November 2016

Newsletter
About the KKC Japan Study Tour
Since 1980, more than 600 U.S. and Canadian social
studies teachers have taken part in the KKC Study Tourto Japan. The program aims to deepen participants’
understanding of Japan and contribute to international
mutual understanding across the Pacific. Their experiences
and findings in Japan have significant value to theirstudents, who will build future ties with Japan.

The 2016 KKC Japan Study TourAmy Boots, Executive Director
The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania

The KKC Study Tour to Japan is filled with opportunities to:・Interact with Japanese students and teachers
・ Discuss with scholars and experts on Japanese society
・ Meet business leaders
・ Enjoy traditional and contemporary Japanese culture

Each June, ten strangers arrive in a strange land for ten daysof study. Each July, ten friends
leave a country that they havebegun to know over their shortstay. The Keizai Koho Teacher Fellowship has, over 35 years, introduced Japan and its people toeducators throughout the UnitedStates and Canada.
This summer, nine Americans
and one Canadian had the chance
to experience Japanese business,government, education, and culture for the first time.
The 2016 Fellowship beganwith a session about Japan’s educational system, followed by a visit tothe US Embassy to learn about
student exchange. During several
corporate visits including Sanrio,Nissan, Sony, Dentsu, and Dai-Ichi
Life Research Institute, the Fellows
learned about a variety of industries that have driven Japan to bea leader in the global economy. Inaddition to Japan’s domestic economy and the challenges of population decline, the companies shared
their insights on recruitment, research and development, and international strategy and marketing.
(continued on page 4)

What Can You Gain From the Fellowship?
Arpan Chokshi, 2016 KKC Fellow
Understand Complexity ofCultures

While attending the seminars led byscholars of economics, government policy
and education, I realized how complex thetask of a policymakers is. As an economics teacher, I was especially interested in
Prime Minister Abe’s efforts to stimulate
the economy by increasing money supply
and spurring investment. However, while
the challenges facing policymakers weremere footnotes in my economics text,
they were very real issues that came tolife because I learned how demographics,economics and culture are all intertwined.
For instance, Japan faces a declining labor
supply due to an aging population(however, it should be noted that more
women are joining the workplace). Also, astrong cultural identity encourages hard
work but makes immigration a less plausible short-term policy solution. Therefore, despite ambitious government policies to revive the economy, Japan faces
significant challenges.

This insight is just one example of
how the seminars I attended inJapan will help me teach about
Japan’s policies in a more sophisticated and nuanced manner.

Collect Cultural Artifacts

Having a wide range of cultural experiences allowed me tocollect artifacts that will help mystudents do the real work of social
scientists. Video of fans chanting
in unison at a Tokyo Giants baseball game, pictures of a Tokyo
apartment from my homestay, andmaps of Tokyo’s subway system
will be launch pads for inquiry into
Japan. My World Cultures students will have the opportunity to
explore deeper questions about
the values, policies and history ofJapan by examining these artifacts.

Connect with Teachers

Perhaps the most valuableexperience was building lifelong
relationships with the teachers inmy cohort. Unprompted, everyday,
whether we were on a bus, subway or streets of Tokyo, we foundourselves discussing our classes athome and how might use what wesaw that day. Since returningfrom Japan, we have continued toshare curriculum ideas, articles
and videos. The teachers I met
across North America will be invaluable resources as I continue torefine my curriculum and look forinnovative ways to help my students better understand Japan.

1New Opportunities to Share My Knowledge About JapanJennifer West, 2016 KKC Fellow
Traveling with the 2016 Keizai Koho
Center Fellowship program this pastsummer was truly a transformativeexperience. The program did an excellent job of introducing us to Japanthrough cultural activities, speakers
from think tanks and government agencies, and through visits to private businesses and Japanese classrooms.
Upon returning from the fellowship,
I have had multiple opportunities toshare with others about my visit. I neverrealized how often Japan comes up inconversations among my colleagues, or
how family and friends will mention
something that brings Japanese culture
or products to mind. I often find myself
sharing my new knowledge and better
understanding of Japan without having
planned a lesson or formal presentation.
These authentic opportunities to speak
about Japan have been rewarding- I feel
everyone has ultimately been more interested in Japan after having spokenwith me.
In my classroom, my students are
now enthralled with all things Japan!

