When I saw the photo (above) of the Port of Kobe, I immediately thought of my paternal grandmother, Wakano Mukai, who, at the age of 17, departed on the SS Manchuria from the Port of Kobe on January 10, 1910. She left Japan to join her husband, Buntaro, in California. She had agreed to marry him based only upon a photo that she had seen of him. If Wakano were alive today, I would ask her about what the voyage from Kobe to Honolulu to San Francisco was like and what her life in California had taught her about the world.

The goal of educating youth about the world has been promoted by Kobe City Mayor Kizo Hisamoto, who supported Kobe City’s decision to collaborate with the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) on the development of a new online course, Stanford e-Kobe. The opening ceremony for the inaugural Stanford e-Kobe course was held on September 18, 2021. The course will help high school students in Kobe expand their knowledge of the United States and U.S.–Japan relations—including topics like diversity and entrepreneurship—beyond just a superficial level. In his opening comments, Mayor Hisamoto noted, “Our city strives to create an environment in which young people could fully realize their potential. We have already implemented a number of startup support programs in cooperation with various universities and private companies in the city.” He continued,

SPICE’s Alison Harsch, Stanford e-Kobe Instructor, and I represented SPICE during the opening ceremony. During the ceremony, Harsch told the 29 students that they will be encouraged to think in an “internationally minded manner”—that is, to think about different points of view. She also emphasized that students need not be concerned if they encounter small setbacks in the course, and to “fail forward.” Harsch offered students a glimpse into what Stanford e-Kobe will be like with its active learning and student-centered focus. Teacher Consultant Tomoko Nakamura, Fukiai High School, commented, “Alison-sensei’s words encouraged our students a lot. They must think that it is important to be positive and express their opinions without hesitation… I am grateful for her welcoming of our students so warmly into Stanford e-Kobe.”

Harsch noted that “students should come away from the course with a much deeper understanding of the United States and its strong history of diversity, including early Japanese immigration.” Wakano was never able to return to Japan after immigrating to the United States in 1910. She died in 1947. I wish that she were alive today to hear me share with the students of Kobe, who are about her age when she left Japan, that her last fading glimpse of Japan—that of Kobe—has become clearer again through students of Kobe who aspire to build bridges between their city and the United States and to encourage their peers in the United States to see Kobe firsthand.

I am grateful to Mayor Kizo Hisamoto for making this course possible and for his vision; and to Superintendent Jun Nagata for his leadership and support. I am most grateful to Masanori Nagamine, former Director, Kobe Trade Information Office in Seattle, and Dr. Takaaki Hoda, Kobe University, for allowing me to consult with them while they were in Seattle and at Stanford, respectively. Importantly, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to Tomoko Nakamura from Fukiai High School and Toshihiro Nishiyama from the Kobe Board of Education for their kind correspondence and unwavering support; and to Satoshi Kawasaki as well.

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 supported by the Yanai Tadashi Foundation.

In Summer 2022, top students of the Spring 2021 Stanford e-Japan course will be honored through an event at Stanford University.

The three Spring 2021 honorees—Yura Amaya (Toyama Chubu High School, Toyama), Akira Fukutomi (Yaeyama High School, Okinawa), and Yuto Kimura (Waseda University Senior High School, Tokyo)—will be recognized for their coursework and exceptional research essays that focused respectively on “Organ Donation After Brain Death in Japan and the United States,” “Ambiguity and Clarity: Cultural Differences between Japan and the U.S.,” and “The U.S.–Japan Relationship: Consideration from the Perspective of U.S.–China Friction.”

Risei Ko (Ikeda Senior High School Attached to Osaka Kyoiku University) and Moe Shimizu (Shibuya Senior High School) received Honorable Mentions for their research papers that focused respectively on “The Metaverse & Human Relations: A New Approach to Tackle Racism in Japan and the U.S.” and “Mental Health Care for U.S. High School Students Under COVID-19.”

