1CWAJ ANNUAL REPORT 2013-2014

CWAJ

annualreport2013-2014

MARCH 2014

CWAJ PROGRAMS CREATE OPPORTUNITIESFOR JAPAN’S VISUALLY IMPAIREDThe spirit of CWAJ’s mission of community service is exemplified
by its programs for Japan’s visually impaired community.
Individuals with visual impairment (VI) are included in every
activity area: Education, Scholarship and Print Show. Just how
important is CWAJ’s commitment to the VI? CWAJ has been
there every step of the way to help VI through its uniquescholarships and English language programs as moreeducational pathways and career options opened up forJapanese with visual impairments.
The first VI person ever awarded CWAJ’s Scholarship for the
Visually Impaired (SVI) in 1978 tells us how CWAJ made thedifference in his life.
“I lost my eyesight when I was a college student. Fortunately,
the CWAJ scholarship enabled me to continue studying atcollege. As I am now 65 yrs old, I will retire from theuniversity. Once again please accept my sincerest thanks to
CWAJ and VVI.”
Ryoichi Namai, Professor at Kaetsu University, March 2013

Scholarships for the Visually Impaired
Sixty two men and women with visual impairment have received
a CWAJ Scholarship for the Visually Impaired (SVI) since 1978.
SVI awards help VI persons pursue careers previously
considered unattainable. Unlike CWAJ’s other scholarships (seeinside), SVI scholars include both men and women studying ateither the undergraduate or post-graduate levels in Japan orabroad. This is the only scholarship program in Japan entirely
devoted to individuals with visual impairment.
Daisuke Aiba (SVI Study in Japan 2010; PhD October 2013:
Aichi University Teacher Education faculty) tells CWAJ
“I am most grateful to CWAJ for giving me recognition. Such
recognition was the source of my energy to follow my dream.
It would not have been possible for me to continue without
giving up had it not been for your support. I hope I will beable to return what I was given some day to the community
and to CWAJ.”

Hands-on Art
As part of CWAJ’s annual Print Show, Hands-on Art (HOA) is
greatly enjoyed by both VI and sighted persons. Established in
1996, HOA features raised images of a carefully selected set ofprints to help VI “see prints with fingers.”
In 2013, artist Asuka Yanagisawa specially created bas-reliefs
for the 58th Print Show, adding a new tactile dimension foreveryone’s enjoyment. Docents trained to guide VI were alsoavailable to explain the more than 200 prints on view. A HOA
visitor exclaimed:“I was given detailed information that people often fail to see.
This experience was so rewarding that I thought not being
able to see is not always a disadvantage.”

Volunteers for the Visually Impaired (VVI):
Education Programs
Over 60 volunteers in CWAJ’s largest Education Committee, theVVI, contributed hundreds of hours in 2013 to reach more than
200 individuals in Japan’s VI community.
 Three English Conversation Gatherings (ECGs) provided
opportunities to practice English conversation in a wide varietyof venues (e.g. foreign embassies and art museums) and tolearn about other cultures. Over 120 VI are invited, sometraveling from as far away as Shizuoka and Tochigi
Prefectures to participate in these programs.
 Forty eight weeks, 2 days each week, VVI volunteers teachEnglish conversation at the Japan Vocational Development
Center for the Blind. English instruction is an integral part ofjob training in Japan. CWAJ’s members teach in teams that
include native English speakers.
 Over four days in 2013, 34 VVI members conducted mockoral exams for the Eiken English proficiency test for VI highschool students at the Special Needs Education School for the
Visually Impaired, University of Tsukuba.
 Over 200 newsletters are sent 3 times a year in Braille, large
print and via email featuring VI community news. The list of
subscribers continues to grow.

Read inside this report to learn more about how your support for CWAJ
makes a difference in providing opportunities and new horizons.
Thank you to all our supporters and volunteers.

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CWAJ ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013

Mizuho Aoki (FRS 2012) graduated in
March, 2013 and passed the national
examinations for nurse, public healthnurse and hospital midwife. She is now
working as a midwife.
Since April 2011 CWAJ has been
supporting Fukushima victims through anumber of relief projects. CWAJ hopes tocontinue making financial contributions to
the future of the stricken area with warm
understanding and support from donors athome and abroad.

