MIT 2012 Speaker Program: Mr. Tachikawa, President of JAXA

The start time, which is missing from the English text, is 6:00pm.

Dinner will be served
Date: April 17, 2012
Time: 7-9pm
Location: 4-12-8 Shirogane, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Cost: Free (donations welcome to contribute towards the dinner)
RSVP: Event@bucj.org Maps will be sent to those that RSVP.

Here’s a bit on the speakers. (Click on the links above for more information.)

Larry Larson was named inaugural dean for School of Engineering in March 2011. Prior to coming to Brown, Larson was chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department in the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California–San Diego. Larson has stated that “Engineering in the 21st century is undergoing a fundamental transformation, as the barriers between traditional disciplines disappear and engineers work to solve the complex global challenges in energy, the environment, health care, information technology, and economic development.” “Engineering at Brown is uniquely positioned to lead this evolution on a national and global scale, thanks to its tradition of world-leading research, broad intellectual and social engagement, and entrepreneurial leadership.”

Matthew Gutmann was named VP for International Affairs in August 2009. He is also a Professor of Anthropology and has been described as an insightful observer and interpreter of social, political and cultural change. In Gutman’s words “The world may appear to be a smaller, closer place now, but that apparent closeness has not eliminated global challenges. Brown University, with its particular strengths at collaboration across boundaries of all kinds, can find new, productive ways to address these challenges while enriching the academic experience of faculty and students alike. I am eager to help expand and enrich programs through which the University community engages with the people and nations of the world.”

Geoffrey Kirkman joined the International Advancement team as regional director in September 2011. He works primarily with alumni/ae, parents, and friends in Canada, Japan, Korea, Latin America, and Portugal. Prior to joining International Advancement, Kirkman was deputy director of the Watson Institute for International Studies for eight years. He earned a master’s degree in public policy from the Kennedy School at Harvard University and has extensive international experience, including several years at the World Bank in Latin America. Kirkman has also taught in Brown’s C.V. Starr Program in Commerce, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship (COE) and advised students for many years.

The afternoon begins with an explanation of sitting technique, followed by three meditation sessions of approximately ten minutes each. The meditation will be followed by a Q&A conducted in English and Japanese with interpretation. Participants are welcome to tour Engakuji before and after the session.

Date & Time: Sunday, April 1, 12:30 at Engakuji Kojirin (Meet at 12:30 at Kita-Kamakura station to walk there).
The sessions will end by 15:00 and participants who leave then should make it back to Tokyo station by about 16:30.
Admission: 1500 Yen

Please RSVP to jonathan@jonathanharlow.com

PLACE: [MAP]
ADMISSION: 1,500 yen
REGISTRATION: Please register by e-mail to address below.
e-mail: jonathan@jonathanharlow.com

Although it’s been a cold and rainy March so far, before we know it the sun will peak out and great billowing clowds of pink and white cherry blossoms will herald the start of Spring. Which means it’s once again time to invite you, your family, and friends to the BUCJ 5th annual Hanami Party. It’s a great time to get out into the fresh air, reconnect with friends, share stories, and enjoy each other’s company. We get a great turnout every year so this one event you do not want to miss.

About the Location (same as last year):

Komaba Koen is the site of the former Toshinari Maeda mansion, built in 1929. The lawn in front of this gorgeous Tudor style mansion is surrounded by about 150 cherry trees. During hanami, you can expect a smaller, less raucous crowd than the more famous hanami spots around town.

Komaba Koen is an 8 minute walk from Komaba Todai Mae Station on the Inokashira line (3 min. from Shibuya).

Place: Komaba Koen, Meguro-ku, Tokyo. See here for detailed directions.
Date: Saturday, April 7, 2012
Time: 11:00-15:00

Cost: Free. BYOB (bring your own bento!, and one of those plastic sheets to sit on would also be helpful)

RSVP’s would be appreciated, but are not necessary. Participation is unlimited.

Contact: Kevin Sholes & Taro Ikai
Email: hanami@bucj.org

Day of event contact:
Kevin Sholes
Tel: 090-6305-0952
or, Taro Ikai
Tel: 090-5332-5337

This event will be canceled in the case of rain.

Sincerely,

Kevin Sholes
Brown University Club of Japan

After years of research, our fellow alumnus and our regular Bonenkai member, Adam Komisarof, has published a book called “On the Front Lines of Forging a Global Society: Japanese and American Coworkers in Japan”. Please see the summary and purchase information below:

Adam Komisarof, 2011, On the Front Lines of Forging a Global Society - Japanese and American Coworkers in Japan, Reitaku University Press

As globalization advances and national borders become increasingly porous, Japan is now facing the human reality of these rapid changes: greater cultural diversity in the workforce, which brings the concomitant challenge of how to integrate multicultural workers into their organizations of employment. Japan is also admitting foreign workers to compensate for a labor shortage as its retiree population grows and birth rate declines–thus intensifying the demographic shift towards greater numbers of long-term and permanent economic migrants. To better facilitate this movement towards a more diverse society, it is critical to examine which factors have contributed thus far to creating smooth mutual acculturation processes for foreign workers and Japanese people vs. those which have not.