I have already had the opportunity
to speak about my travels in myworld history course- and this will
only increase in frequency as thecurriculum progresses toward the20th and 21st century. In teaching
about early Japan, I shared photosof my visits to shrines and the Zen
Buddhist meditation- which was
helpful when speaking about thesyncretic nature of religion in Japan. I have additionally taught mycurrent events students about Japan’s economy, its political relationship with the U.S., the impending
demographic issues of the country,
and the upcoming hosting of theOlympic games.
In addition to teaching about
Japan in my classroom, I presented
photos and information from mytrip with the International Club that
I host at my high school.
I find the more I speak
about Japan, the more students
and colleagues realize that I ama resource to them on the topic-

something I could never haveprovided without the Keizai
Koho experience.
This is a picture of me at theKansas City Japan Festival- I havefound several connections between the city I teach in and Japanese community organizations!

Becoming an Ambassador of the Japanese People
Christopher Spaman, 2016 KKC Fellow
In the summer of 2016, I was honored be selected by the Keizai Koho
Center for their competitive teacher fellowship. My two week visit allowed meto meet with educators, governmental
officials and business leaders as well as
visit historical & cultural sites throughout Japan. This has provided me, as a
World History and AP Human Geographyteacher, with a better understanding ofmodern Japan.
During the 2016-2017 school year
I have been able to incorporate my fellowship experiences into exciting new
lesson plans as well as to run workshops
for members of the high school community. During my trip, our group met
with a Japanese economist from the Japan Research Institute. I used thisvaluable session to develop a lesson on
the impact of a shrinking population on
Japan’s economy. Subsequently myclass and I discussed this issue and proposed possible solutions to this economic problem. Likewise, I have led
workshops which include speaking to mycolleagues about the Japanese education system, teaching meditation to AP
students during our summer bridge program, and leading a calligraphy class forstudents of the Future Teachers ofAmerica program.
Upon returning home, I havereceived emails from teachers
throughout the country asking foradvice on becoming a KKC fellow.
My recommendation to these teachers and to all who wish to be part ofthis amazing program is to communicate your interest in Japanese history and culture. Additionally, it isimportant to provide the KKC with avision of how your time in Japan will
benefit your students, colleagues,and the community. Potential fellows
also need to be aware that by becoming a KKC fellow, one also
takes on the added responsibilityof becoming an ambassador ofthe Japanese people. This meansthat as a KKC fellow, one must help
to foster a positive relationship between the US and Japan and its people.
I am thankful to the KKC, all
the educators, administrators, business leaders, and governmental officials who took time out of their busy
schedule to meet and educate us
about Japan. I will always remember the fellows and KKC staff who
made my time in Japan so special.

Join us at the NCSS Annual
Conference in Washington, D.C.
(Dec. 2-3, 2016)
The NCSS Annual Conference inWashington DC is coming up andKeizai Koho Center will be therewith a KKC booth on Dec 2-3. We
will also be hosting the following
events:KKC Reception:
Friday, Dec. 2, 6:00-8:00 PMVenue: Marriott Marquis
Scarlet Oak Room,Mezannine floor(901 Massachusetts Ave NW,Washington DC, 20001-4307)
KKC Japan Session:
Sat. Dec. 3, 10:30-11:30 AM.
Venue: Exhibit Hall, Classroom B(Walter E. Washington Convention
Center)Japan Study Tour: www.kkc.or.jp/english/fellowshipContact us at: fellowship@kkc.or.jp
Japan Lesson Plans can be downloaded at:www.kkc.or.jp/english/fellowship/lessonplan/2

Highlights from the 2016 Japan Study Tour
【School Visit】
Four teachers gave lessons toJapanese students at Mejiro Kenshin
High School on July 1.
The topics of the lessons were as
follows:
Arpan Chokshi (Globalization &Cultural Diffusion: Japan & US)
Cindy Downing (Discovery Bags)
Robert Jardine(The Land of Living Skies)
Aaron Levesque (The Great Forests ofNew Hampshire)
The students were listening very
carefully with interest.