Mental Health Care Center Nagomi
Within just ten months after the East
Japan Great Earthquake, Mental HealthCare Center Nagomi in Soma City wasestablished to maintain and to improvemental health of victims living in
temporary housing, patients with mental
disorders and their families. In 2012
CWAJ donated to Nagomi a van with awheel chair lift to facilitate counselors’
home visits and transportation of patients.
A white color van with the red CWAJ logo
travels within the city as it serves thecommunity. CWAJ is also covering the
120,000 yen insurance of the van in 2013
and 2014
In December 2013 CWAJ again sent
Christmas gifts for children including toys,
stationary, candies and other treats. A
huge thank you to CWAJ members fortheir kind donations totaling over 40,000
yen.

Fukushima Relief Scholarship
The Fukushima Relief Scholarship (FRS)
was launched in 2012 to help Fukushima
Medical University School of Nursing
students directly affected by the disasters
to continue their studies. The scholarshipaward of 500,000 yen is almost
equivalent to a full year’s tuition.

Hiroko Yamada and Saiko Akiyama (FRS
2012-2013) graduating in March, 2014,
will take the national exams and thenbegin their nursing careers. Ms Yamada
reports “The CWAJ scholarship gave me
relief and hope when I was in despair
after the disaster. The current state in
Fukushima is far from full recovery andreconstruction but people are living withhope.”
Ms Akiyama also credits CWAJ, “Due tomy monetary situation, I could notevacuate from Fukushima and I was left
with radiation fear. After the accident at
the nuclear plant, I was always
questioning myself whether I should stayor put my child’s health first. I am
thankful to CWAJ for supporting thestudents of Fukushima. It was easy forme to quit, but I would have had many
regrets if I had. Thanks to yourscholarship, regardless of the fear ofradiation, I was able to pursue my studies
to become a nurse.”
Fumika Kojima and Sonoko Nagasawa(FRS 2013) will continue their nursing
studies in the 2014 academic year. Ms
Nagasawa and her young son had toevacuate after 3/11 as their home was inan area of high radiation. Returning two
years later, she decontaminated their
yard at her own expense but her son’soutside activities are still limited due toradiation in the area. Ms Nagasawa
worked in industrial safety before entering
nursing school, and her goal is to use her
experience and nursing training to be anindustrial health consultant to “support
the healthy life of working women(including childbirth and child-rearing)”.

Fukushima Art Project
CWAJ Fukushima Art Project teamcontinues to work hard to facilitate theproposed “Asobijutsu” program initiatedby Prof. Koichi Ebizuka of Tama Art
University. The aim of this program is toencourage children to pursue their artistic
creativity through “art as play.”
The
Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art inFukushima City and Junior Chamber ofCommerce of Sukagawa City, Fukushima
Prefecture have agreed to hold theAsobijutsu workshop with CWAJ in July
2014 at the Museum and Botan Kaikan in
Sukagawa City.
Three CWAJ members participated in the
prize award ceremony for the Denzen
Memorial Print Exhibition held on February
9, 2014 in Sukagawa City. Out of over
3,000 submitted prints by primary andjunior high school students the Denzen
Prize was awarded to the best print ofeach division. The award is in honor of
Aodo Denzen, a Sukagawa City citizen
who pioneered the print etching techniquein Edo period. Since 2013 an extra prize
for the winners and their parents is a trip
to the CWAJ Print Show provided by
CWAJ. The 2014 winners will be invited toattend the CWAJ Print Show in October.

2013 CWAJ SCHOLARS
Scholarship to the InterUniversity Center for Japanese
Language Studies (IUC)
1 scholarship of 2 million yen

Graduate Scholarship forJapanese Women to Study
Abroad (SA)
2 scholarships of 3 million yen
ARAI, Yuki
Study program: LL.M. Cornell
University (USA)NARUI, Ryoko
Study program: MSc Medical
Humanities, King’s College London (UK)

Graduate Scholarship for NonJapanese Women to Study inJapan (NJG)
2 scholarships of 2 million yen
SHAO, Dan (People’s Republic ofChina)
Study Program: MA Contemporary
Literary Studies, University of Tokyo
AKHTER, Nasrin (People’s Republic ofBangladesh)
Study Program: PhD Immunology,
Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University

