. I was truly grateful for their advice. At first, I felt a little intimidated engaging with experienced entrepreneurs and scholars, but they were very approachable, and our interactions with them were extremely productive, with time always running short due to active participation from all students. Besides inspiring us with their personal stories, they also provided us with practical suggestions, from business development strategies to presentation techniques when pitching to an investor audience.

One session on sustainability and biodiversity left a particularly strong impression on me. Our guest speaker that day was Mr. Robin Takashi Lewis, the founder of mymizu, an app that aims to reduce the use of plastic water bottles and promote the use of free refill spots. Water supply is scarce in many countries, and water scarcity is becoming a growing problem, but mymizu is working to make water more accessible and sustainable. At the end of the session, Mr. Lewis introduced us to the “3.5% rule”—a research-backed rule that suggests that when at least 3.5% of the population takes action, major social and political change is not only achievable but highly likely. This observation highlights how even seemingly small-scale efforts can lead to major change. As aspiring young entrepreneurs, my classmates and I found this insight incredibly exciting. It made me want to take action for societal change.

My experience in SeEJ was truly invaluable. I was able to be part of a special community of top scholars and entrepreneurs, as well as fantastic peers who shared their innovative ideas and opinions. The instructor, Ms. Irene Bryant, and TA Naho Ohara were very supportive in kindly guiding us throughout the program. They consistently encouraged us to think critically and take full advantage of the program. Thanks to my experience in SeEJ, I not only feel knowledgeable about entrepreneurship—I also feel more confident, inspired, and equipped to put it into practice in my future.

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan will begin accepting applications for the fall 2026 course on July 31, 2026.

SeEJ is one of several online courses offered by SPICE.

To stay updated on SPICE news, join our email list and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

Stanford e-Japan is an online course that teaches Japanese high school students about U.S. society and culture and U.S.–Japan relations. The course introduces students to both U.S. and Japanese perspectives on many historical and contemporary issues. It is offered biannually by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE). Stanford e-Japan is currently supported by the Yanai Tadashi Foundation.

In August 2026, the top honorees of the Spring 2025 and the Fall 2025 Stanford e-Japan courses will be honored through an event at Stanford University. SPICE is most grateful to Mr. Tadashi Yanai and the Yanai Foundation for making Stanford e-Japan, including the ceremony in August 2026, possible.

The three Spring 2025 honorees—Mahono Fuji (Seinan High School), Nagi Matsuyama (Doshisha International High School), and Jinichiro Taguchi (Kaijo High School)—will be recognized for their coursework and exceptional research essays that focused respectively on “From White Flight to Gentrification: Rethinking Urban Spatial Inequality,” “Reconsidering U.S.–Japan Food Trade,” and “Trump’s Policies and the Monroe Doctrine.”

Dion Munasingha (Yaizu Chuo High School) and Natsuka Yamamoto (Keio Girls Senior High School) each received an Honorable Mention for their coursework and research papers that respectively focused on “Language Support for Children of Immigrants in Japan and the United States” and “Future of Natural Disaster Response Management in Japan and the United States.”

The three Fall 2025 honorees—Sawa Ito (Iida High School), Yurino Ohara (Okayama Prefectural Okayama Asahi High School), and Amy Yanai (The British School in Tokyo)—will be recognized for their coursework and exceptional research essays that focused respectively on “A Comparison of Mental Health in the United States and Japan: What Japan Can Learn from the United States,” “Redesigning Japan’s OTC Policy: A Digital Strategy for Fiscal Sustainability and Patient Protection,” and “Community Resilience and Soft Power: Disaster Recovery in the United States and Japan.”

Aiko Nakano (Shizuoka Futaba Senior High School) and Takaki Okada (Musashi High School) each received an Honorable Mention for their coursework and research papers that respectively focused on “A Comparison of Refugee Recognition Systems in Japan and the United States: The Role of Public Awareness” and “‘Anti-Globalism’ Sentiment in the United States: Its Causes and Effects.”

