The Internationalist
Nishimachi International School Spring 2017 Vol. 58
The Internationalist Nishimachi International School, Spring 2017 Vol. 58
In this issue...
Teacher Article 「九年生の卒業論文への取り組み」 成田 弘美
中等部 日本語教師 九年生 アドバイザー
Feature Article “Kei Kurosu ‘76 - Free To Be Me” Interview with Kei Kurosu ‘76 Wendy Kobayashi Current parent
Contents 4 10 14 16 18 20 23 24 26 31 32 2
Kei Kurosu '76 Interview 9th Graders' Japanese Graduation Essays Nishimachi Community Service Kirivorn: My Experience Outreach Scholarship Program Nishimachi-Kai Announcements Mini-Regional Reunion in L.A. 'Faces from Food Fair 2016' Postmarks In Memoriam Announcements & Upcoming Events
The Internationalist
Regional Article
Headmaster
Michael Hosking
Director of Development
Philippe Eymard Mayumi Nakayama ‘90 Anne Papantonio Akira Tomomitsu (Mashup LLC)
Managing Editor Editor
Art design
The Internationalist, Spring 2017 vol. 58, is published by the Development Office for alumni, parents, students, faculty, and friends of Nishimachi International School.
Contributing Writers
Lalaka (Ogawa) Fukuma '90 Nancy Hashima '83 Kia K. '19 Wendy Kobayashi Hiroko Lockheimer Mary Mercer '71 Hiromi Narita Mayumi Nakayama '90 Jan Opdahl
Student Article Contributing Photographers
Nishimachi and Kirivorn Kia K. Grade 7
Current student, Nishimachi International School
Kiyotaka Horii Eri Kajita Koa Kellenberger '16 Chika Keough Hiroko Lockheimer Hiromi Narita Mayumi Nakayama '90 Yumi Shimohigashi Nancy Tsurumaki
Hi Cheese!
Nishimachi International School Development Office
2-14-7 Moto Azabu, Minato-ku Tokyo 106-0046 Japan Tel: 03-3451-5520 Fax: 03-3456-0197 E-mail: development@nishimachi.ac.jp alumni@nishimachi.ac.jp URL : http://www.nishimachi.ac.jp
Los Angeles Regional Spring Reunion Mayumi Nakayama ‘90
学校法人 西町インターナショナルスクール
〒106-0046 東京都港区元麻布2-14-7
渉外開発室
電話： 03-3451-5520
ファックス： 03-3456-0197
メール： development@nishimachi.ac.jp
ウェブ： http://jp.nishimachi.ac.jp
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Kei Kurosu ’76 – Free To Be Me Interview with Kei Kurosu ‘76 Wendy Kobayashi Current parent
A Nishimachi education led to self-discovery and realisation of her life’s purpose. Now, as a clinical psychologist, Kei passes that gift on to others.
Before meeting Kei Kurosu, I was told she is a Nishimachi graduate, class of ‘76, and a clinical psychologist. Hmmm. Sounds serious, I thought. But, whatever I was imagining a clinical psychologist might be like – and without any intended disrespect to the profession – Kei was not it. Bright, engaging, dressed in a smartly fashionable manner and speaking perfect English, Kei makes an immediate and lasting impression – which must have been an asset during her time in sales. We often hear that young people today may expect to go through several changes of career during their working lives. Kei Kurosu is the embodiment of this
concept and began her journey long before it became the norm. So how did this professional working woman negotiate her path from Nishimachi (via simultaneous interpretation, as well as ad sales) to clinical psychology? Let’s go back to the beginning. One of the questions I had (and “the first thing that everybody asks”) was what led Kei’s parents to place her in Nishimachi? Born and raised in Tokyo, Kei is the youngest of three, with two older brothers. The family was not traditionally Japanese. Her father worked for Pan American World Airways, the airline company that is now United, and they were used to having his American colleagues over for dinner. However, it was her mother who was the driving force behind Kei’s entry into Nishimachi. The family lived in Todoroki, “considered to be the boonies back then”, where the neighbours were missionaries and they had several “gaijin” friends. Forward-looking Mrs Kurosu would encourage her children from a young age
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The Internationalist
to play with the American kids and thus learn English (actually, she would knock on doors and ask!). And so, by the early 60s, Kei’s mother had already decided that her elder son should go to an international school (initially this was ASIJ Kindergarten). But it was not without its pitfalls. “Do you know how the Japanese education system reacted to that? My mother actually had to pay a FINE to the Japanese government for not sending her son to a Japanese school. My parents were going against the rules… the law.” says Kei. Sending one’s child to an international school was definitely not the “done thing” at the time. But Mrs Kurosu was both ambitious and determined. It so happened that a relative was a good friend of Tané Matsukata, and that was how she learned about Nishimachi. According to Kei, her mother “thought Japan was set to become a very international country, and Japanese people would need to communicate well and so on, and she was filled with hopes and dreams for the future”. She chose Nishimachi because she empathised with Matsukata-sensei’s education philosophy. It is important to remember that this was only 20 years or so after the end of WWII. Indeed Japan had been under Allied occupation until 1952. Matsukatasensei wanted to build bridges of understanding and to make sure that all the children who attended Nishimachi understood Japanese culture, no matter what their nationality. Anyone coming from abroad should learn Japanese, to the best of their ability. In addition, Kei says, “Matsukata-sensei strongly believed that we (Japanese) needed to internationalise and globalise – so your classes might be in English and all your teachers might be from America and Europe – BUT, in order to do that, you needed to learn the language, respect the culture and your identity as a Japanese. She believed that going deeper at the cultural level is the only way we can understand one another”. Mrs Kurosu decided to send all three children to Nishimachi; however, only Kei experienced a completely international education. Her elder brother, for whom a traditional male career path – and therefore Japanese higher education – was envisaged, transferred to Japanese high school upon graduation from Nishimachi. The second brother, having seen how rigorous this process had been for the first, decided to leave after grade 5 to make the transition easier. It was left to Kei – for whom, as she freely admits, the equally traditional path of marriage and child-raising and the life of a Japanese housewife were expected – to benefit from all that a Nishimachi education had to offer its K-9 “10 Year Vets”. In fact, Kei never attended Japanese school (at least, not until the age of 46 – but more of that later). The seeds of a different future were already sown.
