Global
Study
ProgramCollaborative Learning Abroad

2017
Cross-Cultural Encounters andRegional Development

Chiba University, Japan
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GreeceTopic and Research Questions
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he fourth collaborative study program between
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Chiba
University was held between August 7 and 22 in
Chiba. This year’s host was the College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences, Chiba University. The topic
of the program was "Cross-cultural Encounters
and Regional Development" and stemmed
out of the history of Global Study Programs
organized collaboratively by Chiba University andAristotle University of Thessaloniki, which havealways generally addressed issues of regional
development.
he majority of regional development efforts,
especially in depopulated areas of the Japanesecountryside (like the areas we visited in 2015 forour program on "Community-based Development"),
usually aim at finding solutions of a material
nature: improvement of the transport network,
refurbishment or building of new residential areas,
hospitals, or nurseries, manufacture of pamphlets,
tourist information websites (and smartphone
applications) or local signature products, and theholding of special celebratory events that are to
make the most of the region’s cultural and scenic
heritage. The GSP participants’ presentations from2014 and 2015 provide perhaps the best examplesof this “material nature” of local developmentideas. Last year’s program showed us, however,that even the best development plan can produce
poor results if the encounter between various
stakeholders (in 2016's GSP program: tourists,
local residents, archaeologists, and local governing
bodies) does not happen smoothly and if relationsof trust are not honed from an early stage. This
year’s program moves therefore to the humanaspects of regional development. Assumingthat events such as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics or
perhaps new relaxations in Japanese immigration
policies will provoke, in the future, sudden surgesof mobility of populations originating from outside
the Tokyo Metropolitan area (namely not just nonJapanese nationals, but also visitors from otherparts of the country), how local communities of
Chiba prefecture will react to these encounters?
Cross-regional and cross-cultural encountersrequire a certain frame of mind for them to be
fruitful, both on the part of the ‘visitors’ and on thepart of the ‘locals’; what are these and how can westudy them before they actually happen?
ritish social anthropologist, Sir Edmund Leach,famously espoused the concept of the ‘naive
stranger.’ The concept has since been criticized for
its colonial undertones, but it nevertheless remains
relevant, if we keep in mind that ‘stranger’ does notnecessarily mean ‘foreigner.’

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nder certain circumstances, I would, forexample, be considered a total stranger
to what happens to the residential district thatis located next to mine, simply because I am
not part of that particular community. In thissense, especially in regards to human-to-humanencounters, ‘strangeness’ should be a very
familiar feeling.

SP 2017, therefore, aimed more precisely
at simulating cross-cultural encounters in
two areas of Chiba prefecture. One is the town of
Ichinomiya, which is also going to host the surfing
competitions at the coming 2020 Tokyo Olympic
Games. The other is Chiba-city and particularly
the Old Town (Hasuike), which has recently been
the center of increased efforts to attract tourists.
The two areas differ in many aspects (population,
urbanization, transport network etc.), but do theyalso differ in the way local communities react toa sudden surge of visitors from the outside?

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urprising though it may seem,
fieldwork in a cultural context ofwhich you already have intimate firsthand experience seems to be much moredifficult than fieldwork which is approachedfrom the naive viewpoint of a total stranger.
W h e n a n t h ro p o l o g i s t s s t u d y f a c e t s o ftheir own society their vision seems tobecome distorted by the prejudices which
derive from private rather than public
experience (Edmund Leach. 1982. Social
Anthropology. Glasgow: Fontana, p.124).

今年の GSP プログラム D のテーマは “ 接触 ” と地域の発展でした。学生は事前教育、一宮町、千葉市のフィールドワークなどへの参加を通して個々人が接触する際の様子を体験し、観察し、分析し、最終プレゼンテーショ

ンに臨みました。個人が常に交差する現代社会ではどこでも常に接触が起こっています。またすべての個人は異なる
背景、文化をもっています。その現代社会において、“ 接触 ” の在り方を考えることはその後に派生する全ての関係性にとって重要であるといえます。つまり、“ 接触 ” を再考察することは、その地域の発展を考える上でその町の持てる力を再発見することでした。研究方法では GoPro を活用し、自分を含めた “ 接触 ” の様子を観察したことが画期的でした。自分達の様子を客観的にみることで “ 接触 ” が複数の要素によって構築されていることを改めて考え直すことができました。
（野田 麻梨子）

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Schedule of Activities
Pre-course

Day

Contents				

12 MayTourism and Regional Revitalization: ‘Encounter’ as the Forgotten Dimension

15 MayCross-cultural Encounters: A Historical Perspective [skype session]

19 MayFilm screening: “Silence” (2016)

22 MayEncounter between AUTh and Chiba U students [skype session]

26 MayCulture and Tourism: Challenges in Japan

29 MayWorkshop: Researching Encounters: Preliminary Data Collection [skype session]

Post-course

Main Program

5, 30 June Planning the simulation
3 JulyLecture by Professor Niikura on the characteristics of cross-cultural encounters [skype session]

7 JulyRevising simulation methodology [skype session]

10 July

Preparing cultural presentations [skype session]

7 August

Last preparations

August
7
8
9
10-12
13-14
15
16-18
19-20
21
22

Arrival in Chiba (in the evening)
Welcome party
Cultural presentations at, and guided tour of, the town of Ichinomiya
Fieldwork, workshop, and mid-presentations at Ichinomiya (stay at Ichinomiya-kan)
Free days
Workshop at Chiba University to prepare for fieldwork at Chiba-city
Fieldwork in Chiba-city, followed by workshop in the evening
Preparation of final presentations
Final presentations at Chiba U, preparation of this pamphlet, farewell party
Departure from Chiba

