ISSUE 3

SUMMER 2022

THE DP EXPRESSTHE OFFICIAL STUDENT-LED OKINAWA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

Our Experiences with the Extended Essay
BY KIRARA TAKEKURA AND SUBIN SHIN (DP2 STUDENTS)

Kirara Takekura
The EE subject I had previously chosen was History. Influenced by my interest inAustralia, I was planning on researching the history of the aboriginal people and theBritish approaching the island. However, after collecting my resources andreconsidering my topic, I grew more interested in Japanese society, as I wanted toknow more about my homeland. Thus, I changed the EE subject from History toJapanese during the first year of DP. It was a very challenging decision to make, as
the Japanese EE involves self-investigation of the topic, that is, collecting information
through surveys and interviews apart from resources. However, with the support of
my teachers and my confidence in writing a Japanese paper, I was determined to starta new journey in another subject. The new topic I selected was the Japanese supportof young careers, which is a topic that is discussed in Japan recently. Young carers
are children under the age of 18 who take the responsibility equivalent to adults intheir household, such as doing the house chores for the family, taking care of thesiblings, and looking after their ill family members. Learning about the hardships ofyoung careers opened my eyes and gave me an opportunity to deepen myunderstanding of Japanese culture and society. The experience of contacting the localorganization and conducting surveys and interviews was challenging, but it helped meenhance my communication skills and interaction skills. In addition, as the Japanese
EE was the longest Japanese essay I had written, it was a great experience to learn
about the essay structure and formal writing style in Japanese.

THE OFFICIAL OIS STUDENT NEWSLETTERIn this issue
EXPERIENCES WITH EE
ACADEMIC GUIDANCEASSASSINATION OF ABESHINZOMARINE DAY EVENTENTERTAINMENT:RAKUGO & BOOK
RECOMMENDATIONISSUE 3 // SUMMER 2022

DP EXPERIENCESISSUE 3 // SUMMER 2022

Subin Shin
My initial subject choice was also history. I planned on writing about the Korean War that took place between 1950

and 1953, and to what extent the differences in ideology had caused the outbreak of the war. However, the more I
researched about the topic, I acknowledged the challenges to construing an organized structure for the essay, so notmuch progress was made until the end of the first year of DP. Upon starting the winter break, Mr. Tang, my English
Language and Literature teacher approached me with a suggestion on changing the subject to English. Since I havebeen having doubts about my subject choice and have always enjoyed English literature, I decided to alter mysubject. The work of literature I selected was a book I had read over the summer in my first year of DP, which was aclassic tale called The Picture of Dorian Gray written by an Irish poet and playwright, Oscar Wilde. There were afew prospective literary works; however, I was fixated on this novel because I was so enamored by Wilde’s
employment of nature and metaphors to comment on the decadence of Victorian society and the declining virtue of aman. The book had multiple aspects that could be explored, so it was a little challenging for me to decide on aspecific concept to explore in my essay. Narrowing down the topic and formulating a research question suitable for a4,000-word essay was also challenging. Although an EE on English Language and Literature does not require you toconduct a lot of research, it does require a lot of personal analyses and a strong fundamental understanding of what
you are writing about, so I recommend starting early and reading the piece you have chosen a couple of times.

Our Experiences with the Academic Guidance
BY KIRARA TAKEKURA AND SUBIN SHIN (DP2 STUDENTS)