Though impossible to imagine now, Kei says that, before going to school, she was “totally inhibited, totally shy”. She couldn’t even say thank you when someone handed her a balloon on the street, preferring to hide behind her mother and let her do the talking. “Nishimachi did a great job in making me bloom […] I think this happened to most children, in their own ways”. She was often exhorted to speak up in class, to think of questions and not to be shy! But in grade 3 and Mrs Kerr’s homeroom, an epiphany occurred. Mrs Kerr wanted the children to make aprons and show them off to parents at a kind of fashion show. Kei “freaked out”, but her teacher persisted – “Just do it, Kei! Be you!” So she did. “My mask came off, and I was free – to be me!” The newly confident Kei seems never to have looked back. She says all the teachers were like that: keen to pull out what was in each of the kids. “I think that was mostly because of the size of the school. We were like a family. I don’t remember having more than 20 students in a class. We
Matsukata-sensei strongly believed … that going deeper at the cultural level is the only way we can understand one another.
were able to have more attention from the teachers, and they had more time with us to deal with our personal issues and develop our personalities”. There was no teacher whom she did not like: they were all top notch, from Kindergarten through to grade 9. Kei says she wasn’t academically superior (oh, really?) but she loved mingling with people, communicating with the teachers and being active. She enjoyed playing sport or being out in the playground, fighting wars with the boys in her grade. Basketball was the only sport
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offered back then in the junior high school, but she was “fully dedicated” to it. (Kei herself might not say so, but the Ayumi yearbook notes that she was their “energetic Captain”. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the girls had a very successful year). Swimming was on Fridays in the Olympic size pool in Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Sendagaya; there was a diving pool in addition to a large racing pool, and students learned diving and lifesaving as well as synchronized and competitive swimming. Seasonal skiing took place in Inawashiro and Zao. Discussing Nishimachi in the 70s, we might be talking about a different world. In fact, we are. Walking around the Matsukata House, Kei remarked, “Oh, this used to be the science room” – nowadays the business and
administration office – while what is now the middle school principal’s office was their maths classroom. The Matsukata House actually was the school building. The Ayumi, meanwhile, openly discusses a typical lunchtime recess, including the girls’ gossip about boyfriends at St. Mary’s. Looking at the black and white photos that now grace the walls of Matsukata House, Kei is reminded of trips to Kazuno where there was no hot running water (they used rain and stream water) and the worst punishment a teacher could inflict was an enforced stay in the privy. Not to put it too strongly, it was obvious for quite a while afterwards if anyone had spent time in there, and naughty kids were given a wide berth by classmates. Most of them behaved.
“ABSOLUTELY” had a big impact on Kei’s life and how she learned to take the initiative. “Sometimes it’s not appreciated by the Japanese community. But the seed was put in me, definitely. It was not something that was in me, it was planted by Nishimachi”. Kei also has clear memories of Matsukata-sensei herself. “I remember her VIVIDLY (she sighs)... although I didn’t communicate with her as much as I wished to. She was sort of above the clouds. Kumo no ue no sonzai. She was a very discerning teacher, an ever-present force who had all the names and faces in her mind, and she would have conversations and chats with all the students, and the kids would sit there, awed, and answer, “Hai! Hai!””. However, perhaps in keeping with the times, there was no easy familiarity between students and head in those days. Kei recalls how a visit to see Matsukata-sensei brought on feelings of trepidation. The office carpet was a good inch thick and, whenever she went in there “I would enjoy the softness of the carpet, but I also knew that I was in trouble!”. It is Matsukata-sensei’s educational philosophy that Kei attributes to her subsequent choice of life and career paths – though at the time, for her, this was simply how things were and something she took for granted. Of course, if she spoke English for her brother’s Japanese friends, they would look at her as if she were some kind of animal performing in the circus! It was only after she graduated from Nishimachi and could look at things from a different perspective that she could make these observations. “My classmate Mari (Takeuchi) and I always talk about this, but the one thing that was not good about going to Nishimachi was that it completely spoiled us! Because we did have a hard time adjusting to life outside Nishimachi”. Kei went on to complete high school at Sacred Heart and from there to Sophia University, attending the international side of both these establishments (however, she obtained a Japanese diploma from Sophia, in a sense “beating the system”). It was only natural that she would see career openings for girls offered by a nascent spirit of equal opportunity.
Kei graduated from Sophia in 1983 and initially trained as a simultaneous interpreter (“Which I HATED”), thinking that, since there were not many bilingual Japanese, her language skills would give her a competitive edge and it would be an easy deal for her! “Back then people thought, “Wow”, if you were Japanese and spoke English”, but Kei says that translating other people’s thoughts and ideas was not where she wanted to invest her time did a great job in and effort. “My CPU just wasn’t programmed that way”. bloom […] I think this
Nishimachi making me happened to most children, in their own ways.