29 Nov

Feedback session [skype session]“Exile is fruitful if one belongs to both cultures at once, without identifying
oneself with either; but if a whole society consists of exiles, the dialoguesof cultures ceases: it is replaced by eclectism and comparativism, by thecapacity to love everything a little, of flaccidly sympathizing with each option
without ever embracing any. Heterology, which makes the differences ofvoices heard, is necessary; polylogy is insipid.”
Dallmayr, Fred D.. 1996. Beyond Orientalism: Essays on Cross-Cultural
Encounter. State University of New York Press, p.33

3Collaborators
This program would not have been the same without the collaboration of all the lecturers, guides andfacilitators who, through their participation, made of this program a unique learning experience.
The fieldwork activities in Ichinomiya were co-organized and facilitated by the NPO Sasuga
Ichinomiya and the Olympic Games Promotion section of Ichinomiya's town office. We would
like to express our deepest gratitude to Mr Mabuchi, the mayor of Ichinomiya, Ms Shida, Ms
Oshidare, Mr Yamaguchi, Ms Yamanoi, and Mr Ikuta for helping and advising us on this program,and to Ichinomiya-kan for hosting us for two nights. Special thanks also go to Mr Kawano, Ms
Akiba and Mr Murokawa for hosting students from the participant observation group.
The fieldwork activities in Chiba-city were co-organized and facilitated by Chiba City’s
International Association. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to Ms Yajima, Mr Kōzu
from Chiba City Hall, to Chiba Shrine, and to Mr Hayashi from the association that promotes
the development of the Hasuike district of Chiba-city. Special thanks also go to Ms Uegusa, Mr
Nakajima, and to the Tsuji family for hosting students from the participant observation group.
A warm thank you also to our Teaching Assistant, Cokorda G. B. Suryanata, who took all thephotos appearing in this pamphlet.
See authchiba.org for more details on this and previous years’ programs
between Chiba University and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Organizing Committee
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Ioannis Gaitanidis, Chiba U
Satoko Shao-Kobayashi, Chiba U
Ryōko Niikura, Chiba U
Eleni Papadopoulou, AUTh
Panagiota Sergaki, AUTh

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Program Components

Group Combinations

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he research methodologies used in this year’s
program were produced by the participant
students themselves in the course of an extensive
pre-course education program, half of which
was held on skype, so that both parties had theopportunity to contribute to the conception of thisprogram from the beginning. The final objectiveof the program was to come up with materials(=videos, guidelines, research methodologies) thatwould allow other areas and future visitors to learn
about and prepare for cross-cultural encounters.
Needless to say, therefore, that final proposals are
not supposed to “educate” the locals, but to pickup from the students’ daily contacts with themencounter strategies that are already practiced and,if further consciously honed, can show everyone
involved in those cross-cultural encounters thatthey do not need, for example, to have gone abroador to speak perfect English to be able to live,
communicate and work with each other.
our proposals were submitted by the end of the
pre-course education sessions, as follows:roup 1: Participant observation of daily
life: experience and record on camera crosscultural encounters with local residents. Objective:
Based on recordings, make a short (10 minutes)
documentary that can be used as material toshow and talk about cross-cultural encounters.
Accompany the video with learning notes, so thatit can be used in regions other than Ichinomiya.
Include interviews and other types of content.
Teams: 1)House 1=AUTh student 1, 2)House 2/
Shop 1= 1 AUTh student + 1 ChibaU student, 3)House 3/Shop 2= 2 AUTh students+ 2 ChibaU
students.
roup 2: Cross-cultural flanerie: walk throughthree self-designated areas and record emotions,talk to passers-by, and show the area throughyour own and locals’ lenses. Objective: Based onrecordings, make a short documentary (10 minutes)
of how you and local residents see and imagine thelocal area. What is it like to live here? What are thehopes for the future development of the area? How
do you feel about these hopes? etc. The idea is partly
based on the Japanese television program “Tsurube
no Kazoku ni Kanpai” (Tsurube Toasts Families;
NHK-G, Monday, 8 p.m.) Teams: (1 ChibaU student +1 AUTh student) x3. 1 team per 1 area.
roup 3: What happens in times of
emergency? Find out how ready is the
local area to take care of non-locals in times of
emergency. Objective: every community has acertain set of guidelines to tell local residents what
to do in case of an earthquake, tsunami etc. Do
locals know about these guidelines? Are theseguidelines available and understandable to nonlocals? Besides the guidelines, would locals be able
to support non-locals in case they seek advice, help
in times of an emergency? Overall, how ready is
the local community to support temporary visitors
in times of emergency? Summarize your findings
in a 15-minute powerpoint presentation. Teams: (1ChibaU student + 1 AUTh student) x3. Divide tasks
between the three teams.
roup 4: Cross-cultural competence: use
situational flash cards to measure your own
and the locals’ cross-cultural competences in
the context of regional development. Objective:
first consider as many situational flashcards as
possible by collecting existing material (both from
Greece and Japan) and adding your own ideas.
Next, consider reducing the number of flashcards
to be used by focusing down on situations that are
relevant in the context of Ichinomiya and in aspectsof regional development. Summarize your findings
in a 15-minute powerpoint presentation (+ final
selection of flashcards) Teams: 3 AUTh students + 3
ChibaU students

