Category Archives: City Theme Activities

City Life, City Theme Activities, Omura City

Learning the Ways of Kyudo

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[inspic=814,,fullscreen,400][inspic=813,right,fullscreen,400]Hello everyone,

This is Burcu and I’m supposed to tell you about our “kyudo” experience in Omura city. Maybe you are curious about what “kyudo” is, so I’m not making you wait anymore. “Kyudo” is a Japanese sport which you’re trying to shoot a target with an arrow by using a special – and very cool – Japanese bow. You also need to wear these special clothes with the lovely gloves. Actually I fell in love with the gloves. I asked the masters to give me one but they said, “No.” 🙁

The key point of “kyudo” is the moment when you take your perfect (!) position and hold for a while before you release the arrow. Traditionally you have to wait until you feel that you are perfect and ready to release.

So at the end of the day, we were all so relaxed and most of us including me hit the targets! It feels wonderful when you it hits the mark. And Nozomi beat Jake in a match.

Guess what, we also got these beautiful money pouches as presents. They were handmade and so cute! But as the final and most important issue, we had lots of fun as usual. Lots and lots of thanks to our “kyudo” masters who were so nice to us, the Up with Omura members, and our wonderful team.

Burcu Tepik (Turkey)

City Life, City Theme Activities, Guest Speakers, Omura City

Emotional Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivor Speech

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[inspic=812,,fullscreen,400]The Nagasaki trip was for all of us very interesting, shocking, and touching at the same time. Our survivor, Mr. Katsuji Yoshida was 13 years old when the atomic bomb exploded 850 meters away on August 9th, 1945.

He was on his way to school when he was thrown through the air and landed in a rice field some 40 meters away. After four months of unconsciousness and hospital treatment, he could go home but there was only his mother left. His father and grandfather died after they went searching for him because of the radioactivity. Only a few victims who were within 1 km are alive today.

Mr. Yosida did not want to live any longer because of his horrific appearance. The right side of his face and arm were totally burnt and his muscles were visible. Because of many operations and a different face color, people stared and laughed at him.

Even today, he still receives treatment regularly at Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Hospital and Nagasaki University Hospital. His goal is now to tell his story and to spread his message: “The basis of peace is for people to understand the pain of others.”

Rachel Anderegg (Switzerland)

City Life, City Theme Activities, Guest Speakers, Toyota City

Spring 2009 Toyota Company Visit

[inspic=771,,fullscreen,400][inspic=773,right,fullscreen,400]A stay in Toyota city would not be complete without a visit to the mega car manufacturer that the city is named after. After a tour of one of the highly efficient automobile plants, World Campus – Japan members had a rare opportunity learn about the international corporation through a question and answer session at the headquarters of Toyota.

We learned a little bit about the company philosophy of Toyota that makes it one of most successful businesses in the world. Quality checks occur throughout the production process insuring that defects do not spread beyond one machine. This practice of jidoka is really effective as some defects can be hard to detect once the machine is completed. Toyota also uses the “just-in-time” production strategy. This allows the company to limit the production parts to what is require at the moment. In addition to reducing storage cost, this strategy also allows Toyota to quickly implement any changes to the actual part without having to clear out inventory first.

It was very interesting to hear about all the social projects Toyota is involved in. Even though it is not purely altruistic, it is still remarkable to see such a large company practice “corporate social responsibility” on a global level. Toyota gives back to society by heading up or supporting programs in education, environment, and arts and culture in countries that they have a large presence in.

Abiko City, City Life, City Theme Activities, Our participants

Graceful Reflection of Abiko

Grace Dance Video


[inspic=765,right,fullscreen,400]Japan is awesome! Last week we were in Abiko, a friendly city just outside of Tokyo. Abiko is a great city composed of green parks, open spaces, and friendly people. Everyone was very welcoming and eager to share their culture as we shared ours. Kudos to Tanaka San (a.k.a. Boss) for organizing super-fun activities! A warm thank you to the volunteers and families who made our stay in Abiko most memorable. And a shout out to the Suzuki family, my host family!

Everyday in Abiko was so much fun! We played soccer with local teams, explored nature with caring citizens, and danced with traditional performers. The latter is one of my favorite Abiko memories. I got to wear a really cool mask and costume just like the three other performers. The rhythmic beat of the drum and soulful sound of the flute guided my steps; the melodic fusion energized my body to dance. As corny as it sounds, I felt ‘one with the music.’ It was so much fun!

Another treasured memory was dancing Abiko’s traditional dance (Kappa) with everyone after a successful Arigato Evento! Among us were different generations, different stories … yet the same hands, the same smiles. In a circle we were one as we danced our last dance, the dance of generations past.

Grace Cornejo (Canada)

Abiko City, City Life, City Theme Activities, Our participants

Chopsticks

[inspic=697,,fullscreen,400][inspic=696,right,fullscreen,400]Chopsticks. It is the essential eating utensil for Japanese people. They use it to eat everything including salad, pasta, and even jello! There would be complete chaos if the two slender pieces of wood are missing.

It was then a very special treat for World Campus – Japan participants when we had the opportunity to make our own bamboo chopsticks! Smoothing the edges of two matching pieces of bamboo was actually much more difficult than it sounds. The actual process of sanding had to be fairly precise in order to craft a matching pair. As with anything handmade, imperfections are great as they show a more personal touch!

These handcrafted chopsticks are a great memento, even for those of us who are still learning to use them 😉