We like to think Nishimachi is progressive in requiring students to be independent, but the tradition goes way back. I was interested to hear that in Kei’s day the Food Fair was mainly run by the students themselves. Parents might lend a hand here or there, but the kids set up the booths and did most of the cooking, it seems, and Kei remembers preparing yakitori and yakisoba to sell. She was amazed, when visiting last year, to see how things had changed. “Where are the kids?” she wondered. (Having said that, the food is more professional these days). Parents wanted to make sure the children were fully experiencing everything, so the kids took ownership of the events and were responsible for them – that was part of the education. This is what
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So after 3 years she called it quits and took a full-time job with McCann Erickson, the American advertising agency. She was introduced by a friend and hired as an interpreter – so her training was not entirely wasted – but, since advertising was an interesting area for her, she joined the sales department (eigyou-bu) as an account executive after a year. One might have thought this was an ideal position for a go-ahead young woman with an international education. One might have thought she would enjoy a more cosmopolitan atmosphere there. Wrong on both counts. This was still 1980s Japan! “That’s where my ordeal began”. In her group, there were 60 eigyou guys, but only three
women among the account executives at that time. Even though ostensibly they were there to do the same job as the men, the women’s perseverance was tested, and Kei spent her time making tea for her (male) bosses and photocopying. Yes, the stories you hear are true! Her male counterparts were treated as proper trainees from the start (for example, they were involved in all the important meetings) while it seemed that management was just waiting for the female recruits to announce they were going to leave and get married. Kei was at the bottom of a long, hierarchical line and had to go through two or more years of this “special training”. It was very, very tough for a woman to work in that environment. One day, her senior boss called and asked her, “So, Kurosu-san, what do you think about wearing skirts rather than pants? I think it might be a smarter idea for you to wear a skirt… for the client”. In other words, your clothing is effectively for the benefit of your clients. This was her nod that she was now being allowed to attend client meetings. Even if the required “dress code” made her feel more like an escort. So how did sales go? “It went well, very well. After two years of doing all that hack work, I finally got promoted to attend client meetings”. Due to her language skills, Kei often worked with foreign clients. But Japanese clients would also know that she was bi-lingual, and that didn’t always sit well with them. She remembers one day being summoned to her client’s office over a fax she had sent. It turned out she had committed the ultimate sin – a misplaced kanji – and he was not about to let it pass. “Kurosu-san, I know you are very fluent in English, and I fully respect you for that, but this kanji is totally unacceptable!”. Rather than let it irritate her, Kei says, “I knew I had to go through that because if I decided to live and work in Japan, I needed to be immune to it… to become resilient. And that is what Nishimachi taught me... this whole thing about trying to reach out and understand where the counterpart is coming from”. Gaining insight into a different mentality, one can deal with it more effectively. She learned it wasn’t always a good idea to let people know she spoke English so fluently. She had to be careful in dealing with that. “It was a big challenge for me because using English was a very important part of my identity and also a competitive edge, I think, for me”. Asked if she believes things have changed, Kei says she would like to think so, but there is still prejudice. For example, after she became a clinical psychologist and was working for the Education Board, her job involved making assessments of children who would enter junior high school to make sure they didn’t have any developmental issues. One day a colleague, an exprincipal in his 60s, found out she had gone through an international education – and that was it. “I don’t think you are fit for this position because you have never been to a Japanese public school. I don’t know why the city hall hired you because you have not been through the Japanese education system”. This occurred only 5 or 6 years ago, so obstacles to acceptance and understanding can still arise. Kei Kurosu was a highly successful salesperson and stayed with McCann Erickson until 1997. “I enjoyed my work, it took me all over the world… they gave me a lot of responsibility, and I had a lot of fun”. She was working around the clock and across the time zones. She might be on a night call to New York, when suddenly she
would hear birds chirping and realise it was 7 a.m. She was regularly putting in 14-16 hour days. She was a high earner. But then she had another epiphany, a wake-up call. One night, as she was coming home in a cab after another long day, she was recounting in her mind all the things she had accomplished… she had done so much work, made all her clients happy, made so much profit… when, all of a sudden, she started crying. “Oh, my God, what’s going on? I realised at that moment that I was hypnotising myself to like that job for the wrong reasons: because of the glossy business card and because people would think I was kind of cool to be working as an account executive […] and because of the stable
income”. She had accomplished so much, but now it felt time for Kei to get rid of all that, time to tell herself, “Stop lying to yourself!” She recognised there was a great disconnect between her mind and her heart. This was not what she wanted to do with her life, nor where she wanted to be. She was already 36, with two different career choices behind her, but she now realised that she had always been interested in health, Sometimes it’s not appreciated by especially after the long, intense the Japanese community. But the days at McCann Erickson and the seed was put in me, definitely. It was toll they took on her physically (she had full-blown shingles for about not something that was in me, it was a year). She became aware that planted by Nishimachi. what she really wanted to do was to help people and to heal them. “The healthiest state is to have your cognitive and your physical aspects back-to-back. My body was smart enough to make that request. I didn’t have to think; I was sort of listening to my body and telling my commission to shut up!” Accordingly, Kei spent the years from 1997 to 2005 preparing to become a clinical psychologist, working as a consultant to management at a different ad agency and for a marketing consultancy company while studying psychology in Japanese! Obviously she
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right or wrong – it was just different. Rather than getting angry and giving up or walking away, she had to work out why someone was behaving in that manner; what made them think like that? Her training at Nishimachi prepared her well for this analysis of other people. “As long as you know (why), you don’t shut yourself out of the culture. You have to have the attitude of being open, of being able to understand”. This has also helped Kei move between different school and office cultures and has given her a broader perspective in the work she does now, as a counsellor and clinical psychologist. I wondered if Kei feels truly comfortable in the Japanese world. Kei says this is her reality: she lives in Japan, she is Japanese and she respects the Japanese culture. But she has learned to become very flexible. Anyone, no matter where they are, may have cultural discrepancies – within a company, for example. “The reason why I am able to “bulldoze my way through” is because I am now doing something I enjoy. I love being at school, seeing the children grow. Same with my clients, I love to interact with them, see their life progress. It’s something I totally like to do. And all the other elements are secondary”.