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回はテーマを「接触・エンカウンター」とし、一宮町と千葉市という一見正反対にもみえる二つの都市で、『人と人が出会う時に何が起こるのか』を知るべく、家庭訪問、街頭インタビュー、緊急事態に関する意識調

査、フラッシュカードを用いたアンケートという異なる 4 つの手法を用いて調査を行いました。フィールドワーク

を実際に始めるにあたり、事前学習として Skype を用いてギリシャ、日本の学生がフィールドワークを行うにあたっての注意事項、データ収集の方法などを共に考え、プレゼンテーションの事前準備などを行いました。8 月 8 日から始まった 2 週間のメインプログラムでは言語や価値観、伝え方など私たち自身も、生徒間で “encounter”

を直接肌に感じながら取り組みました。フィールドワークを行う中で、人と関わる際に何が起こるかだけでなく、これまで人と関わる際に用いてきた知識や経験を踏まえて調査方法を練り直し、自身の行動について考え直す機会が多く与えられたように感じます。それらの成果報告として千葉大学で最終発表を行いました。（椿原 萌）

6Pre-course educationT

a topic of the pre-courses and we learned how
important culture and engagement is because incase there are no more cultural values the end
result will be that money will be the only language
we all speak. Besides normal engagement weanalyzed dialogical engagement a little bit morebecause it would be the main kind of engagement
we would have in Japan. The process of a crosscultural encounter doesn’t always have to include
merging of cultures or fusion but it can provide
meaningful and useful adaptations. For that tohappen there must be a mutual feeling of respectfrom both sides.
uring the pre-course lectures, we were also
introduced to quantitative data regarding
the foreign populations of Ichinomiya and Chibacity, to the plans of tourism development fromboth fieldwork sites, and to certain pyschologicalaspects of cross-cultural encounter by Professor
Ryōko Niikura.

he program started with both teams attending
Skype sessions. These sessions were the precourse education courses in which we basicallyattended lectures through Skype. Those lectures
introduced us to each other’s cultures and helped
us adapt to the different “climate”. The courses
were educational and aimed to help us understandthe topic of our research and our goals. With thehelp of the pre-course sessions we learned a
lot about the background of Japan which aided
our understanding of the situation. With that help
we managed to avoid some habits and topics ofconversation which otherwise we would not.
n the pre-course lessons and presentations wetalked for example about a historical perspectiveof cross-cultural encounter (see Dallmayr 1996),
such as the conquests and religious conversions
that accompanied the colonial expansion ofEuropean powers. In Japan, for example, theChristian missionaries thought that the Japanese
had already adopted some parts of Christianity
while the Japanese thought that Christians weresome kind of Buddhists. That was due to themisinterpretation of some specific words. We also
talked about the assimilations that both nations
went through the passage of time. Assimilation
does not have to be the side effect of conquest or
anything else in this manner; sometimes it is theprocess of interpenetration and fusion in which
different groups try to share their memories andhistory. We learned about how the countries wereaffected from foreign factors and how they affected
others. Liberalism and minimal engagement were

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n conclusion the pre course education courses
aimed to make our encounters as smooth as
possible and avoid every bad thing that could
have happened. They were informative andcontained a lot of information that we should know
before coming to Japan and before interactingwith the Japanese team and the Japanese people
in general. They were crucial to our success andencounters with the locals. (Iason)

事

ibliography:*Dallmayr, Fred D.. 1996. Beyond Orientalism:
Essays on Cross-Cultural Encounter. State
University of New York Press, “Chapter 1: Modesof Cross-Cultural Encounter: Reflections on 1492.”*Davidson, Cathy. 2006 [1993]. 36 Views of Mt Fuji.
Duke University Press, “Chapter 2: Foreigners.”*Henderson, Joan Catherine. 2017. Destination
Development: Trends in Japan’s Inbound Tourism.
International Journal of Tourism Research 19:89-98.
*McMorran, Chris. 2008. Understanding the‘Heritage’ in Heritage Tourism: Ideological Tool or
Economic Tool for a Japanese Hot Springs Resort?
Tourism Geographies 10(3): 334-354.
* 菊地俊夫、松村公明 編『よくわかる観光学 3：文化ツーリズム学』2016 年 朝倉書店
*Robinson. Peter. 2016. Developing the E-MediatedGaze. In Jo-Anne Lester and Caroline Scarles (eds.),
Mediating the Tourist Experience: From Brochures
to Virtual Encounters. Routledge, pp.155-170.

前教育では文化ツーリズム学についての本の一部を読んだり、映画『サイレンス』を通して文化または宗教のエンカウンターについて見たりして、私たちの今回のテーマであるエンカウンターとは何か、ということについて学びました。エンカウンターというテーマは少し難しく、事前学習をしながらもどのゴールを目指すべきか皆で考えました。また、アリストテレス大学と何度かスカイプを繋げてワークショップを行いました。そこでは文化と文化の交流やすれ違いのシチュエーションを考えて発表したり、新倉先生によるエンカウンターと地域発展についてのお話を聞いたりして、エンカウンターについての考えや知識を深めることができました。それだけではなく、一ノ宮の文化紹介とフィールドリサーチでどんなことを、どのように調査するのかを話し合うために事前学習以外の時間にもグループごとにギリシャとスカイプを繋げて活動を行いました。なかなか時間が合わず、大変な部分もありましたが、お互いを知る良い機会となりました。（渡邊 莉瑚）
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Main Program: Aug 9