Kirara Takekura
Our academic guidance process has been and is supported by an external organization named EDUBAL. We havemonthly meetings where we discuss updates on the university plans and the monthly tasks assigned by our academic
guidance teacher. The counselor offers students personalized strategies to prepare them for their university
application. In the process, I first decided on the countries where I wished to study, and listed more than 20
university choices. Because I already had a specific field of interest, my university choices were mostly based on thecourse structure of that major. I then narrowed my choices after consulting about my paths with my family and also
researching deeper about the university’s location, career support, and the classes they offer. The guidance teacher
helped me structure my schedule for the university applications, and provided me with application period options sothat my schedule will be less intrusive on the DP assessments. Currently, I am preparing for my scholarship essays
and during the summer, I am planning on taking campus tours at my dream universities.
Subin Shin
Academic Guidance experience through EDUBAL has been a really imperative part of my university application
process since the countries I wanted to study in fluctuated so much and because I was uncertain about which course
I should take in university. During the first months of our meeting, my counselor advised me to do a personal
analysis of myself and brainstorm my interests to narrow down a possible major I could take in college, which wasreally helpful. I also had several countries of choice; however, my final decision after a thorough discussion withmy parents was to join the liberal arts programs conducted in English in Japan. When you are having academic
guidance meetings, always keep in mind that it is a system in which you cooperate with the counselor. Thecounselor would remind you to keep up with the deadlines and prepare all the necessary documents and provide
some feedback on your personal statement. However, you are the one in the end to take responsibility for all of it.
Do not fear though. It will be a prolific experience getting to know yourself better!
THE OFFICIAL STUENT-LED OIS NEWSLETTERISSUE 3 // SUMMER 2022

WORLD NEWS / GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCEISSUE 3 // SUMMER 2022

Abe Shinzo's Assassination
BY KIRARA TAKEKURA (DP2 STUDENT)On July 8th, 2022, at 11:30 am, the former prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe was shot twice during hisspeech in the southern city of Nara. Abe was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, who held office in2006 for a year, then again from 2012 to 2020. He suffered two bullet wounds to his neck and his heart
and unfortunately passed away at 5:03 pm on the day due to excessive bleeding.
The shooter of this attack, Tetsuya Yamagami, was a former member of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense
Force, Japan's equivalent of a navy, who had retired in 2005. Although Japan has some of the moststringent laws on buying and owning a gun among developed nations, the shooter used an improvised
firearm, consisting of two tubes bound together side-by-side with black electrical tape.
"I thought that former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi contributed to the expansion of the group, and I
thought about killing his grandson, former Prime Minister Abe," Yamagami told investigators. The suspectrevealed that his intention for the shooting is unrelated to Abe’s political beliefs. However, the suspect
rather held a grudge against the Unification Church, formally known as the Family Federation for World
Peace and Unification. The church is known as “the group” by Yamagami. His mother was a member ofthe church, and because of her large contributions to the organization, leading to his family’s financial
collapse, he murdered former prime minister Abe.

Tackling the suspect after Shinzo Abe was shot on Friday. He had tossed aside what appeared to be a crude gun. (The Asahi
Shimbun, via Getty Images)
References:
Murphy, M. & Tan, Y. (2022). Shinzo Abe: Japan’s ex-leader assassinated while giving a speech.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62089486
The New York Times. (2022). Shinzo Abe of Japan dies after being shot during speech.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/07/08/world/japan-shinzo-abe-shooting
THE OFFICIAL STUENT-LED OIS NEWSLETTERISSUE 3 // SUMMER 2022