In the Spring 2021 session of Stanford e-Japan, all 28 students successfully completed the course. The students represented the following schools: Aichi Shukutoku Junior and Senior High School (Aichi); the Academy for the International Community in Japan (AICJ) High School (Hiroshima); Hachinohe St. Ursula Gakuin High School (Aomori); Hiroo Gakuen High School (Tokyo); Hiroshima Prefectural Hiroshima Senior High School (Hiroshima); Hokkaido Sapporo Minami High School (Hokkaido); Ikeda Senior High School Attached to Osaka Kyoiku University (Osaka); International Christian University High School (Tokyo); Kaijo Senior High School (Tokyo); Kaisei Academy (Tokyo); Kasugaoka High School (Osaka); Keio Girls Senior High School (Tokyo); Kyoto Gakuen High School (Kyoto); Kyoto Prefectural Rakuhoku Senior High School (Kyoto); Mita International School (Tokyo); Nagasaki Prefectural Isahaya High School (Nagasaki); Oin High School (Tokyo); Okayama Prefectural Joto High School (Okayama); Oshima High School (Kagoshima); Saitama Municipal Urawa High School (Saitama); Senior High School at Otsuka, University of Tsukuba (Tokyo); Shibuya Senior High School (Tokyo); Takada High School (Mie); Takamatsu High School (Kagawa); Toyama Chubu High School (Toyama); Waseda University Senior High School (Tokyo); Yaeyama High School (Okinawa); and Yatsushiro High School (Kumamoto).

For more information about the Stanford e-Japan Program, please visit stanfordejapan.org. The application period for Spring 2022 will begin November 15, 2021.

On August 23, 2021, a virtual award ceremony was held to recognize the eight honorees of SPICE’s 2020–2021 regional programs in Japan. These students performed at the highest levels in their respective courses. Their names, high schools, and final research project titles appear below.

Stanford e-Hiroshima (Instructor Rylan Sekiguchi)

• Sara Arakawa (Hiroshima Prefectural Hiroshima Kokutaiji Senior High School), “Silicon Valley: Secrets Behind Success”
• Chika Isone (Hiroshima Prefectural Hiroshima Senior High School), “Innovation by Design Thinking in Silicon Valley”

Stanford e-Kawasaki (Instructor Maiko Tamagawa Bacha)

• Eric Silang (Kawasaki High School), “Humor and America”
• Shunya Tani (Kawasaki High School), “Possible Ways to Promote Renewable Energy in Japan and the U.S.”

Stanford e-Oita (Instructor Kasumi Yamashita)

• Hana Burkart (Hofu High School), “Social Discrimination Against Foreigners in Japan”
• Yayano Okuda (Usa High School), “Environmental Education”

Stanford e-Tottori (Instructor Jonas Edman)

• Eri Tamura (Tottori Nishi High School), “Teachers’ Treatment in the U.S.”
• Hinata Yonemura (Yonago Higashi High School), “Veganism: How Japanese Society Can Promote It”
   

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The Honorable Toru Maeda, Consul General of Japan in San Francisco, made opening remarks and congratulated the honorees on their outstanding academic performances. Addressing the students directly, he said, “You have demonstrated strong initiative and deep understanding of various aspects of Japan and the United States.” He also expressed optimism in the future of the U.S.–Japan relationship. He continued, “With young people like you, I’m confident that Japan–U.S. relations—which are now firmly based on shared fundamental values and common strategic goals—will continue to grow for many years to come. A deeper understanding among young people on both sides will promote greater cooperation and collaboration between our two countries, which will enable us to meet the challenges lying ahead.”

Consul General Maeda’s remarks were followed by introductions of the student honorees by their instructors Sekiguchi, Bacha, Yamashita, and Edman. The honorees then gave formal research presentations in English and responded to questions from the audience. Each honoree received an award plaque to recognize their achievement.

Although some of the students felt nervous about their presentations at the beginning of the event, once the ceremony ended, they felt a sense of accomplishment and renewed motivation. “I had a great time today,” commented Sara Arakawa. “My desire to study English is getting stronger each day, and I will practice hard to be a person who works globally in the future. I will never forget everything I learned in this program.”