Cultural presentations
During pre-course classes, we started making
cultural presentations with groups mixed with
Chiba and Auth students. The goal was to suggest
a new plan for the tourist information center in
Ichinomiya town which was planned to open in
Spring 2018. We convened Skype sessions ineach group and begun combining our previous
traveling experiences from the standpoints of bothtourists and local organizations. Ichinomiya is asmall town and we’ve never been there, hence,
it was quite hard for us to discuss. However we
had opportunities to find out more about the area
beforehand on the internet, and we were provided
with local policy materials given from town office,so that we became better qualified to express
our opinions. Throughout the skype sessions, we
could get to know each other, and realized there
were many similarities and differences which werereally interesting. Finally, we were able to present
our ideas in front of a local audience at Ichinomiya,which included even the mayor, and we could showthat we were thinking outside the box. (Kōki)

文は一宮町の観光案内所にどういったモノ・サービスを設置するとよいかというもので、事前教育の段階
化紹介は千葉大学とアリストテレス大学の学生からなる 6 つのグループに分かれて行いました。テーマ

からグループ毎にスカイプや LINE 通話などを使い、提案を出しあったり、意見を交換したりして作業を進めていきました。実際に町役場の方々からいただいだ資料などを参考にしながら、プレゼンを作成し、一宮の町
役場の方々に提案させていただく機会を得ました。プレゼンは来るオリンピックを特集したものから、地元の伝統に根付いたもの、また SNS 等のメディアを活用したものまで学生達のそれぞれの視点から考え出したユ
ニークなものが非常に多かったと思います。その後、町役場の方から一つ一つの案に対してフィードバックをいただきました。例えば、グリーンツーリズムなどの提案を実現するには農家の方々とタイアップする必要があり、実現性の難しさを実感しました。また、その他の案に関しては、これから実践していただけそうなものもあり、アイデアを出すことにやりがいを感じました。（岡村 玲奈）
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Main Program: Aug 10

Field research Ichinomiya Day 1W

e arrived in Ichinomiya in the morning for
our first day of field research. Ichinomiya
is a small city facing the Pacific Ocean on Chiba
prefecture’s east coast, and it’s popular forsurfing, due to its beautiful beaches and to thefact that it will host the surfing competitions forthe upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
e were divided in small groups with adifferent topic and research methodology
each. Every group had to go into the town andactually have a real encounter with the locals
and learn their feelings and opinions about theircity. As it was necessary to show a video for
our presentations, we all had to gather visualfootage of our encounters, which I think madeus more willing to actually try to communicate
with the locals.
e and my partner had to find locals
around the town center and tried to havea conversation with them. In the beginning, it
was quite difficult, but then we ended up getting
into a shop and talking with the owners for morethan an hour, which I found very generous andpolite and also gave us more confidence andexperience for the next conversations.
ll of the students discovered and gained
a lot of information about the city and thedaily life of the local residents and the mostinteresting part was that we had learned it fromthem. (Ermioni)

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Main Program: Aug 11

Field research Ichinomiya Day 2
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he second day at Ichinomiya started withthe students evaluating the data theyobtained the previous day. After that, many ofus continued the field work in order to gather
more footage while others stayed at the hotel
to organize the next day’s mid-presentations.
After lunch, this time, all students worked overthe presentations by analysing data and editing
vid e o s record ed over the l a s t t w o d a y s i n
Ichinomiya.
ours and hours passed, but the more tired
we became, the more the expectations
became higher. We had to make sure that ourthoughts are clear, that all the members agree
upon the core of the story of our presentation,and of course that we do not derail from ourmain aim. Cooperation after so many hours ofworking started to become really difficult as thetiredness and exhaustion took the first placein our communication, but finally at 4.30 in themorning we were done and smiles appeared on
our faces again.

lthough the difficulties this day will be
unforgettable for every GSP student, themost interesting aspect was that funny moments
were not out of the picture and that after thatday all students came closer to each other. And
OK, finally, to be honest everybody appreciatedthe effectiveness of hot Japanese bath. (Erika)H

今ループ１は、一宮町の方の協力を得て地域密着の接触を図り、伝統ある酒屋さんや一般のご家庭に滞在し、回のプログラムでは、千葉県の一宮町で２日間の実地調査を行いました。行った調査方法は 4 つです。グ

手巻きずしをふるまってもらうなど、様々な体験を通してどう人々の距離が変化していくかが観察できました。グ
ループ２は、地元の住人や観光にいらしている方に様々なトピックで話しかけましたが、会話を広げていくことの難しさを感じていました。グループ３は、災害というトピックでの接触、グループ４は、フラッシュカードを用いた接触を図りました。私はグループ３でしたが、海岸が近くサーフィン文化が発達していることもあり、各個人の災害に対する返答がしっかり返ってくることが印象的でした。また、様々な接触があり、同じ日本人であっても会話を続けることの難しさを感じました。しかし、グループ１の研究方法に協力してくださった方々をはじめとして、多くの方が調査に協力して下さり、“ 接触 ” での様々な要素を見ることができました。（吉田 美柚）
11Main Program: Aug 12

Mid-presentations in IchinomiyaThe start of the mid-presentations day in
Ichinomiya was quite hard for everyone,
because the previous night’s preparation took
m uc h m o re t im e t h a n w h a t w a s e x pe c t e d.
Everyone was exhausted, but despite that wemanaged to successfully present our work withthe support of our professors. We were excited
to see that we were joined by the mayor andsome competent bodies from Ichinomiya. The
fact that we also had to present a summary, ofthe already lengthy presentations in Japanese
made each group’s presentation longer. That
made the whole process longer but betterfor our audiences, and we were extremely
glad to have the chance to taste the delicious
soba, made by our very kind hostess, rightafter we finished everything. Even thoughsome hardships occurred and some problems
surfaced, these mid-presentations were a key
part in this year’s GSP as a “test-drive” for our
next and final presentations. (Nikos C.)

