Inouye Scholars Immersed Themselves in Life in Japan

On February 28, the TOMODACHI KAKEHASHI Inouye Scholars Program held a final presentation in Akihabara, Tokyo, with Northeastern State University in Oklahoma, which partnered with Tokai University in Hokkaido. As this was the program’s final event, two groups gave presentations and reported on their action plans after returning home.

One of the presenters, who has over 600 followers on YouTube, plans to create a travel blog in March to share what she has learned about Japanese culture and the similarities in the history and struggles of the Ainu with the indigenous populations they were familiar with. Another presenter, a graduate student aspiring to become a professor, said she would like to teach her future students about Japan and create opportunities to visit Japanese architecture and museums to see Japanese art with their own eyes.

After each scholar’s action plan was discussed, they shared with the audience their aha moments in Japan throughout the program. Many students shared that “spending time with the host family” was the most aha moment. Many scholars stated that it is a wonderful and very valuable opportunity to see the other side of other people’s lifestyles. They also noted that the host families welcome the students with open arms and that having in-depth conversations with the host families helps the scholars learn about deeper aspects of Japanese culture. Some scholars said that learning about the Inuit people at the museum made them think about their ancestry and realize that “this is why I am here,” which made them feel aha moment.

Through this program, the scholars learned how important it is for Japanese people to cooperate with each other and to be not only “I” but also “We.” Having grown up in an individualistic society, the scholarship recipients felt their worldview had changed as they learned the true meaning of “We” by living in a community where everyone supports each other.

At the end of the event, the scholars unanimously said that they wanted more people from abroad to come to Japan and experience the culture by actually living in Japan, not by sightseeing. Scholars added that social media and websites provide limited knowledge and that without deeper exploration, talking to and interacting with the Japanese people, one cannot understand the true meaning of Japan and its culture.

Other Inouye Scholars were from Randolph-Macon College, Howard University, Hawaii Pacific University, and Hendrix College.