English Newsletter by Komaba Students

https://www.komabatimes.com/
Life …………………… page 1
Content University
Perspectives …………………… page 12

Exploring Japan ………………… page 20
Komaba Writers’ Studio x Pensado … page 24
Creative Komaba ……………… page 29

27 Articles // April 2020 // Issue 9

UNIVERSITY LIFE

0THNLI`4\KP>HUNThe Good, the Bad, and PEAK:

How I Discovered the Secret to University Life Through Movie Magic
By: Paul Namkoong
There wasn’t a single moment when I
didn’t think about it.

that the originals became unrecognizable, wasall the more appealing:

Everything in my life had led up to this opportunity. I followed what I saw on TV and the news.
I picked out the targets, staked them out, andplanned out all of the enthralling details. It didn’t
come easy, to play god over whom I took andwhom I spared. But I fell in love with the power it
gifted me. I closed my eyes and envisioned what
would slip out of their lips, the unnatural movements they would make under my gaze. Many
will see, and many will learn.

Spending 50 hours on creating a tiny, 3-minute
advertisement for our fledgling PEAK program
turned out to be one of the most life-changing
experiences I’ve ever had.

Then I did it. It was even better than I expected.
But the time I spent after, cutting and dicing so
0THNLI`H\[OVYFilm is murder, and I am its (terrible) executioner.
I like shooting movies. I like watching them. I’ll
VJJHZPVUHSS`ÄSTWPNLVUZPUHULTW[`WHYRPUNSV[and label it art. The moment that made me fallin love with creating movies, however, was very
KPɈLYLU[MYVT[OLL_WLYPLUJL0OHKZOVV[PUN[OL
PEAK promotion. That’s not saying that I didn’t

SPRLÄSTPUNP[·PUMHJ[0ILJHTLL]LUTVYLH[tracted to movies because of how different themethod of production was.
From the short experience I’ve had working onset, I remember getting hypnotized by the teamwork and organization of each individual contributor. I once saw them as nobodies, mere scrolling words upon scrolling words in an endlessstream of movie credits. But when I saw the key
grip coordinate with the cinematographer, who^H]LKOPTVɈ^OPSLZ[LHSPUN`VN\Y[MYVT[OLSHJtose-intolerant director’s chair, who had to rush
to the bathroom after an intern gave her yogurt(out of all the foods to give to a lactose-intolerant
person), I couldn’t help but fall in love.
The “magic of cinema”, or any other term you
want to assign it, came to me not on the screen,
but from what lay just behind it. You never fora second consider or appreciate the hundredsof people who collaborate in unison to makethe moving art that you consume; it’s almost as
ILH\[PM\SHZ[OLÄUPZOLKWYVK\J[So when I was asked to make this promotion, I
panicked. How could someone who likes movies
for their invisible teamwork possibly make a likable movie with an invisible team? I had doubts
about both the PEAK ad and PEAK itself. HowevLY[OPZWYVJLZZVMKYHM[PUNPU[LY]PL^PUNÄSTPUNHUKLKP[PUNHZ0»KSLHYUÅPWWLKT`LU[PYLV\[SVVR
on school and how to seize opportunities.
>OLU0ÄYZ[Z[HY[LKTHWWPUNV\[^OVT[VZOVV[for the production, I thought I would lack content.
I planned to feature two students in our class andshowcase their hobbies and dreams. The usual
university promotion. I only kept the main club
activities in mind when I looked over my list offriends to choose from. Oh, she does tea ceremoUPLZ&:\WLY[YHKP[PVUHSHUKÅHZO`/LWSH`Z(TLYcontinued on next page

UNIVERSITY LIFE
PJHUMVV[IHSS&;OH[»Z[OLSHZ[[OPUN`V\»K
[OPURVM^OLU`V\[OPURVM1HWHU¯.YLH[I wanted to paint a picture of PEAK that,frankly, didn’t feature a lot of PEAK.
I was worried that the people I covered
wouldn’t make for enough entertaining
JSPWZ[VÄSS[OL[PTLSPULHUK[OH[0OHK[V
insert copious amounts of horrible narYH[PVU[VÄSS[OLNHWZ

Free-Style,Free-Style,Feminism,Feminism,and Focus:
and Focus:

in Conversationin Conversation
with Rihowith
Sato,
Riho
Editor-in-Chief
Sato, Editor-in-Chiefof UmeeTof UmeeT
By: Alexine
By:Castillo
AlexineYap,
Castillo
RihoYap,
SatoRiho Satomembers are really good people and very selfaware. Their reaction to the speech was way
more than I expected, and in response to myarticle, they never said I was too sensitive.”
One male UmeeT member who was present at
the actual speech, and who emailed her about
it, later sent her a LINE message to thank her
for sharing her article. Riho was impressed thathe even went as far as following up and correcting his initial text because he realised hisword choice was not politically correct. She was
happy that people “were also trying to be on theminorities’ side”, willingly aiming to raise theirown awareness of the issues, and choosing to
be more sensitive about women’s issues at theuniversity.

Getting to know the subjects better, on
the other hand, helped me to see these
KV\I[ZPUHKPɈLYLU[SPNO[0[Z[HY[LKMYVT
the interviews: ^O`»K `V\ JVTL [V [OPZZJOVVS&>OH[KVLZ`V\YH]LYHNLKH`SVVRSPRL&>OH[KV`V\OVWL[VHJOPL]LOLYL&The questions might’ve been basic, but
the answers were anything but. Following them around raucous meetings
for the most esoteric of clubs, footballgames attended by middle-aged Japanese obaasans who didn’t know therules, and packed river-lantern festivals
with evil lanterns that sprinted downstream and away from us, helped me tounderstand how liberating PEAK actuallywas. My worries quickly shifted to cutting down months of video into a final
draft that ran for less than four minutes.

:JYLLUZOV[ZVM[OL<TLL;OVTLWHNL¸0Q\Z[YLHSS`SV]LSPZ[LUPUN[VWLVWSL»ZZ[VYPLZ¹

Riho Sato, a third-year student in the Area

Like my misunderstanding of people onÄST ZL[Z 0 ^HZ LX\HSS` TPZ[HRLU HIV\[university life. Maybe my anger camefrom some cognitive dissonance between this program and my Americancollege fantasies, with their dreamy lecture halls and jungles of student clubs.
Producing the PEAK video helped me tobreak my assumption that PEAK limited
my chances, when it was the complete
opposite that was true. The opportunitythat I managed to carve out made me
realize the hidden boon of a program as
young as ours: if you’re missing something, go and make it yourself. An outlet
to make movies? A student publication?
Some class hoodies? It’s all out there foryou to seize, and nobody else.
The great college programs are thecumulative result of continuous generations of students: they came in and built
the things they desperately wanted but
JV\SKUV[ÄUKMV\UKLK[OLJS\IZWLVWSL
had interest in but had no clue whomto share it with, and pushed for change
and growth in institutions that may haveonce looked as small and rigid as ours.
I’m now excited to take part in building
our program from the ground up. Call it
overoptimism, but as I once said, life ismore exciting when the cheese doesn’t
have holes; you have all that unsullied
space to dig and claw and search forthe gold within the cheese.
So go stake out and murder your uni]LYZP[`L_WLYPLUJL)L[OLÄYZ[[VZ[YPRL
cheese gold in PEAK. Hopefully, along[OL^H``V\»SSÄUKHTVYLWYVMLZZPVUHS
metaphor for this concept than I did.
)VUHWWt[P[2Studies department majoring in Chinese Politics, is the current Editor-in-Chief of UmeeT, an
online web media publication organised by UTokyo students, which she joined in her freshman
year. At the time of the interview, Riho had been
involved with UmeeT for three years. I had thehonour to hear about those years and learn from
Riho’s myriad inspiring, informative experiencesin developing, marketing and editing a student
publication.

By Students, for Students
According to Riho, the UmeeT philosophy is “tointroduce interesting topics and interesting people to UTokyo students and also to people outside of campus”. Their tone is refreshingly casualand laid-back, and a quick browse through thehomepage, revealing their most recent articles,shows an eclectic and exciting range of topics:
from a samurai club on campus, to a digital reconstruction of :O\YPQȬ (Shuri Castle), to a card
game made by Todai students, and even to love
advice on campus.
For Riho, it is important to write about what she
is interested in, and judging from UmeeT’s content, it seems that her fellow writers and editors
think the same way. “I like listening to the stories
of people I’m interested in,” Riho says. “And because I choose the interviewees, their stories arealways interesting to me.” The same goes for her
fellow UmeeT members’ writing, whose articles,
she says, she also loves to read.
According to Riho, UmeeT’s management teamconsists of only 4 or 5 members, with flexible
membership to allow for members to focus on
their other circles or job-hunting. Even though
they do not meet too frequently (citing the logistical challenges of transport for a team made upof Komaba and Hongo students), they’re backed
by many UTokyo student writers who contribute consistently to the publication. And though

UmeeT is not a newspaper-style publication likethe Todai Shimbun, they pump out articles quite
frequently: about 4 or 5 times a month. Before,
they even published at least once daily, backwhen “their focus was quantity, not quality”, so
as to amass more readers. They’re also connected with biscUiT · H ^VTLU»Z WYPU[ W\ISPJH[PVU
KPZ[YPI\[LKMVYMYLLHYV\UKJHTW\Z·^P[O^OVT
they often share resources and information.

Marketing a Nascent Student Publication

amongst many feminist scholars whom Riho
follows and deeply respects. She was amazedby the encouraging comments that they left on
her article, which was a breath of fresh air fromher previous experiences with sexism at UTokyo.
According to Riho, sexism is the biggest problem
she has encountered at university: “I really likestudying, and I have a lot of friends here, even
MYPLUKZ MYVT OPNO ZJOVVS · ZL_PZT OHZ YLHSS`
been the only problem.”Despite being a relatively new student publica[PVU·OH]PUNVUS`ILN\UH`LHYILMVYL9POVLU[LYLK<;VR`V·P[OHZILJVTLVULVM[OLTVZ[well-known student publications on campus,
perhaps second only to the Todai Shimbun. In
fact, Riho was involved in producing a /\THUZ
of NY-style tweets which kickstarted the beginning of UmeeT’s popularity: they interviewed
students, and their friends then retweeted theirposts, thus allowing people to find out more
about the publication.

The biggest issue about sexism at UTokyo, toRiho, is that “you can’t really talk about it, because nobody would understand.” She also
confesses that she initially disliked her university
experience because some people in a freshmanclass were still using homophobic terms as
jokes. However, she believes that despite all her
previous distressing experiences, she was still
able to write the article “because society haschanged, and the university in turn has changed
a little bit.”Though Riho stated that the series of tweets
was not exactly her cup of tea, she could notdeny that it gave them a lot of visibility on social
media, particularly on Twitter, and inevitably
launched the publication in the public consciousness of UTokyo students. Since then, they have
had many other popular articles, including aninterview with Professor Ueno Chizuko that Riho
herself conducted.

Nevertheless, she also thinks that a deliberatechange of environment probably also helped:“Possibly it’s also because I changed the people
I was hanging out with.”Fighting for Feminism at UTokyo
Riho cites her interview with Professor Ueno
Chizuko as one of two of her absolute favourite
articles that she has ever written for UmeeT.
She’d “always been interested” in writing about
feminism, and particularly speaking out against
the (many) sexism issues on campus, startingwith the notoriously egregious male-to-female
ratio1, which Professor Ueno Chizuko addressedin her (in)famous commencement speech.
The article eventually became one of UmeeT’s
most popular articles, and even went viral¸0U[OLÄYZ[`LHY0YLHSS`OH[LK[OL\UP]LYZP[`HUK
even wanted to transfer to a more international and liberal university like ICU (International*OYPZ[PHU<UP]LYZP[`·0YLHSS`OH[LK[OLWLVWSL
around me!” She recounts, laughing. “But writing
about feminism really healed [my relationship^P[O[OL\UP]LYZP[`DHUKKLÄUP[LS`THKLTL^HU[to contribute to the university and its students alittle bit more.”

Writing and Healing
It seems that getting involved with UmeeT,
which allowed Riho to help ameliorate biases at
UTokyo, was in turn helpful in improving her experience at the university. When she started discussing Professor Ueno Chizuko’s speech witha UmeeT co-member, she had full trust that they
“weren’t going to dismiss me: my fellow UmeeT

Her favourite part about writing? “I love thereaders’ reactions the most.” Citing her otherfavourite article she’s written, in which she interviewed the official student organisation for socalled ronin (entrance exam retakers) at UTokyo,
Riho noted how “cool” it was that she got such
positive feedback. In fact, a freshman who had
retaken the UTokyo entrance exam and eventually passed even reached out to her, which, toRiho, was “heartwarming”.
Student feedback to her article with Professor
Ueno Chizuko was equally encouraging: “Thehappiest thing was when some of my female
friends gave their reactions.” She says that oneof her friends even cried when she was reading
the article. “They told me they were encouraged
by it.”
Finally, to her, the whole process is therapeutic.
“Being able to put what I’ve been feeling foryears into words is healing, but to know thatpeople were on my side, and to get support frompeople close to me, was even more healing.”

Free-style, but focused
Despite UmeeT’s casual style and free choiceof topics, Riho emphasised the importance of
having a goal and structure prior to conducting
an interview or writing an article. “You have toclarify your philosophy because you always
need a guideline for yourself when writing,” shestressed. “As for interviews, they’re the most
PTWVY[HU[WHY[·I\[HSZV[OLTVZ[KPɉJ\S[>YP[PUNP[ZLSMPZUV[HZKPɉJ\S[I\[PU[LY]PL^ZHYL[OL
TVZ[KPɉJ\S[WHY[VM[OLWYVJLZZ¹
She adds, “With your interviewee, you need todevelop a reliable relationship to try to get asmuch information as possible. It’s not just a con]LYZH[PVU·`V\ZOV\SK[Y`[VI\PSKHMYPLUKZOPW¹
as well as exercising “basic human relationshipskills: you don’t just talk about yourself.” What’s
extremely important, she says, is “to show yourself as the person who’s interested in the interviewee.” But in order to get there, she emphasises the importance of having a goal in mind. “Itfeels safer to have a structure.”¸(SZV `V\»]L NV[ [V IL ZTHY[ · `V\»]L NV[ [V
dig in, build up your logic.”

The Trials and Tribulations of Trimming
Riho is really fond of her fellow UmeeT teammembers, and when asked about any challenges
she has faced when running an online student
W\ISPJH[PVUSPRL[OLPYZZOLZHPKZOLJV\SKU»[ÄUK
any. “It’s not really a busy job,” she says. “Also, a
lot of Todai students bring their ideas to UmeeT,and especially before Komaba-sai” (the annual
student festival held around late November every
year at Komaba campus). What she does find[YV\ISLZVTL·HZHU`^YP[LY^V\SK·PZLKP[PUN“I’ve been writing articles for over 3 years now,and I still run into this problem,” she says,
lamenting how she sometimes “loses direction”
when writing. She especially laments having had
to cut down certain parts of her interview withProfessor Ueno Chizuko, since she had to meet
the word count. Ultimately, however, it helps withclarifying the direction of her article. “Lots of topics come out when interviewing, and the article
itself, which was in Japanese, had to be within
a 10,000-character limit, but the memo from theinterview was 20,000 characters!” She exclaims.
“Interviewing is fun, but picking out the importantstatements is always hard.”
Despite that, Riho seems to enjoy the challenge.
“I elaborate on the give-and-take aspect of interviewing. I try as much as I can to dig out what
the interviewee wants to say, and what I want thereaders to understand,” she says, highlighting
the importance of the interviewer’s role in mediating between the reader and the interviewee.
“You’ve got to establish a personal relationshipbetween yourself, your reader, and your interviewee.”

The Importance of Collaboration
Riho says that she intends to focus more on her
graduation thesis and job-hunting soon, and is
beginning to let the newer, younger students
take the rein of the publication. As for changing
UmeeT’s format, she thinks that its current form
as an online media platform is powerful: “I’veseen what online articles can do,” she says, citing the success of their viral articles. However,she hopes that UmeeT can collaborate with other student-run publications, like biscUiT, more
intimately.
“Female students especially should help eachother, considering how we’re such a small community in Japan and in UTokyo. We don’t yet
have a reliable platform to talk about our own
experiences as female students and thoughts on[OLTHUK[OLZWLJPÄJZP[\H[PVUH[<;VR`V0^HU[to leave such a place for current and future students here.”___________________________________________
1

recent statistics from UTokyo indicate thatamongst undergraduates, there are 11, 290
males enrolled compared to 2, 734 females,thus making for a 4:1 ratio. Source: “Enrolment”,
in (IV\[ <;VR`V, University of Tokyo https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/about/enrollment.html

3

UNIVERSITY LIFE
How I Went From JLPT N5 to N1 in Under a Year: 5 College-Friendly Tips
By: Jay Hagroup called “FICS”. I had a common interest inclassical music and instruments with the people
I met in orchestra, while the members of FICS
were willing to make a Korean friend. Spending
over 10 hours a week with Japanese friends
obviously played a significant role in terms oflanguage improvement, and these experiences
allowed me to pick up several expressions that I
couldn’t learn from classes and textbooks.

2. Watch Japanese TV shows and movies;
Listen to J-pop

0THNLI`H\[OVYWhen I first came to Japan last September, I
could barely write hiragana1 and could not evenread katakana2. After a year and 2 months livingin Tokyo, I now take classes conducted in Japanese and fortunately passed my JLPT N1 exam.
Here are some free, actually-helpful methods I
used to learn the Japanese language over the
past year:

1. Join a circle or bukatsu3(extra-curricular activities)
What helped me a lot with my Japanese were theextra-curricular clubs that I joined at the beginning of 2019. As a PEAK student, I was always
around people who could speak English, butwhat I needed to do was step away from the language entirely. I joined two groups – the UTokyo
orchestra and a student-led cultural exchange

To improve my listening skills, I started by watching any Japanese movies I could find on Netflix
with Korean or English subtitles. When I liked acertain movie, I watched it again with Japanesesubtitles, and if I liked it a lot, I would watch it
again with no subtitles. I could understand thestoryline as I watched it before, which allowed
me to concentrate more on the actors’ use of language. While watching a lot of TV series and movies, I started to like certain actors and directors,
and, thus, I ended up watching more and more.
One of my favourite Japanese actors is called
Masaki Suda, who is also a popular J-pop singer.
I started listening to his songs while studying the
lyrics; I learnt some poetic expressions and the
KPɈLYLUJLZIL[^LLU^YP[[LUHUKZWVRLUSHUN\HNL
while enjoying Japanese pop culture. Trying to simultaneously read through the lyrics while listening to the song hastened my reading speed, too.

This is a great way to learn the language as you
can really enjoy the learning process.