needed a relevant qualification, and that meant (handwritten) exams. So the first thing she did was brush up her knowledge of kanji, starting with the equivalent of grade 5 (yes, kids, you may need those kanji when you grow up – better study now!). She went to weekly psychology classes and attended workshops run by Kei qualified in 2008. Since then she has worked at the Coaches Training Institute in the US and the UK, Kanagawa Prefectural Child Consultation Center and which was fun. But to become a CP she needed to get Musashino City Education Board; as a school counsellor a Master of Arts degree, so she began to study seriously in Tokyo and Saitama (currently she works at two public at a yobiko (cram school) for about 6 months before elementary schools and a junior high school in Tokyo); her entrance exam. Then it was not only back to fulland at a paediatric clinic and a psychiatric clinic. She time school, but Japanese grad school – and in her 40s, is still putting in 16–hour days! She has no children of no less. This was another eye-opener. She was now her own but loves to work with kids. It will be hard for effectively the “mama” among the other, 20-something her to step away from that, even though she must do students in her tutorial group – and she bumped up so, eventually. She aims in future to concentrate more against the cultural requirements of learning in Japan. on working with parents on how to raise their kids, At first she imagined it would be because sometimes parents can exhilarating, because she could be at a loss how best to do this; And that is what Nishimachi concentrate on studying what really parenting children with different taught me... this whole thing excited her. But that wasn’t exactly needs can be especially hard, and the case. None of her professors about trying to reach out there are many choices in terms had any international experience, of education. Her main focus will and understand where the so she was entirely in the Japanese probably be mothers and children, counterpart is coming from. world, and the learning process because of her training; and her was completely different from what dream is to work with kids who she had experienced before. It was very one-sided: attend an international school, because that is her own the professors would tell the students everything they background. needed to know or study and there was no discussion. At the end of a meeting, they would be asked “Does We discussed the differences between a 60s and 70s anyone have any questions?”. Back in high school, if they childhood and that of kids nowadays. It’s difficult for didn’t have questions, the teacher would say, “Hey, girls, Kei, with her experience of an international education, to don’t sit there like cabbages!” and, to Kei, asking (lots compare because now she’s seeing children in public of) questions was the norm. Now, far from it being a sign schools. She says these days grade 2 kids might talk of interest and dedication to ask questions in an open about things grade 5 students would speak of 20 years forum, it was a sign of disrespect: maybe sensei hadn’t ago. But, whereas children now see and hear a lot more discussed or explained everything properly (and, there at an early age, they don’t have the same actual learning was always the possibility that, if sensei couldn’t easily experiences in real life that she had. “Back then, kids answer a question, sensei would be embarrassed – had less information, but it was more experience-driven. which was cultural death). As a student, one was a mere I’m not sure which is more natural, more human, so to learner, and asking an actual question was “shitsurei”, or speak. Kids are seeing things now on a virtual basis, and rude, because it was effectively a challenge. Kei needed a lot of it comes from playing games. This affects their to re-think her approach! communication […]. A lot of children don’t know how to Such experiences may seem daunting, but Kei says they have made her realise she has to adapt, that there is another way of doing things. The right way at grad school was to go to the professor’s office afterwards and ask her questions there, being sure to say she knew it was impertinent. It wasn’t that the professors were unwilling to answer questions, it wasn’t detrimental, or
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communicate with each other”. Nowadays maybe 80% of Japanese mothers work outside the home. Many families can’t afford to have children unless both parents work, so the kids are stuck with gakudou hoiku (afterschool care) or left with paid strangers, and there is a growing lack of communication within families. Recently, she was in a classroom when she heard this
banging sound. One girl was banging her desk on the chair of the girl in front, and that girl was reciprocating by pushing back, and they were doing this, back and forth, for about 5 minutes, without saying a word. She had to go over and tell them to use words. Since they were annoyed by one another’s actions, she expected them to say to one another to stop – to verbalise. But they did not. This is why, in her social skills classes for grades 1 to 6, Kei teaches kids how to communicate. “We never had that. We used to learn those skills naturally from interacting with our friends, but now I have to teach that”. In the old days, for example, boys would learn through kicking and punching each other how much strength would be detrimental to the other person and how not to abuse that. Now teachers and parents try to stop boys fighting, and virtual games can’t teach them how to manage their physical strength. Kei says it’s worse when parents are negligent, when they are in the same room as the kids, but they are all playing games online and not talking to each other at all. With an eye on the future as she passed the mid-50s mark, last year Kei opened her own private practice, Keyakizaka Healing. Even as we debate globally the age at which people must (or can) retire, she won’t be employed for the rest of her life – she needs to employ herself. And, as she says, “I plan to work until 5 minutes before my death!”. Right now it’s difficult to manage this alongside her other work. Referrals are by word of mouth and she can only allocate one day a week (Saturdays!), so she needs to be careful and have control over her time. Kei mentions how clients can be demanding – for valid reasons – so, for her own benefit, as well as that of her other clients, she has to have strict rules against them calling her at all times of the day. Dealing with clients can be exhausting; Kei uses every nerve of her body, and she knows she could break down if she doesn’t have such a policy in place. In accordance with global practice, she does not personally know her clients. “Unless you stand back, you get pulled into the client’s realm, which is not good”. Training and experience are what enable her to know how to deal with each client. “The way to do it is like having one foot in your zone and one foot in the client’s zone. If you don’t have a foot in the client’s zone, you cannot empathise. And, if you don’t empathise, the client cannot move forward”.