ETHICS / SUSTAINABILITY

Marine Day Event

ISSUE 3 // SUMMER 2022

Creds: Pixabay

BY SUBIN SHIN (DP2 STUDENT)On July 14th, all MYP, DP, and ILA students went to Azama San San Beach for a small beach clean-up
and barbeque. The Okinawa International School Marine Day event was registered as part of several eventsworldwide to celebrate World Environment Day (June 5) and World Ocean Day (June 8) respectively, andthis year’s event was a commencement to the annual Marine Day events that will take place henceforward
in OIS.
The objectives of the Marine Day event were to develop an appreciation for and familiarity with the natureof the sea; to nurture a caring heart and a sense of solidarity and belonging via interactions with students
from different grades; to acquire the rules of group life and public morals through group activities; and tocreate a more conscious approach to the SDGs and how the responsibility for a positive climate change
belongs to all of us.
As someone who had experience in organizing a beach clean-up project for a community project, I wasreally glad to return to the beach and participate in the event. Compared to 4 years ago, the beach seemed
to have less garbage; however, there was a great deal of microplastic considered detrimental or even fatal
to the lives of sea animals. Tom Hamashima from DP1 also commented, “I learned that plastics andmicroplastics are hurting and killing marine organisms,” and Momo Oshiro said that she realized how“necessary [it is] for each person to make an effort to prevent the generation of plastic trash” after noticing
firsthand how the trash that seemingly had drifted in the ocean for years was difficult to notice.
Students also participated in the sand sculpture contest in which students, in teams, each assigned one
criterion from the SDGs create sculptures that creatively express their reflections, critiques, and thoughts
about their selected SDGs. The overall event was a highly cooperative one, for students were able to divide
their workload freely with some participating in creating the sculptures as prizes were at stake and the rest
cooking the food prepared for everyone to enjoy. Kanna Sueyoshi from ILA2 said that she reallycommended the idea of “using only what [was available] on the beach” to create the sand sculptures,
claiming that it “deepended [her] understanding of the SDGs because [she] was able to think about themeaning of the objects [used]” while crafting the sculptures.
One anomaly this time was the use of reusable lunch boxes brought from home by each student in order toreduce plastic waste, and I thought this was an effective way to stipulate an eco-friendly mindset foreveryone and for them to always be mindful of their actions. The event was overall a successful one, witheveryone enjoying interaction with each other, reminding themselves of the importance of taking care ofthe environment. Lana Weightman from MYP5 stated that she had fun at the event and would love toparticipate in it again, also noting that she would prefer to focus more on “local issue[s] that would need tobe addressed but are not well known to students, such as young carers and the poverty situation” in thefuture.
THE OFFICIAL STUENT-LED OIS NEWSLETTERISSUE 3 // SUMMER 2022

ISSUE 3 // SUMMER 2022

ENTERTAINMENTRakugo
BY KIRARA TAKEKURA (DP2 STUDENT)

Have you ever heard of rakugo (落語)? Rakugo is a 400-year-old tradition of comic monologue storytelling inJapan. A minimalistic performing art, rakugo features a lone storyteller dressed in a kimono, kneeling on acushion, using only a fan and a hand towel as props (for Edo Rakugo, a type of rakugo originated in Tokyo).
In order to become a professional rakugoka, one must be apprenticed to a master, from whom one receives astage name.
OIS invited a rakugo professional (rakugoka), who was the first Okinawan to become a professionalrakugoka. He performed two comic monologues for the students, one about discovering the meaning of“Tenshiki,” which was the medical terminology for “fart,” and the other about being excessively blamed for
not remembering his dreams. The event allowed students to have fun while experiencing traditional Japanese
comedy and provided an opportunity for non-Japanese students to enhance their listening skills. As it was myfirst time watching a live rakugo performance, it opened my eyes to how the actor performed several roles byhimself, and how the fan and the handkerchief were used to mimic a variety of everyday goods.
References:Ochi, H. (2016). Japanese language and culture through rakugo. Japanese Language and Culture through Rakugo - Japan Foundation, Sydney.

Book Recommendation
BY SUBIN SHIN (DP2 STUDENT)

Summer is a perfect time for spine-chilling reads. I have a novel that will grip you
from the first page and make it impossible for you to put it down. It is called Inferno
by Dan Brown. Some of you may know him as the author of the international
bestseller, The Davinci Code; however, I believe that Inferno is certain to grasp
your attention more than The Davinci Code ever can.
Synopsis: Robert Langdon, a professor of symbology at Harvard, wakes up in a
hospital located in Italy with no recollection of the past thirty-six hours. He is inpossession of a macabre object which he has to decipher when he meets his
resourceful doctor, Sienna Brooks. Chased by a female assassin, they are forced toflee through Florence, unraveling a series of codes, the work of a brilliant scientist
whose obsession with the end of the world is equated only by his passion for one of
the most influential works ever written, which is none other than Dante Alighieri's
The Inferno.
Thriller as a genre for this book is an understatement. You will feel as if you arereading a movie. I do not think I can ever praise a book more than I would thisnovel. It is the first time a book has shown me the freedom the author has in his own
pages, and that novels do not always have to end realistically. Now all I want to dois carry this book around and explore Italy, following in Langdon’s footsteps.
THE OFFICIAL STUENT-LED OIS NEWSLETTERISSUE 3 // SUMMER 2022