3. Take classes taught in Japanese
When you realise that you are good enough tocarry out a daily conversation in Japanese, try
joining some classes targeted for the April-entry
students. I started out by taking a course, “Design Thinking”, taught by a British professor. The
course was conducted basically in English, but
most of the students there were Japanese, so it
gave me a chance to get to know more Japanese
students. When it was not about the class, wetalked in Japanese, and after seeing myself being
able to understand most of the conversation, I
NHPULKTVYLJVUÄKLUJLPU[OLSHUN\HNLHUK^HZ
further motivated to continue to study it.

use the most is Twitter. I started using Twitter when
I joined the extracurricular activities to get closer
to the people I met in the clubs. I can assure youthat a number of April-entry students in Todai
tweet a lot. Their tweets are mostly light daily talksof one or two lines, so there is zero pressure trying
to read them. If it comes to JLPT readings or classYLHKPUNZ[OL`HYLSVUN^P[OSV[ZVMKPɉJ\S[kanji 4and complicated grammar compositions. Twitter
was a good way to start to enjoy reading in JapaULZL-\Y[OLYTVYL0JV\SKSLHYU[OLSHUN\HNL·
V\[ZPKLVM[L_[IVVRZ·\ZLKI`JVSSLNLZ[\KLU[Z
in their daily lives through their tweets, and also
learn the latest school gossip and drama.

5. Go to school (outside of school);OLZLHYL[OLÄ]L[PWZ[OH[0JHUNP]LPM`V\^HU[
to catch the language quickly. I started off bywatching movies with subtitles, reading shorttweets online, and taking English-conductedcourses with Japanese students. step by step, I
challenged myself while trying not to give myself
O\NLWYLZZ\YL·I`^H[JOPUN[OLZHTLTV]PL
starting to write short sentences on my own
Twitter account, and taking Japanese-conductedcourses which allowed for assessments in English. Surely, the learning methods vary for every
single individual, but what I considered important
was to enjoy and not to stress out too much on
learning the language.
___________________________________________
1

One of the Japanese syllabaries or kana meaning “simple syllabary”. Usually used for native
Japanese words.

2

One of the Japanese syllabaries or kana meaning “fragmentary syllabary”. Usually used forforeign loan words, emphasis, and other purposes.

3

Intensive clubs on campus, which usually demand more regular and consistent commitment
or attendance, as compared to circles, which
tend to be less demanding regarding attendance.

4

The social media platform that UTokyo students

Before coming to university, I used to go to cramschool a lot, utilizing the holidays to get better
grades at school. And I thought, why not apply
this to learning Japanese? When you don’t use[OLSHUN\HNL`V\MVYNL[P[(UK0KLÄUP[LS`KPKU»[
want that to happen. Thus, I registered to a Japanese language school in Korea for a month,which made my language skills improve a lot as aresult. While I also have to focus on other courses during the semester, I could focus solely on
learning the language during the holidays. I could
come back to school next term with improved
Japanese, which also allowed me to take moredomestic students’ courses and to communicate
better with my Japanese friends in my bukatsu.

The system of adopted Chinese charactersused in the Japanese language, meaning “Hancharacters”.

or not, or who I was going to get married to.

“girl who gets angry over nothing”.

However, when I came back to Japan and entered Keio University, this naïve perception of theworld collapsed completely. Sexual harassment
suddenly became an everyday reality, and I was
expected to play the role of a “freshman girl”
who would praise whatever older male students
said. Thanks to the repeated debate on sexismthat I had heard in high school, which I managed
to ignore at that time, I realised that what I was
facing was sexism, and soon learned how to use
MLTPUPZ[SHUN\HNL[VÄNO[HNHPUZ[P[What is missing from this university, in my opinion, is a shared perspective to criticise gendernorms and oppression. A momentto think about themeaning of enforcing “what seems
normal” on otherpeople. Of course,
there are many people fighting against
this culture, but their
voices are not heard.

comfortable for everyone. And that is why I have,and continuously will, criticise the “Miss” & “Mr.”
contest at this university.

This term, I decided to take two domestic stuKLU[Z»JV\YZLZ¶VULHIV\[ÄULHY[ZHUKVULVUÄSTTHRPUN)V[OHYLJVUK\J[LKPU1HWHULZLI\[
MVY[OLÄULHY[ZJV\YZL0HTHSSV^LK[V^YP[LT`
final essay in English, whereas the filmmaking
course is a thematic, pass-fail course. Thus, I
decided to take them, knowing that the language
IHYYPLY^V\SKUV[HɈLJ[T`NYHKLZ0»TJ\YYLU[S`
having a lot of fun in those courses and I am
thinking about taking even more.

4. Twitter

The Annual “Miss” & “Mr.” Contest Is Sexist and It Needs to Go. Here’s Why.
By: Yuka4“Miss” & “Mr.” contests are not unusual sights
on campus festivals in Japan. Currently, around80 organisations from different universities that
hold “Miss” & “Mr.” contests are registered to“Miss Colle”, a website that allows quick online

voting to choose Misses and Misters for each
campus. UTokyo is not an exception, and it has
been held almost every year since 1997. This
year, as a freshman at this university, I decided
to start a protest against this event, critiquing

how it enforces and even praises existing gendernorms. Below is the English version of what I
wrote on the statement that I handed out during
Komaba-sai 2019.

Why is the “Miss” & “Mr.” Contest held
every year? Is it because it’s fun for everyone? At least we don’t find the contest
amusing at all. The contest bases itself
innocently on the norms that restrain andabuse us on a daily basis, aiming to decide^OVÄ[Z¸UVYTZ¹[OLILZ[and so on. And when women argue against it,
they will be oppressed by narratives like “don’t
ZH`ZPSS`Z[\Ɉ¹VYJYP[PJPaLKMVYILPUN¸LTV[PVUHS¹ÄUHSPZ[ZVM¸4PZZ¹HUK¸4Y¹JVU[LZ[ZNVVU
the stage as a “pair”, with the triumphant“Miss” wearing a wedding dress. This also
sends the message that we are expected tobe heterosexual, wanting to get married.

“Women (meaning people who are treatedas women)”, are evaluated by a standardof how “beautiful” they are on a daily basis.
We often hear remarks like “who is cute”
and “who is ugly”, and constantly encountermessages that order women to “be awareof their appearance”. This applies not only
to appearance but to behaviour as well.
Messages such as “be humble”, “be naive”“Miss” and “Mr.” contests are a representationof the oppressions existing today. Finalists are
judged based on their appearance throughout
the process. Furthermore, meeting the wishes of the audience, who also contribute to thereproduction of the norms, is a big factor forthe result of the vote. The norms that Miss andMr. contests compel to people do not solely
HɈLJ[¸^VTLU¹;OH[[OPZL]LU[PZZWSP[PU[V[^V
contests, “Miss” and “Mr.”, is based on the
short-sighted understanding that it is possible
to classify every individual into two categories.
When the result of the contest is announced, theThe paragraphs might give you the impressionthat I am a hardcore feminist who has been
against sexism ever since I can remember. However, that is not the case. I was not interested infeminism, or worse, an anti-feminist until I entered

university. Spending my adolescent time abroadat international schools where sexual harassment
was not in any way accepted, I was protected,
and was unable to understand why feminism
was even needed. As far as I remember, no one

The reason why we focus especially on thisevent and the “gender norms” it enforces
is because these gender norms have beencreated as a result of a huge asymmetry
within society. The “majority”, who command more social power, has decided, intheir favour, about the way in which the“minority” has to behave. We hope to stop
“Miss” & “Mr.” contests from being held,
and to break down the norms that the contest bases itself on.

expected me to perform less, no-one valued myopinion less, and no one objectified me basedon my gender. At the same time, I was a sexist
myself, somehow believing that my happiness
entirely depended on whether I could get married

After a year of Kamen-Ronin (studying for theuniversity entrance exam even though you already belong to one), I entered the Universityof Tokyo knowing I was a feminist. To my eyes,
the situation here was even worse than the one
at Keio University. I was speechless looking atclassrooms full of male students and professors,
despite knowing the gender ratio before entering
the university. Many of the students graduatedfrom boys’ schools and seem to have an idealistic and unrealistic image of “cute girls”, which I
KPKUV[H[HSSÄ[>OLU0MHJLKZL_\HSOHYHZZTLU[during 6YP.HZZO\R\, an unofficial orientation
camp in which freshmen are expected to participate, no one was there to stand with me.
Instead, I got cold stares from my classmates forÄNO[PUNIHJRHUK^HZPTTLKPH[LS`SHILSSLKHZH

0THNLJYLKP[!NLYHS[B7P_HIH`D

Let’s face it. This
university has aculture that is predominantly male,cisgender and heterosexual. People whoare not male, cisgender or heterosexual
are ignored, judged,
and despised. Asa member of thissociety, we need torethink the ways inwhich we can create a space that is

5

UNIVERSITY LIFE
Against All Odds: An Oral History of PEAK’s Komaba-Sai
A roundtable talk by Ricky Negishi, Minghao Xu, and Eriko Yamada in 2019.
no Fried Banana! (laugh) However, it didn’t workout for us because in the second meeting heldby the Komaba-sai committee, they told us we
could only sell one main food item. Sometimes
the rules can be a bit confusing especially when
we were not made aware of them in the very beginning.
E: I think there’s a discrepancy between some of
the rules and how they are applied. For example,
on the set-up day, we waited until the time on
the manual they gave us to pick up the equipment. When we got there, we found out thatsome booths in our group had already claimed
their equipment. I guess it really depends on experience at the end of the day.

0THNLZI`,YPRV@HTHKHThe students:

PEAK QUESTION EXAMPLE:

Ricky: Third year ES 1 student. In charge of the
PEAK 2 booth for Komaba-sai 3 in the year of 2018.

Which of the following is NOT a student clubor organization founded by PEAK students?

Eriko: Second year JEA4 student. In charge of
PEAK booth in the year of 2019.

A) Bi

Minghao: Second year JEA student. Worked
alongside Eriko for PEAK booth in the year of 2019.

C) Komaba Times

B) D. P. Theater at Komaba
D) All of the above are foundedby PEAK students.

The talk:
M: Why tornado potato last year?
R: There were a lot of restrictions on the fooditems. For example, you can’t use dairy products
or cut ingredients at the booth due to healthconcerns. Out of all the options, tornado potato
seemed to work best as a base to add flavors
MYVTKPɈLYLU[JV\U[YPLZ0U[OLLUK^LOHKLPNO[I think this year’s `V\[PHV (Chinese churros) isalso similar since you can customize it with othertoppings.
Last year I was trying to have fun and get the
PEAK community to get out and about. So, a lot of
people did come to our booth. I hope people, bothwithin and outside the university, got to know alittle more about PEAK. I know this year you guys
had PEAK quizzes, right? How did that go?
E: I think the questions served the purpose ofletting people know more about PEAK. I thinkpeople also enjoyed answering them and it added some fun to the ordering process. Plus, you
get a discount if you answered correctly.

Tornado potato

6

R: Last year, we did encounter some problems.
One is that I had zero funds to begin with. And
so, we held a fundraiser by selling PEAK themed
T-shirts. We also simply asked for donations,which would not be possible if the PEAK community wasn’t as strong as it was.
E: One of the most stressful things in organizing
the whole thing was the expectation to earnmoney. I didn’t realize that was our main goal. AtÄYZ[0Q\Z[RUL^[OH[^LOHKHI\KNL[VM
yen from last Komaba-sai, and not that it took somuch hard work to get! So, when I was planning,
I planned to the scale of the budget we had anddid not plan to save any money because we
wanted to advertise PEAK as much as possible,
which created some problems during planning.
M:5L]LY[OLSLZZ[OPZ`LHY^LOHKMV\YÅH]VYZ!
Chinese Plain Flavor, Thai Syrup, Chocolate andSugar Frosting, and Parmesan and Oregano.
;OL`HYLHSS[OLYLMVYHYLHZVU;OLÄYZ[ÅH]VYPZOV^ `V\ ^V\SK UVYTHSS` ÄUK P[ PU *OPUH 0U V\Y
research, we found people in Cambodia, Thailand, and many other East and Southeast Asian cultures
also eat `V\[PHV,
hence the second
ÅH]VY>LHSZVYLHKabout scholars theorizing that `V\[PHVinspired churros, so
we have the third
option, which is basically doing `V\[PHVin the churro style.
The final option is
actually the mostpopular flavor fromlast year’s potatoes,
which we took as a
“PEAK legacy.”

E: We also intentionally tried to be more sensitive
to cultural appropriation with the menu this year.
We avoided using country names in our menu if
UVYLZLHYJOVYL]PKLUJLQ\Z[PÄLKZ\JO\ZHNL>L
PUP[PHSS`OHKJV\U[Y`UHTLZMVY[OLSHZ[[^VÅH]VYZ
but decided to take them out because when we
think about what we are trying to represent, wefeel it is hard for us to attach a country to a kindof food and say, “this is it,” while it might not be
the case. And I guess it can be hard for customers to grasp such nuanced aspects of cultural
prejudice, so we thought the best solution was
to not have the country names when they are notduly deserved.
M: One thing we also did was to avoid making
the PEAK booth too much of a “Chinese” or“Asian” one. We also wanted to be inclusive andnot exclude a large chunk of the community.
Thus, I came up with the idea of selling snacks
handpicked by PEAK students from their homecountries. I always believe that diversity works
best when it is an organic process for everyone.

thing since no other booths were basically silent? (laugh)
R: You know, things go wrong on the day. You
gotta innovate and work out the kinks. I thinkthat’s the beauty of it.
M: And that got us sales! It also made the wholeexperience a lot more fun and showed theschool our PEAK spirit, pun intended.
E: I think the message was duly delivered. And
it was not only people in the university, or what
we call the “Todai community,” but we’d like tobelieve we are doing our part to connect people
regardless of where they come from.

(UV[OLY[OPUNPZ[OH[H[ÄYZ[0^HZ[Y`PUN[VVYKLY
a lot of things through the committee because
I thought that was the thing we were supposed
to do. At least the manual made it sound so.
3H[LYVU0ÄN\YLKV\[P[^HZHJ[\HSS`L_WLUZP]Lthrough the committee, so we switched to thewholesale supermarket called Hanamasa.

M: This one guy who was born in China but grew
up in Japan and was working at the booth acrossfrom ours came every morning for a `V\[PHV and
we actually got to talk quite a lot. In the end, we
exchanged contacts. I’d like to think that throughKomaba-sai, I got to build relationships withpeople I would not be able to meet otherwise.

R: Oh yeah, last year when we bought the potatoes and oil, we also opted for Hanamasa. It
was just considerably cheaper and easier for us
without the paperwork.

R: Since PEAK is centered at Komaba, I wanted
to open a booth specifically at Komaba-sai. I
think the fact that we continued the booth thisyear in itself is a legacy that I like to think I created, and I hope through Komaba-sai and all theevents leading up to it, we can encourage interactions within and between year groups.

M: Besides the rules, I think another factor wedidn’t take into consideration was the rain. It just
WV\YLKZVYLSLU[SLZZS`VU[OLÄYZ[[^VKH`ZHUK
only stopped midway through the last day. In a
^LPYK^H`P[MLS[SPRLHZ^LL[ÄUPZOLY[VYL^HYKHSS
the hard work and everyone who weathered with
us all the way through.
R: I felt last year we got a really bad location, so I
was actually surprised when you chose the same
location. If I could do it again, I would choose
somewhere more to the center where there is a
SV[TVYLMVVK[YHɉJRegardless, I do like to think we’ve achieved
something quite remarkable. A lot of upperclassmen have moved out of the dorm and they don’t
NL[[OLJOHUJL[VTLL[THU`ÄYZ[`LHYZ)`OLSWing out and sharing the space together, people
do get to bond with each other even if many are
VUS`TLL[PUNMVY[OLÄYZ[[PTL
E: Going off Ricky, one thing we realized wasthat using Facebook or other social media platforms for advertisement is not enough. It works
a lot better when we do it face-to-face. Even forpeople who know each other, I guess spendingtime together helps create bonds.

E: I do think selling the snacks is a good idea interms of inclusivity, but one problem was thatwhen we were advertising, many people were
confused about what we were selling. We were
saying that we had Chinese Churros, and thenthat we had snacks, and that we also had thequizzes. Sometimes it did feel like our booth had
too much information.

R: Last year, PEAK professors also came andhelped at one point or another, be it buying
T-shirts or stopping by and purchasing the potatoes. Professor Woodward was really heartenedby the fact that we got a booth going as a group.
It was quite moving that both students and faculty can and do get involved in the process.

M: It could’ve been worse! (laugh) In the very
beginning, we had this idea of selling a few more
fried food items alongside `V\[PHV. I even messaged an upperclassman on how to make Filipi-

E: This year, it’s really funny how we just started
singing naturally. There was always someone
with a speaker, and there was always someone
willing to sing or dance. Maybe this is a PEAK

E: Thank you. I think I’m proud of PEAK as acommunity. I feel very fulfilled and grateful foreveryone who came and shouldered the load
together so that we got to represent our amazing
community. There was one YouTuber who came
to interview our booth. At the end of the interview, they said something like, “Wow! This booth
can speak any language!” I was quite movedby that. In a way, it shows that we really ARE an
amazing community.
M: For me, I’m most proud of being part of theprocess from the beginning through the end.
You don’t get to work on projects like this often.
It’s the people, the obstacles, the laughter, theall-nighters, the hugs, the music, the dancing,
the handshakes, the heating patches, the glow
sticks, the food, and ultimately the love we havefor one another that made every moment something we’ll treasure for life.
___________________________________________
1

ES: The Environmental Sciences program in
PEAK.

2

PEAK: Programs in English at Komaba. The
VUS`,UNSPZOJVSSLNPH[LWYVNYHTZVɈLYLKH[[OL
University of Tokyo.

3

UTokyo has two school festivals: The May festival at Hongo Campus and Komaba-sai at Komaba campus.

4

JEA: The Japan in East Asia Program in PEAK.

E: Speaking of legacy, I thinkselling fried food itself is alegacy I deliberately tried tocontinue. (laugh) I felt thatsince our senpai started withfried food, I didn’t want tosuddenly switch gears anddo something entirely new.
So instead, we built upon
what we did before.
By the way, I do want to let
whoever is going to work on
the next Komaba-sai know
this: the actual experience
will be a lot better after the
stressful preparation that
does drag on. Once you
meet people and have people doing this together as agroup, it’s much more fun.
So please look forward to
the actual experience. Don’tlose hope because there will
be people helping you.
M: Finally, what are you
guys most proud of?
R: I’m actually really proudof Eriko for stepping up
and continuing the booth!
Komaba-sai really is a wonderful experience when all
is said and done. So, I really
do hope it continues andbecomes a tradition for the
PEAK community.

7

UNIVERSITY LIFE
Interning
Interningat the OECD:at the inOECD:
Conversationin Conversation
with Lauren
withS.LaurenPower,S.2nd
Power,
year2nd
M.A.year(GSP)
M.A.
Student(GSP) Student
By: Alexine
By:Castillo
AlexineYap,
Castillo
LaurenYap,S.LaurenPower S. PowerInterview with Lauren S. Power, second year
M.A. student in the Global Society Program(GSP), specializing in Advanced Social andInternational Studies.

About Lauren
Lauren’s research is based on original compara[P]LL[OUVNYHWOPJÄLSK^VYR[HYNL[PUNL_WH[YPH[LZPU
:PUNHWVYLHUK;VR`V0UOLYÄYZ[`LHYH[<;VR`V
she was accepted to present her own research at
3 international academic conferences in Bangkok,
Tokyo, and Rome. She has also served as a committee member for 2 other academic conferences.
She will speak at the European Sociological Association Midterm Conference in April 2020.
Lauren agreed to an interview with UTokyo about
her OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) internship experience inParis. She approached us because she wants to
spread the word and encourage other students
to apply. Requirements to become an OECD
PU[LYUPUJS\KL[VWX\HSP[`,UNSPZOWYVÄJPLUJ`I\[
the working languages are English and French.
The internship is open to people currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree
program, although many interns are current
graduate students. The duration of an internshipis a 2-6 months and it is a full-time job. Sometimes, some overtime might be required. For aninternship at an International Organization (IO),
according to Lauren, it also pays relatively well!