CWAJ-Tokyo American Club Women’sGroup Non-Japanese Graduate
Scholarship
1 scholarship of 2 million yen
BASU, Mrittika (India)
Study Program: PhD, Graduate School of
Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University

Scholarship for the Visually Impaired toStudy in Japan (SVI-SJ)
2 scholarships of 2 million yen
HATANO, Hiroki
Study Program: BA Law, Chuo University
KAMIJO, Haruo
Study Program: PhD Advanced Nanosciences
and Biosciences, Graduate School of
Innovative Life Sciences, University of Toyama

PRICE, Deborah (USA)BA Japanese, MA Asian Languages
and Cultures, University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Fukushima Relief Scholarship (FRS)
4 scholarships of 0.5 million yen
Fukushima Medical University School of
Nursing
AKIYAMA, Saiko 4th year student
YAMADA, Hiroko

4th year student

KOJIMA, Fumika 3rd year student
NAGASAWA, Sonoko 2nd year student

CWAJ 60th Anniversary Overseas
Scholars
1 scholarship of 180,000 yen, 5yrs
GAYAGAY, Sandra Glynn (Philippines)
Study Program: MD, School of Medicine,Saint Louis University, Baguio

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CWAJ ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013“Receiving the travel grant from CWAJ in
1969 to study at the Neighborhood
Playhouse School of the Theatre changed
my life” said noted casting director andfilm producer Yoko Narahashi, guest
speaker at CWAJ ’ s 2013 Scholarship
Luncheon. Ms Narahashi founded United
Performers Studio and UPS Academy toteach method acting to non-native English
speakers, which has established her role
as a bridge from Japan
to
Hollywood.
The
successful movies from“ The Last Samurai ” to“ Emperor ” show the
involvement of Japanese
actors and actresses in
Hollywood
films
that
could not be seen before.
Over 60 years, CWAJ has evolved frompost-war support of the prohibitively large
travel expenses for Japanese to study
overseas to today’s scholarships awarded
to exceptionally talented Japanese womenstudying abroad, non-Japanese womenstudying in Japan, and both male andfemale visually impaired students. CWAJ’s
Scholarship and Education programs,

based on donations and support of theannual Print Show, has helped launch thecareers of nearly 800 scholars including
62 visually impaired scholars, 332 womenawarded scholarships in other programs,
and more than 400 students who received
travelgrantsbeforeCWAJ’sfull
scholarship program began in 1972.
These scholars have become remarkable
leaders at the forefront of education,
human rights, medical research, media,
environmental science, etc.
Having received initial support from CWAJ,
many scholars go on to distinguishedacademic careers in a wide variety offields. Dr. Sumru Keceli, 2011 NonJapanese Graduate (NJG) scholar fromTurkey, has recently been awarded a twoyear
JSPS
Postdoctoral
Fellowship
Program for Foreign Researchers from theJapan Society for the Promotion of
Science. “I was not expecting to receive
this prestigious and competitive award ”
wrote Ms Keceli in appreciation to CWAJ.
She will continue her research on how ourbrains process incoming sound stimuli at
the National Institute for Physiological
Sciences in Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture.

CWAJ’s Scholarships for the Visually
Impaired (SVI) program was the first of
its kind in Japan. Shingo Morii, 2012 SVI
Scholarship in Memory of Yasuhide Oka,
noted
that
“Beingawardedyourscholarship was a great encouragement.
Thanks to CWAJ, I was able to receive myPhD.” Mr. Morii is developing software andequipment to enable the visually impaired
to create graphic images, thereby
enabling visually impaired students tolearn science and mathematics and “ tosweep away the view that you can’t do it
because you can’t see.”In the aftermath of March 2011, CWAJ
moved quickly to find a way to help thedisaster-hit areas by doing what does
best; providing educational support foryoung people dedicated to serving thecommunity.
The
Fukushima
ReliefScholarship (FRS) has been awarded to
five students in the Fukushima Medical
University School of Nursing since itbegan in 2012 and scholarships will beawarded again in 2014. Read more about
these students in the Fukushima Relief
Projects section (pg 2).