The SPICE instructors would like to express their gratitude to their key contacts at the Hiroshima, Oita, and Tottori Prefectural Boards of Education and the City of Kawasaki, who have helped make these regional programs a success. They would also like to thank Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki, Kawasaki Mayor Norihiko Fukuda, Oita Governor Katsusada Hirose, and Tottori Governor Shinji Hirai for their continued support of these regional programs.

SPICE’s regional programs are a subset of our local student programs in Japan.

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Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan is an online course offered to high school students from throughout Japan. It is offered annually in spring and fall by SPICE and the Japanese NPO e-Entrepreneurship, led by Yusuke Matsuda. The instructors are Maiko Tamagawa Bacha (spring) and Irene Bryant (fall).

On August 11, 2021, the top students in the 2020 spring and fall cohorts were honored in a virtual ceremony. They are listed below alphabetically.  

• Naho Abe, The American School Foundation in Mexico City
• Yasuko Kinoshita, graduate of Akita Senior High School, Akita Prefecture
• Rion Kurihara, Shibuya Senior High School, Tokyo
• Sungyeon “Sunny” Park, The British School in Tokyo

The goal of Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan is to foster creative thinking and problem-solving skills in students with a focus on innovation to address social issues. During the ceremony, the honorees made presentations that focused on history textbook controversies in Japan (Abe); aging communities in rural prefectures like Akita (Kinoshita); gun control in the United States (Kurihara); and poverty alleviation (Park).

While listening to the presentations, Bacha and Bryant were struck by the diversity represented by the honorees. Bryant, who is a former Coordinator of International Relations on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, reflected, “As an American who has lived outside of the United States for many years, I have no doubt that Naho’s attendance at a high school in Mexico City and Sunny’s attendance at The British School in Tokyo will have a profound effect on their college studies and possibly careers, just as my overseas experiences have had a profound effect on my life.” Bacha similarly reflected, “As a Japanese national who attended graduate school in California and also worked in San Francisco, I think it’s great that Yasuko, who is from the rural prefecture of Akita, will be enrolling at Minerva University in San Francisco this year, and hope that Rion will fulfill her dream of enrolling in a university in the United States as well.”

Bryant and Bacha are most grateful to the following educators in Japan for their support throughout the 2020 courses:

• Mana Miura, Curriculum Designer, NPO e-Entrepreneurship
• Roy Lee, former teacher at Seiko Jr. and Sr. High School
• Sara Inoue, currently a student at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education

The spring 2020 Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan course was generously supported by the Water Dragon Foundation. The fall 2020 Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan course was generously supported by Noriko Honda Chen and the Capital Group, Norman Chen, Andrew Ogawa, and Mako Ogawa.

For more information about SPICE’s online courses for students, visit our Student Programs page.

On August 9, 2021, a virtual award ceremony was held to honor SPICE’s Spring and Fall 2020 Stanford e-Japan honorees and 2021 Reischauer Scholars Program honorees. The honorees performed at the highest levels of their courses as determined by Stanford e-Japan Instructors Waka Brown and Meiko Kotani, Reischauer Scholars Program Instructor Naomi Funahashi, and research paper review committees.

Spring and Fall 2020 Stanford e-Japan Program Honorees and Their Research Paper Topics

• Coco Kawaguchi (Keio Girls Senior High School, Tokyo), “To Infinity and Beyond! National Survival in the Era of Venture Space Development”
• Sotaro Kunieda (Suwa Seiryo High School, Nagano), “Fostering Social Enterprises in Japan: Lessons from the United States”
• Yun-Tzu (Allison) Lin (Canadian Academy, Kobe), “Nuclear Deterrence Theory: An Evaluation of Its Effectiveness in Preventing Future Deployment of Nuclear Weapons”
• Minami Matsushima (Senri & Osaka International Schools of Kwansei Gakuin, Osaka), “The Price We Pay for Men to Be Men: Toxic Masculinity in the United States”
• Yuna Naoi (Tokyo Metropolitan Hibiya High School, Tokyo), “Online Secondary School Education in Japan and the U.S. Amid the COVID-19 Crisis”
• Kenta Yoshii (Shukutoku Junior and Senior High School, Tokyo), “In Search of a Realistic Substitute for U.S. Extended Deterrence for Japan”

