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Update from Team TOMODACHI
July 2014
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TOMODACHI Summer 2014 Coca-Cola Educational Homestay Program Participants Embarking on their Journey with Hopes and Dreams
From July 20 through August 4, sixty students from Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefecture are participating in the TOMODACHI Summer 2014 Coca-Cola Educational Homestay Program. After arriving in the United States, they visited Atlanta, Georgia, home of The Coca-Cola Company, where they attended a reception joined by Coca-Cola's Vice President, International Government Relations and Public Affairs, Michael Goltzman and U.S.-Japan Council President Irene Hirano Inouye, hosted at Coca-Cola Headquarters. The students were then divided up into four groups to participate in homestays in Salem, Oregon; Columbus, Ohio; Elizabethtown, Kentucky; or Athens, Georgia. While in their homestay communities, the students will take English classes, participate in a service project, and enjoy many cultural exchanges in the communities.
Kaho Sekine, a high school senior from Fukushima who is staying with a host family in Columbus, Ohio said, "People in America are so kind. They substitute difficult vocabulary into simpler words so that we can understand. The people I've met are very friendly, and care for each other. In Japan, caring actions tend to be subtle, but what amazed me is that in America, those feelings are put into words and are spoken out loud."
In its third year, this program continues to inspire many Tohoku students and has helped expand their horizons. More>>
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The Latest on TOMODACHI Programs and Activities
Celebrity Chefs Nobu Matsuhisa and José Andrés Team Up in a Charity Dinner in Support of the TOMODACHI Initiative
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On July 20, two of the world’s most famous chefs teamed up in the kitchen to support the TOMODACHI Initiative with a charity dinner. In what will air as the first in a series of episodes on the Discovery Network in Fall 2014, chefs Nobu Matsuhisa and José Andrés traveled to Hokkaido for two days in search of the freshest ingredients in order to create an original ten-course menu for guests at a charity dinner benefiting TOMODACHI. We are so grateful for the support of Nobu’s Japan and honored to have two of the world’s most well-renowned chefs using their talents and creativity to support TOMODACHI! More >>
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TOMODACHI Dallas-Sendai Young Ambassadors Enlightened and Motivated After Sendai Visit
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After wrapping up a week-long exchange in Sendai, Miyagi, high school students from Dallas, Texas who participated in the TOMODACHI Dallas-Sendai Young Ambassadors Program visited the U.S. Embassy Tokyo on July 7. The students participated in a roundtable talk with the TOMODACHI Initiative to share their experience in Sendai after fully immersing themselves in the culture and environment through a homestay and daily activities. The highlights that they spoke of included visits to the Sendai City Museum, Seiryo High School, the Mori-no-sato Retirement Home, and a special meeting with the Sendai mayor at the City Hall. This year’s delegation from America marks the program’s second year, reciprocating last year’s Japanese delegation to Dallas. They are one of four two-year NAJAS Grassroot Exchange programs funded by TOMODACHI's Fund for Exchanges through generous contributions from Toyota Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Hitachi, Ltd. More>>
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"Every person experiences two to three life changing experiences in their lifetime, and for me, the TOMODACHI Dallas-Sendai Young Ambassadors Program was one of them. TOMODACHI has given me new meaning to being cultured, unequivocally hopeful, and has opened many new proverbial doors for myself and my colleagues. And, to top it off, TOMODACHI has given lifelong friends -- something that not many other programs can offer.”