One night, as she was coming home in a cab after another long day, she was recounting in her mind all the things she had accomplished… she had done so much work, made all her clients happy, made so much profit… when, all of a sudden, she started crying. “Oh, my God, what’s going on? this was possible because I had decided to commit a certain time zone in my life to indulge myself in creative activities”. For Kei, life is to be lived to the max. Our meeting was the first time Kei had been back to the Matsukata House after it was renovated. “What a shame I didn't return earlier, the experience has brought back very special memories of my dear days at NIS that urge me to thank my parents again for making the great decision to send me here”. Kei struggled to think of anything she might have wanted to tell her 15 year-old self (actually, she laughed uproariously, eventually deciding that she would say she didn’t have to flirt so much with the St Mary’s boys!). But did she ever think her life would unfold this way? “NO!! Not. At. All. I was supposed to be a housewife, that was my plan. Nishimachi made me this way. I was supposed to be a shy, inhibited, conservative, modest, humble, dutiful, subservient wife to some guy. I was supposed to be a Nishimachi parent, to work at Food Fairs, be part of the PTA and all that”. But in third grade, with Mrs Kerr, everything changed. If she had to do it all again, she would do the same. Plus have children to send to Nishimachi. We laugh. There is not a hint of regret that these things didn’t happen. A life lived with purpose and full of different experiences, challenges and people. Who wouldn’t want that? Listening to Kei’s stories of her experiences and adventures, I was reminded of the tagline of those 70s commercials, “You’ve come a long way, baby!” Kei Kurosu can be contacted at kh1cross@nifty.com or by telephone on 090-6044-4196
Clinical psychology is becoming more prevalent in Japan (although apparently fortune telling is still more popular here than counselling!) and clients tend to be company employees whose life is out of balance in some way. She remembers that some of her ex-bosses became depressed and some died from the stress of overwork. That was originally why she wanted to go into this profession, even though she’s in the education field right now, rather than business or industry. Especially for women these days, it’s a lot of work to have a job and raise children. It’s easy for women to lose track of who they are in their own lives. She hopes to be able to help in these areas. I hesitated to ask if she has time for a hobby, but it turns out she has several. (Why was I not surprised?). She continues to play tennis every week and “until I opened my practice, I was taking voice training and singing lessons, and piano lessons… and I did painting with lots of supervision from my mom, who is an artist. All of
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九年生の卒業論文への取り組み
成田 弘美
始まりはレポートから
中等部 日本語教師 九年生 アドバイザー
九年生のクラスで、卒業論文を書くという課題に取り組み始
い知らされます。教えているつもりで、実はこの課題を通して
めたのは、私が西町に赴任して２年目の頃だったと記憶してい
多くのことを教えてもらっているのは、教師の方であったかも
ます。名称として卒業論文と呼ぶには不十分な点も多々ありま
しれません。
取り上げられるようになっていたりして、九年生の若い感性は、 すでにその頃から広い世界に向けて発信を始めていたのだと思
すが、西町を卒業するに当たって、日本語で何かまとまったも のを書かせてみたいという思いから始めたものでした。当初は、
進化を支えるもの
論文と言うより、レポートのようなもので、挿絵なども含めて
現在のように論文集として形に残したり、七年生や八年生、
すべて手書きで、その内容をクラス外で発表するような場も設
保護者の方々を前にして卒業論文発表会を開くような形式にま
けてはいませんでした。とはいえ、自分でテーマを決めてリサー
で育ててくださったのは、このプロジェクトに関わってくだ
チをし、それについて自分たちの考えをまとめていくような学
さった方々皆様のご支援の賜物としか言いようがありません。
習活動に対する生徒たちの意欲は高く、その当時から、主体的
クラス外にも広げて発表をするようになった際に、審査員とし
に学ぶ姿勢が西町には伝統として深く根付いていることを感じ
て真摯に生徒たちの発表に向き合ってくださった方々のお言葉
させられる場面でもありました。
は、生徒たちにとってどれほど励みになったことでしょう。多 くの方々が、このプロジェクトの意義を認めてくださり、さら
10 The Internationalist
テーマ選択の多様性
に進化させるためのアドバイスをくださいました。
テーマの選択は、生徒の興味や関心を尊重し、教師やクラス
また、最初は、主に国語の教科書を使って勉強をしている生
メイト、時にはご家族などとも相談を重ねて決めています。こ
徒たちだけが取り組んでいたものを、まず、日本語を学び始め
れまでに生徒たちが取り組んできたテーマを振り返って思うこ
て数年の生徒にまで広げ、今では、すべての日本語レベルの生
とは、まず、彼らの先見性に驚かされるということです。こん
徒が、持てる力を精一杯発揮する日本語学習の集大成となる課
なことをやってみたいと生徒から相談された時には、その真意
題として定着するようになりました。中には、中学部の中途か
が汲み取れず、戸惑うことも多いのですが、よくよく話をして
ら転入してきた生徒で、日本語学習歴が一年程度の生徒もいま
みると、彼らがどんなことにこだわり、どんなものに目を向け、
したが、勇気を持って日本語でプレゼンテーションを行う姿に
実はどれほど深い思考を展開させているかに気づかされまし
は非常に感動させられました。
た。そして、卒業後、数年すると、社会的にもそれらの問題が
少しハードルの高いこのような進化の過程を語る上で、やは
9th Graders’ Japanese Graduation Essays By Hiromi
Narita
MS Japanese Teacher Grade 9 Advisor
English translation by
Mary Mercer
Nishimachi Graduate 1971
Essays started out as reports My first encounter with the writing of graduation essays in my 9th grade class was around my second year of teaching at Nishimachi. The starting point was getting my students to write something for their graduation. At first, they were more like reports than essays. They included illustrations, which were entirely handwritten, and no opportunity had yet been created for presenting them outside class. Nonetheless, my students were highly motivated when it came to this learning activity that involved selecting a topic, doing research, and then organizing their own thoughts. From the outset this project made me aware of the deep-rooted tradition of independent learning that existed at Nishimachi. Diverse routes to topic selection The process of essay topic selection includes respecting students’ interests, talking about topics with teachers, classmates and, at times, family members. When I think back to the subjects that students have tackled in the past, it is their far-sightedness that first comes to mind. When students first tell me about the topic they are thinking of choosing, I’m often at a loss to understand what they’re talking about. But once we have discussed the matter at length I come to realize what kind of subjects they think about and what grabs their attention. In fact, I realize how well developed their thinking is. Then, several years after graduation when the same issues as theirs attract public attention, I am reminded
that our students had already begun to engage with the wider world around the time they were in 9th grade. Though I am meant to be the teacher, in reality it is probably I who has been taught many things in the course of this exercise. Support for the essay’s evolution But for the support of all those people who have been involved in this project, the graduation essay concept would not have evolved into its current form of graduating class essay collections and oral presentations by the students themselves to 7th and 8th graders and their parents. When the presentation of graduation essays was extended beyond the classroom to include oral presentations judged by a panel of teachers and staff, the students drew great encouragement from the judges’ comments. Many people have recognized the importance of this project and have offered advice on how to develop it even further. Initially, only 9th graders who studied using mainly kokugo textbooks were assigned the task of writing a graduation essay. Later on, we also included students who had been learning Japanese for several years. Today, it is firmly entrenched as an assignment that represents the culmination of each student’s best efforts in Japanese language learning at all levels of ability. I have been extremely moved by the courage that students have displayed when making their
Spring 2017 Vol. 58 11
ら、すでに、自分ならこうしてみたいという構想が彼らの頭の 中では始まっているようなのです。しかも、さらに良いものを 作りたいという野心に燃えている生徒もいて、そのことが、こ のプロジェクトを進化させるための実は最大の原動力なのかも しれません。 西町の特色ある教育環境 スキートリップも実は卒業論文の進化に一役買っているなど というと、随分飛躍した話だと思われるかもしれませんが、生 徒どうしの関係が密になるための大切な時間があの五日間には あるように思います。そのような下地がなければ、九年生の発 表が、下級生にとって意味のあるものになるはずもありません。 スキートリップに象徴されるような、西町の小さくて密な人間 関係は、学習のあらゆる場面において有効に働いていると私は 感じています。学年を超えた大きな塊としての西町コミュニ ティー。そこから何が生み出されるのか、可能性は無限大です。 最後に、西町の充実した IT 教育環境も、卒業論文の作成に大 きな影響を与えていることにも触れておきたいと思います。リ サーチすること、書くこと、発表すること、どの場面においても、 それまでに学んできた IT 活用のスキルが大いに発揮されていま す。 進化し続けるために… 文部科学省の新学習指導要領は、中学校では五年後、小学校 では四年後から全面的に実施されますが、日本語のカリキュラ ムにもその改訂が考慮されていくことになるでしょう。文科省 の掲げている３つの育成すべき資質・能力の柱は次の三点です。 ①生きて働く「知識・技能」の習得 ②未知の状況にも対応できる「思考力・判断力・表現力等」 の育成 ③学びを人生や社会に生かそうとする「学びに向かう力・ り西町の生徒どうしのつながりに触れない訳にはいかないで
12 The Internationalist
人間性」の涵養
しょう。ある年に、何かの都合で九年生の発表を下級生に見せ
創立当初から、すでに西町ではこのような方針は常に意識さ
なかったことがありました。その翌年は、卒業論文の課題をス
れてきていると思いますが、今後は、常識的なレベルでこのよ
タートさせる際に、例年とは異なる違和感、盛り上がりの欠如
うな力が求められる時代になっていくことは確かです。「卒業
のようなものを感じました。卒業論文発表会で上級生たちの送
論文の作成」という課題を今後どのように発展させていくべき
るメッセージが下級生にとってどれほど大きいものであるのか
かを十分に検討し、私達自身が進化し続けなければならないと、
を予測できなかった結果でもありますが、実は発表を聞きなが
気持ちを新たにしています。