What was your approach as a master’s student?
0KPKTVZ[VMT`JV\YZL^VYRK\YPUNT`ÄYZ[`LHY
at UTokyo. I wanted to undertake that so that I
could be ready for an internship or have time for
TVYLÄLSK^VYRPU[OLZLJVUK`LHY:VS\JRPS`0
did not have to take a leave of absence to do my
OECD internship.

What’s your advice for balancing between academic work and a full-time
internship?
Just have foresight and plan ahead! Front-load
your schedule to make sure you can do what you
need to do, as well as what you want to do, tograduate in good standing and on time.

Can you tell us a little more about
OECD’s recruitment process?
OECD used to do only biyearly batches, but
now they recruit on a rolling basis. That meansthat you can submit your application at any timethroughout the year. It is a 4-6 month-long reJY\P[TLU[WYVJLZZ^P[OHSV[VMKPɈLYLU[ZJYLLUings to pass. I had to apply first and answer
screening questions. Then, I did a video interview
and took a written test. After passing all that, I
did a 45-minute panel interview over the phone^P[O[OYLL6,*+Z[HɈTLTILYZPU7HYPZHow did you prepare for the process?
I actually had no idea that the process was go-

8

0THNLZI`H\[OVYing to be so long or complicated. Every time I
passed one screening, I thought, “Ok, that’s thatlast thing”, but it turns out it wasn’t! It was a little
concerning to have so many screenings, but I
kept telling myself that if I had another test to
pass, it meant that I was still in the running. Later, I found out that’s the process everyone has togo through to enter the OECD.

>OH[KPɈLYLU[WVZP[PVUZHYLH]HPSHISL&
Each internship is completely different anddepends on where in the organization you areplaced. The OECD departments, called DirectoYH[LZHYLZ\IQLJ[ZWLJPÄJLN,+<+PYLJ[VYH[L
focuses on education and skills, and ENV focuses on environmental issues), so you should try to
tailor your application to the research and pastworks associated with your target Directorate.

Can you tell us more about the assessment?
The OECD is trying to recruit top talent, but alsocares about diverse perspectives. They try to
screen applicants to see if they have enoughskills and experience that they can bring to theteams and projects. They value adaptability andquick learning.
When you apply, you can choose what kinds ofsubjects you are interested in and which fields
you already have experience in. The recruiters try
to build a bridge between your interests and theULLKZVM[OLVYNHUPaH[PVU^OLU[OL`VɈLY`V\Hrole. The OECD has many specialized areas or
Directorates, and you should have some experience and technical competencies to be able tocontribute to the areas you indicate interest in.
They also want to make sure you’re the kind of
person who’ll fit into the culture of the OECD,
which is actually super friendly and very collab-

orative. Candidates should be well-rounded andhave good social skills, like teamwork or leadership experience. The OECD really values people
who can work well with a team. When you apply,[Y`[VJOVVZLÄLSKZVMPU[LYLZ[[OH[HYLJSVZL[V
your own research background or that you feelpassionate about, but try to keep an open mind
about what sort of work the OECD might suggest
for you too.

This seems like an amazing opportunity for international students.
Absolutely! International students have so muchto offer on these metrics. To be able to moveabroad, be on your own, and commit to an international program, you have to be adaptable andknow how to think quickly and make connections
with a new community quickly; you’re alreadybeing tested on a lot of skills that organisations
like the OECD desire.
More broadly, even as an international student
at UTokyo, if you come from Asia, you can represent that diversity of perspective in a region
WYPTHYPS` IHZLK VU ,\YVWLHU WLYZWLJ[P]LZ ·
you can bring that voice in. It was surprising to
me to be around so many people who had neverbeen to Asia before or who had only visited onvacation once or twice.

Tell us more about your experiences
as an intern!
Maybe many people have a preconception of an“intern” as someone who just makes photocopPLZVYZLY]LZJVɈLLHIZVS\[LS`UV[[OLJHZLPU
the OECD. Interns are definitely working right
HSVUNZPKL[OLM\SS[PTLZ[HɈ;OL`OH]LPTWVY[HU[responsibilities, substantial workloads, and they
are expected to bring their own knowledge andskills to the table, and leverage those in their deliverables.

I work in the Executive Directorate, and my workis 80% projects and research, and 20% administrative support. It is a good mix to have the admin support because if I had no such interaction,
I might just sit at my desk doing research andnot speak to anyone most of the day.

The study of expatriates is connected with studying highly-skilled employees as a global supply
chain of human mobility, which is why my internship and research work in the OECD’s Human
Resource Management Division was a great fit
for me.

There are comprehensive internal initiatives goingon right now in my division, so it was a perfecttime for me to join. Data-collection on a major
project had just completed, so I joined in time fordata analysis and visualisation, presentations,and report-drafting on a large-scale. I was able toleverage my own experience and research background to support to the team. It is really special
to be given a space in which to express yourown analytical views, as an intern, especially atan organization like the OECD. It is even possible
that, if you perform well and bring value to yourprojects, your internship might transition into a
consultancy, temporary position, or an offer to
ILJVTLHU6ɉJPHS^P[OPU[OL6,*+ZV[OH[`V\
can continue your work. So, any aspiring interns
should know that, if they come to work at theOECD, they can expect to learn and grow a lot!

Tell us a little more about what it’s liketo work at the OECD! Any perks ofworking there?

What led you to focus on your area ofspecialisation?
I was born in the U.S. and had my childhood
there. I’ve lived abroad in London, Singapore,
Japan (twice), and now Paris. I haven’t lived in
the U.S. for over 10 years, so I have been feelingkind of distant from that culture. I have become
more connected with expatriate culture throughliving outside of my origin country, and my experiences have driven my research interests. In
particular, I want to understand why there aresuch differences between the way expatriate
communities interact and integrate with their
host country societies and what causes these
KPɈLYLUJLZ0^HU[[VL_WSVYL[OLPU[LYZLJ[PVUVM
the issues of government immigration policy, migration, recruitment and employment practices,and social structures.

([[OL6,*+[OLYLHYLHSV[VMKPɈLYLU[JVTT\nity organisations that make it really easy to feel
connected if you want to get to know your fellow workmates better. For instance, there is theInterns’ Circle, which is an active group where
members attend after-work drinks and lunches
together. There are always so many different
events and activities going on… guest speakers,
wellness initiatives, a gym in-house, yoga class,pilates, cultural workshops, book clubs, and freeor low-cost language classes held on-site. Thereis also a Staff Association with more events.
Moreover, intern events happen on and off theOECD campuses regularly. The OECD holds daily conferences with world leaders and thought
leaders, and as an intern you can sometimes get
permission to join these! In my case, my Supervisor has been generous… she’s always given me
permission to join the events I want to join, as
long as I submit my work on time!
Oh, and the OECD is a gorgeous place to work!
It is a world-class facility with open-concert
VɉJLZYLSH_PUNIYLHRYVVTZHUKSV[ZVMNYLLU
spaces and gardens. OECD campuses have a
lot of green initiatives too, so you can feel goodabout being environmentally friendly at work.
Interns are provided with work laptops and ourV^UKLZRZ>LOH]LSV[ZVMZ\WWVY[Z[HɈ[VOLSWus make sure we have everything we need to beable to focus on our work outputs. I usually buy
my lunches onsite and eat with colleagues at our
beautiful canteen or cafeteria.

(UV[OLYILULÄ[MVY6,*+PU[LYUZPZWHPK[PTLVɈ
We are entitled to 2.5 days leave for every monthworked at the OECD. Also, you can opt for teleworking which, for me, has been especially helpful during of France’s current strikes.

(U`YLÅLJ[PVUZVU[OL6,*+L_WLYPLUJL&
It’s an incredibly enriching experience for anyone, and rewarding from a personal standpoint
because, in addition to getting the chance to experience another culture and see some gorgeoussights, I became very close with fellow interns
and other colleagues. I have not had one day
when I’ve had to eat lunch alone. Everyone has
been really welcoming and kind.
Professionally, the benefits are huge – you get
exposed to a working style and an environment
that’s literally world-class and at the forefront of a
U\TILYVMÄLSKZ6]LYHSSP[»ZHNYLH[L_WLYPLUJL
for building real skills and professional competencies, even for those who have no intention toenter academia or continue working at an IO.

That being said, do you have any advice for anyone hesitating to apply?
Maybe you are worried that you can’t get in, orthat you don’t belong there. But don’t let such
worries stop you. If you don’t apply, you certainly
cannot get in. Don’t put awesome opportunities
like this up on a pedestal… be confident andgrab them!!

Any advice about liaising with andgetting permission from UTokyo?
Anyone who has tried to apply for an internshipoutside of Japan will know that UTokyo’s school
vacations do not align with most international
opportunities. We have our big holiday in February and March, with only about 6 weeks of vacation in late summer. Many summer internshipopportunities want interns in June and July, so it
JHUIL[YPJR`[VÄUKZVTL[OPUN[OH[^VYRZ^P[O
your schedule.
The OECD can be a little more flexible in its
intake because of its rolling recruitment policy.
Also, you should not hesitate to talk with youradministrators and advisors about your wish to
try a professional internship. The earlier you do,the more support they might be able to give.
There are admin procedures that are required inadvance that you must allow plenty of time for,and you must take responsibility for your own
visa applications to France, as well as your own
apartment search, etc. The OECD does provide
some guidance on these things, but it is ultimately up to you. So, it is better to prepare yourself.
In my case, my UTokyo administrators, myprofessors, and my department were all so supportive in finding a way to allow me to remain
enrolled and earn credits (so I can graduate
on time), while also doing this internship for 6
months. You have a chance to be an ambassador for UTokyo in Paris and an advocate of theOECD in Japan! It is a win-win for everyone! I
hope more UTokyo students will apply!

9

UNIVERSITY LIFE
What can I do about climate change in Tokyo? Turns out, a whole lot!
By: Amishi Agrawal

It’s Time for Some Veggie Talk in Komaba
By: Avalon Akashi
ry. If you’ve been to the combo section you’llknow you can select four dishes in addition toseaweed soup and rice, one of which is a small
omelet covered by a ketchup-looking sauce. One
day, I took a closer look at the ingredients label
and saw a chicken pictogram, which I initiallyinterpreted to mean that the egg came from the
JOPJRLU<UMVY[\UH[LS`[OL*VVWZ[HɈJY\ZOLK
my hopes by saying, “[The chicken] is probably
in the sauce on top?”
5VVKSL VW[PVUZ H[ VUL VM [OL JHML[LYPHZ H[ /VUNV *HTW\Z
6U[OLIV[[VTYPNO[PZ*YLHT:H\JL=LNL[HISL<KVU^OLYL[OLZH\JLPZTHKLMYVTZV`TPSR0THNLZI`H\[OVY

0THNLI`5PJR)YLLaL¸.VVK TVYUPUN HUK ^LSJVTL ;VKH` `V\»YL
going to hear from 15 speakers or organisations,
HUK[OLVUS`[OYLL[OPUNZHSSVM\ZOH]LPUJVTTVUPZ[OH[^LHYL`V\UNHYLWHZZPVUH[LHIV\[JVTIH[PUNJSPTH[LJOHUNLHUKHYL1HWHULZLUH[PVUHSZVYYLZPKLU[Z>OPSLV\YZPTPSHYP[PLZIYV\NO[\Z[VNL[OLYP[PZV\YKPɈLYLUJLZ[OH[THRL\ZPUteresting – some of us are high schoolers, others
KLKPJH[LK7O+Z[\KLU[ZZVTLHYLHJ[P]PZ[ZHUK
V[OLYZ ]LY` UPJOL YLZLHYJOLYZ VY SLHKLYZ VMZ[\KLU[JS\IZ>LJVTLMYVTKPɈLYLU[WHY[ZVM[OL^VYSKHUKVM1HWHUI\[HYL\UP[LKPUV\YKLZPYL[VZPNUPÄJHU[S`JVU[YPI\[L[V[OLNSVIHSHUKSVJHSLɈVY[[VJVTIH[JSPTH[LJOHUNL¹
What you just read was the beginning of an exciting journey, one that started on the morning of
11th December, 2019 at the biggest conference
MVYJSPTH[LJOHUNL·COP25·PU4HKYPK:WHPU
and one that needs your involvement for what
is to come next. Lilian Ono and I hosted a session at the Japanese government’s pavilion titled“Youth in Japan in Action” which featured 15
diverse students and youth organisations fromJapan. We organised this session because ourpassion for climate action makes us cross paths^P[OKPɈLYLU[RPUKZVMHJ[P]PZ[ZHUKPUP[PH[P]LZPU
1HWHU·HSSVM[OLTLX\HSS`PUZWPYPUNHUKHTHaPUNS` KP]LYNLU[ PU [OLPY HWWYVHJOLZ · HUK HSZVmany individuals who understand the urgency ofclimate change, and would join some initiative if
it matched their interests and skills. We want toconnect these two sides; by unifying our voices· [OL ]VPJLZ VM [OL `V\[O PU 1HWHU · ^L JHUachieve a lot. Our voices won’t just add to eachother, but will amplify our collective impact. ThisZLZZPVU^HZV\YÄYZ[Z[LWPU[OPZKPYLJ[PVU
The stories of some of the youth organisations in Japan
Fridays for Future Japan: Starting with theelephant in the room, we were all surprised by^OH[4PUVYP·VULVM[OLMV\UKLYZVM---1HWHU· OHK [V ZH` --- VYNHUPZLZ `V\[OSLK WLHJLM\S Z[YPRLZ PU KPɈLYLU[ WHY[Z VM [OL ^VYSK HUK PZ
easily the most recognisable youth organisation.
But in Japan, their first strike in February 2019attracted only 12 people. The journey since thenhas been slow and steady, and now they haveover 2000 supporters. One clear aim of FFF Japan is to garner the attention of the public for climate change. When it comes to FFF Japan, you

10

could simply follow them on Facebook and join
the next protest, or join the team and help design
and plan what comes next!
Spiral Club:(S[OV\NO[OL`^LYLV\YÄYZ[YLTV[L
speakers, their video message was warm and lovPUN·Q\Z[SPRL[OLPYJVTT\UP[`(UVWLUJVTT\nity from Japan, they give people from all walksof life space to talk about the environment. They
publish articles on anything and everything under
the sun, such as zero waste, circular economies,
and individual stories. They organise workshops,
events, cooking parties, book exchanges, andwould also love to organise an event around any
idea that you might have. Also, they are easily thegroup you will have the most fun with!
Global Alliance of Universities on Climate: I
was overcome with a strong feeling of pride when
MV\Y VM T` JVKLSLNH[LZ MYVT <;VR`V · ,TTH
:HYHɈ2V[VUL2HNHTP.LU/H`HRH^HHUK1LSLUH(SLRZLQL]H·[VVR[OLZ[HNL;OL`WLYZVUPÄLKthe idea that research must be socially engaged
and introduced us to another intriguing organiZH[PVU · [OL .SVIHS (SSPHUJL VM <UP]LYZP[PLZ VU
Climate, which consists of 12 universities, including our own, from 6 continents and encourages
collaboration and research among many otheravenues. Emma introduced us to Climate Action
Japan · HU ,UNSPZO SHUN\HNL ]VS\U[LLY NYV\W
that aims to support grassroots climate activists
and make research more accessible and Jelena
works with the National Institute for Environmental Studies·HJLU[YHSYLZLHYJOPUZ[P[\[LPU
Japan which also organises annual public symposiums in Kyoto and Tokyo.
No Youth No Japan: This group from Tokyo
alone has 150,000 followers, and their goal is toconnect the youth in Japan with the climate crisis. Their vision includes transitioning to renewable energy and increasing political discussions
and understanding of climate change. By workPUN^P[O[OLT`V\JV\SKZPNUPÄJHU[S`JVU[YPI\[L
to adding critical content to public opinion andreach a wide audience!
Students and Clubs within UTokyo: A number
VMLɈVY[Z[OYV\NOJS\IZHUKPUKP]PK\HSZ[\KLU[Z
are currently underway in UTokyo. There are at
SLHZ[[OYLLL_JP[PUNZ[\KLU[JS\IZVUJHTW\Z·First Access, SUS+, and Echo. From providing
solar lanterns to children studying in rural Africa,

to collectively understanding climate scienceand organising our university’s delegation to
COP every year, their list of activities is endless!
,X\HSS`SH\KHISLHYL[OLLɈVY[ZVMZ[\KLU[ZZ\JO
as Chris Clayton, who works with the Wakupro
Foundation and wants to organise a simulative
learning event for the SDGs in Tokyo, or Mahi
Patki, who has extensive experience on tacklingthe issue of plastic consumption within educational institutions and would be an exciting
partner to work with for something similar within
UTokyo! All of these clubs and individuals are
buzzing with energy and joining or working withthem would be the experience of a lifetime.

SO WHAT COMES NEXT? What can I do?
In case you found any initiative/individual evenremotely interesting to you, send me an email at
amishiharrypotter@gmail.com. It doesn’t have to
be formal, and I will just connect you to the rightWLYZVU:LJVUK[OPZHY[PJSLPZ[OLÄYZ[Z[LWPUH
longer process of information sharing and collaboration; if you’re aware of other initiatives working on climate change related goals, or could
feature an article such as this in your publication/
on your social media handle/on your website,
do contact me. I also want to launch a website
to consolidate information about the plethoraof ingenious civil society initiatives in Japan forclimate change. We will need all kinds of collabVYH[VYZ·MYVT]PKLVTHRLYZHUK[YHUZSH[VYZ[V
individuals willing to find out about and reachV\[[VKPɈLYLU[PUP[PH[P]LZHUKNYV\WZ0MHU`WHY[of the project sounds slightly appealing to you,email me. Your email does not have to be serious
H[ HSS · Q\Z[ [LSS TL `V\Y UHTL HUK `V\Y PUP[PHS
thoughts, and we will see how it goes from there.

=LNL[HYPHUVW[PVUZH[VULVM[OLI\ɈL[Z[`SLJHML[LYPHH[/VUNVJHTW\Z

One evening, while I was contemplating all of
this, I happened upon my professor, a veteranvegetarian of 30 years. Over his vegetable curry,
we discussed the future of a vegetarian-friendly
cafeteria. He pointed out that improvements canbe made easily through simple substitutions.
Take the curry, with its small chunks of beefswimming around in the sauce. “Why not makeit into a meat-free curry with meat toppings at an
extra cost?” (My friend later brought up the pointthat many Japanese curries use meat in theirVYPNPUHSPUNYLKPLU[ZZV^LTH`ULLKHKPɈLYLU[solution.) With “`HZHPKHZOP”4 now appearing on
store shelves, why not buy a vegetarian replacement for the katsuobushi in dashi 5 ? The point isthat we don’t need to create a new menu if we
can integrate vegetarianism into the existing one.