一１日目で訪れた寿屋本家で行われ、一宮町長をはじめ、一宮町役場の方や NPO 法人「さすが一宮」の方々
宮町でのフィールド調査を終え、調査結果と自分たちの考察を含めて中間発表を行いました。場所は滞在をお招きしたなかでの発表でした。GoPro で撮った動画を編集し、接触の様子を分析しました。ポイントはあくまでも異なるバックグラウンドを持つ者同士の接触であり、ギリシャ人と日本人という単純化した接触にならない
よう意識して考察しました。各グループが前日夜遅くまで議論を詰め、準備をして臨んだ成果もあり、説得力のある発表が行えたと思いました。しかし、その後の先生方からのフィードバックで、考察の浅さやグループごとの連携の強化、さらには動画の撮り方の改善について指摘を受け、まだまだ改善すべき点があることを知りました。
フィールドリサーチを含め一宮町での活動全体を通して、地元の人々の温かさに触れ、私たち自身が “ エンカウンター ” の素晴らしさを体験できた貴重な経験になりました。（村上 ひなの）
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Main Program: Aug 17

Field research in Chiba-city Day 1
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n the first day of field research in Chiba-city
we started working on tasks that each oneof us was responsible for. Some of the students
had to visit local shops and houses to create
encounters and some others had to interview
passers-by in order to collect some information.
As a first impression we realised that people in
Chiba city where mostly approachable. However,there were some exceptions since the city is
considered as a big one in Chiba prefecture andeveryday life is fast-paced. In my team i waswith Minori (a Chiba U niversity student) and ourtask was to visit together a local family businessshop that prepares and paints the traditional
lanter ns for festivals like the Oyako-sandai
festival. We were warmly welcomed to theirplace and they showed us all their products andexplained the history and tradition behind them.
They also showed us their painting technique
by letting me (try to) paint a lantern. I also
tried other traditional techniques. It was pretty
exciting because we learned so many thingsfrom people that we had just met and the best
part of it was that they enjoyed providing uswith such a knowledge and gifts in the end! We
bonded with the whole family and we createdstronger links. Even from the first day of ourmeeting we came closer and we left the store
feeling the need to return back the next day.
(Spiros)

13

Main Program: Aug 18

Field research in Chiba-city Day 2On the second day we met on the morningof 18th August in the same place we meton the first day, at Chiba City’s International
Association. In Chiba city, the four teams wererecreated with new members and now we had
to focus on different target group to interview.
During Chiba’s field research we discovereds o m a n y i n t e re s t i n g t h i n g s a s a re s u l t o finterviewing several interesting people. Oneof the team had the opportunity to meet andtalk with the officer who was the head of theemergency response section at the city hall.
After the many interviews we held and the datathat we gathered from Chiba city on both days,
we were ready for the third workshop. After an
exhausting but very entertaining day, we foundtime to have lunch. And, in the afternoon we met
back at Chiba City’s International Association
for a brief workshop until 17:00. (Nikos R.)

千の文化交流を調べる一班は中島書店に 4 人、辻忠商店に 2 人、女性宅に 1 名が訪問しました。2 班から
葉市では一宮町同様、各班に分かれて実地調査を二日間行いました。個人宅やお店を訪問し、近距離で4 班は一宮町と同じそれぞれのテーマに沿って街頭でインタビュー調査を行ないました。各班のテーマは、2 班
は自然な会話における接触、３班は緊急時の避難における人々の認識、4 班はカードを用いた文化の違いに関する考え方の認識、でした。加えて 3 班は千葉市役所を訪問し、行政側の緊急時の避難に関する認識も調査しました。どの班も一度、一宮町で調査を行なった経験があるため、さらに調査方法を発展させ、話しかける言葉などを工夫し、より充実した調査を行うことができたと思います。私は一班だったので、二日を通して辻忠商店で過ごさせていただきました。丁寧にお店の説明をしていただき、長時間共に過ごすことで、次第に会話が自然で、個人的なことも話せるようになっていきました。その過程を体験し、時間を共に過ごし、お互いを知ることはコミュ
ニケーションに影響を与えることを実感しました。（原 実李）1414

Main Program: Aug 19-20

Final workshop
For the final workshop we had to to complete our
final proposals. Each member was appointed a
specific topic (see table of contents on the next page)
and worked on that to create a final presentation
which included a video, a written explanation of the
topic and a powerpoint file. It was a really challenging
task because it required a lot of interaction andcommunication between all the members in order
to collect the data that was gathered throughout thefieldwork of the previous days. The next step was toanalyse the data and combine them to compose athree minute video that contained the basic elementsof the explanation and presented them in a visual
way in both languages. So even though we had twodays in our disposal and the time was barely enoughbecause the process was really time consuming, wemanaged to come up with a result that we were allvery proud of. (Andreas)ll student presentations are available athttps://authchiba.org/summer-2017/gsp2017-cross-cultural-encounter/ (password:
ichinomiya)