presentations, including those who joined Nishimachi halfway through Middle School and so had only studied Japanese for about a year. Since I am describing the process of the somewhat challenging evolution of the Japanese graduation essay, I cannot help but mention the connections that exist between Nishimachi students. One year, for some reason the 9th graders did not get to make their presentations to the 7th and 8th grade classes. When I introduced the graduation essay the following year, I sensed an unease and lack of enthusiasm that I had not previously encountered. I had not foreseen the importance of the messages that the older students sent to students in lower grades when they gave their oral presentations. In fact, it would seem that while listening to the presentations the younger students are already beginning to formulate ideas for their own graduation essays. Moreover, there are those who are very ambitious and want to produce something even better. It is this which has probably been the greatest driving force behind the ongoing progression of this project. Nishimachi’s singular educational environment You may well think that I am going a bit too far when I say that the Nishimachi ski trip actually has a role to play in the evolution of Japanese graduation essays. I believe that the five-day ski trip is an important time for students to develop close relationships. If it weren’t for this foundation, the presentations of the 9th graders would be meaningless for those in lower grades. I feel that the smallness of Nishimachi and the close personal relationships as symbolized by the ski trip are beneficial for all aspects of learning. The Nishimachi community is akin to one big family that transcends academic years. The potential products of this community are infinite. Lastly, I would like to touch on the huge impact that Nishimachi’s well-developed IT environment has had on the preparation of Japanese graduation essays. The IT skills that students have acquired play an important role in every aspect, including conducting research, writing, and giving oral presentations. For ongoing evolution… The New Educational Guidelines of Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology will
be comprehensively implemented in the Middle School and Elementary School in five years and four years from now respectively. These revisions will no doubt be taken into account in the Japanese language curriculum. The Ministry is advancing the fostering of three competencies underpinned by the following three principles: 1. The acquisition of lifelong knowledge and skills 2. The fostering of students’ ability to think, make decisions and express themselves in order to solve problems 3. The cultivation of inquiring minds so that learning may be put to good use in individual lives and in society Since its establishment, Nishimachi International School has been mindful of these principles at all times. That we are entering an era when requiring such competencies will be the norm is without question. I feel keenly that we must continue to grow and learn ourselves while giving sufficient thought to how to contribute to the further evolution of the task of producing Japanese graduation essays.
Spring 2017 Vol. 58 13
Nishimachi Community Service Community Service Program 2016 - 2017
The Goal The goal of Nishimachi’s community service program is to develop in students a life-long commitment to serving their communities, both local and global. Students have opportunities to participate in a variety of projects designed to make them sensitive to, and aware of, others less fortunate than themselves and to awaken in them a natural desire to want to improve those lives.
First Semester Activities 2016-2017
Focused Activities Under the guidance of teachers, the administration, student council, scouts, or Tomo no Kai (Nishimachi’s organization for parents), students assess need as situations arise and are encouraged to be creative as well as pragmatic in their response.
Textile Recycling • Students are considering a textile recycling program with retailer H&M to keep textiles from going into land lls.
They learn that fundraising is only part of the picture. Often, a more hands-on response to a problem is required where students dig deeper and get involved, planning, coordinating, and doing. What students learn is that giving is contagious and that one outreach e ort begets another, whether it’s contributing money, time, compassion, or hard work— and everyone wants to join the fun.
14 The Internationalist
The Environment Bottle Caps • Students collect bottle tops all through the year for UNICEF, a project with a double goal: (1) to provide immunizations for children in poor countries and (2) to reduce litter.
The WWF program • WWF Japan hosts a picture book contest every year. Representatives from the WWF visit the school and talk to elementary school students (in their Japanese classes) about preservation of the natural environment, pollution, and so on. Students create picture books related to the issues they have studied and submit them to the WWF. Using their Japanese communicative skills, they must come up with a clear explanation of a problem and propose workable solutions—in book form. This year there were 84 entries (either group or individual efforts) from five international schools in Tokyo. NIS students won a number of awards.
The Community, Local and Global Helping the Homeless in Shibuya • The homeless in Tokyo need food, clothing, water, and toiletries. Under the auspices of the Franciscan Chapel Center, students prepared individual care packages and were up early and in Shibuya by 5:00 a.m. three times (correct?) during this winter to make deliveries (under the supervision of their teachers). The response was overwhelming as community members contributed bottled water and unused shampoo, soap, and razor blades. The unsold food from the school’s annual food fair was distributed to the homeless as well. Orphans in Japan • Students shared Halloween candy with a group of orphans in Chiba. Orphans in Cambodia • Students organized and sold friendship bracelets for the beneffit of a group of orphans in Cambodia. The Elderly • Elderly people in a group home nearby love having young people come and talk with them. Nishimachi students took samples of calligraphy they had produced in class and had a show and tell with the residents in November. Kirivorn School in Cambodia • The Kirivorn School in Cambodia that Nishimachi has sponsored since 2001 needs school supplies in addition to funds to cover running expenses and
upkeep. Nishimachi students are always quick to step in. • Funds raised from Halloween games this year, for example, were contributed to the Kirivorn fund. • A number of Nishimachi families on holiday in Cambodia have recently visited the Kirivorn School. It’s an opportunity for family education. Victims of Disaster Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, 2011 • The exchange program between Nishimachi International School and Shizugawa Junior High School in Minamisanriku-cho has become an annual event. • The students in grade 8 have organized a clothing drive for the past 5 years. More than 1000 boxes were sent to Ofunato and Rikuzen Takatata in Iwate-ken in November. • A bake sale was held in November to raise funds toward the purchase of New Year’s treats for those in need in the earthquake tsunami-affected areas. • Nishimachi helped O.G.A. for Aid’s annual holiday party in early December for survivors of the Tohoku disaster, more than 5 years on, with school representatives arriving with gifts and hand-made cards for the children. Animal Welfare Towels for Shelters • A local dog shelter needed towels and blankets. A drop box was created, the word went out, and donations rolled in.