I remember when every option in the cafeteria
was an option for me. I never snuck a peek at the
pictograms of cows and chickens on the ingredient labels. The only criteria for choosing meals
was 1) being cheap and 2) tasting good. I always
told people that there was lots of fried meat in
the cafeteria, but little did I know that meat or
seafood was present in almost every dish. How I
came to know this was by going vegetarian lastJuly.
I have not been alone in facing the challenges ofcafeteria dining: vegetarian and other-tarian exchange students seem to be in bigger numbers
this semester than ever before. Two pescetarian
USTEP students mentioned that they hardly ever
eat in the cafeteria. Hopefully I never tire of thefirst floor’s vegetable curry, because then I will
have exhausted my only real option.
The cafeteria is full of hidden traps for vegetarians. I stopped eating all noodles because ofdashi, the base broth made from kombu1 andkatsuobushi 2. After a period of disbelief with occasional denial, I also had to accept that many
innocent-looking vegetable dishes, well, are notvegetarian after all. I had turned a blind eye totheir ingredient labels for months, never suspecting that mackerel and chicken might inhabit myspinach.
;OL JHML[LYPH»Z ZLJVUK ÅVVY PZ UV[ HU` ZHMLY 0U
the curry section, where you get two curries andnaan3, the staff told me that I could not swap
one of the chicken curries with vegetable cur-:V`TLH[aHQPHUNTPHUH]LNL[HYPHUTLU\P[LTMYVTJVSSHIVYH[PVUIL[^LLU[OL*VVWHUK;HISLMVY;^V<;H[*HML[LYPH
>HRHIH2VTHIH

For some reason, Hongo’s cafeteria has greater
hospitality towards its vegetarian students. Take,for example, the creamy soy-based sauce andvegetable udon that has not worked its way into
Komaba. Also, bright yellow signs in the buffet
clearly label potato, eggplant, and tofu dishes“vegetarian.” Meanwhile, Komaba once seemed
to be progressing with soy meat aHQPHUNTPHU,
which was the result of a collaboration between
Co-op and the student organization “Table for
Two - UT”. Unfortunately, it turned out to bea short-term item and disappeared from the
shelves after two weeks (I will be waiting for its
return.)When I brought up these points to Co-op, I didn’t
expect change to be easy nor fast. But as earlyas this April, students in Komaba may be walking
PU[VHJHML[LYPH[OH[OHZILLUKP]LYZPÄLKMVY]LNetarian students (and indeed, for all students).
As my friend put it, “Vegetarian food is for everyone.” And it seems that I, other students, and the
Co-op have decided that the time for veggie talkin Komaba is here.
___________________________________________1kelp
ZTVRLK[\UHÅHRLZ
H[`WLVMÅH[IYLHKMV\UKPUTHU`(ZPHUJ\PZPULZ
4vegetable soup stock5
broth or fish stock used as base for manysoups in Japanese cuisine
2
3

0THNLI`@\RV0[H[Z\As a final message, I will say that one of themost heart-warming aspects of the youth climate
movements is our genuine desire to impact climate change. This means that we are not in it
for the media attention this issue has, or for themoney. We are not just open to the possibility ofcollaboration, but are more than willing and eager
to do so. So with our new spring semester starting soon, if you believe you’ve found your callingwith any of these organisations, send me an email
and jump on board. All hands are needed andwelcome on deck; we are all in the same boat
anyway. Working together is our best bet, and wehope that this article plants the seeds for just that.

11

PERSPECTIVES
Sexism in the Age of the “Shining Woman”
By: Emi Yasuda
that developed my understanding of how, in acountry that claims to support women’s empowerment, sexism remains deeply rooted.
Last summer’s admissions scandal sparked
widespread condemnation, but in a Komaba
classroom less than thirty minutes from TMU itself, I could scarcely hear these cries of outrage.
During a lecture on Japanese politics, my profesZVYVWLULK[OLÅVVY[VVWPUPVUZVU[OLZJHUKHS
Accustomed to the left-leaning attitudes of students at my Canadian home university, I expected little debate: Someone would condemn TMU,
the rest of us would offer words of agreement,
and the lecture would quickly move forward.

0THNLJYLKP[!B(KVIL:[VJRD

In the sticky heat of early August, I sat in front of
the TV, watching the flash of press conference
lights. On the screen was a familiar image: corporate men bowing deeply, their faces parallelto the table in front of them. In Japan, this is
the procedure of public disgrace. Last summer,
an investigation uncovered sexist admissions
processes at one of Japan’s most prestigious
institutions, Tokyo Medical University (TMU). For

V]LYHKLJHKL[OLZJOVVSHY[PÄJPHSS`SV^LYLKMLmale applicants’ entrance exam scores to keep
women’s enrollment below 30%. Amidst vocal
condemnation, nine more Japanese medical
schools confessed to their own unfair admissions processes.1 These revelations and theiraftermath dominated headlines as I began myyear as an exchange student at the Universityof Tokyo (UTokyo)2. They foretold experiences

Contrary to my expectations, the first student
to speak argued in favor of the policy. He stated that medicine is an ill-suited profession for
women, whose primary duty amid Japan’s demographic crisis, is motherhood. He argued thatwomen inevitably leave medicine for child-rearing, exacerbating Japan’s labor shortage, andplacing an unfair burden on male doctors. As hespoke, my hand shot up in disbelief at someone
my own age expressing such antiquated ideasof a woman’s place in society. I disputed histhoughts on women’s maternal duties, statingthat limiting women’s access to a medical career is a counterproductive solution to the labor
shortage. At the root of the issue is not that
^VTLU HYL\UÄ[MVYTLKPJHS JHYLLYZ I\[ YH[OLYthat they are pushed out of the profession after
becoming mothers and face barriers to resuming
their career after maternity leave. I addressed thePUÅL_PIPSP[`VMZJOLK\SLZMVY1HWHULZLKVJ[VYZPU
a culture of overwork and the severe shortage ofchildcare providers in Japan.
After speaking, I felt shaken. Coming from aschool where few people consider themselvesconservative, I was unaccustomed to defending
T`VWPUPVUZ)\[YLNHYKSLZZ0^HZJVUÄKLU[[OH[I made the strongest points, though perhaps too
passionately. This self-assurance quickly dissi-

pated when the next students to speak, classmates from both Japan and abroad, agreed with[OLÄYZ[Z[\KLU[>OPSLZL]LYHSKPZW\[LKOPZPKLHZ
of women’s roles, they agreed with TMU’s policy,
asserting that accepting more female doctors
would be unfair to hardworking men. I felt alone
in my outrage, and a growing understanding of
why Japan ranks 110th of 147 countries for gender equality 3.
The TMU scandal underscores the hollownessof Shinzo Abe’s “womenomics” policy, which
strives to make Japan a “society where womenshine.” The sexist admissions standards thatshocked the world did not shock Japanesewomen, who, for over a decade, suspected adouble-standard in medical school admissions.
However, the Japanese government investigation that finally uncovered this policy stemmed
not from suspicions regarding the elite school’s
disproportionately male enrollment, but instead,from an admissions bribery case involving a politician’s son. In spite of the Abe administration’s
expressed goal of increasing women’s workforce
participation, women’s voices evidently remain
unheard. While action from the bottom-up is essential for social progress, the government also
holds a responsibility to foster an environment
in which change is possible. If the Abe administration’s “womenomics” policy moved beyond
YOL[VYPJPTWSLTLU[PUNHɉYTH[P]LHJ[PVUHUKHJcessible childcare, it could catalyze the equality
it purportedly desires.
For my classmates at UTokyo, perhaps the TMU
scandal hit too close to home. In an era where
women’s university enrollment is rising above
men in many countries, 77% of UTokyo undergraduates are men. This skewed ratio is readily
apparent when class lets out, and women are
few and far between on the crowded campus
walkways. Regardless of the cause of women’slack of representation at Japan’s highest-ranking
university, these statistics bode poorly for women’s careers in Japan, where the name of the uni-

versity you attend is a major factor in aggressive
corporate recruitment processes.
3HZ[MHSSH[HUL[^VYRPUNL]LU[0ILULÄ[LKÄYZ[hand from the UTokyo name. Pushing beyond
my usual introversion, I tried to “work the room.”
Exchanging meishi (business cards) with newcontacts, I kept in mind the smattering of Japanese business etiquette I crammed before
attending. Nervous but prepared, I found myself
in conversation with an executive from one ofJapan’s biggest companies, who told me about
new internship opportunities. Impressed with
the UTokyo logo on my business card, just one
week later, I found myself in a state-of-the-art
VɉJLI\PSKPUNZV[V^LYPUN[OH[T`LHYZWVWWLK
HZ0HWWYVHJOLKP[Z\WWLYÅVVYZ;OLL_LJ\[P]Lgave me brochures and pamphlets, explained
his company’s mission, and took an interest in
my resumé and portfolio. I walked away from theimpromptu interview hopeful and eager for theinternship opportunities we discussed.
Just days later, my job hunt picked up speed
when the executive extended me an invitation toa private business networking event. I couldn’t
believe my luck as I spent the evening exchanging meishi and making several trips past a tableof hors d’oeuvre. Once the venue closed down,
the man suggested we head to a bar. While backPU *HUHKH 0»K JVUZPKLY [OPZ H YLK ÅHN 0 \UKLYstood post-workday drinking to be a mainstay ofJapanese business culture. I agreed in the hopes[OH[[OPZ^V\SKIL[OLTVTLU[OLÄUHSS`VɈLYLKme the internship we discussed. But not longafter sitting down, our conversation veered outside of business territory. After a few drinks, theman, older than my father, began making sexual
advances. My stomach churned as his clammyhands moved from the glass to my body, and hesuggested we head to a hotel. I rushed onto thesubway home, feeling deeply betrayed and misled. This man gave me every reason to believethat his interests in me were business-related,
but I left cursing my own naïveté. I felt foolish for

KHYPUN[VILSPL]L0OHKHU`[OPUNVM]HS\L[VVɈLY
to him or his company. He had my resumé, andwe discussed internships, but that night at thebar told me everything I needed to know about
where his interests truly lay.
Above all else, this experience left me with aprofound sense of powerlessness. I knew that I
was deliberately misled, and that there was little I
could meaningfully do about it. I shouted into theTwitter void and gave my friends an earful, but at
the end of the day, I had to pick myself up andcontinue on as though nothing happened. Butthat encounter ripped away my trusting naïveté.
How could I trust opportunities, when elusive “internships” cloak malintent? How could I accept
the mentorship of any man, knowing that for him,business may purely be a pretense?
While inappropriate and sexist treatment is far
from an exclusively Japanese phenomenon, this
L_WLYPLUJLWLYZVUHSS`YLPÄLK1HWHU»ZJVU[PU\LK
struggle to empower women. For Japan to truly
become “a society in which all women shine,” itmust listen to the voices of all Japanese women,from those with experiences like mine, to those
who spent years suspicious of unfair admissions
practices. Institutional gatekeepers and predatory businessmen are alive and well, but womenknow that the system is rigged against them.
Now, it’s time for people to listen.
___________________________________________
1

A tenth school was accused of unfair admissions practices, but did not admit to wrongdoing. “Japan medical schools ‘rigged women’s
results,’ ))*5L^Z, 14 December 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-46568975.

2;OL<UP]LYZP[`VM;VR`VPZ\UHɉSPH[LK^P[O;Vkyo Medical University.

3

Aizawa, Yuko. “Gender equality in Japan remains bottom.” 5/2 >VYSK 1HWHU. December
26, 2018. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/
nhknewsline/backstories/gendergap/.

The Games After the 2020 Tokyo Olympics:

Rethinking Media Coverage of Para-sports in Japan
By: Sayumi Take
;OLÄYZ[[PJRL[SV[[LY`MVY[OL;VR`V7HYHS`Tpics marked history with a record number of
390,000 participants. Japanese people’s interest[V^HYKZ[OL7HYHS`TWPJZZLLTZ[VILOPNO·I\[whether this means that in Japan, para-sports is
widely acknowledged and deeply understood, or
to take it a step further, a society where disabled
and non-disabled people live as equals is fully
LZ[HISPZOLKPZHULU[PYLS`KPɈLYLU[PZZ\LStudies on Paralympic broadcasts have been
conducted by the NHK Broadcasting Culture
Research Institute over the past two years, andthe results show that the road to fostering an accurate, widespread understanding of para-sports

12

in Japan remains long and tough.
One of the biggest obstacles lies in the fact thatpeople have few opportunities to learn about para-sports. Usually, the only chance people haveof knowing the rules and fun of para-sports is if
they actively attend events held for this purpose.
Moreover, media coverage of para-sports other[OHU[OL7HYHS`TWPJZPZPUZ\ɉJPLU[;OLYLZLHYJO
results mentioned earlier introduces comments
by disabled people, such as “The media should
also broadcast para-sports tournaments otherthan the Paralympics” and “How many people
RUV^VM[OL+LHÅ`TWPJZHU`^H`&¹>OLUHZRLKabout the Paralympic broadcasts, respondents

left sharp comments such as “The chances ofcommercial broadcasting services featuring
the Paralympics are extremely low” and “TheParalympics are just another exciting material forthe media to fuss about”.
Another reality revealed by the research results
was the disabled people’s strong resistance to“inspiration porn”. “Inspiration porn”, a phrase
coined by journalist Stella Young, refers to thesituation in which society objectifies disabled
WLVWSL MVY [OL ILULÄ[ VM PUZWPYPUN UVUKPZHISLK
people. Comments such as “Paralympians
should be portrayed just like any other ‘ordinary’ athlete”, and “Who has the right to gain

inspiration from hardworking disabled people?”,underline the fact that the means of spreading
understanding of para-sports and disabled people must be chosen carefully.
It is delightful news that the 2020 Games are
expected to be one of the most exciting tournaments in history. However, the Japanese people
should bear in mind that this is not just a oncein-a-lifetime entertainment, but a one-and-only
chance to rethink media coverage of para-sports
and thus establish a society where disabled andnon-disabled people live in harmony as true
equals.
0THNLJYLKP[!B7P_HIH`]PH7L_LSZD

13

PERSPECTIVES
Darkest Day: The Oct 6, 1976 Massacre In Bangkok, Thailand
By: Pongadisorn Jamerbsin, Motoki Luxmiwattana[Content warning:graphic descriptions of violence]“The past 40 years, there’s no single day that
I didn’t think about October 6. I was a second-year student, here at Thammasat University.
During a demonstration I was always in chargeof the speakers on the stage. We are part of the
movement that brought down the dictatorship in
1973.”
It was October 5, 2016. Professor Thongchai
Winichakul was then a well-respected expert on
Thai nationalism teaching at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison. He was interviewed by the
BBC.
“The stage is [sic] made up of two levels ofdrums. I hid behind the drums, I keep talking for,I have no idea for how long, maybe an hour or
so. People know, remember what I say because I
keep saying the same thing over and over…”
At this point he was overcome by a violent episode of PTSD. Recovering quickly, he continued,
with moist eyes.
“Begging the police to stop. We are unarmed.
Please stop shooting, we are unarmed. Pleasestop shooting, we are unarmed. Maybe a hundred times. I don’t know what else to say. I saw
people lie down on the ground, near that building, I didn’t know, I didn’t realize until later thatsome of them were killed. I thought that they
just, lie [sic] down.”;04,THNHaPULZH`Z[OLVɉJPHSKLH[O[VSSPZ
In Chris Baker and Professor Pasuk Phongpaichit’s “A History of Thailand”, survivors said it ismore than 100. According to the digital archive“Documentation of October 6”, a project coordinated by Professor Puangthong Pawakapan,
9\HTRH[HU`\-V\UKH[PVUZ[HɈ^OVJVSSLJ[LK[OLbodies claimed it was 530. 3,094 students werearrested, 18 were held in custody for two years
while they were court-martialed for communismand 11 other charges, including Thongchai.
0THNLJYLKP[!=HSLU[PU:HSQHB<UZWSHZOD

It was October 6, 1976. Bangkok, Thailand.
TIME magazine calls it the darkest day in Thailand’s living memory. To this day, no perpetrators
have been brought to justice yet. It took until theyear 2000 before a small monument was allowed
at the university. It is not taught in Thai schools
HUKPZHSTVZ[PTWVZZPISL[VÄUKPU[L_[IVVRZ
Since absolute monarchy ended in a bloodlessrevolution in 1932, Thailand has been ruled mostof the time by military dictators for decades until
the students took to the streets and drove themout in 1973. Trying to regain power, they called
upon extremist right-wing organizations they
established. Having previously controlled theeducation and conscription system, they had
a big pool of indoctrinated individuals to easily
call upon and radicalize. They mobilized them tophysically assault the left-wing, and many activists got beaten up. A few were assassinated.
They are the Village Scouts, the Nawaphon, andthe Red Gaurs groups. As Professor Puangthong
R. Pawakapan wrote in her book, “The Central
Role of Thailand’s Internal Security Operations
Command in the Post-Counter-insurgency Period”: “It is generally understood that the Thai milP[HY`NV]LYUTLU[·WHY[PJ\SHYS`P[ZHU[PJVTT\UPZ[WVSP[PJHS^PUN[OL0:6*·^HZ[OLWYPTHY`
facilitator of the organization and indoctrination
campaign towards the radical right-wing”.
During such turbulent times, the exiled dictators
tried to enter Thailand as monks. The students
and labor unions took to the streets again. The
right-wing mobs swiftly organized a counter-protest and two protestors were lynched. Students
at Thammasat University staged a play to commemorate this event. According to “Documentation of October 6,” the army-run radio stationand 260 affiliated civilian stations said that thestudents were not protesting against the exiled
dictators, but committing lèse-majesté (defaming
the sovereign) and were stockpiling weapons to
prepare for a communist takeover, citing a photoof the mock-lynching in the Bangkok Post. The
newspaper Dao Siam published an article describing the students gathering in Thammasat as
committing lèse-majesté and communist sedition
using that photo. Into the night the military radio
and affiliated stations urged citizens to gather
near the university to bring the students to justice. Krisadang Nutcharut, a survivor, told the
Khaosod English: “The call was to come out andkill students.”
As part of their basic education, they were indoctrinated with the idea that the Thai royal family
was sacrosanct. They were later radicalized andorganized into right-wing groups by the ISOC,
and were taught anti-communist ideology, since,
for them, communists kill royal families, and an`VUL^OV[OV\NO[KPɈLYLU[S`MYVT[OLTT\Z[IL
a communist. This later top-down radicalizationand organization by the state, accompanied by
the “red scare” of that time was the main reason
they became violent and what set them apartfrom other Thais. To them, the mock-lynching of
someone (allegedly) looking like the crown prince
meant that the students wanted to destroy
Thailand. A famous monk said something to the

14

LɈLJ[[OH[[VRPSSHJVTT\UPZ[PZUV[HZPU So, it
was clear to them what needed to be done.
About 15,000 right-wing extremists gathered
near Thammasat University. The military, now
reassured by the people rallying behind them,
deployed the police: Normal cops. The Thai
FBI. The Thai SWAT. The Thai riot police. Border
WH[YVSWVSPJL^OVJHUOHUKSLHZZH\S[YPÅLZ(UK
even the infamous border patrol paratrooper
police, trained by the CIA in irregular warfare,
who had done black ops in Laos, special forces,
police officers only in name. They were armed
with pistols, shotguns, semi-automatic rifles,
HZZH\S[YPÅLZMYHNNYLUHKLZ4HU`VM[OLT^VYL
bulletproof vests and helmets. The paratrooperborder patrol police also brought heavy weapons: grenade launchers and mortars, and even a
YLJVPSSLZZYPÅLHZVY[VMTHUWVY[HISLJHUUVUMVY
destroying bunkers or tanks.
The police and the right-wing mob blocked all
the exits. Police boats guarded the river. Then
at 5:30 AM they started shelling the campus
with grenade launchers and mortars. They thenmoved to the university fence and sprayedthe campus with automatic fire. Thousands of
YV\UKZ^LYLÄYLK[OH[KH`;OLU[OL`ZSV^S`HK]HUJLKPU[V[OLJHTW\Z;OLYLJVPSSLZZYPÅL[LHT
methodically shelled the classrooms one by one.
They also threw frag grenades for good measure.
The right-wing mob followed their lead and wentin and beat up the students. Some of the rightwing mob also had pistols. Some photos show
the right-wing mob violently attacking students
even after they were taken into custody.

land.” Among these college students, 548 are
YLJVYKLKHZRPSSLKPU[OLÄNO[HJJVYKPUN[V¸+VJumentation of October 6.”
The 18 students held in custody, includingThongchai, were released two years later amongagreements of impunity for all parties on October
6 for the sake of national reconciliation. And under the condition that he never takes part in any
political activities again.