Therefore, the aim of this book is to assess the extent and manner in which the degree of compatibility of Japanese and American coworkers’ acculturation strategies affects their quality of intercultural relations (including job effectiveness), with the broader goal of building inclusive organizational spaces where both American and Japanese employees enjoy camaraderie, opportunities for advancement, and productive daily work lives.

On the Front Lines of Forging a Global Society contributes to both theoretical and methodological developments in the study of acculturation. On the theoretical level, revisions are made to the Interactive Acculturation Model–one of the premier theories in the acculturation field. New ground is broken in methodology by using the Vancouver Index of Acculturation (a leading acculturation strategy assessment instrument) as a tool to characterize perceptions of cultural outgroup members’ acculturation strategies. Furthermore, quantitative and qualitative methods are utilized to gain a more nuanced picture of the current state of American-Japanese intercultural relations and to generate numerous insights as to how they may be improved.

In the final chapter, practical advice is offered to cultivate better Japanese-American intercultural communication. Therefore, this book is intended for not only acculturation researchers, but also for administrators, teachers, and business people interested in promoting more effective American-Japanese communication. As the research findings are applicable to other cultural groups besides Americans (particularly Western ones), this work is also written for people from other nations who are curious about and/or professionally involved with Japan. The author’s hope is that this volume will aid both researchers and practitioners alike in their quests to facilitate smoother intercultural relations between Japanese and Americans, as well as Japanese and other non-Japanese ethnocultural groups.ADAM KOMISAROF is an associate professor of intercultural communication at Reitaku University. (ISBN 978-4-89205-602-4 C3036, Reitaku University Press)

For those wishing to purchase this book in Japan, copies may be bought directly from the Reitaku University Press or most major Internet book sellers, such as Amazon, Kinokuniya, and Rakuten.

Brown University Club of Japan

The afternoon begins with an explanation of sitting technique, followed by three meditation sessions of approximately ten minutes each. The meditation will be followed by a Q&A conducted in English and Japanese with interpretation. Participants are welcome to tour Engakuji before and after the session.

Date & Time: Sunday, December 18, 13:00 at Engakuji Kojirin (Meet at 12:30 at Kita-Kamakura station to walk there).

The sessions will end by 15:00 and participants who leave then should make it back to Tokyo station by about 16:30.
Admission: 1500 Yen

After the event, all participants are welcome to have tea and chat with the abbot of Ryuu-in-an, a major sub-temple of Engakuji.

*In addition to the admission fee, the Clubs welcome donations to support the ongoing Tohoku relief efforts of Hands On Tokyo and Grace City Church Tokyo.

Please RSVP to jonathan@jonathanharlow.com
Space is limited, so please indicate your interest ASAP.

What a traumatic and difficult year it’s been!  What with the earthquake, tsunami, and electricity rationing - now we would all just like to get together with friends – old and new - and reflect on our experiences as well as look forward to a new year.

Please join us in a private room at the French brasserie Va Tout in Roppongi for the BUCJ Bonenkai dinner party.  Every year we have a great turnout, makiing this one of our most enjoyable events.  Don’t miss this chance to raise a glass in cheer with your fellow Brunonians!  

The cost per person is as follows:
-3,000 yen for students  and 2011 Brown graduates 
-6,000 yen for everyone else

Please RSVP by November 25  to,
mailto:bonenkai2011@bucj.org

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you there.

Aiko Wakao ’04, Secretary
Kevin Sholes ’91, Treasurer
Brown University Club of Japan
www.bucj.org

A good friend of mine, Toshi Suga, Santa Clara University BA’79, MS’81, has brought to my attention the troubles facing college students who suffered from the Great East Japan Earthquake. Toshi and his wife Keiko introduced me to Sister Wada, the president of Sendai Shirayuri Womens College. Her message is below.

