January 2019

NewsletterIn this Newsletter:
1. 2019 Japan Study Tour
2. NCSS Conference 2018
3. Alumni Updates
4. KKC 40th Anniversary

Japan Study Tour & Japan Lesson Plans:
http://en.kkc.or.jp/programs/stj/Contact us at: fellowship@kkc.or.jp

Online Application for the 2019 Japan Study Tour is now Open!
We are happy to announce that KKC is offering the fellowship
program again in the summer of 2019.
All the details about the fellowship and the online application form
are available at:
http://www.us-japan.org/programs/kkc/k2019/index.html
Please read it carefully and follow the instructions to apply online
by February 1st, 2019!
Link to the application form：
https://najas.wufoo.com/forms/q1e7cnbx1yctvs3/
Please note that we accept online applications only.
Please note that：• Recommendation letters and employment verification lettersmust be on the organization’s letter head.
• All letters should be signed physically.
• Scan all the letters separately in PDF to upload onto the form.
Please feel free to share this information to your fellow teachers or
anyone who is interested in the fellowship.
If you have any problem or questions, please contact us!
We look forward to seeing ten new Fellows this summer!

Japan and the World 2018/19
A Pocket Guide in Figures■The Keizai Koho Center (KKC) has published a pocket-sized, English-language statistical booklet filled with the latest

international data which will guide you to understand the global business environment.
■This issue consists of 69 items in five chapters, including economic growth rates, trade balances, exchange rates,
foreign direct investments and their destinations and number of foreign tourists of major countries such as Japan,U.S., China, U.K., Germany and South Korea.
The data are shown with colorful graphs and tables indicate numerical values, making it useful for various businessand research purposes.
■Get it at the Official Gazette Co-operation of Japan! The data of the previous edition (2017/18) is also
downloadable for free at http://en.kkc.or.jp/uploads/research/jw/Japan201718.pdf

1New Encounters and Reunions at NCSS Chicago
KKC attended the 98th National Council for the Social Studies
Annual Conference held in Chicago on November 30-December 1,
2018. It was our great pleasure to see more than 200 social studies
teachers, including nostalgic reunions with our alumni.
At our exhibition booth in the conference hall, we first meet teachersthat are interested in participating in the KKC Japan Fellowship.
Interested teachers can ask questions about the trip and sign up tobe notified of the application. If you missed us this year, please stopby next time; we are usually in International Alley. This year we asked
four alumni who took part in our recent programs to present theirexperience to the audience at an information session. Mr. Andrew
Hartman from Middleton High School, Wisconsin, presented that after
returning from Japan in 2017, he organized a tour back to Japan in
the summer of 2018, taking more than 20 students from his class to reproduce his extraordinary experience.
Mr. Derek Frieling, a 2015 Fellow and always a great
KKC supporter, mentioned that his favorite part of theprogram was the homestay with his Japanese host family.
He still keeps in touch with them and expressed thatmeeting people face to face is always the best way tounderstand foreign people and their culture.
KKC also held its annual reception in the evening ofNovember 30th. This year, representatives from theConsulate-General of Japan in Chicago, Japan External
Trade Organization (JETRO), Japan Chamber of Commerce
Chicago, Japan America Society of Chicago, The JapanFoundation New York and the German Goethe Instituteattended as a guests with alumni and prospective
Special Thanks to Andrew (2017 Fellow), Alyssa (2018),Lynda (2010), Derek (2015)
applicants.

What Built Edo: Coercion, Classes, Commercialism and Conservation
Lesson Plan by Victoria Deniston Reed, 2018 Fellow
The lesson plan started with students reading college textbooks about theconsolidation of state authority culminating in the Tokugawa Shogunate. Given thechronological parameters of AP World History, it was logical for students to begin
this activity at approximately the midpoint of the academic year. By that time, thestudents were somewhat relieved to learn that the homework involved watching two
short videos. On the second day, students used their knowledge and supplemental
texts in the classroom to create a brochure describing the Alternate Residence
System for the daimyo, class structures, commercial endeavors, and conservation
practices in seventeenth century Japan. By the third day, after supplementing theirinformation with independent research, students engaged in a discussionn of the intertwined characteristics of class distinctions and economic activity in
Tokugawa Japan, particularly in Edo. They were also eager to try on the silk robe from Japan and the kimonothat I brought to class. Some had enough sewing experience to be appropriately impressed by the fact that
cutting the fabric for a kimono is a process designed to waste almost no material.
Frankly, the student reaction to the lesson was more enthusiastic than I had expected. They were keen todiscuss Azby Brown’s presentations and arguments concerning conservation activities. The discussions went
well in both the small group and the full classroom settings. I was also impressed by how well they discussed
economic systems and conditions under which trade can thrive. Some of the comments were quite
sophisticated. The large class discussion followed a tangent I had notanticipated, which involved contributions from many students about theways of saving and reusing resources their own grandparents and greatgrandparents practiced. Most of the examples had to do with reusing fabricfor quilts, rag rugs, etc., but some brought up that their grandparents would
never have one-use plastic items; the elders regularly washed and reused
plastic baggies and cups designed to be disposable. It was an excellent
reminder for me to keep including the history of daily life in lessons. Thestudents make immediate connections with it, and some of the materials
for class can include artifacts, or at least photos of artifacts, that are fairly
easy to obtain.
2Visiting Mendon High School, Pittsford NY
Hiroto Arita, Senior Fellow, KKC
After visiting Tokyo, Fellows are required to give lessons
in their classes based on the experiences and findings theyearned from the Japan Study Tour. A member from the KKCTokyo office visits KKC alumni every year to observe theirJapan-related activities at their school. This year, I had thechance to visit Mr. John Yager, a 2018 Fellow from Mendon
High School in Pittsford, New York. It was the first time in mylife to visit an American high school, just like the Fellows who
visited Japanese schools for the first time.
Mendon High School is similar to Japanese public highschools with approximately 1,000 students. On the day ofmy visit, John gave a World/AP History lesson about Japan
five times, with a slideshow full of the pictures he took
during the fellowship. He taught about Japanese society
from its historic, cultural, and religious background,explaining that traditions and various new and foreign cultures coexist. I noticed various differences in the student
life of American schools - the most impressive difference was that students were proactive, making the classinteractive. Students asked questions or commented any time they wanted to, whereas in Japan, classes are often aone-way lecture by the teacher. Between classes, John was kind enough to introduce me to Ms. Melissa Julian, theprincipal of MHS, and other social studies teachers. On behalf of KKC, I would like to thank John for arranging myvisit to MHS.
Fellows’ lessons, activities in their communities, and articles in regional or school newspapers help to enhance US-Japan mutual understanding.