Unfortunately, Thailand never learnt from thatday. In 1992, the Black May Crackdown occurred, and in 2010, there was the Savage May
JYHJRKV^U;OHPSHUKOLSKP[ZÄYZ[LSLJ[PVUZZPUJLthe 2014 coup in March 2019, in which the coup
leader won, but it was widely seen as an unfair
election.
;OVUNJOHPYL[PYLKZVOLJHUÄUPZOOPZIVVRHIV\[that day, which he has been working on for morethan a decade. It will be published in March
2020. The title of the book is: “Moments of Silence: The Unforgetting of the October 6, 1976,
Massacre in Bangkok”.
___________________________________________
Further Readinghttps://thediplomat.com/2016/10/commemorating-the-thammasat-university-massacre-in-thailand/
Very concise summary of the key points of theincident in a video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1uvvsENsfw
Thongchai Winichakul, BBC interview. The BBCinterview mentioned in the text.

The paratrooper border patrol police were also
trained in psychological warfare, US-style. Theydrove wooden stakes into corpses as if exorcising some “evil communist spirit”. They madefuneral pyres. They violated a female corpse
with a wooden pole. Two or three students wereS`UJOLK(ZOVL^HZZ[\ɈLKPUZPKLHTV\[O

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlGzZy83rz4
0U[LY]PL^VM[OLQV\YUHSPZ[^OV^P[ULZZLKP[ÄYZ[hand and took Pulitzer Prize-winning photos.

Of note is the gleeful nature of the whole operation. Footage exists, of them smoking and shooting, of the right-wing mob smiling and cheeringas they whack a lynched corpse with a folded
metal chair.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na1XbmGQL4k
Full interview of the journalist mentioned above.

As a result, more than 3,000 college students
fled to the jungles to join the Communist Partyof Thailand, as is inscribed on the memorial
plaque at Thammasat University. At its peak, theÄNO[LYZ^V\SKU\TILY;OPZKLHKS`JP]PS
war would result in an average of 1,000 dead peryear during the bloodiest two years, according
to Baker and Phongpaichit’s “A History of Thai-

about this massacre in one online archive. It ismanaged by Chulalongkorn University Professor
Puangthong Pawakapan. Unfortunately, it is currently available only in Thai.

Thongchai went back to school and devoted therest of his life to understanding what had happened on that fateful day.

A few students had handguns just in case, butthey stood no chance. Only two police officers
died.

Later that day, the military overthrew the democratically-elected government. They used
this event to justify their actions, claiming thestudents had an armory of weapons of war andwere preparing for a communist revolution andregicide. Books were burnt. Political parties outlawed. Freedoms suppressed.

The most comprehensive source (and the main
source I relied on for this article) can be found
VUKVJ[JVT;OPZPZ[OLVɉJPHS^LIZP[LMVY[OPZ
massacre. It is an attempt to gather all the evidence, records, memoirs, writings, and researchh t t p : / / w w w. k h a o s o d e n g l i s h . c o m / p o l i tics/2016/10/05/oct-6-massacre-photographer/
The journalist’s memoir.

https://indianexpress.com/article/world/worldnews/thailand-6-october-1976-massacre-anniversary-lynching-photo-3064629/
A recent article about the incident, in-depth.
h t t p : / / w w w. k h a o s o d e n g l i s h . c o m / p o l i tics/2016/10/05/will-remember-survivors-recount-1976-massacre-40-years-later/
In-depth accounts by survivors.
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/unforgettable-unrememberable-the-thammasat-massacre-in-thailand/#_ftnref10
Detailed personal account of a survivor.
https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1976/
oct/07/fromthearchive
Newspaper article from that day.

0UMVNYHWOPJ!)`.\U>VUNWYHZLYKR\Sc.YHWOPJI`7H\S5HTRVVUN

A Brief Timeline of Thailand’s Contemporary History
By Gun Wongpraserdkul, Independent Scholar
1932 : June 24. The Siamese Revolution of1932 by the Khana Ratsadon (People’s
Party), end of absolute monarchy andthe start of democracy in Thailand.
1933 : The Boworadet Rebellion, a counter-revolution. 17 died in armed skirmishes.
1938 - 1944 : Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram became prime minister.
Ruled as an authoritarian, fascist
dictator emulating Mussolini and theJapanese military government.
1945: World War II ended and a brief periodof revival of democratic rule began.
1947 : November 8, *V\W K»t[H[, an era ofmilitary dictatorship began, which
would last for 26 years (1947-1973).
During this period some coups erupted between different factions of themilitary in power struggles.
1948 : April 6, *V\WK»t[H[.
1951 : November 29, *V\WK»t[H[.
1957 : October 16, Coup d’état. Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat came to power.
The United States supported dictators
PU;OHPSHUKHZHSSPLZPU[OLÄNO[HNHPUZ[communism.
1958 : October 20, *V\WK»t[H[.

country. At least 77 died.
1976 : The Oct 6, 1976 Massacre, paramilitary forces and right-wing groups
attacked protestors in Thammasat University, 46 to 530 died. The
military justified the attack as apreemptive strike against communist insurrection and justified theircoup d’état as protection from communist threat.
1977 : October 20, *V\WK»t[H[.
1991 : February 23, *V\WK»t[H[.
1992 : May 17 to 19, the Black May Crackdown. Anti-government protesters
were fired upon by the military. At
least 52 died.
2006 : September 19 *V\WK»t[H[.
2010 : March to May, Cruel April or Savage
May Crackdowns, or the 2010 Thai
Military Crackdown. Anti-government protestors of the United Front for
Democracy Against Dictatorship wereattacked by the military, at least 87
died.
2014 : May 2014 *V\WK»t[H[.
2014 –2019: Military dictatorship.
2019: March 24, elections widely seen as unfair. Coup leader won.

1971 : November 17, *V\WK»t[H[.
1973 : October 8 to 15, Protests demanding
a constitution escalated into anti-government, anti-military dictator pro[LZ[Z;OLTPSP[HY`VWLULKÄYLI\[VUS`
made things worse, and the military
KPJ[H[VY;OHUVT2P[[PRHJOVYUÅLK[OL

Thailand has already experienced 11 coups
K»t[H[. Since the end of absolute monarchy in
1932, Thailand has only experienced 33 total
years of democratic rule, which is just 38
percent of the time since the end of absolutemonarchy.

15

PERSPECTIVES
Cambodia: The Bittersweet Smile of Khmer
By: Mudi Wang
0U[OL;LTWSLVM)H`VUH[[OLOLHY[VM[OLHUJPLU[JP[`VM(UNRVY[OLYLHYLZTPSPUNMHJLZVM
(]HSVRP[LZO]HYH1JHY]LKVU[OLMV\YZPKLKZHUKZ[VUL[V^LYZ;OLNHYNHU[\HUMHJLZ^OPJOZVTLILSPL]LYLWYLZLU[LK[OLNYLH[2PUN1H`H]HYTHU=00 2VM[OLHUJPLU[2OTLY,TWPYL3OH]LILLUVU
U\TLYV\ZVUSPULHUKWYPU[LK[YH]LSN\PKLZVM*HTIVKPH;OL`HYLUV^JVSSLJ[P]LS`RUV^UHZ“TheSmile of Khmer”

taller than a dwarf, somehow took away all thethoughts in my mind. The sole thing that possessed me at that moment was pure appreciation, of their life-likeness and stateliness. Benign
and merciful, the countless smiles of Avalokiteshvara were in every direction I turned my eyes
to. In a shower of the 7 A.M. sunlight, the scene
brought about a spiritual, almost religious, catharsis.
After leaving Bayon, I saw a series of mind-bending sights in the other temples of Angkor: naturegoing wild at the jungle temple Ta Prohm (where
the movie “Tomb Raider” was shot) as the rootsof giant banyans grew into the stone bricks,
devouring the temple complex; wide-eyed Grecian-style columns at the ruins of Preah Khan,
where the “holy sword” of the Khmer Empire
was said to be kept; perfectly symmetrical corridors in Baphuon, seeming to lead visitors into amyth… but none of these sights were as equallybreathtaking as the sight at Bayon.

It was when I walked
through a dark tunnel
in the ruins of Beng
Mealea that I realized
what the nightmare ofblood-covered faces
mirrored.
6 A.M. – four hours
after waking up frommy nightmare. The temple complex of Beng
Mealea, one of the inspirations of Miyazaki
H a y a o ’s c e l e b r a t e d
HUPTH[LKÄST¸*HZ[SLPU
the Sky” ( 天空の城ラピュタ ),normally does not see
many visitors at so earlya time.

On the iron grating of a cell, I discovered a
Plumeria flower, already withered, possibly put
there by some visitor for grief delivering. I gazedat it, and saw in it the withered dreams of tens of
thousands of people, whose lives were so fragileand ephemeral in a time of terror, like flowers
dropped to the ground by a malign thunderstorm.

In a high-spirited mood
9\PUZVM)LUN4LHSLH
for an Indiana Jones
adventure, I was sauntering in the expansive
ruins without set routes. The second I entereda random tunnel, though, the gaiety somehow
vanished out of a sudden. It was pitch-black inthe tunnel. Twitters of birds faded away. Whatfrightened me was how familiar and nerve-racking the surrounding tenebrosity was.

(^P[OLYLK7S\TLYPHÅV^LYVU[OLPYVUNYH[PUN

A leather-covered notebook was placed on thetable of one exhibition room, on the pages ofwhich visitors could write their comments forwhat they had seen. I took a deep breath before I
grabbed the pen. There was a lot to write about,but eventually I wrote down only one sentence.

It was not long before I realized that the indescribable horror stemmed not from any experience in Beng Mealea or other temples of Angkor.
It stemmed from a visit, just before departingfor Siem Reap, to somewhere dark, narrow and\UJHUU` · ZVTL^OLYL THYRLK I` [LYYVY HUKZ\ɈLYPUN)HU`HUZKL]V\YPUN[LTWSLJVTWSL_H[;H7YVOT¸;OL:TPSLVM2OTLY¹0THNLZI`H\[OVY

I opened my eyes wide and found my forehead
wet with cold sweat. It was 2 A.M. in Siem Reap,
and out of the hotel room I could see it was
dark out. In my dream were countless smilingfaces of Avalokiteshvara, stone-carved, titanic,
just like those benign faces that I saw in Bayon;
only, those in my dream were covered by dirt
and blood, everywhere cut and bruised. TheyILHTLKIP[[LYHUKJYVVRLKZTPSLZ·UV[VMQV`
I\[VMU\TIULZZHM[LY[VVT\JOZ\ɈLYPUN
Yet why did such a nightmare occur to me? I
closed my eyes tight, attempting to reconstructan image of the previous day in my brain. But it
was by all means a buoyant day at the templesof Angkor, some of the most majestic heritage
sites of human civilization.

16

A Day with Nothing Nightmare-Provoking,
only Fascination
All packed at 4 A.M., I was being (how astonishing!) an early bird that day, for a time-consuming
tour of the temples of Angkor, starting from theworld-famous Angkor Wat 4. Disturbed by thenoisy groups, though, I spent barely an hour
inside Angkor Wat before returning to the rented
car and heading for Bayon. It was a few minutes
past 7 A.M. when I arrived; the temple was inunbelievable tranquility. Climbing the stairs andwandering through the corridors, with scarcely
a soul around, I felt as if I were exploring a labyrinth in a game of “Assassin’s Creed”.
When I glimpsed down from a high platform, I
saw [OLT ;OL :TPSL VM 2OTLY Those stonecarved faces, compared to which I was noThat “somewhere” was in Phnom Penh, thecapital of Cambodia. Once a prison and torture centre, today it is called the Tuol Sleng
Genocide Museum.
The venue was formerly the S-21 Prison under
the Khmer Rouge regime5, in power from 1975
to 1979, transformed from a secondary school.
More than 17,000 prisoners were interrogated,tortured and executed in the prison; in early
1977, S-21 claimed an average of 100 victims
a day (Lonely Planet, 2019). Between 1975 and1978, some 20,000 prisoners – including women,children and infants - were taken to the killingÄLSKZVM*OVL\UN,RMVYL_[LYTPUH[PVUHUK^LYL
buried in mass graves (Lonely Planet, 2019). It^HZZHPK[OH[[OLÄLSKZZ[HURMVY`LHYZVMYV[[LUÅLZO

“Before today, I never knew it was on the iron
NYH[PUN[OH[[OLTVZ[ILH\[PM\SÅV^LYZNYL^¹
The framed photograph of the Plumeria is still on
my desk.
___________________________________________
Avalokiteshvara: the bodhisattva of infinite
compassion and mercy in Buddhism. Japanese: Kannon. Chinese: Guanyin. Encyclopedia
Britannica, 2019.

2

Jayavarman VII: born c.1120/25 – died c. 1220,
one of the most forceful and productive kingsof the Khmer (Cambodian) empire of Angkor(reigning 1181-c. 1220). Expanded the empire
to its greatest territorial extent. Builder of Angkor Wat, Bayon and numerous other temples of
Angkor. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019.

3

Khmer Empire (802 CE - 1431 CE): a powerfulstate in Southeast Asia formed by people of thesame name. Covered much of today’s Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and southern Vietnam at
its peak. Capital city: Angkor. Ancient History
Encyclopedia, 2013.

4

Angkor Wat: 12th century temple complex built
by king Suryavarman II (reigned 1113-c. 1150).
World’s largest religious structure, covers 160
hectares, and marks the high point of Khmer
architecture. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019.

5

Khmer Rouge: a radical communist movementthat ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979 after
winning power through a guerrilla war. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019.

9LN\SH[PVUZVM:7YPZVUIn one of the rooms, I saw countless black-andwhite photographs of prisoners, number-boardson their chest and numbness in their eyes.
It was those faces, as I realized in the tunnel ofBeng Mealea a few days after my visit to the
S-21, that were projected onto my nightmare.

The ubiquitous absurdity surrounding the S-21
prison is frightening. One regulation set by
the interrogators reads, “While getting lashes
or electrification you must not cry at all.” Theexhibited photographs reveal that most of theprison guards and interrogators were teenagers,
even young children. The greatest absurdity yetlies in the juxtaposition of the ephemerality of
the Khmer Rouge rule and the scale of its terror.
Under the Khmer Rouge regime, at least 1.5
million Cambodians were killed and the country’s
professional and technical class exterminated(Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019).
(JVYYPKVY[VHT`[O([[LTWSL)HWO\VU

1

7OV[VNYHWOPJYLJVYKZVMWYPZVULYZ

17

PERSPECTIVES
Learning to Write My Name

I am large, I contain multitudes

By: Erika Yamauchi
We grew up just half an hour away from eachother, in places equally deserving of the label “themiddle of nowhere.” But when it came to politics, he told me quite adamantly, “I can’t think
the same way as you. I’m not SPRL`V\.” We bothcame from communities that voted conservativefor every election in waking memory. As kids, wespent a summer together at the same Christian
KH`JHTW)\[PUOPZL`LZ0^HZ]LY`KPɈLYLU[¶
H^VTHUHYHJPHSTPUVYP[`HUKHSLZIPHU·HU
amalgam of factors suggesting a perspective
radically different from his own. In an identity
WVSP[PJZ^VYSK[OLPUÅ\LUJLVMNLUKLYYHJLHUK
sexuality on personal politics is often emphasized by people on both sides of the ideological
spectrum. But in spite of being a minority, a belief in equality for all people, including those likemyself, was not embedded in my genetic code.

decline as the consequence of its apparent lackof religion, an attitude that would appall me if I
heard it today. I was further repulsed by the kawaii mannerisms and fashion choices of someJapanese women. I felt that their behavior constituted self-infantilization, undermining feminist
victories for all women. This observation, in thecontext of reports on gender inequality in Japan,
led me to blame Japanese women for their own
subjugation. I further internalized the Western
TLKPH»ZO`WLYÄ_H[PVUVU[OLL_V[PJHUKIPaHYYL
and saw the focus on otakus, lolita, and Japan’s
legal child porn, not as outliers, but as representative of Japanese culture as a whole.

As an undergraduate student, I’ve been taught
how the principle of equality functions in a diverse world. Avoiding the deterministic assumption that history moves linearly toward justice, myprofessors have described the transnational development of a belief in the equality of all humanbeings. Amongst factors driving this movement,
they suggest, is the advocacy of people who
experience injustice. The reasoning behind thisargument is self-evident, that people who face
injustice will naturally advocate against it. But
when we are taught that the world is just, learning
to recognize injustice, even against oneself, is a
JVTWSL_WYVJLZZ4`V^UÄNO[HNHPUZ[PULX\HSP[`began not on a picket line, but in my own mind,
confronting the prejudices I held against myself.

So, when my Japanese grandparents invited me
to stay with them the summer after my senior`LHYVMOPNOZJOVVST`HUZ^LY^HZHKLÄUP[P]Lno. I already had plans: working at Baskin RobIPUZNVPUN[VÄLSKWHY[PLZHUKO\U[PUN[OYV\NO
thrift shops for band t-shirts. But as it turns out,
when the grandparents you haven’t seen in overa decade ask you to visit, no isn’t a socially acceptable answer. I soon arrived in Japan with a^OPYS^PUKVMJVUÅPJ[PUNLTV[PVUZ0U[OLL`LZVM
my friends, I’d been blessed with the graduation
trip of a lifetime. But I struggled to feel grateful,for being in Japan meant acknowledging theheritage I preferred to suppress. Beneath thethin shield of my prejudices was a deep shamefor knowing nothing of either Japanese language
or culture. Feeling comfortable in this ignorance
was easier when I could convince myself that thethings I didn’t know about Japan weren’t worthknowing anyway.

Growing up in small-town Michigan, I “didn’t see
color,” including my own. My mother was a recent Japanese immigrant, and my American-born
father was sansei (third-generation Japanese).
But through my eyes, Asia was an abstraction,
as exotic to me as it was to my white peers. I
wasn’t a poster-child for non-assimilationist “salad bowl” multiculturalism, but rather, the type of
person for which the word “banana” was invented. Japanese was just the language my motherspoke on the phone, and the tongue my father
never learned. Traditions, meanwhile, were likethe calligraphy set in the basement, undusted
and untouched.