Spring 2017 Vol. 58 15
Kirivorn: My Experience Kia K. Grade 7
Out in rural Cambodia, just southeast of the Caradamom Mountains, is a small village. In most remote villages, children must work and help with chores. There are no schools nearby, and because of the great distance to the nearest large city, most children do not have the luxury of time to attend. But in this small village, far from the capital, is a learning opportunity for children, a rarity indeed in the Cambodian country-side. Built in 2001 and funded and constructed by Nishimachi International School, this is The Kirivorn School.
Finally, we slowed down, and drove under a gate; a gate which displayed something along the lines of Kirivorn Village in brown lettering. There was no more tarmac now, only the orange dirt was being kicked up by the car. We drove less than 200 meters down the dirt road before the van came to a gradual stop outside the school gate. There, we stepped out to be warmly greeted by 165 students and nine teachers lined up alongside each other, creating a funnel into the school. They greeted us kindly in English and started to applaud as we walked by. In return, we responded, smiled and shook hands with the teachers. Before much was said or done, the principal, Mr. Bouy, introduced himself and began to lead us through each room of the school. As we explored the classrooms, we distributed school supplies to each smiling student.
I traveled to Cambodia with my family in the winter of 2016, and was fortunate enough to visit The Kirivorn School. Heading southwest on National Highway 4 from Phnom Penh, we drove in a van packed with boxes of school supplies purchased by the fundraising activities of the Nishimachi community. For the first thirty The campus was not what I had expected at all. It minutes, we passed by buildings, and while smaller and was slightly larger than the length of Nishimachi’s less commercialized than the ones in the capital, they gymnasium, and there were were still constructed from only two buildings. The drab concrete nonetheless. Simply looking around The Kirivorn playground was bumpy and However, the further we drove, School, you can tell that the mindset covered in grass, giving way to the less infrastructure we saw. sharp rocks and gravel. Once and desire for education abounds. Telephone poles stopped inside the buildings, I realized swinging their wires, and that there were no ceiling lights guard rails became hedges. or lamps–only the wan natural light coming through Soon enough, it was just farmland after farmland–field the windows lit up each room. On a cloudy day, it after field–with mountains rising in the distance. On both seemed it would be barely sufficient. As for the windows sides of the highway, domesticated oxen slowly plowed themselves, they contained no glass nor screens, and the fields, and thirsty birds flocked around natural lakes. instead had only wooden shutters with slits that slanted There was nothing but the sound of nature and the down towards the outside to prevent water from getting roaring of the engine. inside on rainy days. The floors were relatively clean, but not covered in carpet nor tiling; they were made of what seemed like a mixture of dirt and concrete. Wooden
16 The Internationalist
desks lined the classroom, and each desk was shared by two or three children. As I walked into the third grade classroom, a novel-sized book in the teacher’s hand caught my eye. The book was dilapidated, and a few pages stuck out in various places. I questioned if those were really the books they used everyday because they were so different and in such poor condition compared to what I was used to. And indeed, when I went to the small library later, the same sort of books were all I saw. I asked more questions and soon understood that the battered textbooks were only provided for the teachers, and none of the students had any of their own. In addition, I found out that school starts at seven o’clock in the morning, and ends four hours later at eleven, when students go home for lunch. I also learned that there are five subjects taught at Kirivorn: Language Arts (Khmer), Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and optional English/Computer classes in the afternoon. As we moved on into the English classroom, I observed ten laptops that Nishimachi’s IT department had donated last summer. One was used by the teacher, and the remaining nine were used by the students. Outside, between the two buildings were two outhouse toilets. There were no flushes or toilet paper, nor were there proper locks–only thin pieces of wire to hold the doors closed.
Much of what I saw that day is still shocking to me. I had expected much newer facilities and better conditions. There are many areas of improvement that I believe the Nishimachi community could help with. One of the teachers said the school could use at least ten more laptops and enough headphones for each computer. Another teacher mentioned that a fence around the school would help to keep the children safer. Students had numerous suggestions also: playground equipment such as a swing set, soccer goals, and badminton net, and many requested more books for the library. As I listened to the boys’ and girls’ ideas, I thought to myself, “how about secure locks on the toilets?” because I believe that’s a place of privacy! Simply looking around The Kirivorn School, you can tell that the mindset and desire for education abounds.You can see it in the handmade signs around the school that read, “Education is a Treasure”, and you can feel it in the smiles and enthusiasm of the children. Furthermore, Kirivorn definitely has the foundations for a great learning environment, but there is still so much more we can do to help out. Through this trip, I learned what we have done as a school, and how it has impacted the future of children in rural Cambodia. What’s more, I’ve been inspired to get myself and others involved in supporting our sister school, and I sincerely hope to see Kirivorn grow greater in the coming years.
Spring 2017 Vol. 58 17
In Concert! 5 Our Community Shows Its Support For The Nishimachi Outreach Scholarship Program
before a minute’s silence in memory of the victims of the disaster while we remembered that dreadful day. Then it was on with the show. Up first, The Nishimachi All-Stars 2017, as the name suggests, is the latest lineup to include our fabulous, talented Nishimachi staff, current parents and their family and friends who love to sing and play and who all selflessly offered their Saturday night to perform for us - big thanks to Leah Renfroe and Stephen Skelton (vocals), Tsuyoshi Nishijima (drums), Keith McConnell (bass), Go Abekawa (drums/vocals), brother Jun Abekawa (guitar), Naoto Miyazawa (keyboards), Steve Sato (guitar) and Koji Aota (guitar). You really got the party started with your selection of world-famous hits to which we all wanted to sing along!