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TOMODACHI ICP Workshops Spread Enthusiasm for Civic Engagement
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In early July, Innovations in Civic Participation (ICP) held workshops on civic engagement at Tohoku University, Okinawa International University and the University of Tokyo as the final component of the TOMODACHI ICP Collegiate Civic Engagement and Social Entrepreneurship Program. The workshops focused on how Japanese universities could better support faculty and students to become involved in their local communities. At Tohoku University, Public Affairs Officer Ted Diehl from the U.S. Consulate General in Sapporo spoke about the importance of Japanese university support for community service. Laura Winthrop Abbot, Executive Director of the TOMODACHI Initiative, gave remarks at Tokyo University and stressed the strong connection between TOMODACHI programs and civic engagement. More>>
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Participants of the TOMODACHI Japan Society Junior Fellows Program Return after Eye-Opening Experience
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Ten participants in this year’s TOMODACHI Japan Society Junior Fellows Program returned to the U.S. on July 24 after spending three weeks in Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nara, and Hakone. The program consisted of sightseeing, a homestay, and creating an independent research project based on their experiences in Japan. One participant, Paul Lee, did a photography project titled ‘Humans of Japan’, inspired by Brandon Stanton’s ‘Humans of New York’, whereby he approached complete strangers, took a photograph of each of them, and captioned the photograph with a quote from the subject. Another student, Allene Shaw, did some research into advertising in Japan, and compared the differences in the different styles of marketing in Japan and the U.S. As this was the first time for the majority of the students to experience Japan, their stay proved to be eye-opening and enlightening. This was the second part of the reciprocal exchange program this year, and is funded by TOMODACHI’s Fund for Exchanges through generous contributions from Toyota Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Hitachi, Ltd. More>>
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Hawaii Delegates Visit Iwate and Renew Friendships Made Through the TOMODACHI Rainbow for Japan Kids Program
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The TOMODACHI Rainbow for Japan Kids Program, now in its third year, gave students ages 13-19 from Hawaii the opportunity to visit the Tohoku region and participate in cultural immersion activities while engaging with their Japanese counterparts from July 10-16, 2014. With an emphasis on outdoor activity and interaction with nature, the program allowed both the American and Japanese students to collaborate while undertaking such activities as cleaning local beaches and practicing hula. The trip was a unique chance for the two groups to unite under the same mission to revitalize Tohoku and share their rich cultures. This is one of the many grassroots programs funded by TOMODACHI’s Fund for Exchanges through generous contributions from Toyota Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Hitachi, Ltd. More>>
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American High School Students with Science and Technology Interests Travel to Japan for a Science and Technology Exchange
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Eight American high school students successfully completed their visit to Japan on the TOMODACHI North Carolina Japan Foundation Exchange Program 2014. The students were selected from five North Carolina high schools and embarked on a voyage to Japan to participate in a homestay and immersive tour of Nagoya, Sapporo, and Tokyo. The students served as cultural ambassadors to Japan because of their demonstrated interests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. More>>
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Voices of the TOMODACHI Generation
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“I wanted to participate in the TOMODACHI Summer 2014 SoftBank Leadership Program because I would like to communicate better in English and learn what I can do to help my community. I would like to learn about different cultures and communicate with many people so that I can state my opinion more clearly and become a person who takes action.
I am also excited to learn about leadership -- taking action, thinking, and being a leader. By experiencing this program, I would like to see the bigger picture of what I can do to help the community and not leave it to others.”
Asahi Usuba, TOMODACHI Summer 2014 SoftBank Leadership Program
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"I strongly believe in the importance of cross-cultural relationships, especially between the U.S. and Japan. Through communication and interaction with each other, we can learn a lot from the strong points of each country and turn this into action in each of our own countries. At the same time, hearing about your own country from a completely different perspective widens your view, and can give you new ideas to confront a problem, or even to realize a social problem that exists within your country that you did not even notice.” More>>
Asuka Kobayashi, TOMODACHI MetLife Women’s Leadership Program and Building the TOMODACHI Generation Program
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Now Available: TOMODACHI Initiative 2013 Report
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Find out about TOMODACHI's programs and activities in 2013. Also available in Japanese.
Click report to read
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Upcoming Programs and Events
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Aug 1-8 Sixteen high school students and eight teachers from the United States and Japan work together in Tokyo on creating a sustainable eco-friendly community through the TOMODACHI Toshiba Science & Technology Leadership Academy
Aug 2-12 Seven participants and one chaperone from Shimane travel to New Orleans for a program centered on the history and growth of jazz, and the American South through the Matsue-New Orleans Grassroots Exchange Program
Aug 8-20 Japanese high school and university students from Onojo City, Fukuoka travel to Vermont for a career work experience on the U.S. Japan Technical Education Study (U.S. Consulate Fukuoka)
August 15-23 Five Tohoku high school students receive an American liberal arts education through a summer program in Japan as TOMODACHI Scholars in H-LAB
August 17-27 Four high school students from Okinawa travel to Silicon Valley, CA on the TOMODACHI-Ryukyu Frogs Jr. Program 2014
Aug 22-24 Phase one a four phase program providing career support to 120 high school girls on the TOMODACHI High School Women Career Mentoring Program in Fukushima
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Program Opportunities
Recruiting Now for the TOMODACHI Honda Cultural Exchange Program
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TOMODACHI Initiative and Honda Motor Co., Ltd are currently recruiting high school students from Miyagi prefecture to participate in a two-week cultural exchange program where they learn about U.S. traditions and culture through music. The students will visit the Los Angeles area in California and will have the opportunity to participate in the Rose Parade, experience a homestay, and visit American businesses and a high school from December 25, 2014 to January 8, 2015. More>>
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