Teachers of Mejiro
Kenshin were much satisfied,saying, “It is a very good
opportunity our students tobe taught directly by North
American teachers.”

Kohei Muramatsu
Senior Fellow, KKC
I was seconded to KKC fromToyota this January and conducted
the coordination of this program
for the first time. I arranged mostof the visits of the 2016 JapanStudy Tour and provided occasions
for North American teachers tounderstand Japan.
I believe this program has
been contributing much tostrengthening mutual understanding between US/Canada and Japanover 35 years.
I am very proud of being apart of this program and would liketo contribute to its further development.

[Company Visit]
On June 28, the teachers visited
Sanrio Puroland, the theme park ofSanrio Company. The most famous
character of the company is Hello Kitty.
The teachers met with various
Sanrio characters and were able to feelthe company's philosophy very well.
Mr. Tohmatsu, PR manager ofSanrio explained their activities inNorth America. The teachers and Mr.
Tohmatsu also discussed the potentiality of their new character in the NorthAmerican market. “The visit wasfruitful for Sanrio too.” said Mr.
Tohmatsu.

Globalizing My Classroom
Amber Lewis, 2016 KKC Fellow
My fellowship with the Keizai
Koho Center was one of the most fulfilling professional development experiences I have ever had as an educator. Without hesitation, I can saythat participating in the KKC program
has made me a better social studies
teacher and provided me with awealth of new knowledge to sharewith my students and colleagues. Theopportunity to learn first hand about
Japanese culture, businesses, andeducational systems, as well as seeing
Japan’s landscape with my own eyes,
made a profound impact on my ability
to teach about these topics with depth
and relevancy.
The caliber of professional experiences that the leaders of the Keizai Koho Center arranged for the summer 2016 program was truly remarkable. The opportunity to visit Japanese schools where we spoke withstudents, teachers, and administrators
allowed the fellows to develop a senseof how we might integrate our experiences in Japan into our own classrooms. Speaking with professionals atmajor Japanese corporations like Sanrio, Nissan, and Sony, as well as experts on Japan’s economy provided

insight for lessons regarding international trade and globalized markets that will help our students
understand that America’s economy does not exist in a vacuum.
During the program we also had
countless opportunities to learn
about Japanese culture and daily
life. Having the chance to staywith a family in Tokyo was something that I’ll never forget and thevisit to Buddhist temples in Kyotohad a lasting impact on me personally. Both experiences also
gave me some fantastic information to share with my students inthe classroom.
As a geography teacher in
Rural Nebraska, one of my primary objectives is to globalize myclassroom and bring the world tomy students. Many of my students
struggle to imagine the world beyond the boundaries of their own
community. Being able to sharepersonal stories with them about
the time I spent in Japan allows
them to connect to the world on
an entirely different level than if I
were to show a video or presentation with information I got fromthe internet.
As someone who also grew up inrural Nebraska, I understand the limited perspective that my students canhave.
By sharing my experienceswith the KKC Fellowship Program,
I hope to ignite a sense of adventure in my students and encourage them to seek ways to build
global connections.
I am eternally grateful to theKeizai Koho Center for giving me theopportunity to travel to Japan and for
putting such a phenomenal program
together for teachers from the UnitedStates and Canada. My fellowship withthe KKC has made an enduring andimmeasurable impact on my career
as an educator.
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Realizing the Value of U.S.-Japan Relations
Bryan Wallace, 2016 KKC Fellow