In the Spring 2025 session of Stanford e-Japan, students from the following schools completed the course: Azabu High School (Tokyo); Chiba Prefectural Higashi Katsushika High School (Chiba); Doshisha International High School (Kyoto); Ehime Prefectural Matsuyama Chuo High School (Ehime); Fuji Sacred Heart School (Shizuoka); Gunma Kokusai Academy Secondary School (Gunma); Hiroshima Prefectural Ogaki High School (Hiroshima); International Christian University High School (Tokyo); Kaijo High School (Tokyo); Kanazawa Izumigaoka High School (Ishikawa); Keio Girls Senior High School (Tokyo); Keio Shonan Fujisawa Senior High School (Tokyo); Kyoto Rakuhoku High School (Kyoto);  Meijigakuen Senior High School (Fukuoka); Meikei Gakuen High School (Ibaraki); Nagasaki Nishi High School (Nagasaki); Saitama Municipal Urawa High School (Saitama); Saku Chosei Senior High School (Nagano); Sapporo Kaisei Secondary School (Hokkaido); Seinan High School (Fukuoka); Shibuya Makuhari High School (Tokyo); Suwa Seiryo High School (Nagano); Toin Gakuen Secondary Education School (Kanagawa); Tokyo Gakugei University International Secondary School (Tokyo); Tokyo Metropolitan Kokusai High School (Tokyo); Waseda University Senior High School (Tokyo); Yaizu Chuo High School (Shizuoka); and Yatsushiro High School (Kumamoto).

In the Fall 2025 session of Stanford e-Japan, students from the following schools completed the course: AICJ High School (Hiroshima), Akita Minami Senior High School (Akita), Caritas Senior High School (Kanagawa), Higashiyama High School (Kyoto), Iida High School (Nagano), International Christian University High School (Tokyo), Kaetsu Ariake High School (Tokyo), Katayama Gakuen High School (Toyama), Keio Girls Senior High School (Tokyo), Kindai Toyooka High School (Hyogo), Koshigaya Kita High School (Saitama), Makuhari Senior High School (Chiba), Mita International School of Science (Tokyo), Musashi High School (Tokyo), Nagoya University Affiliated Upper Secondary School (Aichi), Nishiyamato Gakuen High School (Nara), Okayama Prefectural Okayama Asahi High School (Okayama), Okinawa Prefectural Kaiho Senior High School (Okinawa), Ritsumeikan Keisho High School (Hokkaido), Seigakuin High School (Tokyo), Senior High School at Otsuka, University of Tsukuba (Tokyo), Shizuoka Futaba Senior High School (Shizuoka), Shuyukan High School (Fukuoka), Suwa Seiryo High School (Nagano), The British School in Tokyo (Tokyo), Tokyo Metropolitan Hibiya High School (Tokyo), Tokyo Metropolitan Koshikawa Secondary School (Tokyo), and Tsurumaru High School (Kagoshima).

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.

To stay informed of news about Stanford e-Japan and SPICE’s other programs, join our email list and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

The following is a guest article written by Yuki Kihara, who traveled to the San Francisco Bay Area with other graduate students from the University of Tokyo in January 2026, under the leadership of Professor Hideto Fukudome. Yuki is also an administrative staff member at the University of Tokyo. SPICE/Stanford collaborates closely with the Graduate School of Education at the University of Tokyo and met with the students during their visit to the Bay Area.

On the final day of the intensive seminar in the San Francisco Bay Area, we visited the Japanese American Museum of San Jose. When we entered the museum, an elderly woman who happened to be there told us about her experience living in a concentation camp. She said that in the middle of the desert, the barracks’ housing was full of dust, and that every night before falling asleep she would check under the bed to make sure there was no scorpion. This unexpected encounter became a memorable moment that wrapped up what I learned at the intensive seminar.