A

中分類し、ひとつの体系として構成するという課題に取り組みました。最終ワークショップでは、先生がさ間発表後のワークショップで、コミュニケーションに影響を与えうる様々な要素をいくつかのカテゴリーにらに再構成したものの中から、学生がそれぞれカテゴリーやその中の下位カテゴリーをひとつ選び、それに関する簡潔なビデオ、３００字程度の説明文と、最終発表で用いるスライドを作成しました。ワークショップは２日間にわたって行われ、どの学生も苦心しながら真剣にビデオを作っていました。課題は個人で進めるものでしたが、千葉大学の学生とＡＵＴｈの学生が互いの内容について相談することが必要になるような工夫がされていました。私自身も、ビデオからどのようなことが見出せるのかを考えたり、説明文の論理構成に悩んだり、様々な壁にぶつかりながら完成させることができました。また、ビデオの日本語に英語字幕を付ける際には、日常的な会話がかなりその場の文脈に依存しているものであることが垣間見え、普段の生活からは気付けない
ことを改めて認識することもできました。（田崎 駿）
15

Final presentations

Interaction

Regarding the use of language, we tried to use theEnglish language more simply; shorter sentences,smaller/simpler words, better pronunciation.
Additionally, adjustments were made to the Japanese
language, depending on the participant’s age andability to understand. The voice tone used during an
encounter affects the whole course of interaction.
Approaching someone with a loud voice can beperceived as aggressive, leading to rejection, whereasusing a calmer tone seemed more effective. Somestudents were loud from the beginning, others started
with low voices, which gradually got louder. The voiceprojections of the participants sometimes changed
during the encounter. Gaze can indicate how aperson feels about themselves and the person they
are interacting with. It can show interest, familiarity,content. Avoidance of eye-contact can occur if theparticipant feels discomfort, unease, or believes
that looking someone in the eye may make themfeel uncomfortable. Body language can convey
information that cannot be expressed otherwise.
During the encounters, some participants werereserved, using very little body language. Others
used hand gestures and movements, seeming more
comfortable. The students used hand gestures
when approaching the participants, wanting to ease
the interaction and communication. These basic
components are very important in any encounter,and can facilitate the interaction between people.
However, they can be perceived and experienceddifferently by people, therefore, constitute a vitalelement in any cross-cultural encounter. (Konstantina)

Table of contents of final presentations:1.Interaction
1.1.Use of language
1.2.Voice tone
1.3.Gaze
1.4.Body language
2.“Language barrier”
2.1.“without English, no communication”
2.2.“if you speak Japanese, no problem”
2.3.“no language, no communication”
3.Medium
3.1.Common knowledge
3.2.Common interests
3.3.Mediating actors/objects
4.Locus
4.1.Time
4.2.Environment (space)
4.3.Movement
4.4.Place (space+feeling)
5.Assumptions
5.1.Stereotypes
5.2.Habits/normalized behavior
5.3.“Politics”
6.Adaptability
7.Suggestions for local revitalization(Ichinomiya+Chiba)During every encounter, a form of communicationneeds to be established between the participants,
who use certain elements in order to interact: use oflanguage, tone of voice, gaze and body language.

16

Final presentations

Language BarrierA

common barrier that people have to deal withwhen they want to communicate with foreigners
is that of language. From my experiences at Chiba
and Ichinomiya, people can be divided in three
categories: the first one is made up of those who
believe that even if someone speaks only English,
it is possible to communicate; the second one
includes those who think that communicationis only achievable in Japanese; and the third
one is composed of those who consider that
communication can also be achieved without
speaking. Some people in the first category knew
some English, but the majority didn’t. Although,all of them were listening to me carefully and were
trying to understand me, even if they didn’t know
the language. That made me have a different
approach, be more understanding and talk slower
and more clearly. People in the second category
seemed unwilling to listen to me in English, eventhough we tried to use some Japanese words. Thiskind of behavior expanded the “barrier” and forced
me to stop making further efforts to communicate
with them. However, people in the third category
didn’t care about the difference in language. During
the conversation they used many times the bodylanguage and that inspired me to use the bodylanguage more and made the atmosphere more
comfortable. In some cases, the combinationof gestures and visual methods, like pictures –diagrams, helped me communicate better. In the
final analysis, some believe that “Language Barrier”
is the main problem and stick to that, while others
consider it as a new chance to communicate even ina different “language” (body, English etc.). (Elena)
17Final presentations

Medium & Locus
Tof some “barriers” this program contributes to themediation of the differences and the pointing out of
the similarities that bond people together. (Sotiria)
ocus is a concept that covers all of theelements which surround people and indirectly
affect the emotions people have when they are
spoken to or see something such as sound,
distance, atmosphere, weather, condition of people
themselves. So the effect tends to appear frombefore something happens to a few seconds aftersomething happened. In this case, we focusedon four of these elements: Time, Environment,
Movement and Place. Time is an obvious factor,
because relationships change and intimacy is
directly affected by the length of an encounter.
The environment, such as the number of people
involved in an encounter, the location, whether
the interviewee is sitting or standing, what kindof job they are doing, is the encounter happening
indoors or outdoors etc, is also significantly
influencing cross-cultural encounters. On the other
hand, our emotions or feelings in regards to theenvironment matter too. Everyone has prejudice orimage of each location before and after they go,
whether this is rural or urban, for example. Finally,
the “movement” of those doing the encounter
obviously also affects communication. With thesefour elements, we analyzed many footages from
Ichinomiya and Chiba-city. And finally we foundand realized that there is actually an invisible thing,“Locus” which is as important as internal factors
when the encounter happens. (Taka)hrough what we experienced during theencounters with people from different cultural
backgrounds, emerges the idea that there are traits
of interaction that contribute to the establishmentof mutual communication. Common knowledge,
common interests and mediating actors/objects
prepare a more natural approach. The feelingof uneasiness that accompanies the first, andsometimes spontaneous, encounter can belessened by the appearance of a common ground.
By the interaction, new connections are createdbetween people. During the GSP program we
met lots of people. With some of them we cameacross a language barrier. But as the interaction
prolonged, we noticed that common knowledge,
about everyday issues and society, could help us
communicate, not only by language but by theatmosphere that was created. When talking witheach other, it is possible for common interests tocome up. Familiar topics make the continuance ofthe encounter possible and interesting. Common
interest may vary from the way we spend our freetime to our basic needs that claim satisfaction
etc. One of the fastests ways for an encounterto happen, is by mediating factors. Mediating
factors can be a living being, an object or a specificsituation and immediately create a common topic
of discussion. When breaking the ice it becomeseasier to form a deeper connection with theother party and proceed further to the encounter.
The important ingredient for all the above to be
successful is the willingness to communicate andunderstand the other side. Even with the existenceL

