True Stories from Japan: Going Home to Kyushu After 100+ Years
Author: Phyllis Genther Yoshida
Categories: Sasakawa USA Blog, True Stories from Japan
My husband and I visited Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu in October to explore and learn more about the hometowns of my husband’s grandparents. Like many third-generation Japanese Americans, Chuck knew little other than the prefectures from which his grandparents had emmigrated. Even his parents knew little, as their parents rarely talked about Japan. Luckily, we did have a copy of a koseki, or family registry, for his paternal grandfather. Exploring ship, immigration, marriage, and other records gave us hints of the hometowns and the names of his grandparents’ parents.
Tags: First generation, Japan, Kumamoto, Kyushu, sasakawa blog, Travel Blog, true stories from japan
True Stories from Japan: Time in Tahara
Author: Paige Long
Categories: Sasakawa USA Blog, True Stories from Japan
This past summer, I had the pleasure of visiting Japan for a two-week long trip with a handful of classmates from my high school in rural Kentucky. Part of me was quite nervous at first, and the thought of traveling around the world without the parental supervision that had surrounded me throughout my sixteen years made my palms sweaty.
Tags: Japan, travel, true stories from japan
True Stories from Japan: From Nagasaki to the Netherlands
Author: Alexander Hoare
Categories: Sasakawa USA Blog, True Stories from Japan
I have devoted the majority of my adult life to the study and understanding of Japanese history, arts, and politics. I do not hide my deep interest in Japan, which is why my friends and family were baffled when I announced that I would be moving to the Netherlands in the summer of 2015.
Tags: alexander hoare, blog, dejima, holland, Japan, jet program, leidin, Nagasaki, netherlands, sasebo, true stories from japan
True Stories from Japan: First impressions with host family endangered by sushi
Author: Christa Desrets
Categories: Sasakawa USA Blog, True Stories from Japan
On the surface, dining out in Japan is not an inherently stressful experience. But on this particular night, a vocabulary mishap paired with the anxiety of meeting my new host family for the first time made for a memorable evening.
Tags: alumni, christa desrets, Congressional Study Group, congressional study group on japan, csgj, culture, eel, first impressions, foreign living, host family, Japanese, kansai gaidai, osaka, sea urchin, studying abroad, sushi, true stories from japan, unagi, uni
True Stories from Japan: U.S.-Japan partnerships critical to building stronger advocacy programs
Author: Tomoko Fukuda
Categories: Sasakawa USA Alumni, Sasakawa USA Blog, True Stories from Japan
I recently participated in Sasakawa USA’s Civil Society Exchange Program – a week-long dialogue that brought members of Japan’s Civil Society to the United States to interact with their counterparts in the U.S. This was the first opportunity I had to have a genuine dialogue with U.S. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and expand the understanding of international development.
Tags: advocacy, civil society exchange, civil society exchange program, civil society organizations, exchange program, international development, joicfp, tomoko fukuda, true stories from japan, women'e empowerment