Under the 40-degree heat of the summer sun, my
pretenses of superiority quickly faded. My grandparents and I crammed like sardines into their
one-room apartment. We communicated througha pocket-sized English-Japanese dictionary andan elaborate system of hand gestures. I expected them to berate me for my lack of Japaneseknowledge, but instead, they became patientteachers. We pored through old photo albums,
and I learned that our family descended from along line of fishermen. While cooking breakfast
with my VIȊJOHU,1 she taught me that dashi 2
is the key to good miso soup. The TV was on
twenty-four seven, and I soon found out that

Far-removed from my heritage, I felt like your average, all-American girl-next-door. I never faced
racist bullying, making it easy for me to feel athome in the land I cut my teeth on. But as the
only non-white kid in my grade for every year of
my K-8 education, there was a natural curiosity
about where I YLHSS` came from. In good faith,friends asked if I could translate their names, ortell them about China. Their inability to correctly
remember my ethnicity made little difference tome. To both myself and my friends, China and
1HWHU^LYLMHYVɈ^VYSKZVM^OPJO^LRUL^SP[[SLAs I got older, my innocent lack of knowledgetransformed into an outright rejection of my heritage. I wanted nothing to do with Japan. Throughthe Western media, I learned to think of Japan asa dying country, a place where niche sexual subcultures thrived while the birth rate plummeted.
Smug in my Christian superiority, I saw Japan’s

18

By: Alexine Castillo Yap

T` VIȊJOHU ^HZ H IPN Z\WWVY[LY VM ^VTLU»Z
causes, who never missed a chance to yell at
politicians on the screen. Meanwhile, desperate
to communicate, I found myself memorizing a
beginner’s textbook of Japanese vocabulary
and writing. As I put pen to paper, my VQȟJOHU3
hovered over my shoulder, correcting strokeorder and character proportions. After learningkatakana, I began to write my name. My grandparents were aghast. A name as Japanese as myown, Yamauchi, they told me, should never be
written in katakana. Promptly they brought out
the calligraphy set, and I learned how to write myfull name, 山内恵梨香@HTH\JOP,YPRHMVY[OLÄYZ[time, in the kanji I never knew were chosen when
I was born.
My grandparents’ willingness to share their world
with me began the unraveling of my prejudices.
I saw that embedded in my ideas of Japan were
blatant falsehoods that devalued a group ofpeople, which I came to recognize, I was a partof. While one trip away could not eradicate a lifetime of misconceptions, the experience sparked
a long process of questioning my beliefs, bothabout Japan and about myself. I saw that it waspossible to expand my self-concept to recognize
my Japanese heritage, without mitigating my
American identity.
This ongoing confrontation with internalized prejudice is why I reject the idea that as a minority
in multiple respects, I am naturally imbued with
progressive ideas of equality. Surely, many people are already cognizant of this reality or recognize that racism is capable of existing in minority
communities. But my message is for my friend,
who felt that his privilege precluded him frombeing able to see the world in a different light.
>OPSLWLVWSLVMHKPɈLYLU[IHJRNYV\UKUH[\YHSS`OH]L KPɈLYLU[ L_WLYPLUJLZ UV VUL PZ IVYU ^P[O
a moral compass that is perfectly aligned. Living
my life has forced me to expand my perspective
to one in which I have value, but this process is
one that everybody is capable of.
___________________________________________
1

Grandmother2
A common Japanese cooking stock
3
Grandfather
0THNLJYLKP[!.YLLU*OHTLSLVUB<UZWSHZOD___________________________________________Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,(I am large, I contain multitudes.)·>HS[>OP[THU¸:VUNVM4`ZLSM¹7HY[___________________________________________“Ice Queen”. “Dragon Lady”. “Too serious”.
“Stone-hearted”. “Cold (+ the very rude pejorative that starts with the letter B).” These are justa few of the (admittedly resting on the more palatable end of the spectrum) names and descriptors I’ve been called behind my back, both by
WLVWSL^OVIHYLS`RUV^TL·T\JOSLZZOLHYKme speak outside of a classroom or work-related
LU]PYVUTLU[·HUKWLVWSL^OVOH]LNV[[LU[Vknow me better, eventually. On the other, farther
end of the spectrum are the people whom I’ve
known quite well for some time now and understand me to be the opposite of whatever being
an “Ice Queen”, “Dragon Lady”, or whateverother pejorative, entails. In fact, I’d probably beaccused by some of them of the other extreme
end of the spectrum: overly sensitive, emotional,
capricious, unpredictable, and what have you.
In my freshman year of university, I once accidentally overheard someone call me the aforementioned “cold-plus-the-very-rude-pejorativethat-starts-with-the-letter-B” around lunchtime.
Not even 2 hours later, I was being accused ofbeing “over-emotional and sensitive” by anotherperson. That evening, a friend then told me thateveryone thought I came off as “too-serious”
and unfriendly, because I was too focused on myschoolwork.
In short, just another day of existing as a woman
in this world, I suppose.
You’d think that after having attended a co-ed
school, an all-girls’ school and then an international school abroad, I’d have already gone
through enough name-calling (in multiple languages too, at that) to have grown thick-skinned
enough not to be hurt by whatever name-callingstill occurs past high school 1. I suppose anyone
who’s been through some kind of schooling witha bunch of other tween-/teenaged peers havebeen subjected to some form of mean-spirited
name-calling (and have probably taken part insome name-calling themselves). Luckily, you never really get to hear all the names, and it’s probably for the best, for your own sanity’s sake. But
ZVTLOV^·WLYOHWZP[»ZQ\Z[TL·[OLVULZ`V\
do hear always manage to be some of the mosthurtful, and the ones that stick with you the most.
Going into university, I thought I didn’t really careanymore about petty things like name-calling,mostly because I also thought I had also alreadystopped caring about what other people thoughtof me. If I wanted to stay home all day and justdo my schoolwork, why should anyone care?
Conversely, if all I wanted was to go out and meet
new people, I should be allowed to. All in a day’s
work, right? I’m an independent woman, it’s the
21st century and I’m allowed to do whatever andbe whomever I want, who even cares about societal expectations? (Cue “Truth Hurts” by Lizzo.)

It turns out, I cared aboutsocietal expectations. A
lot.2
One of the most intriguing,
not to mention personallyrelatable, concepts insociology that I learned in
freshman year was role
conflict. Dictionary.com
defines it as “emotional
conflict arising whencompeting demands are
made on an individual in[OLM\SÄSSTLU[VMOPZVYOLY
multiple social roles.” Certainly, nobody is a stranger to this concept; we all
have multiple social roles that we feel pressured[VZPT\S[HULV\ZS`M\SÄSZVTL[PTLZHSS^P[OPU[OL
course of less than a single day. And as someone
currently juggling academics, extra-curriculars,
and part-time jobs, on top of trying to keep a soJPHSSPMLHÅVH[KH[PUNHUKRLLWPUNPU[V\JO^P[O
friends and family from back home or abroad, I
feel like the concept is especially relevant to me.
I have to perform multiple roles and duties almost
daily, sometimes to the point of confusion about
who or what I really am.
Have all of that, plus the name-calling, and thenslap on a huge dollop of “expectations of how
women should act, think, and feel,” and you get
a recipe for a potential meltdown.
Just the other day I had to really try to bite my
tongue when I heard a professor say, “Women
will save the world, because of their inherently
caring nature.” Obviously a million thoughts wererunning through my head: >O` KVLZ OL [OPUR^VTLU HYL PUOLYLU[S` Z\WWVZLK [V MPSS H JHYPUNTV[OLYS` YVSL& >OH[ HYL [OL PTWSPJH[PVUZ VM [OPZMVY ^VTLU ^OV JOVVZL UV[ [V VY JHU»[ MPSS [OH[YVSLVYKVU»[ZOV^[OVZLZ[LYLV[`WPJHSS`MLTPUPULH[[YPI\[LZ&>O`JHU»[TLUHKVW[[OPZYVSLHZ^LSS&
I contemplated either walking out of the classor debating with him on the spot, but decided
against it when I realised I was, at the end of
the day, the student in this situation, and should
keep my mouth shut. But it also dawned on me
that I was probably also just using that as an exJ\ZLUV[[VJVTLVɈHZ[OL¸0JL8\LLU¹¸+YHNVU
Lady”/whatever version of the b-word to my felSV^Z[\KLU[ZHZ^LSS.VKRUV^Z0»]L[\YULKVɈ
enough potential friends and partners becauseof that, if the name-calling from freshman year
isn’t proof enough.
What’s discomfiting is ^O` this scares or turns
VɈV[OLYWLVWSLPU[OLÄYZ[WSHJL7YLZZ\YLZVU
women to be both career-oriented and family-oriented at the same time are overwhelming, not tomention expose an unfair double standard since
men aren’t seen or expected to be the sameway. If a man is career- or goal-oriented at theexpense of his personal life, people would admire him and see him as a role model, whereas
if a woman did the same thing, they would revile
her and, as has been done to me, call her an inÄUP[LU\TILYVMO\Y[M\SWLQVYH[P]LZ^P[OV\[YLHSS`knowing who she really is and what values mat-

0THNLJYLKP[!1LYLT`)PZOVWB<UZWSHZOD

ter to her. At the same time, were she to adopt
HTVYL¸MLTPUPULTVKL¹·SLZZJHYLLYVYPLU[LK¸MYPLUKSPLY¹HUKTVYL¸ZVJPHISL¹SL[»ZZH`·ZOL
would then eventually be accused of not being
serious enough, perhaps of being stupid, as well.
It’s a lose-lose situation. It gets really confusing,tiring, and disorienting, and I don’t even know
where I fall in the “cold-sensitive” spectrum anymore, even though as a human being of course I
would exhibit both traits.
>HS[ >OP[THU · HUK HSS VM SP[LYH[\YL HUK HY[ 0
Z\WWVZL·[V[OLYLZJ\L[OHURNVVKULZZ([Hparticularly troubling time last semester I foundsolace in his work after being introduced to his
poetry by my American Literature professor. “I
am large, I contain multitudes,” he writes in his
famous “Song of Myself”. What a refreshing, liberating thought: to be able to develop multiplicities and allow them to co-exist within oneself,and be at peace with that.
My being an ostensible “Ice Queen” on the one
hand, and purportedly also “overly sensitive”
on the other are, I believe, extreme, if not unfair,labels on me. I can’t exactly blame people forwanting to categorise others into neat boxes,
especially when we all have so many roles ourselves to manage, and perhaps it’s just human
UH[\YL[VH[[LTW[[VZPTWSPM`MYLLÅVH[PUNJVTplex beings into manageable categories existing
within dichotomies and binaries. But I’d also liketo problematise that, especially because, at theend of the day, these labels do hurt. I need torealise that these labels are nothing but others’
not-so-accurate perceptions of who I am and, as
has been proven, highly changeable since they
depend on how a person knows me, and thus do
UV[·ZOV\SKUV[·ULJLZZHYPS`KLÄULTL
In the meantime, I’ll stay being your ice queen
dragon lady who also happens to like fluffy
things.
___________________________________________
1

In my senior year of high school, my friends and
I formulated a theory that peak meanness occurs around 15 years old, after which point all
the really bad names have already been used,
HUK`V\^PSS·VYZOV\SK·UL]LYNL[O\Y[L]LY
again, because nothing could possibly ever be
as bad as what your Year 9 crush called you
when you were 14.

2

Still do. I’m working on it.

19

EXPLORING JAPAN3 Must-Eat Cuisines in Komaba

What’s the weather in Tokyo?

By: Zhiyun Du

By: Alyssa Castillo Yap● Hishidaya:
The most famous restaurant in Komaba is, forsure, Hishidaya.
It’s been introduced on TV programs, discussed
among students, and even recommended byprofessors in lectures. Every lunch or dinnertime, if you walk along the Komaba Shouten-Kai
road, it would be unusual not to see a long line
waiting outside the small restaurant, each person
leaning to have a peek on the daily menu written
on a blackboard.
The menu is reasonably-priced: for around1￥1300, you can enjoy the teishoku set that sur-prises almost every first-time visitor. In the set,along with the main dish, rice and miso soup, myfavourite is the small plate of pickled vegetables,
the most refreshing appetizer you can imagine.
Compared to the most popular dish, grilled porkwith ginger, I personally prefer the set of stir-friedmaguro2 with scallion the most. The maguro ispacked with flavor and very chewy, combined
perfectly with the scallions that are zesty yet not
overpowering.
The restaurant always fills up quickly, and theservice doesn’t really match the quality of themeals, but it would be nice to snag a table andenjoy a filling dinner with your friends. (Watch
V\[PUJHZL`V\OH]LU»[ÄUPZOLK`V\YYLWVY[MVY`V\YWYVMLZZVY`L[!`V\TH`HSZVÄUK[OLTSPUPUN
up outside for a seat!)
0THNLI`H\[OVY● Tiramisu Homemade:● Le Ressort:

0THNLI`(SL_PUL*HZ[PSSV@HW

Everytime I pass this bakery, the smell of croissants from the window al^H`ZTHRLZT`TV\[O^H[LY4`MH]V\YP[LIYLHKPZ[OLLHYSNYL`ÅH]VYLKone with chocolate chips embedded inside. Though a little bit pricey,
sandwiches there are also excellent choices for lunch.

0THNLI`H\[OVYWhen talking about tiramisu, you may imagine something mushy and sacJOHYPULVUS`[HZ[PUNSPRLHJVUNSVTLYH[PVUVMHY[PÄJPHSJYLHTHUKZ\NHY@L[Tiramisu Homemade is anything but!
The marshmallow-y cream has a smooth texture, and forms a great balance with the cocoa powder on the top. The delicious taste progresses
from bittersweet to purely sweet to tart. Bonus point: after having thedesert, you can also bring the small glass container home as a gift. Bonus
bonus point, just next to Tiramisu Homemade, there is another dessert
shop, IL Bignè, that sells great gougères3.

20

Other than the above three, there are many great restaurants and shops
hidden in the street corners of Komaba. There is a tiny café which I cherish
as my own secret garden and am not willing to divulge here in fear of letting
too many people know. So, if you are a gourmand, or just want to kill somefree time, tap the restaurant label on your Google Maps app while wandering
the streets next time; there may be some concealed delicacies waiting to bediscovered by you.
__________________________________________________________________
1
2
3

set meal
1HWHULZL[LYTMVY[\UHÄZOJYLHTW\ɈZ

One of the things I was disproportionately anxious for when I stepped into the admissions interview for PEAK was the possibility of any ques[PVUZHIV\[^LH[OLY[VJVTL\W·ZWLJPÄJHSS`
about the four seasons. That is to say, despite
studying the names, chronology and images of
the common four seasons prior to my interview,
I found myself paralysed in the middle of a fancy Hanoi hotel, feeling as if all the nerves in mybody were maniacally failing to shoot the rightsignals. I realised two minutes before the interview, blood pumping in my ears, how unaware I
was of such a basic fact. I hadn’t known weather
outside the semantic field of “sun”, “rain” and“degrees Celsius”. The gears in my brain were
racing. Summer follows which season? Is winterin December? Or was it spring? I never even had
HKLÄUP[PVUMVY^LH[OLY[OH[^LU[M\Y[OLY[OHUdegrees, give or take, from the 30 degrees Celsi\Z0OHKNYV^U\W^P[O"P[^HZ[OLZ[\ɈVMÄJ[PVU
In the first three months of living in Tokyo as a
Z[\KLU[MYVT:V\[OLHZ[(ZPHP[HJ[\HSS`[LYYPÄLKme to observe how regularly Tokyoites checked
the weather forecast on their phones, in the
trains, from the television channels, on smart
watches and so forth. This behaviour, to me,seemed as if there was always a new storm
coming or a heat wave approaching when it was
simply a slight fluctuation in the numerical degrees of temperature that fuelled the eagerness
or obsessive habit of the Tokyo busy bees tocheck the weather. This is an observation whichat the time, I considered to have really adversely
HɈLJ[LKT`YH[OLYOHWW`NVS\JR`SPMLZ[`SL
Growing up in the Philippines and Vietnam, I neverfound any use to lookat the weather forecast.
I would only check theweather updates if I knew
there was a tropical storm
ahead. For instance, unless wind speeds would
go beyond 150kph, I
would find it no use toequip myself with an umbrella or to wear special
attire for the day. To me,
walking knee-deep in thefloods was occasional,
and ankle-deep entirely
expected. So, at first, I
thought it was just due tothe fact that Tokyo wasa much more developed
city with well-established drainage systems
that floods never came.
Hence, with the recent
Typhoon Hagibis, I sincerely thought that the announcements were blownout of proportion. That is,I honestly saw no need forsuch stressful announcements or precautions tohave been made when thewinds did not even cause
for my windows to dance!