Alumni Update
William Smyth, 1993 Fellow
I participated in a Keizai Koho Center trip to Japan during the summer of 1993. The
experience was revolutionary. I had never been to Japan, only Europe, and I had little
idea what life in Japan was like.
We started in Tokyo but quickly made our way to the south to visit Oita, Beppu,Nagasaki, and Arita. Then we traveled north to Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe. We eventually
returned to Tokyo to complete our trip. Every business, factory, school, and culturalexperience was fascinating. None of us had ever seen such interesting places ortalked with such interesting people.
Our home stays were special too. Some of us were in Osaka while some of us were in Kobe. My host family, theNakashimas, were so incredible that I am still communicating with them 25 years later. I visited them again in 2016
when one of my daughters and I returned to Japan for a two-week visit.
My wife, children, and I cannot get enough of Japan. We read about it, talk about it, and are planning anotherreturn trip to re-live the places I saw in 1993. We are especially interested in Japanese schools and culture,
particularly gardens and the Japanese way of life. The concept of mindfulness of others appeals to us, and we try topractice that concept every day in America. Of the dozen or so trips I've taken to places around the world, thisexperience ranks as the very best. It was so well thought
out, so well planned, and so beautifully executed. Nodetail was left to chance. Every place we visited andeverything we did was chosen for a particular reason.
Recently, I wrote a book titled Every Student's Dream:
The International School for the Arts. It's a work of fiction
based on real schools I have known throughout the world.
The head of school is Dr. Kenzo Kobe-san, named for myKKC host family's father Kenzo Nakashima and my home
stay's town Kobe. My students have enjoyed the book.
They see themselves woven into the many stories
although none of their names are specifically mentioned.
I have encouraged my students to visit Japan. So far,several have gone to teach English, to introduce jazzmusic, or just to travel and enjoy the wonderful people.
My hope is that many other students will want to go as
I teach lessons and talk about this incredible country.
3

40th Anniversary of the Keizai Koho Center

On November 16, 2018, KKC, Keidanren Strategic International Initiative, and the Center for Strategic andInternational Studies (CSIS), a leading U.S. think-tank, held a dialogue on prevailing themes in U.S.-Japan relations,in Washington D.C. The event included political leaders, leading scholars and business representatives from bothcountries and concluded with a reception to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Keizai Koho Center.
Speakers from Japan included Yasuo Fukuda, former Prime Minister of Japan; Hiromichi Iwasa, Chairman andCEO, Mitsui Fudosan; and Shigeru Hayakawa, Vice Chairman, Toyota Motor Corporation.
The event was livestreamed on the CSIS website and can still be viewed
online at:https://www.csis.org/events/business-and-policy-views-changing-usjapan-relations-0
For more information, please visit our website at: http://en.kkc.or.jp/

Japan Update
Imperial Succession: New Emperor Takes the Throne May 1st
Hiroto Arita, Senior Fellow, KKC
The year 2019, or Heisei 31st in the Japanese calendar, will
be an important year for the Japanese people. The Imperial
succession and the related ceremonies will take place starting
this spring.
On August 8th, 2016, the Heisei Emperor had expressed his
intention to retire and abdicate his throne to his first son, Crown
Prince Naruhito. The current rule of the royal family does notallow the Emperor to retire, and the era name will only change
at his demise. At the age of 80, the Heisei Emperor felt it
Imperial Family New Year Greeting 2019difficult to preserve his ceremonial duties and traditions and asked
at Imperial Palace in Tokyo
the Government to legislate his way to retire. Most citizens andgovernment officials supported him, and the Abe cabinet held repeated meetings and national assemblycommittees to grant his request.
The Heisei Emperor will retire on April 30th. A series of coronation ceremonies for the Crown Prince will takeplace from May 1st to the end of October. The new Imperial era name will be announced on April 1st.
Heisei (平成）was quoted from a Chinese classical literature Shiji, meaning “may peace prevail in the universe”.
In his birthday remarks on December 23rd, 2018, the Heisei Emperor emotionally expressed his relief that looking
back at his 30 years of reign, it is coming to an end without any war in Japan, thanks to the sacrifices and tirelessefforts of the generations after World War II.
The Heisei Emperor and Empress Michiko are respected by Japanese citizens. They always kept themselvesclose to the people by visiting as many old battlefields, bereaved families, and natural disaster-stricken areas asthey could. The distance they travelled throughout their reign is 624 thousand kilometers, or 15 laps around theglobe.

4