18

Final presentations

Assumptions & AdaptabilityAW

ssumptions is what is accepted as trueor as certain to happen in our daily life,
without proof. It expands in many phenomena
like stereotypes, habits-normalized behavior andalso “politics". As it has to do with stereotypes
many locals sometimes react like they havesome kind of stereotype for foreigners becauseof their fear when a “stranger” goes to talkto them . But we realized that this does notmake them any kind of racists.Maybe if I was a
Japanese and I tried to get closer to them andopen a conversation out of nothing they would
maybe over-react with the same attitude, butthat does not make them discriminatory. About
habits and normalized behavior we have to admitthat people usually act on impulse even when
they try to approach others or when they try tohave an encounter with them. This sometimes
is useful and good on starting a conversation,
but it can be also really awkward and stressful
to someone that you want to approach. Finally,
politics is the way that we choose to act inseveral sectors of our normal lives such as
business, family and of course communication.
For example, power relationships creep in evenwhen we are not aware of them. The fact that I
am a white, blond man may have a significant
impact on how I am approached and responded
to in Japan. At the same time, precisely because
I am a “Westerner”, I may have certain specificassumptions about the “Orient”, which may
affect the veracity of my encounters. (Giorgos)

hen we think of adaptability we have tothink of a general term. It’s actually oneof the most important skills for one to havein human interactions as a whole, let alone
in our project ‘cross-cultural encounters’. It
means taking a step to the side, not a step
back, regarding your own ideas and beliefs andadopting a more passive way of conversing. It
means being open to new ideas, new ways of
doing things and all things considered, being
able to listen. Adaptability means evaluating thesituation you’re in and then being able to doyour best with what you have at the time. That
was my whole ‘mission’ basically, in order tohelp the conversation to evolve, I had to takea ‘subpart’, meaning my host had the leadingrole. I was open to everything he had to offer,and quickly inherited his ways and basically
adapted to the situation. I kept a low profile
during the whole visit without being passive
and uninterested, actually giving my advice
when asked while evaluating the timing and thecontext of the conversation. Being completely
honest, originally I was under the impressionthat my trip would be weird and boring, but aftera few minutes of us getting to know each other,I actually learned a great deal of new things andoverall had a great time. Actually, after a while,
I didn’t even think of adaptability as a thing I
HAD to do, and basically just enjoyed my newcompany. (Giannis)

19Final presentations

Suggestions for local revitalizationIn t h i s y e a r ’s G S P t h e s t u d e n t s f o c u s e dmore on the act of an encounter rather thanfinding the problems that stand as barricades
to the local development and revitalization ofeach area. However it was hard to ignore theproblems that arose during the research in both
Ichinomiya and Chiba and thus we created asmall group of suggestions that could promotelocal development. These suggestions were notaiming for development through infrastructures,but for a development with the help of the humanfactor. Our main aim is to affect the mindset of
everyone involved and expand the usual area ofactivities outside the city or town center. Most of
the suggestions focused on themed and targeted
tourism that most locals usually try to avoid. It

was a common commentary by the locals thatthrough this change in the “type” of tourists andthe lifestyle that they represent, the local identity
could be lost. However, through alter native
tourism both Ichinomiya and Chiba could be able
to create a brand name and develop accordingly
through the activities of the visitors while at thesame time promoting Japanese culture, traditionand local products. Furthermore, it is our belief
that by furthering the activities and interests,
we can prolong the stay of visitors. This was
actually one of the main points that the students
highlighted in both cities: the fact that people
that were not locals, were actually passers-by
and did not stay in the area for more than one
day. (Marina)

最思い出されます。4 日間にわたる一宮町での調査と中間発表、千葉市での調査、最終発表にむけた準備

終発表の朝、どことなくみんな緊張した面持ちで大学図書館に来ました。発表を前にそれまでの過程がなど、約 2 週間の充実したプログラムの最終形態として皆満身創痍で発表を行いました。プレゼンテーション
スペースで 1 人ずつ思い思いの形でトピックについて発表し、映像の投影が行われました。映像を見てそれまでの調査を通して 1 人 1 人が感じた ‘encounter’（接触）を思い起こし、自分のトピックについてだけでなく、他のメンバーのトピックについてもじっくり考える機会になったのではないでしょうか。接触にかかわる様々な要因を直接肌で感じながら、ある意味立体的に接触について物事をとらえられたことは私たちにとって実りあるものになったと思います。また一宮町や千葉市のさらなる発展について ‘ 接触 ’ を通して考えたことはこれまでの地域活性化のための活動とは少し視点が変わり、面白いものになったと思います。映像がうまく投影されなかったり、緊張してうまく話せなかったり、予想外の出来事はそれぞれあったかもしれません。しかし、2 週間私たちが取り組んだことの総まとめとして全員が発表を終えられたことは１つの大事なことだと思います。また、全員が全員の作業に懸命に取り組む過程をよく知っています。この後、それぞれ自分の中でこの経験を広げたり活用したりすることが、最終発表の先の道になりうると思います。また最後に各先生方からいただいた
フィードバックは今回の最終発表の反省であり、今後私たちが誰かほかの人と出会い、ともに作業を進めることになる際にきっと生かされることでしょう。（釜谷 諒子）
20