On the other hand, I also realised that Tokyoites
are as indifferent to earthquakes as I was tostorms. So, what bothered me wasn’t the shock
factors of news coverage or the advanced natural disaster information systems in Japan (likethe sirens and loudspeakers in most neighbourhoods, warning everyone of the coming disaster). Instead, considering the obsession withchecking forecasts that I had so far observed inTokyo, what really bothered me was the cultureof believing that we could predict, prepare for,and perfectly adapt to changes in the weather. I[OV\NO[[OH[»ZHULU[PYLS`KPɈLYLU[[OPUN
Sitting in my dorm room in Komaba during Typhoon Hagibis, I noticed how much I longed
for the days where no matter the weather, I was
unfazed. I didn’t mind the chaos. In fact, I soughtfor the old thrill of 8-year-old me, clueless as towhether or not today was the day our roof wasgoing to fly off to Manila. I had never soughtreports online or forecasts on tiny screens to
dictate how my day, week or month was going to
go. This is why I began to dislike my life in Tokyo· 0 ^HZ JVUZ[HU[S` SVVRPUN MVY^HYK [V knowing
how my moods, activities, food or conversations
would be dictated beforehand by AccuWeather
reports. So, this past year, I concluded that I wasbothered by what we quite fondly call “pathetic
fallacy” 1>LHSSZLLT[VÄUKZVTLRPUKVMSP[LYHY`
beauty to this term, and I thought the obsession
with pathetic fallacy manifested itself in Tokyo’s
relationship with weather. I thought: “You can’t
control your life via the forecasts, Tokyo!” Whereis the thrill of human life if we’re looking to live
as if we are the non-living elements beyond ourcontrol? Then, like a candle on a birthday cakebeing blown out for a wish, I realised with a blinkof an eye that Tokyo inspired me precisely because it lives in this eternal love-hate relationshipwith pathetic fallacy. “Will it rain today? Will it be
cloudy? Or sunny? Cold, warm or sweltering? I
am not the one to tell, but, I will adapt.” In Tokyo,
I found a strange kind of living and looking back,0ÄUKUV^[OH[P[PZHSS[OLTVYLPTWVY[HU[MVYTL
to familiarize myself with the forecasts because
we are only really “out of control” as much as weallow ourselves to be.
Tokyo taught me four seasons as opposed to just
hot or rainy days. Reality really struck me down
OHYK[OLÄYZ[[PTL0Z[LWWLKV\[PU[V^OH[MVYTL
used to be fictitious, single-digit temperatures.
Cavite City to Ho Chi Minh City to Tokyo: I wasbothered by the drastic and crippling gap between
HɊ\LUJLHUKZJHYJP[`L_WLJ[HUJ`HZVWWVZLK[V
improvidence, childish cluelessness turned into
ZLUZLHUKZLUZPIPSP[`·[OPZJP[`[H\NO[TL[OH[PU
this world, some people might never know what itmeans to live beyond the temperatures of life thatthey have been acclimated to. I may not understand the technical jargon surrounding weather,
but that’s not what this weather-craze is about, is
it? In the end, I still ask myself if I’ll ever adapt aswell as the Tokyoites do.
___________________________________________
1

According to literarydevices.net, pathetic fallaJ`PZKLÄULKHZ¸HRPUKVMWLYZVUPÄJH[PVU[OH[gives human emotions to inanimate objects ofnature; for example, referring to weather fea[\YLZYLÅLJ[PUNHTVVK¹

0THNLJYLKP[!-PUHU(RIHYB<UZWSHZOD21

EXPLORING JAPAN
Today: Clear Skies. Tomorrow: Snowing
By: Choi Jiwoong;OL]PKLVSVVRZSPRLP[^HZÄSTLKVUZVTLIVK`»Z
iPhone 3G with a cracked screen. The grey walls
HYL\UWHPU[LKHUK[OLJLPSPUNPZ\UÄUPZOLK0[»ZH
concert, but there is no stage. Instead, there’s asingle rug for the drums on the cement ground,
where the crowd and the performing act huddle
under the only lightbulb in this dinky basement.
Cans of IPAs precariously dangle over amps as=HUZJSHKMLL[H]VPK[OL^PYLZVU[OLÅVVY/HUKZ
try not to get cut on cymbals. Guitar headstocks
swing a little too close to heads. Arms latch onto
the pipes along the ceiling, wrapped around pillars and each other, constantly threatening to fall
into and swallow up the band.
At the center is the singer: his t-shirt has ripped
at the shoulder of his skinny frame quite sometime ago. With his weapon of choice, a bass gui[HYOL[VVOHZ[VQVZ[SLHUKÄNO[^P[O[OLJYV^K
especially since his job is to sing into the mic,
which at the moment is occupied by five otherguys also singing along to the song. “(UK^OH[KPK `V\ [OPUR 0 ^V\SK KV HM[LY `V\ SLM[&” theyscreech in unison, “>V\SK 0 Z[H` ZVILY& 0 [OPUR
P[»KILT\JO^VYZL0J\[T`HYTZVɈ0*<;4@
(94:6--” It looked like the most fun thing in
the world.
About ten years ago, I spent the prime of mypubescent adolescence posting on weird online
message boards with other fine, fellow-minded
individuals, arguing about who listened to more
obscure bands and best understood cool andsmart black-and-white movies. It was the best oftimes; it was the worst of times. Out of this curious little pastime arose a band that I didn’t actually have to pretend to like: a group of four Miller
Lite-chugging, bathroom-crying, drunk-driving
youths from Philadelphia who called themselves
Snowing. Led by John Galm, they played a mixof Midwest Emo Revival, 4th Wave Emo, Emotive
Hardcore, and “hardcore screamo” music with

the intricate, twinkly guitar work and irregulartime signatures of maths rock.

distorted fuzz, all contained within short bursts of
2 minute-tracks, leave no breathing space.

Galm’s guttural and whiny voice crying out his
rambling, run-on lyrics, far outside any semblanceof a verse-chorus-verse structure, about manic
episodes, break-ups, and drinking too much1, is
impossible to decipher among the backdrop of
feedback and crashing of the instruments. This
serves no problem for the fans, however. In the
culminating climax of “Important Things (Specter
Magic)”, a girl actually pushes Galm away fromthe mic so as not to ruin the special moment of ahundred-or-so drunk and lonely losers screaming“>O`JHU»[0ZLL[OLZ\UZWV[ZPU`V\YL`LZ&” All
the while, Ross and Nate twinkle away on their
N\P[HYZ^P[O19»ZKY\TÄSSZHUKSPJRZZWPSSPUNV]LY
the music while still holding everything together
in blistering rhythm. The sheer speed and intensity of the music as it skips and jumps at random,from clean-toned melodies to monstrous walls of

By the time I started listening to Snowing, they
had already been broken up for two years.

Something drew me to these four Americans
who had nothing to do with me, whose lives
were incomparable to mine. I was a chubby,
`LHYVSK ZOLS[LYLK (ZPHU RPK" [OL ÄYZ[ [PTL 0
tasted beer was when my dad let me have a sip
while eating outside with the family and I thought
it was gross. The biggest worries on my mind
were maths and how Manchester United wasdoing under Moyes. But I thought maybe oneday, I would relate to these songs about wastingcollege years away, drinking in the basement ofa “Slovak Center”, dragging everyone else down,
VYWS\UNPUNOLHKÄYZ[PU[VHJHYHJJPKLU[4H`IL0
even looked forward to it.

out with age. He had put on some weight andlooked like he should be picking up his kids fromdaycare. Ross was a woman now and went by
Willow. Nate had a cool moustache. JR looked
pretty much the same. As for me, I had more thanfootball to worry about now. I’d had my fair shareof dragging people down, and I loved beer.
This would be the second music concert I everattended. My first was Taylor Swift’s RED Tourstop in Singapore in 2014... I think I’m going tolike this one a lot more.
___________________________________________
1

0THNLI`H\[OVYSo when I learned that for some unknown reason,nearly a decade after their breakup, they would
be reuniting for one last tour all the way across[OL7HJPÄJ6JLHU[VHKPUR`IHZLTLU[Q\Z[HIV\[
2 subway stations away from my place, I wasshocked. Glam’s hair had somewhat straightened“Melissa, I f*cked up. I won’t cut my arms
off / that won’t keep me warm at night” fromthe song “So I Shotgunned A Beer And Went
Back To Bed” on their first album serves as afollow-up of sorts to his previous declaration[OH[OL^V\SKPUMHJ[J\[OPZHYTZVɈPU¸7\TWFake” from their earlier released EP.

7 Do’s and Don’ts of Beating Creative Block in Tokyo
By: Alexine Castillo Yap
I am currently the not-so-proud owner of a fancy-schmancy, B4-size Winsor and Newton watercolour pad from Tokyu Hands that’s still flatand uncurled from not having any watercolour
grace its cream-white 270g/m2 pages. I received
it from some friends for my birthday last year,
and I wish I could tell you that I’ve done morethan just stare at it and wait for a painting tomagically transpire in the 14 months that havepassed since. I am loath to admit that I havedone not just that (clearly having failed at transferring magic psychic powers onto the paper),but also that the only other time I used thesketchbook was as an impromptu dinner placemat. For delivery food, too, no less.
So, what happened? For over a year, I chalked
it up to artist’s block. More broadly, creative
block, or the dreaded experience that anyone
who ever tried to do anything creative has faced:
MLLSPUNSPRL`V\YILZ[LɈVY[Z^PSSYLZ\S[PUUV[OPUN
remotely good or skillful. It’s hard enough toturn nothing into something, and even harder toensure that this “something” is something you
actually like. Creative block prevents you fromstarting, for fear of creating something you hate.
It ensures that you never take a step beyond this0THNLJYLKP[!@\2H[VB<UZWSHZOD

vicious cycle of self-defeating thought, and thatyou and your watercolour pad are barred fromreaching your true potential: you as an artist,your watercolour pad as an art supply (and not adining tool).
0UHI\Z`I\Z[SPUNJP[`SPRL;VR`V0ÄUK[OH[P[»Z
actually not that difficult to dislodge creative
block. I am battling it as I type this article, so
don’t think that I’m some kind of maestro inovercoming it. However, the fact that I’ve written
this much so far probably counts for something.
Here are 7 ways that I managed to beat creative
block in the time that I’ve been living here:

1) Get moving.
If you’re not already regularly involved in somekind of sport or activity that requires you tosweat or stretch or lose your breath, then do so!
Go jogging, hiking, swimming (check out thecommunity swimming pools around your neighIV\YOVVK · [OLYL»Z VUL YPNO[ OLYL PU 2VTHIH
at Komabano Park!), hit the gym, join a yoga/
martial arts/dance class, or just walk outside.
I won’t pretend to be your doctor, but nobody
would argue that the lack of circulation thatcomes with sitting at a desk for hours on end intrue sedentary-lifestyle fashion does anything for
one’s innovative or artistic capabilities. (Scientists1 overwhelmingly 2 agree 3 that 4 exercise 5 improves 6 your 7 creativity 8.) And if that still doesn’t
convince you to get moving...

2) Immerse yourself in other creative
work around the city.
Tokyo is one of the world’s greatest art capitals.
Say what you want about this city, but if you tellme that you’re not creatively inspired by it, I’d
ILN[VKPɈLYILJH\ZL[OH[Q\Z[TLHUZ`V\HYLU»[
exploring enough (or Googling hard enough). I
can’t even count how many art museums there22

are in this city, not to mention other countlesslesser-known art galleries and exhibits, many ofwhich are free. And let’s not forget Tokyo’s artsyneighbourhoods, with their revolutionary fashion,
music scenes, dance halls, and all the impossibly
photogenic spots (sights bemoaned in Harajuku
for gentrifying the neighbourhood but cherishedin Harajuku for, well, gentrifying the neighbourhood 9 ). If you live in Tokyo, you have basically no
excuse to be uninspired! Get out there with anempty notebook and take notes from your fellow
Tokyoites. Around these parts, there’s always
something to be inspired by.

3) DON’T Compare your work to others’.
A former US President spilled some serious truth
tea when he said that “Comparison is the thief ofjoy.” While taking inspiration from others’ works
is important, it shouldn’t make you feel like yourown work is inadequate. Balance is key, and I’ve
found that as soon as I start comparing rather
than being inspired, it’s time to stop and reassess. Comparison makes me feel unfairly bad
about myself and my work. Go at it at your own
pace, and be content with the work you can produce! Nobody else can do you like you do.

4) DON’T Be too hard on yourself.
No overworking! Overworking is CANCELLED.
When you feel your best, you will do your best,
so make sure to take care of your physical andmental health. I don’t mean to sound like yourmom, but sometimes we have to be reminded
to eat healthy food and get enough sleep! And
don’t be afraid to: say no to things that will only
tire you out, split up your work into manageable
IP[LZHUKZ[HY[ZTHSS·[OLYL»ZUVULLK[V[OYV^`V\YZLSM VU[OLÄYZ[NV0M`V\»YLJYLH[PUN
visual art, you can just do some quick warm-up
exercises or little sketches here and there until
you feel ready to take on a bigger project. Also,[Y`[VTLKP[H[L·^P[OQ\Z[HX\PJRZLHYJOVU[OL
App Store, you can find tons of free apps that
can help you relax.

5) Try something new.
Check out a music genre that you’ve never tried,
visit the cafe that you’ve always said you wanted to check out, try out the always-ignored-foryour-favorite menu item, visit a part of the citythat you haven’t been to before. There’s always
something new to try whether or not you even
live in Tokyo, and that includes things you might
be taking for granted and thus don’t even thinkof as something new. A few more ideas: Watch[OH[ZOV^VU5L[ÅP_[OH[`V\YMYPLUKYLJVTTLUKed to you 10 months ago. Download a new wallpaper. Switch up your route to campus or work.
Check out your +PZJV]LY5V^ playlist on Spotify.
Hang out with a new crowd. Just make sure it’ssomething that you haven’t done or experienced
ILMVYL·`V\»SSILZ\YWYPZLKH[^OH[`V\JHUNL[out of a change of scenery!

6) DON’T Be afraid of failure.
Where would we be if everyone gave up justbecause they messed up once or didn’t achieve[OLPY KLZPYLK YLZ\S[& ;OH[»Z YPNO[ · UV^OLYL
in boring-land, and with decisively fewer “StarWars” prequels (a win for humanity). If you messup, that’s okay. Just pick up your pencil, paintbrush, and start again. The world’s not going to
end just because you messed up some anatomy
or smeared up the background or unwittingly
spilled ink over your canvas. The beautiful thing
about art is that you can always try again!

7) DO.
To borrow Nike’s slogan, 1\Z[+V0[. Now. It’s as
simple as that.
The creative process is decadent and depraved.

They say it’s like chasing an unrequited lov e10:
the odds are stacked against you, there’s noguarantee of success, and it could very well end
in agonising failure. All the while, you’re going tohave to put in all the work yourself, and before
you know it, you could have wasted all of yourturpentine, carmine, Prussian blue and phthalo
into a monstrous creation that stares back at you
only to mock you. But you tried! Here’s a gold
star for Making An Attempt.
But it’s always worth a shot because it could also
very well end in success. Somehow as creators
we still manage, time and time again, to work our
magic onto these blank sheets despite the innumerable failures we encounter along the way.
That’s probably why they also say that artists area lot like scientists (STEM majors please don’t killme for this bad analogy). I don’t remember what
exactly they meant by that, but I think it’s reassuring to know that scientists, much like artists,
also don’t really know what to expect half the[PTL·^OH[TH[[LYZPZ[Y`PUNZVTL[OPUNUL^HUK
just going for it, despite the lack of guarantee ofa desirable outcome. The process that helped
4HYPL*\YPLKPZJV]LYHUKKLÄULYHKPVHJ[P]P[`HUKPTWYV]L _YH` THJOPULZ · I` TH`IL MHJ[VYPUN
in that variable with that other one, or that one,ad infinitum · WYVIHIS` OHZ ZVTL ZPTPSHYP[PLZ
with the process that resulted in Arundhati Roy’s
Booker Prize-winning “The God of Small Things”,
and with the process that eventually helped Vincent Van Gogh conjure up the “The Starry Night”(so good that it’s been copied just about a million
times by painters in numerous Saigon art streets).
Artists of all kinds over the centuries took thedecisive step to courageously tackle those blank
sheets despite whatever failures preceded them,and the world is so much better for it. So go
shoot your shot, and good luck!

1

Steinberg, Hannah, et al. ,_LYJPZL LUOHUJLZJYLH[P]P[`PUKLWLUKLU[S`VMTVVK British Journalof Sports Medicine. Vol. 31, pp. 245-245. 1997.

2

Ramocki, Stephen P. *YLH[P]P[`PU[LYHJ[Z^P[O
Ä[ULZZHUKL_LYJPZL Physical Educator, Vol.
59, No. 1, pp. 8-17. 2002.

3

Gondola, Joan C. ;OL ,MMLJ[Z VM H :PUNSL)V\[ VM (LYVIPJ +HUJPUN VU :LSLJ[LK ;LZ[ZVM*YLH[P]P[` Journal of Social Behavior andPersonality, Vol. 2, Issue 2, pp 275. 1987.

4

Blanchette, David M., et al. (LYVIPJ,_LYJPZLHUK *YLH[P]L 7V[LU[PHS! 0TTLKPH[L HUK 9LZPK\HS ,MMLJ[Z Creativity Research Journal,
Volume 17, Issue 2-3, pp. 257-264. 2011.

5

Oppezzo, Marily & Schwartz, Daniel L. .P]L@V\Y 0KLHZ :VTL 3LNZ! ;OL 7VZP[P]L ,MMLJ[ VM
>HSRPUN VU *YLH[P]L ;OPURPUN Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, andCognition, Vol. 40, No. 4, 1142–1152. 2014.

6

Colzato, Lorenza S., et al. The impact of
WO`ZPJHS L_LYJPZL VU JVU]LYNLU[ HUK KP]LYNLU[ [OPURPUN Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 02 December 2013 | https://doi.
org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00824

7

Donnegan, Kathleen, et al. ,_LYJPZLHUK*YLH[P]P[`!*HU6UL)V\[VM@VNH0TWYV]L*VU]LYNLU[HUK+P]LYNLU[;OPURPUN& Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, Vol, 2, no 193. 2018.

8

Román, Pedro Ángel Latorre, et al. (J\[L(LYVIPJ ,_LYJPZL ,UOHUJLZ :[\KLU[Z» *YLH[P]P[` Creativity Research Journal, Vol. 30,
Issue 3, pp. 310-315. 2018.

9

Namkoong, Paul. .VVNSL +VJZ JVTTLU[2019. (Shout-out!)

10

And all too often chasing an unrequited love
could be exactly what is needed to catalyse
the creative process. Some of us just happen
to be unfortunate enough to be far more acquainted with this phenomenon than others.

23

KOMABAKOMABAWW
RITERS’RITERS’STUDIOSTUDIOX X
PENSADOPENSADO
Sexism Towards Victimized Women

The Reality of Restrictions on Women in the Name of Protection
By: Jimin Park
“women should not walk alone at night.” However, they are nothing more than myths.
According to the 2001 British Crime Survey,^VTLUHYLTVZ[VM[LUZL_\HSS`VɈLUKLKI`TLU
they know. About 8% of rapes were committed
by strangers, while 45% of rapes reported tothe survey were committed by offenders who
were partners of the victims at the time of theincident. Also, the highest proportion of sexualassaults were committed by “acquaintances”
which comprises 28% of the reported sexual assaults. This research proves that sexual violence
is often committed by someone close to thevictims. Almost three-quarters of rape incidents
reported involved physical force or violence andover a third resulted in physical injury. In addition, 46% of sexual assaults involved the use ofphysical force, 14% resulting in physical injury.
Myhill & Allen suggest that violent threats were
present in 75% of rape incidents and 46% ofsexual assaults. As seen from the research, it isobvious that the victims were threatened, which
is probably the reason why the victims failed that
resistance, or even try to resist.
Furthermore, 74% of incidents involving partners
happened in the victim’s own home and 16% at[OLVɈLUKLY»ZOVTL(TVUN[OLT  VM]PJtims were raped in their homes. This fact refers
to that keeping women from going outside is nota real solution to sexual violence, because it isoften committed in their homes (Myhill & Allen,
2002).