The 59th (2014) CWAJ Print Show will be held on
Friday 17th – Sunday 19th October 2014
at Tokyo American Club
Enquiries: PrintShow@cwaj.org

“CWAJ
has
made
immeasurable
contributions to Japan’s prints andprintmaking,” said centenarian artist
SHINODA Toko at the Opening of the 58th
CWAJ Print Show. “This women’sorganization has done and continues to do
an invaluable service to the art world andthe community,” she added. Shinoda andher artwork were one of the highlights oflast year’s Print Show as we celebrated
the artist’s 100th birthday with a special
exhibition of 16 prints.
Another highlight in2013 was the 3rd
CWAJ Print Show in
Kobe, held at the Kobe
Club in collaboration
with the 2013 Kobe
Biennale.
The Associate Show, exhibited at Tokyo
American Club’s Fred Harris Gallery, isheld in tandem with the Print Show andoffers in-depth explorations of focused
topics. In 2013, the Associate Showfeatured work in other media byrenowned print artists: tea bowls by
IKEDA Ryoji, sculptures by OKUBO
Sumiko, glass paintings by TSUBOUCHI
Yoshiko, and oil paintings by YAMANAKA
Gen. In 2014, to celebrate the registrationof Washoku in UNESCO’s Intangible
Cultural Heritage List, our Associate Show
will present art works with a food theme.

development of hanga as well. The Young
Printmaker Award, started in 2005,
continues to support budding print artists
through a grant award and displaying of
their prints at the Print Show. The second
Artist-in-Residence,
MOMMA
Hidemi,spent two highly creative months at Nova
Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax,
Canada, in 2013. Some of the prints she
produced during her residency will be
exhibited at the 59th (2014) CWAJ Print
Show.

2014 CWAJ Young Printmaker Award

The CWAJ Print Show is Japan’s largest
annual exhibition and sale of originalcontemporary hanga, or Japanese prints
and one of the longest-running shows
devoted to this type of art. The first Print
Show, in 1956, featured 91 contemporary
woodblock prints by 39 artists. In 2013,
the 58th Print Show presented 194 prints
by 190 artists.

1 award of 500,000 yen
OKADA Ikumi
Tama Art University Graduate School, 2ndyear student
Ms Okada plans to use the award money topurchase a mokuhanga (woodcut) printingpress to continue her artistic production
and research of ura-bori (carving from theback of the wood block) technique.

The Print Show is CWAJ’s main fundraiser.
The proceeds from the sale of prints andproducts
directly
benefit
CWAJ
Scholarship Programs and Fukushima
Relief Projects. In addition to its
scholarships and projects, CWAJ also
works to support and promote the2013 CWAJ Artist-in-Residence Program
1 award of 800,000 yen
MOMMA, Hidemi
MFA Musashino Art University
Instructor at Miwada Gakuen Junior Highand High School; The University Museum,The University of Tokyo

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CWAJ ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013

Cultural Programs
The CWAJ Cultural Programs provide
enjoyable
learning
eventsforthecommunity at large and are usuallyconducted in English.
There were two cultural programs in 2013.
On May 14 “Kimono Magic” was held at
the International House of Japan in
Roppongi. The central idea of this event
was to showcase the use of kimono using
creative new ideas. Many members
attended wearing kimono and kimono
fabric creations that added to the overall
enthusiasm for the event. Photos
showcasing the event and the members
who participated were later compiled intoa special photo album to commemorate
the event.

The first cultural event of 2014 will be ashowing of the movie, “Inside Hana’s
Suitcase”. The event will take place on
May 11 from 13:00-16:00 at the B1
seminar room of the Ohmae@Work
Building in Rokubancho, Chiyoda-ku.
Anyone interested in this program iswelcome to attend. The second cultural
program in the fall of 2014 will focus on
Washoku, the traditional dietary culturesof the Japanese. Washoku was granted
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
designation in December 2013.
For more information contact
CulturalProgram@cwaj.org.