Afterthoughts
MarikoErika

communication. I also could attempt to fix

so many things and definitely widened our
minds. GSP program met my expectations

A couple of words cannot explain our
experience in Japan. We’ve been taught

Observing myself was so shameful but
useful to reconsider about my habit of
my way in the field. It was a unique andprecious experience for me.

and Japanese culture got a place in myheart. Thank you for everything!

Moe
I cannot believe finishing this program in this

Miyu

There are many first experiences forme. I enjoyed these, but I also had many

year so soon. I am sure I learned new ways
to see things and to try lots of things without

troubles. I appreciate this program that

hesitation. Thank you all for the experiencegave me many opportunities. Thank you forand for being there those two weeks.

everything!

Iason

The idea of GSP that I had was completely
different than the one I have now. The

Nikos C.

great and full of experiences that I did not
expect. Arigato mina san!

to exceed them in the most pleasant andunexpected ways, full of wonderful people
and moments.

Even though my expectations were quite

high from last year’s GSP, this one managed

program was great and these 2 weeks wereRiko
I think pre-education was not so hardfor me but I spent hard days in theset w o w e e k s . H o w e v e r, I g o t w o n d e r f u lexperiences including knowing the AUTh
students. Thank you for everything.

HinanoThrough this program, I could learn thatencountering people gives me a great
experience. As a result, I thought I want tocommunicate more with people who havedifferent cultures.

Kōki
I couldn’t help but feeling difficulties andgap between the assumptions I had andpractices on the field. This was a good stepfor further study!

SpirosThis was the first GSP program that I
participated in and I was expecting that
this would be a unique experience. The
thing is that now that the days havepassed I realised that I had one of thebest experiences in my life. We made newfriends and we met a different and amazing
place.

Rena
In this program, some of the work was toughfor me, though, I could manage to complete
everything thanks to the other members of
this program. Thank you from the bottom of
my heart. I’ll never forget you!

Nikos R.
It was a great experience for me because I
was given the opportunity to meet people
with a different culture from my own. But I

ErmioniThis was the first GSP that I participatedin. It was a lovely experience. I am very

would rather have visited more places withhistorical and religious content, so that I
can better understand Japanese culture.

grateful for all the knowledge andmemories I collected from the program andI look forward to using them in the future!
Arigato gozaimasu!!
21

MinoriTakacooperated with our interviews. Especially, I

science program was perfectly new and

The program improved my skills, and gaveme chances to meet polite people who

Greek open-mind way of communication
totally changed me. And this social

can make friends with Greeks and Japanesethrough this program. GSP became a greatso valuable experience in my life . If there
are any opportunities to go to Greece, I will

memory for me! Thank you.

definitely do so. Thank you for everything.
E υχαριστ ώ π ά ρα πολ ύ.

AndreasThis program, with all its difficulties andunexpected challenges, offered me many

Giorgos
It turned out that GSP overcame myimagined that my best memories would

we had some awesome moments. I want to

new experiences. Before I participated I

expectations. I made a lot of friends andhave been from my free time in Japan andnot during the program. Now, after its

thank each one of them because they gaveme two great weeks.

completion I can say that I was mistaken.

Giannis

Shun

Definitely an eye-opening experience

I was always feeling difficulties ofcommunication but, thanks to this program,I realized that it wasn’t because languages
were different. This program gave mesome hints of better communication, and I
want to keep thinking how to improve mycommunication skills.

through and through. New places, newpeople, new you. If I had to do it all overagain, I would do it in a heartbeat. Minus
the morning meetings maybe.
Marina
GSP this year was completely different
from last year. Not just in terms of field of
research but also the way that the whole
research was carried out. It gave us the
chance to dig a bit further into Japanesesociety and the way it perceives foreigners.

Konstantina
This GSP was an eye-opening experience. I
am very grateful to have met such amazing
people, and experienced such unique
moments. This program is a great real-life
example of cross-cultural encounters.

Ryōko
Through the various “encounters”, myexperiences were even more fruitful forme than last year’s GSP. We could getsomething good from the encounter withpeople, place, time.

Elena
Th i s G S P wa s a rea l cha l l e n g e f o r m e .
I met interesting people, I experienced
traditional Japanese moments, I learned tocollaborate better, I changed the way I see
things, I gained theoretical and experiential
knowledge and many others things thatwords cannot describe. I love you all!

Sotiria
GSP is a unique experience that I would
recommend to everyone! I cannot believethat time flied so fast. Through theinteraction with many different people I
have gained may new experiences andknowledge. I am glad that I was part of thisprogram and I hope that it will continue!

22Encounter & Revitalization

More info
authchiba.org
Contact
web : http://cie.chiba-u.ac.jp/liberal_arts/gsp.html
E-mail : gaitanidis@chiba-u.jp