Message from the President of Sendai Shirayuri Womens College

ブラウン大学同窓生の皆様、

はじめまして！
こちらは仙台白百合女子大学という小さな大学です。この度の東日本大震災で、大勢の学生が被災いたしました。残念なことにそのうちの一名は津波の犠牲になり亡くなりました。家が津波に流され、家族が亡くなったり、家計維持者が職を失ったため学業を続ける事が困難になった学生は、160名位おります（在学生総数　1,142名）。そのような学生達のための奨学費として、今年の前期分だけでも約4,000万円が必要でした。これは善意の方々の温かいご支援による義援金で充当する事が出来ましたが、今年の後期、また今後数年の間支援を続けなくてはならないと考えております。

大変厚かましいお願いではございますが、ご協力頂けましたら幸いに存じます。被災しました学生達が有意義な大学生活を送り、将来、人々の幸福のために貢献出来る人材として社会に出て行けますように、お力添え下さいますよう心からお願い申し上げます。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　感謝の祈りをこめて、
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　仙台白百合女子大学　学長　和田　美稚子

To Brown University Alumni,

Greetings from Sendai Shirayuri Womens College. Many students from our small college have suffered from the Great East Japan Earthquake. Most regrettably, one of our students fell victim to the tsunami, and passed away. Out of a total enrollment of 1,142 students, about 160 students face difficulty with continuing their studies because their homes were destroyed by the tsunami, members of their family passed away, or their household primary wage earner was forced out of work. For the first semester of this year, 40 million yen in scholarships were needed to support these students. Although we were able to supply these funds through the contributions and warm support of many well-intentioned individuals, these students continue to need assistance in the second semester and for the next few years to come.

Although it is an impudent wish, I would be very happy for your assistance. With your aid, the students who have suffered so much can lead a meaningful university life, and later enter society as talented individuals contributing to the well-being of all.

With a prayer of gratitude,
Michiko Wada, President
Sendai Shirayuri Womens College
http://sendai-shirayuri.ac.jp/

Sister Wada with Toshi Suga’s wife, Keiko

The Brown University Club of Japan is accepting donations for student scholarships at Sendai Shirayuri Women’s College.
Donations may be deposited in the following account.
Mizuho Bank
Meguro Branch
Regular Account #: 1089352
Account holder: BROWNUNIVERSITYCLUBOFJAPAN (<-all caps, no spaces)

If anyone would like to make direct contributions, please send me your name and address and I will send you bank transfer forms specific for this purpose.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at bdfrog@nifty.com or by phone at 090-6305-0952.

Respectfully yours,
Kevin Sholes, Treasurer
Brown University Club of Japan

Tea farmers to discuss their experience with radiation contamination and hold tea tasting from non-affected Japanese regions and Taiwan.

Yasai Kichi is a new restaurant café dedicated to sourcing and serving high quality, healthy, organic vegetable products from farmers throughout Japan. View Google map here.

Event Summary

The International Tea Farms Alliance (ITFA) is hosting a tea tasting and lecture on Sept. 10, 2011 (Saturday), where founder Matsumoto Yasuharu will be speaking about the establishment and debut of this new non-profit organization amid the global focus on radiation contamination of tea leaves in Japan after the Tohoku Earthquake. Tea farmers from Minami Ashigara, one of the first regions discovered to have radiation contamination above government standards, will also be present to discuss their experience.The ITFA will also be serving tea from tea farms of various regions in Kyoto, Shizuoka, and Fukuoka as well as Taiwan via their Japan distributor.

The ITFA is a new Japan-based non-profit organization of tea farmers from around the world that seeks to bridge the distance between producers and consumers. It participated in North America’s largest tea trade show, World Tea Expo (June 24 – 26), where founder Matsumoto Yasuharu was a panelist discussing issues related to the radiation contamination crisis with some 200 tea industry professionals in attendance.

For more information, view the PDF.

Continuing this popular series as we head into Fall! Join the Harvard and Brown Clubs for another opportunity to see and experience one of Japan's most storied Zen temples as an insider.

Both the instruction and Q&A will be in English and Japanese with interpretation.
Please bring comfortable loose clothing appropriate for outside temperatures. (Think yoga but a bit warmer).

There will be spaces for men and women to change. Please dress in layers if possible.
The length of the meditation is tentatively set for three sessions of ten minutes.
Participants are welcome to tour Engakuji before and after the session.

Date & Time:	Sunday, September 18, 13:00 at Engakuji Kojirin (Meet at 12:30 at Kita-Kamakura station to walk there). The sessions will end by 15:00 and participants who leave then should make it back to Tokyo station by about 16:30.
Price:	1500 Yen *In addition to the admission fee, the Clubs welcome donations to support the ongoing Tohoku relief efforts of Hands On Tokyo and Grace City Church Tokyo.
Place:	Engaku-ji Temple (meet at Kita-Kamakura Station, JR Yokosuka line) [MAP]
Registration:	Please RSVP to jonathan@jonathanharlow.com Limited space is available, so please indicate your interest ASAP.