At first, this story did not have a strong impression on me. However, as we walked through the museum, docent Atsushi Uchida explained in detail about life in the concentration camp, citing the elderly lady’s words. For instance, because the camps were built hastily, undried wood was used for the barracks. Consequently, as the wood dried and shrank over time, gaps appeared, and clouds of dust came into the barracks and rose in the air. These gaps also allowed scorpions to sneak in, which is why the elderly lady had to be cautious every night. Of course, this is a minor memory of that elderly lady which would never be written down in a textbook. It would also perhaps have slipped out of my memory quickly if Atsushi had not shed light on it. But because he pointed it out, her experience was incorporated into my thoughts and has stayed with me for a long time. Photo below of docent Atsushi Uchida at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose, courtesy of Tina Tan.

Image

Atsushi also told us about some remaining words which have been passed down within the Nikkei (Japanese emigrants and their descendants) community in California. Among them is the phrase “Shikata Ga Nai,” meaning “it cannot be helped” in English. In Japan, this expression shows a certain sense of giving up or resignation. On the other hand, the word “Shikata Ga Nai” used in California also contains a slightly positive nuance: It means doing what can be done in the place where one has been put. This story made me focus on the pain that Nikkei people at that time had to face, and the perseverance to overcome the hardship, with a somewhat optimistic outlook on life. Atsushi’s comment on “Shikata ga nai” also made me realize that the nuanced differences between the Japanese and Japanese American interpretation of specific Japanese terminology are not merely subtle linguistic variations, but something I may be able to perceive, perhaps, because I stand both inside and outside of this cultural context.

I believe that the privilege of a researcher is to pass down people’s words, regardless of how many people read them. In this regard, I cannot help but think about what I should write and pass down as a person who specializes in education. The children captured by an official government photographer looked cheerful, even at the concentration camp, but I feel that I must also turn my eyes to the moments of pain that would have been hidden from a master narrative of history.

The explanation from Atsushi extended to the story of Norman Mineta. He was a Nisei (second-generation Japanese American) who served as the United States Secretary of Transportation during the George W. Bush administration. Because of his experience of incarceration in his childhood, he opposed racial profiling after the September 11 attacks. His influence on society was huge, and no one doubts his significant achievement. At the same time, interestingly enough, the recollection of the elderly lady also stayed in my memory. I felt that the defining experiences of the two were the same, and it was not until I visited the museum that I came to realize the link between the two. I learned the importance of actually visiting the site on my own. The story of Norman Mineta and the recollection of this elderly woman formed an interesting contrast, and together they left a deep impression on me.

Speaking of this contrast, I also cannot help looking back on the education I received when I was an elementary school student. As homework for a history class, I interviewed my grandmother about her experiences during World War II. She told me about wartime evacuation and her life at home and school. At that time, somewhere in my mind, I regarded these stories as merely personal experiences, not as history to be learned, and I dismissed them as insignificant. The encounter with the elderly lady brought up this memory again, forming a strong contrast with my elementary school experience. It made me reconsider what history is and for whom it exists.

But then another question comes to my mind. If I once regarded my grandmother’s experience as insignificant because of what I learned in history education, does that mean education itself is meaningless? Of course, now, as an adult, I need to examine critically what I have been taught. Yet it was also education itself, this time through Atsushi’s explanation which functioned as scaffolding, that enabled me to question and shed light on something unseen. Here I found hope in education.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Hideto Fukudome for arranging such a wonderful opportunity, to Director Gary Mukai and everyone at SPICE for creating the rich program and welcoming atmosphere, to our Teaching Assistant Mr. Naoya Kobayashi for making the seminar run smoothly in many ways, and to all the classmates who shared thoughtful and engaging discussions with me throughout this intensive seminar. Special thanks to Ms. Anna Marie Rodriguez, my friend and an assistant language teacher (ALT) in Japan under the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme, for her proofreading of this article.

To stay informed of SPICE news, join our email list and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.