Honorable Mentions: Risako Nomura (Yokohama Senior High School of International Studies, Kanagawa); Satoru Uchida (Tokyo Metropolitan High School, Tokyo)

2021 Reischauer Scholars Program Honorees and Their Research Paper Topics

• Erica Cai (The Harker School, San Jose, California), “The Darkness in Pursuing Lightness: Western Perspectives on Japanese Colorism”
• Kristine Pashin (Notre Dame High School, San Jose, California), “The Rite of Rights: An Examination of Socio-Cultural Precedent in Japanese Law”
• Kasha Tyranski (St. Petersburg High School, St. Petersburg, Florida), “Gastrodiplomacy: Examining the Soft Power of Food in U.S.–Japan Relations”

Honorable Mentions: Noah Kurima (Sage Creek High School, Carlsbad, California); Kalia Lai (The College Preparatory School, Oakland, California); Benjamin Thomas (Garfield High School, Seattle, Washington)

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The Honorable Keiichi Higuchi, Deputy Consul General of Japan in San Francisco, made opening comments. “I commend each and every one of you for your hard work and dedication to complete your program in spite of your regular school responsibilities,” he remarked. “You have demonstrated your initiative and determination to further your understanding of Japan and the United States. However, this should not be the end but just the beginning of your journey. I strongly encourage you to continue your studies, and I hope that your experiences in these programs will inspire you to think about a career involving Japan and the United States. I look forward to the day when I hear that some of you will be actively engaged in furthering the Japan–U.S. relationship in your careers and in your lives.”

He continued, “I would like you to know that the special expertise and knowledge that you gained makes you uniquely qualified to take a leading role in promoting Japan–U.S. relations… With young people like you, I have full confidence that the Japan–U.S. relationship will continue to grow and thrive for many years to come.”

Following Deputy Consul General Higuchi’s comments, the student honorees made presentations based on their research papers and expertly fielded questions from the audience.

Yu Higashisawa, Osaka University North American Center for Academic Initiatives, commented, “It’s been a pleasure and honor to be invited to Japan Day for several years. It’s wonderful to see that SPICE has provided a platform for high school students in Japan and the United States to exchange ideas and build relationships remotely. The presentations by the honorees of the RSP and Stanford e-Japan always amaze me and open my eyes to new perspectives. They are ready to go out into the world and make changes in our future!”

Funahashi hopes that her students will someday have the opportunity to study abroad at universities like Osaka University, and Brown and Kotani hope that their students will someday have the opportunity to study abroad at universities like Stanford in the United States.  

The Yanai Tadashi Foundation is the current supporter of Stanford e-Japan, and Daisuke Kato represented the Yanai Tadashi Foundation during the ceremony. SPICE is grateful to Tadashi Yanai for his generous support and to Daisuke Kato and Chikano Shiroma of the Yanai Tadashi Foundation for their regular correspondence and encouragement. Naoaki and Yuka Mashita are the current supporters of the Reischauer Scholars Program, and SPICE is thankful to them for their generous support. These courses and the ceremony would not have been possible without them.

The Reischauer Scholars Program’s next application period will begin September 6, 2021. Stanford e-Japan’s next application period will begin mid-November 2021.

At first, I almost didn’t apply to the Reischauer Scholars Program (RSP). As someone with primarily Eastern European heritage, I doubted that I had a unique perspective to add to a coalition of students dedicated to learning more about Japan’s rich culture, economics, history, and society. In my mind, my personal experience couldn’t have been further from the course’s content. However, as a recent graduate of the RSP, my experience has completely shattered my previous misconceptions. Stanford’s RSP isn’t just an online program that gives students a comprehensive, in-depth view of Japan—it brings together a community of academically and socially diverse individuals from across the United States, along with their manifold perspectives, to build future leaders in the U.S.–Japan relationship. 