Founded in 1949, the College Women's
Association of Japan (CWAJ) continues topromote education and cross-cultural
exchange through the CWAJ scholarships,
the Annual Print Show and other programs
that benefit the community. A volunteer,not-for-profit organization, CWAJ’s 450
members from 30 different countries work
together in a unique system of pairing
Japanese and non-Japanese members forleading every aspect of the organization.
Offering opportunities for women from allover the world to share unique culturalexperiences with their Japanese peers,
CWAJ provides a long-term link with Japan
as well as the immediate benefits of awide range of activities in and aroundTokyo.
Interested in joining CWAJ?
Please contact membership@cwaj.org for
more information.

Over the past year members of the
Friendly Crafters group participated inmany different workshops and outings,
sharing new ideas and learning new craft
skills. At the December CWAJ Luncheon,
25 beautiful hand-made items were
offered as raffle prizes, with the raffle
raising over 161,000 yen towards
Fukushima Relief projects.

Children’s English Circle

Foreign Students’ Circle

About CWAJ

Friendly Crafters Group

Education Programs
In 2013 CWAJ volunteers have held 30
classes for returning Japanese elementary
school children to assist them to retain
their English skills. Our volunteers use
creative resources of art, craft, games,
drama, reading and writing activities toprovide a fun environment in which thechildren can feel comfortable to use andshare their English.

The full moon of autumn is traditionally atime to listen to bamboo flute music. The
second cultural program of the year wasan evening of Chinese flute music by
Mingjyun Wang on September 18 at
Densho Hall in Shibuya. For many in theaudience, this was their first time to hear
Chinese Flute music in a live concert. The
audience response was very enthusiastic.
The concert was also an opportunity tointroduce a wider audience to theupcoming October Print Show as well asother CWAJ activities.
The two combined events contributed￥ 830,500 to CWAJ Scholarship and
Education Programs.

generosity of these raffle sponsors, a totalof 833,500 yen was raised. A raffle will beheld again in 2014.

Forty-three foreign students from 12
countries participated in Foreign Students’
Circle programs in 2013. The programs in2013 provided students with a variety ofJapanese
culturalexperiences:
Hinamatsuri (Girl’s Day celebration) withikebanaworkshop,
Choyo-nosekku(Autumn Season Festival) with tea
ceremony, attending Noh and Kabuki
performances, Gyokudo Art Museum andKushi Kanzashi Museum (Japanese Combs
and Ornamental Hairpins Museum) in
Okutama,andpracticing karuta(Japanese cardgame).
CWAJ
volunteers assist
foreign students
seeking guidance
andfriendshipwhile living inJapan.

Volunteers for the Visually Impaired
Please see front page.

Special Fundraising Events
RaffleThe Raffle drawing took place on the last
day of the 58th CWAJ Print Show. Tickets
had been sold up until the last moment
and it was a thrilling moment when thewinner of the Grand Prize of two United
Airlines round-trip business class tickets to
the USA was announced. There was anarray of other wonderful prizes donatedby Bree, 90Plus Wine Club, Eastern
Carpets, Kato Gallery, Grand Hyatt Tokyo,
Chez Kusama, Elio Locanda, International
Dental Clinic, Aromatique Beauty House,
Toys"R"Us, and Akane An. Thanks to the

You can make a difference!
By supporting the CWAJ Scholarshipand Education Programs and the CWAJ
Fukushima Relief Projects you canmake a genuine and long lasting
impact on the lives of individuals andcommunities both in Japan and beyond.
CWAJ welcomes and accepts donationsof any amount throughout the year.
Please contact Donation Co-Chairs:
Barbara Hancock, Tomoe Kondo
donations@cwaj.org
For donations by bank transfer:
Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ
Meguro Branch (680)
Savings Account: No. 0259076
Account Name: Ippan Shadan Hojin CWAJ
Japan Foundation
CWAJ is pleased to announce that theJapan Foundation has accepted ourapplication for Designated Donation
status for the CWAJ Cultural Exchange
Scholarship Program for Women, which
will allow us to award scholarships tograduate students who have chosen to
study abroad and to promote Japan's
unique cultural contributions globally.
This new program offers donors like youan option for a possible tax benefit. You
may request this option by checking thebox next to “Tax deduction requested”
on the donation request form.

College Women’s
Association of Japan(Ippan Shadan Hojin CWAJ)CWAJ Center
2-24-13-703 Kami-Osaki
Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-0021
Tel/Fax : 03-3491-2091
www.cwaj.org