0THNLJYLKP[!-YLL7OV[VZB7P_HIH`D

Sexual violence, such as rape, sexual assault,
and sexual abuse, refers to a sexual act committed against someone without that person’s
freely-given consent (Centers for Disease Control
HUK7YL]LU[PVU;OLVɈLUKLYZHUK]PJ[PTZ
could be of any gender, but in many cases, men
are the offenders and women are the victims.
About 35 percent of women worldwide have experienced sexual violence and about 120 million
girls worldwide have experienced forced sexualacts (UN Women, 2017). However, patriarchal societies restrict women to behave in certain ways
in order to prevent sexual violence, rather than[Y`PUN[VLYHKPJH[L[OLHJ[\HSJH\ZL"[OLVɈLUKers. For example, there are claims that womenshould not wear short dresses and walk aroundlate at night because they might be targeted forsex crimes.
This argument may seem plausible because it
seems as if it is trying to protect possible victimsof sexual violence; however, such a perspective
may lead to shaming on women when they are
victimized, as if they are the ones responsible forthe crime. This paper focuses on how perspectives which claim that women should be more
careful and take responsibility for oneself are
actually oppressing rather than protecting them.
Firstly, the paper examines the conservative
view towards victimized women and how it still
OHZP[ZPUÅ\LUJL\U[PS[VKH`:LJVUKS`[OLWHWLY
analyses the factors of being the victim of sexual
violence and whether victims should really deal
with responsibility. Lastly, this essay states the24nature of sexual violence and victim-blaming andthe real prevention of them. Certain restrictions
on women in the name of preventing sexual violence is a way to oppress women’s freedom andrights because such restrictions are based on
the premise that victimized women are the cause
VM[OL]PVSLUJLUV[[OLVɈLUKLYZ[OLTZLS]LZ

Conservative views on victimized
women
In patriarchal societies, there have been discriminatory perspectives towards women, as if they
were inferior to men. Especially, the society’sview towards victimized women in sexual violence was even crueler. For example, in the US,
during the British colonial era, the rape of a virgin
was considered a crime against her father, rather than a crime against the victim herself. Also,
when a sex crime occurred, women had to be
dependent on the courts and community, which
consisted of men. Therefore a woman had tocomply with male standards for her behavior byproving non-consent through verbal and physicalresistance. If she could not prove non-consent,
she was punished for assault. In the 19th century, women were praised for their purity, therefore
a woman who got involved in sexual intercourse
even against her will was considered to be a“fallen” woman and was blamed for the man’s
crime and socially criticized as a result of theattack. In the 20th century, the psychologicalapproach to sexual crime started, but most theVYPLZJVUJS\KLK[OH[[OLVɈLUKLYZ^LYLTLU[HSS`PSS[OLYLMVYLYLK\JPUN[OLVɈLUKLY»ZYLZWVUZPIPSP[`

for his actions since he was considered uncontrollable. In addition, society’s perception of thevictim also changed. Also, female nature became
sexualized, therefore female victims were viewed
as if they contributed to their own victimization(Donat & D’Emilio, 1992). By examining the example of the United States, it is clear that women’s choices and decisions about their lives andbodies were highly restricted, and their dignity
was ignored.
Even though gender equality is now considered
as justice and women’s rights have improved
compared to past centuries, sexism towards
women still exist which leads to victim-blaming, especially when the victim is a woman. For
example, Judge Lindsey Kushner QC has been
criticized for commenting that women need toprotect themselves against the threat of being
involved in sexual assault while drunk. The campaign group ‘End Violence Against Women’ condemned that such comments blame the victims
for rape and remove responsibility from the maleVɈLUKLY9H^SPUZVU;OLJVU[YPI\[PVUZVM
social stereotypes and negativities on victimized
women lead to victim-blaming and to rape itself.
Addressing problems of victim-blaming would be
TVYLLɈLJ[P]L[OHU^VYY`PUNHIV\[^OH[^VTLU
wear or how they drink until the morning.

Is it really the victim’s fault?
Because of such negative perspectives, myths
on sexual violence exist, such as “most sexual violence are committed by strangers,” andThe “What Were You Wearing?” exhibition thatstarted at the University of Arkansas in 2014,
which has spread to universities worldwide, displays the clothing the survivors were wearing at
the time of their assault. This exhibition debunks
the myth that victims could have prevented theassault if they had worn clothes that are less re]LHSPUN=HNPHUVZ;OLV\[Ä[ZPUJS\KLHIPkini, a boy’s shirt, a sun dress, and a T-shirt andjeans, inferring that victims’ outfits are not thecause of sexual violence. Therefore, this refutes
claims that women need to be more cautious
with what they wear in order to prevent sexual
violence.

True way of preventing sexual violence and victim-blaming
Throughout history, men and women have beensocialized differently, as different gender roles

were assigned. As a result, these roles impact
our behavior and beliefs towards others. Males
are generally socialized to be more dominant
and initiate sexual interactions, while women aresocialized to be more passive. Therefore, sexrole socialization provides the explanation forwhy men are sexually aggressive and why theact of sexual violence is normalized within society. Beliefs in traditional gender role stereotypes,
and sexism have resulted in negative rape victim
perception. Thus, victims of sexual violence are
the victims of the injustice of our society. Sexism
plays a big role in victim-blaming. Hostile Sexism
is a prejudice that women should be punishedfor going against traditional sexual roles. In thiscase, a woman who wears provocative clothesor drinks too much will be responded with a formof hostile sexism. Benevolent Sexism claims thatwomen who are traditionally feminine should be
rewarded. Therefore, a woman who goes against
such expectations may no longer be consideredworthy of protection by men. Victim-blaming is
a result of high hostile and benevolent sexism(Grubb & Turner, 2012). Instead of policing women’s behavior, educating people about sexual
violence and victim-blaming is much more effective at preventing sexual violence and further
victimization. For example, one study showedthat after an hour of education on sexual assault,
men were less likely to believe wrong myths
about rape or consider being sexually forceful(Foubert & Marriott, 1997). Also, conservative
views on women and victims of sexual violencemust be rethought and reeducated in order toeliminate blaming on victim, who need care andH[[LU[PVU*VUZLX\LU[S`[OLTVZ[LɈLJ[P]LWYLvention of sexual violence is reeducating facts
about sexual violence and stopping further victim-blaming.

Conclusion
There have been negative perspectives towards
women in general but particularly female victimsof sexual violence. Although gender equality is
considered justice in today’s societies, conserva[P]LWLYZWLJ[P]LZZ[PSSPUÅ\LUJLOV^WLVWSL]PL^
the victims. From such perspectives, restrictions
VU^VTLUOH]LILLUQ\Z[PÄLKL]LU[OV\NO[OL`are not effective prevention to sexual violence.
However, such myths that put responsibility on
women are debunked by statistics and other evidence. It is also proven that the actual cause of
sexual violence and victim-blaming comes fromsexist perspectives of the society. Sexism that

Every year, the Komaba Writers’ Studio supports first year students’ English academic writing in the College of Arts & Sciences’
ALESA (Active Learning of English for Students of the Arts) programme under the Center for Global Communication Strategies.
The best works that year are featured in the annual ALESA publication, Pensado. We chose two of our favourite works from thehas been encroaching in patriarchal societies
MVYJLU[\YPLZZ[PSSOHZP[ZPUÅ\LUJLPU[OLTVKLYU
world. Nonetheless, it is proven that just a little
bit of education on false beliefs can change
conservative thoughts and unconscious sexism.
Therefore, education about sexual violence, sexism, and victim-blaming is the key to preventing
further sexual violence and further victimization.
___________________________________________

References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(2018). Sexual violence: Definitions. Retrieved
May 15, 2018, from https://www.cdc.gov/
Donat, P. L., & D’Emilio, J. (1992). A feminist
redefinition of rape and sexual assault: Historical foundations and change. Journal of Social
Issues, 48, 9-22. doi:10.1111/j.1540-4560.1992.
tb01154.x-V\ILY[1+ 4HYYPV[[2(UK,ɈLJ[ZVMH
sexual assault peer education program on men’s
belief in rape myths. Retrieved June 13, 2018,from https://link.springer.com/
Grubb, A., & Turner, E. (2012). Attribution of
blame in rape cases: A review of the impact
of rape myth acceptance, gender role conformity and substance use on victim blaming.
Aggression and Violent Behavior, 17, 443-452.
doi:10.1016/j.avb.2012.06.002
Myhill, A., & Allen, J. (2002). Rape and sexualassault of women: The extent and nature of theWYVISLT/VTL6ɉJL9LZLHYJO:[\K`
Rawlinson, K. (2017, March 10). Judge accusedof victim-blaming in comments on rape case.
The Guardian. Retrieved from www.theguardian.
com/society/2017/mar/10/judgeaccused-of-victim-blaming-during-sentencingcomments-in-case<5>VTLU-HJ[ZHUKÄN\YLZ!,UKPUN]Polence against women. Retrieved May 15, 2018,from http://www.unwomen.org/
Vagianos, A. (2017, September 15). Art exhibit
powerfully answers the question ‘what were you
wearing?’ Huffington Post. Retrieved June 13,MYVTO[[WZ!^^^O\ɉUN[VUWVZ[JVT PZZ\L^OPJO^LMLS[L_WYLZZLKHZ[YVUN]VPJLHUKYLÅLJ[LK
some of the most pressing issues that UTokyo students are mostconcerned with. For more information about ALESA or the other
Active English language classes, please visit http://ale.c.u-tokyo.
ac.jp/ale_web/index.php.

25

KOMABA WRITERS’ STUDIO x PENSADO
Did the Incorporation of National Universities Improve Their Academic Level?
By: Mai Tamura
Introduction
In 2004, the Japanese government carried out abig reform on universities’ governance. Accordingly, public universities, which were a part of thenational government and were directly operated
by MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science, and Technology) transformed into socalled National University Corporations (NUCs),
and the autonomy is left at the discretion of university presidents (Hanada, 2013). MEXT reported that the reform brought desirable effects in[LYTZ VM ÄUHUJPHS LɉJPLUJ` SLHKPUN [V YLZLHYJO
progress (2017). On the other hand, the reform is
opposed primarily by the Japanese Associationof National Universities and the National Union
of Higher Education Staff (2017). They claimed
that, for the majority of NUCs, the reform caused
financial difficulty and downsizing in university
control over quality of education, which Westerheijden, a senior research associate at the Centerfor Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS)of the University of Twente, called “academic
self-governance” (2018, p. 210). These problems
bring up the question whether the reform hashelped improve the academic level of Japanesenational universities in today’s highly competitive
world.
This paper sheds light on the relationship between the policy and university autonomy. It willargue that the outcome of the reform has been
contradictory to the initial aim; not only are theuniversities now struggling more with budget
gathering from private sectors, but the universities are also having to lean towards the MEXT’s
WYLMLYLUJL ^OLU JOVVZPUN ^OPJO ÄLSK [V PU]LZ[the research money into. These situations may
result in a decrease of their academic power.
This paper will first examine the initial aim ofYLMVYT:LJVUKS`P[^PSSKPZJ\ZZ[OLÄUHUcial and “academic self-governance” problems

resulting from this scheme. Lastly, it concludes
by suggesting the necessity of the reform review
and the governmental support for the NUCs now
facing managerial problems.

The aims and the contents of the National University Corporation Act
The 2004 incorporation of national universities issaid to be a turning point in Japanese educational history in that it reflected the policy changes
aiming at the new public management. In thissection, this paper will explain the initial aims
and the contents of the reform. Although the proposal of incorporation itself was seen just after
the establishment of imperial universities in Meiji
era, actual changes had been restricted to slightbudget restructuring (Yonezawa & Shimmi, 2015).
/V^L]LYHZ]HYPV\ZLɉJPLUJ`VYPLU[LKYLMVYTZ
were carried out during the Koizumi administration, the idea was raised again that universities
should be incorporated in order to make operations more efficient and to catch up with top
global academic standards in highly competitiveenvironments generated by globalization (Mok,
2010). The idea was considered to conform withinternational trends called new public management in which the public sector should adopt the
managerial method of the private sector and themarket mechanism in order to enhance their adTPUPZ[YH[P]LHIPSP[`HUK[OLLɉJPLUJ`>LZ[LYOLPjden, 2018). Based on new public management,
the incorporation brought four changes related
to university autonomy.
First, each university was transformed from a partof the governmental organization to a corporation. This enabled NUCs to operate independently as autonomous public institutions. Second,
NUCs realized top management because they
adopted a board system and introduced man-agement methods of private sectors. Third, eachpresident was in charge of personnel management based on non-civil servant style in which
MHJ\S[`Z[HɈ^LYLWHPKHJJVYKPUN[V[OLPYHIPSP[`VY
accomplishments. Lastly, NUCs accepted evaluations from third parties, which were reflected
in resource distribution among universities. Thatis, each NUC has to submit an annual report to
MEXT its progress in terms of achieving the goalsof its medium term (6-year) plan (Kaneko, 2009).
Therefore, according to Christensen (2011), a
researcher of university governance: 5<*ZOH]LTVYL JVU[YVS V]LY P[Z V^U WYVWLY[` [OHU ILMVYL
[OL YLMVYT <UP]LYZP[` LTWSV`LLZ HYL UV SVUNLYJP]PS ZLY]HU[Z ;OLYL PZ H \UP[LK SLHKLYZOPW HUKTVYL WV^LY MVY [OL 7YLZPKLU[ ;OLYL HYL TVYL
L_[LYUHSL_WLY[ZHUKYLWYLZLU[H[P]LZVU\UP]LYZP[`bodies like boards and councils (p. 131).

Results of the reform:-YVTÄUHUJPHSHUKHJHKLTPJZLSMNV]ernance perspectives(MEXT, 2017). This has suppressed universities’
management despite their efforts in improving
LɉJPLUJ`ZH]PUNTVUL`HUKPUJYLHZPUNZLSMYL]enue. There has been an actual case where
a number of professors have presented theirconcerns to the Japanese government. Morespecifically, the Japan Association of National
Universities claimed in documents on budget
requests that reducing the operation costs led
to a decrease in the number of full-time faculty
members, or young teachers in order to cut thecost of labor. As a result, it has become harderfor young researchers to be employed in national
universities. Moreover, it also created the serious
WYVISLTVMM\UKKLÄJP[MVYYLWHPYPUNHNPUNMHJPSPties on campus. A considerable number of facilities established in the 1970s are in want of repair
because they are likely to trigger accidents, decrease international competitive power in termsof conducting innovative research, and lead to
PULɉJPLU[VWLYH[PVUZ`Z[LTZ^P[OLULYN`SVZZHZ
a consequence (Yamagiwa, 2017).

Although 14 years have passed since that reform,
the results seem to contradict the initial aims
represented above; many NUCs have problems
in both finance and academic self-governance.
From the financial aspect, a survey conducted
in 2006 to analyze some of the consequences of[OL5<*(J[ZOV^LK[OH[THU`5<*ZOH]LKPɉJ\S[PLZ^P[OÄUHUJPHSTHUHNLTLU[*OYPZ[LUZLU
2011). First, this paper shows the problems
regarding operation costs which represented
47.7% of the total revenue of all the national universities (Oba, 2007).

Secondly, in terms of competitive funds, NUCs
have difficulty collecting such funds. Science
research subsidies which contribute to generate
new industry is lacking. Although the number
of applications for the subsidy is increasing,
the acceptance rate is decreasing during these
5 years. As a result, fund sufficiency of someYLZLHYJOÄLSKZPZ\UKLY @HTHNP^H
In addition, some NUCs cannot cooperate withcompanies because they fail to propose applications based on long-term plans. Thus, only few
ZWLJPÄJÄLSKZHYLHSSV^LK[VYHPZLM\UKZ

According to data from the Japan Association of
National Universities, operation costs have been
reduced 10 % within 10 years after the 2004 incorporation (2017). Figure 1 shows 1.241 million
in 2004 was reduced to 1.158 million in 2010

Next, from the academic self-governance pointof view, it could be argued that the reform undermines NUCs’ autonomy. This was something ofa paradox considering that the priority objectiveof the reform was to increase universities’ autonomy. Nevertheless, NUCs have been robbed of
their planning and policy functions because each
NUC must submit an annual report to MEXT
after the reform; NUCs have to accept inspections and conform to the goals suggested by theministry’s evaluation committee (Christensen,
2011). For example, when MEXT required publiccomments of NUCs in order to decide the distribution of special budgets, 85% of them submitted comments relating to MEXT (Amano, 2004).
This means each of the top NUCs indicated theirteachers to make comments in ways that will
conform to the preference of MEXT.
For these reasons, current circumstances in major NUCs regarding research funds are too unstable to survive in today’s highly competitive world.
They are not able to collect sufficient funds for
improving the quality of their institutions suchas faculty members and facilities, and for doing
various research. What is more, the intensified
PUÅ\LUJLVM4,?;VUKLJPZPVUTHRPUNOHZWYLvented free academic self-governance of NUCs,
which might lead to restricted environments forresearch.

The effects of financial and academic self-governance problems on research competitivenessImage credit:26

徐 B7P_HIH`D

Although the majority of the NUCs certainly

failed to rationalize their governance, it could beclaimed that some NUCs achieved the initial aimof the reform. According to some data which use
variables representing decision-making power ina board of directors and president leadership as
indicators of NUC governance (Akai & Nakamura, 2009), some NUCs whose presidents exercise
greater leadership could succeed in achieving
the intended goal of acquiring independence.
4VYLZWLJPÄJHSS`[OLZLKH[HZOV^[OH[[OLTVYLthe presidents exercise their leadership, the lessthe degree of dependence on operations costs
provided by the government there is. Moreover, they suggested that greater command ofpresidents decreases labor costs and education
expenses per student; on the other hand, it
increases research expenses per teacher (Akai& Nakamura, 2009). However, in spite of these
positive effects of the reform, there are clear
negative aspects; the reform has created a kindof ‘survival-of-the-fittest’ system. According toChristensen (2011): ;OL MPUHUJPHS WYV]PZPVUZ VM
[OL5<*(J[OH]LOHKHKPɈLYLU[PH[PUNLɈLJ[VU[OLÄUHUJPHSJHWHJP[`VM5<*Z;OLMVYTLYPTWLYPHS\UP]LYZP[PLZTLKPJHSJVSSLNLZHUKWVZ[NYHK\H[L ZJOVVSZ [OL THQVYP[` VM [OLT PU ;VR`VTL[YVWVSP[HUHYLHHYLKVPUNILZ[ILJH\ZL[OL`
HYL HISL [V JV\U[LYHJ[ [OL ÄUHUJPHS WYLZZ\YL I`Z\JJLZZM\SS` JVTWL[PUN MVY YLZLHYJO YLZV\YJLZ
;OLV[OLY5<*ZVM[LU[Y`[VZ\Y]P]LI`MVJ\ZPUN
TVYLVU[LHJOPUNHSILP[UV[HS^H`ZZ\JJLZZM\SS`(p. 132)
Other data indicate that only the major NUCs
collect more than 60% of the external resources, and the circumstances in other local NUCs
became worse, forced to make efforts only tosurvive (Oba, 2007). As a result, NUCs failed to
LUOHUJL[OLPYHJHKLTPJSL]LS(JJVYKPUN[VÄN\YL
2 (MEXT, 2017), the number of journals published
by NUCs has decreased. Therefore, it could be
HYN\LK[OH[[OLILULÄ[ZVM[OLYLMVYTOH]LILLU
limited.

Conclusion
Though the reform in 2004 was aimed to enhance universities’ international competitiveness,the result has seemed to be the opposite, given
the recent situation of Japanese public universities. Research competitiveness appears to havedeteriorated after the reform (MEXT, 2017). Thisdecline was certainly caused by financial andacademic self-governance problems. In other^VYKZ\UP]LYZP[PLZOH]LT\JOTVYLKPɉJ\S[`PU
improving the quality of research institutions orcollecting research funds on account of budget
deficits. Moreover, NUCs are more susceptible
to MEXT preference because MEXT imposesa mid-term report on them. It is true that a few
NUCs in the metropolitan area have received
the benefits of the reform. If we consider otherindicators which measure the extent of the NUCs
management, we cannot clearly say the reform
was a failure. To explore this problem further, it
might be required to examine the problem in a
wider context. However, it is clear that overall thecurrent situation regarding university governanceis problematic as the majority of the NUCs areforced to restrict the range of research. ConsidLYPUN[OLZLZP[\H[PVUZ[OLLɉJPLUJ`VYPLU[LKYL-

form should be reviewed. To keep the academic
level of Japanese universities, the government
should take some measures which will relieve
financial restrictions. Furthermore, greater academic self-governance should be given to NUCs
by changing MEXT evaluation methods or promoting projects in collaboration with academia,
industry, and the government which might facilitate innovative research.
___________________________________________

References
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27

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