During my recent trip to Japan
from late June to early July, 2016, I met
and conversed with people from allwalks of life, from store clerks andteachers to corporate executives andeconomists, and during these interactions a surprising theme emerged. Afterthe requisite pleasantries and small talk,one question seemed to be on the mindof many Japanese people: “What do you
think of the U.S. presidential election?”
Initially, I simply chalked the ubiquity of this question up to the tendencyof U.S. presidential elections to capture
foreign news cycles, or even the ideathat this election in particular, with all its
volatility and unpredictability, might
elicit some fascination for a culture thatplaces such a high value on propriety
and respect. But there was something
about the manner in which this question
was asked, with an occasional furrow of
the brow and an air of trepidation,
which led me to believe that it was morethan political or cultural curiosity thatwas driving people to ask for mythoughts. What I began to realize is thatpeople seemed to be asking this question out of genuine concern.
But why such concern about another country’s election on the far side

(by Amy Boots, continued from p.1)
The Fellows visited five schools inTokyo and Kyoto, both private and public.
They observed the differences in teachingstyles and talked with students in English
classes about their lives. These meetings
were an invaluable opportunity to connect with students, not only to learn
about their everyday experiences, butalso to pique their interest in the lives ofNorth Americans. A teacher roundtableprovided a chance for the Fellows to talkwith Japanese teachers and share theirchallenges and insights. The session wasrichly rewarding for both sides.
Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki, former
Ambassador to the United States and current president of the America-Japan Society, shared his views of the issues affecting the governments of the two countriesof the Pacific Rim when the Japanesepeople had myriad domestic and regional issues of their own to occupy
their attention, including an important Diet election approaching inJuly, and territorial disputes in theSouth China Sea. Despite these andother pressing issues, the question
was still there, resurfacing in every
interaction. What I began to realize
was that maybe the question was
not driven by curiosity but rather byanxiety, and that viewing it as something separate from the domestic
issues referenced above was perhaps
a fallacious interpretation.
This year’s presidential election
has certainly contained the usual
debates over domestic and economic
issues such as the national debt, immigration, Supreme Court nominations, and social issues like gun violence and civil rights. Foreign policy
has also been of great concern withevents in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan at the forefront of many U.S.
citizens’ minds. But in a marked difference to many past elections, economic and diplomatic relations withJapan have occasionally emerged inpolicy discussions, with topics ranging from trade relations and the viability of the TPP to nuclear proliferation, the U.S. military presence inJapan, and the role of Japan in U.S.
and regional security. For Americans, this election and its sometimes
incendiary campaign rhetoric hasrevealed deep rifts in the fabric ofAmerican ideals and stark differencesin our vision for our country’s future.

For the Japanese people,
this same rhetoric, when concerning them, might call into
question the very nature of therelationship between these twonations. This relationship hasevolved into an important guarantor for regional security, an
economic alliance neither country
can do without, and a source ofpartnership for international issues and proposals. It has become a clear force for peace andstability and a bedrock alliance ina geopolitical climate that isincreasingly grounded in change
and uncertainty. It follows, giventhese realities, that an informed
Japanese citizen might be unnerved by any reexamination ofsuch a defining part of their historical and contemporary worldview. Hence, delivered however
casually, the question about theU.S. election begins to clarify
itself. It is a question not about
the vagaries of U.S. electoralpolitics, but about the state of
two nations; about the future ofa region; about the foundationsof a mutual philosophy.
It is possible that there existed a need to remind the citizens and governments of bothnations of the nature and valueof this relationship, or at least aneed to declare it again publicly;
to affirm to each other, and theworld, the critical importance of
this long-standing partnership.

in a very frank and informative discussion
The Fellows were placed in homes in
the Tokyo area for one night ofhomestay with a Japanese family fora window onto everyday life in Japan. After returning with a wealth ofexperiences, the Fellows took thebullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto, Japan’s cultural capital, to see UNESCOWorld Heritage sites like the Golden
Pavilion and the famous rock gardenof Ryoanji Temple.
Finally, after touring Japan’sseat of government, the Diet Building, Fellows participated in a panel
discussion on the “Challenges ofU.S.-Japan People-to-People Exchange and expressed their views toan audience of educators and business leaders.

The Fellows left Japanbound to share their lessons
with their students to keep thekizuna (bonds) between thecountries strong.

Kinkaku-ji Temple（Golden Pavilion)

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