My path to the RSP began in Model United Nations (MUN) and my tenth-grade world history class that encouraged me to delve deeper into the political and ideological theories that govern and shape our society. Japan was a major focus for multiple of my MUN conferences, where I descended into multiple Wikipedia rabbit-holes on a wide range of topics, from Japan’s stance on sustainable development to socio-political effects on Japanese gender equality quotas. Furthermore, throughout my dual enrollment in a MicroMasters program in international jurisprudence and a course on East Asian culture and law, I learned more about the intricacies of Japan’s Eurocentric depiction in the geo-political sphere. In the international law resources I was exposed to, Japan was often portrayed as “lawless,” while the Western legal system was presented as the “key” to maintaining a proper rule of law in East Asia. Through the latter course which focused on the intersection between Japanese culture and law, Japanese law was accurately shown as an extension of the rich Japanese culture I had learned about in my history classes; in this regard, each cultural facet needed to be taken into account with the legal theory of the state. Since then, I’ve been hooked on understanding the role of implicit motives in shaping international policy and cultural precedent in jurisprudence. At the RSP, I have been able to pursue my passions alongside like-minded peers.

From the first week of the RSP, the diversity of students was evident. Each of my fellow peers offered their own outlook on topics ranging from “Religions in Japan” to “The Power of Popular Culture.” Across online forums and virtual classrooms, complex concepts were thoroughly discussed through witty back-and-forth banter, new ideas were buttressed by comprehensive research, and interconnected themes were explored via collaboration. The RSP’s inclusive and dynamic environment was one of my favorite aspects of the program. Weekly Zoom meetings with our instructor, Ms. Naomi Funahashi, and my peers allowed me to grasp unfamiliar concepts and take a deep dive into the things I didn’t previously know through active engagement. Moreover, at each virtual classroom, we had the opportunity to meet government officials, business leaders, and scholars at the forefront of U.S.–Japan relations. Each speaker’s ideas will forever retain importance to my understanding of the Japanese American experience, which remains equally relevant in the modern day.

The RSP’s commitment to educating the future leaders of the U.S.–Japan relationship is shown in its culmination. Near the final months of the 20-week RSP, students are given the opportunity to explore a topic of their choosing related to Japan or the U.S.–Japan dynamic. In my final paper, titled “The Rite of Rights: An Examination of Socio-Cultural Precedent in Japanese Law,” I coalesced my RSP education with my interest in international and Japanese jurisprudence. Even after its conclusion, the RSP continues the discussion on U.S.–Japan relations for the years to come by compiling and sharing all the research papers written within that year’s program. 

Ultimately, I am grateful to the Reischauer Scholars Program for creating a mosaic of different experiences and cultures by bringing together my peers. Throughout my involvement in the RSP, I have strengthened my belief in the cross-cultural intersections that bind us all together. It is through these bonds, along with empathy and compassion, that the RSP helps students weave themselves into the U.S.–Japan international tapestry, shaping the world. 

The next session of the Reischauer Scholars Program will run from February to June 2022. The application will open September 6, 2021.

On March 18, 2021, the California Department of Education adopted the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. Chapter 3 of the Model Curriculum includes a section on “Native American Studies.” During a June 18, 2021 webinar, three Native and Indigenous scholars reflected on some of the key themes noted in the section and commented on the state of ethnic studies in their regions. The educators were:

• Dr. Harold Begay, Superintendent of Schools, Navajo Nation
• Dr. Sachi Edwards, Faculty Member, Soka University in Tokyo, Japan
• Dr. Ronda Māpuana Fuji Shizuko Hayashi-Simpliciano, Vice Principal, Ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻo Ānuenue, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
   

Kasumi Yamashita served as the moderator of the panel. The webinar was divided into three sections: (1) personal stories about the scholars’ Native and Indigenous identities and cultural backgrounds; (2) understandings of ethnic studies in the continental United States, Hawaiʻi, and Japan; and (3) insights and take-aways for K–12 educators to create more diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning environments for students.

In section one, the scholars commented on various factors that contributed to the formation of their identities. These factors ranged from being raised biculturally in the Navajo Nation bound by his traditional Dine’ (Navajo) culture and mainstream Western education in the United States (Begay); to ancestral ties to Ainu Moshir or Moshiri (“Land of the Ainu,” northern region of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kuril Islands, Sakhalin, and southern Kamchatka Peninsula) as well as Hawaiʻi (Hayashi-Simpliciano); and to being a fourth-generation settler in Hawaiʻi with ancestral ties to Japan, but not learning of her Ainu heritage until adulthood (Edwards).

In section two, the scholars placed importance upon epistemology when considering the field of ethnic studies and teaching in general. Begay also emphasized ontology in the Dine’ philosophy, which has shaped his teaching. Hayashi-Simpliciano underscored the importance of teacher education and professional development in preparing educators to be welcoming of various cultural identities in their classrooms. Edwards noted that in Japan ethnic diversity is primarily viewed through the presence of people from other countries, with the assumption that Japanese are ethnically homogeneous, which has shaped the teaching of ethnic diversity in Japan.

In section three, the scholars provided numerous insights and take-aways for K–12 educators. Begay noted that in their teaching, Navajo Nation educators keep the four sacred mountains in mind. Hayashi-Simpliciano reflected that in her Hawaiian language immersion school, the educators are not “doing ethnic studies” but rather “doing heritage restoration.” Edwards argued that Indigenous studies—whether in Japan, Hawaiʻi, or the U.S. mainland—should not be taught just in ethnic studies or relegated to a specific subject; rather Indigenous studies should be interwoven with all subjects.

Educators may find the webinar recording to be useful in their classrooms and may want to use some of the questions and topics provided here.

Following the webinar, many teachers from across the United States commented that the topics that were shared are relevant not only to teachers in California but also to those in other states as well. Reflecting on the webinar, Dr. Kristyn Nicole Mahealani Hara, Outreach & Academic Coordinator at Stanford Global Studies, stated, “I found the speakers very engaging and learned a lot from their inspiring insights on the linkages between their lived experiences, Indigenous ontologies and epistemologies, and ways of foregrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion in educational practice. I especially appreciated their wisdom on ways of honoring the cultural heritage of students so that classrooms—and, by extension, schools—can be safe spaces for self-expression, healing, and learning, and the importance of integrating Indigenous knowledge across diverse fields of study.” SPICE encourages educators to review the resources recommended below.

This webinar was a joint collaboration between the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA), the Center for East Asian Studies, and SPICE.
 

—Additional Resources—
The following resources were recommended by the scholars.

Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum [website]
Native land acknowledgments and why they matter [article]
Appropriation of Marginalized Knowledge and Practice as Innovation [article by Dr. Sachi Edwards]

Navajo Nation
Harold Begay [bio]
Arizona State University Indigenous Land Acknowledgment [video]
When Geniuses Fail: Na-Dene’ (Navajo) Conception of Giftedness in the Eyes of the Holy Deities [book chapter by Harold Begay and C.J. Maker]

Native Hawaiian
Land Acknowledgement [website]
Hawaiian Culture, History, and Language Resources [website]
Indigenous Studies in the Elementary Curriculum: A Cautionary Hawaiian Example [article]

Ainu in Diaspora
Japanese American Memorial Pilgrimages: Ainu in Diaspora [videos including talks by Dr. Hayashi-Simpliciano and Dr. Edwards]
Charanke and Hip Hop [dissertation by Dr. Ronda Māpuana Shizuko Hayashi-Simpliciano]
The Ainu and Their Culture: A Critical Twenty-First Century Assessment [book]
The Fabric of Indigeneity: Ainu Identity, Gender, and Settler Colonialism in Japan [book]

Ainu (Japan)
The Centre for Environmental and Minority Policy Studies (CEMiPoS) [website]
Our Land Was a Forest: An Ainu Memoir [book]
Future in MINE: Ainu My Voice [video]