Wendy Kobayashi In Concert! Co-Chair Current Parent
Back in 2012, when Director of Development Philippe Eymard put forward the suggestion of an In Concert! evening as a way to support the Nishimachi Outreach Scholarship Program, the idea was to showcase the wide range of musical talent within our community of alumni, parents and staff. Over the intervening years we have witnessed a rich expression of musicality pour forth from just about every genre: professional hiphop, cover bands and disco, voice, percussion, trumpet, classical harp and piano… did we miss anything? Now, we know that many of you like to dance, and so, for this the fifth (yes, FIFTH!) “In Concert!”, we again decided to tap our “band” potential for a fun, informal community bash where people could mingle, chat, eat, drink and… dance! And so it was that on the evening of Saturday 11th March, around 80 parents, alumni, staff and friends turned out in the Ushiba Memorial Gymnasium to listen to three separate acts. Nishimachi event regulars will know that, when it comes to music, Third Grade Teacher Adam Suzor will be the one expertly mixing the tracks, getting the party started and keeping things humming throughout the evening. This being the sixth anniversary of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake, we commenced with Elementary Principal Mihoko Chida offering words of support
18 The Internationalist
Steve Sato had also kindly arranged for his professional band, Last Call, to play a set for us. Thank you to Steve and Michael Bodin (vocals), and support musicians Yuki (bass) and Bob (drums) for their rousing repertoire of current and recent-past hits. Sadly, Yalla Family as a group were unable to make it this year, but lead singer Haku ‘Anubiz’ Shimizu ’01 generously turned DJ for the night and made sure that everyone who was not already on the dance-floor got there before the end of the evening. And then, predictably, did not want to leave… Once again the “you almost cannot fail to win something” raffle proved extremely popular (not least because of Development Officer Mayumi Nakayama’s sales skills). With a buffet courtesy of school partnership caterers Kiwi Kitchen and free-flowing beer, whisky and wine courtesy of sponsors Suntory and The Winery in Azabu Juban included in the ticket price, everyone went home happy. Proceeds were ¥340,000, all in support of the Outreach Scholarship Program. For further information about this unique program, which aims to promote student diversity within our community, please visit the school’s homepage. There are many ways to show your support. If you are interested in donating funds, please contact the Development Office. Alternatively, sign up and turn out for the various events organised throughout the school year, the next of which will be the Nishimachi Golf Day on Saturday 27th May. This is a really fun day out for golfers of all (and we mean all) abilities. Don’t miss it!
SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, May 27th! 14th OUTREACH SCHOLARSHIP GOLF TOURNAMENT
Outreach Scholarship Walkathon 2016 Jan Opdahl Walkathon Co-Chair Alumni Parent
“That was so much fun!” an alumni mom commented with a big smile after she finished the walkathon with a group of other alumni parents. The fourth annual fundraiser for Nishimachi’s Outreach Scholarship Program was held on November 15, 2016, under clear skies at Meiji Jingu Gaien, where nearly 400 enthusiastic participants gathered to walk or run. The Outreach Scholarship Program provides partial tuition funding to families from diverse backgrounds whose children are admitted to Nishimachi but cannot afford the cost. Along with the new administrators, Headmaster Michael Hosking and Middle School Principal Meredith
Lawson, many students, teachers, staff, board members, trustees, TNK, Nishimachi-Kai, friends, family, and pets all came together for a good cause. The T-shirt design by current student Emma T. was bold and striking, creating a blue and white landscape as walkers and runners swirled around the 1.3 km loop. Please take a look at more wonderful photos on the school website, http://www.nishimachi.ac.jp/ page.cfm?p=2223 Thanks to the participants, volunteers, sponsors, and donors, we raised 1.5 million yen from this event alone! The proceeds will support the six worthy students currently on scholarship who add substantive value to the school community. We look forward to seeing many more of you at the next walkathon to be held in November 2017.
Spring 2017 Vol. 58 19
Nishimachi-Kai New Year’s Party January 14, 2017 Nancy Hashima ’83
Chair, Nishimachi-Kai Executive Board
20 The Internationalist
Nishimachi-Kai had its new year’s Shinnenkai reunion at Togos on Saturday, January 14. We lost a few attendees to the flu but had a successful gathering of about 30 people who got together over great food, drinks, and conversation. Nishimachi Board chair, Phillip Greenan, opened the event with a welcome toast. We were especially blessed to have with us Junko Saito (“Saitosensei”), a Japanese language teacher from 1980 to 2005. We also welcomed the new headmaster, Michael Hosking, and his administrative team: middle school principal, Meredith Lawson, and elementary school principal, Mihoko Chida. The reunion was a great opportunity for the new administrative team to interact with the N-Kai community, and for N-Kai members to catch up with each other and to hear firsthand the latest news from the school.
Niishimachi-Kai Members Join Walkathon 2016
Mayumi Nakayama ’90 Development Office
On a sunny Saturday in November, the Nishimachi Development Office hosted its annual Outreach Walkathon at Meiji Jingu Gaien. This was the fourth such event, and approximately 400 people participated, including 12 NIS alumni representing a range of generations, from classes in the seventies to the graduating class last year. For those who are not familiar with the event, participants pay a registration fee (the proceeds of which go to the Nishimachi Outreach Scholarship Program), then set their pace, and walk the beautiful Meiji Jingu Gaien loop course (1.325 km) within one hour. The setting is sublime, the air invigorating, and the cause worthwhile. Thank you to all those who took part this year. The Outreach Walkathon 2016 raised 1.5 million yen. We are happy to report that alumni participation has been increasing gradually each year. With the fifth walkathon coming up in November 2017, we would like to invite all alums to join us in the walk/ run. As you can see from the group photo, furry four-
legged family members are most deffinitely welcome! The participation fee includes a T-shirt (designed by a Nishimachi student), which you won’t want to miss. (If you need a shirt for your pups, N-Kai sells NIS logo doggy-tees too.) Pictured here from left to right are: Nishimachi Admissions officer, Kiki Jiang-Yamaguchi ’87; Junko Sumiya ’83; Nishimachi-Kai vice chair, Lalaka (Ogawa) Fukuma ’90; Nishimachi-Kai chair, Nancy Hashima ’83, and her dog, Ricki; Nishimachi-Kai director, Eisuke Nakajima ’99; Nishimachi Development officer, Mayumi Nakayama ’90; Nishimachi-Kai treasurer, Yhu Kuni ’94, with his wife, Sayaka, and their dog, Edo; Shawn Satterwhite ’16; and Ciaran Hikaru Ueda Fitzgerald ’16. (Not pictured: Jeff Hsu ’77; David de Graw ’85; and Eriko Seki ’11) Hope to see many more of you at the next walkathon!
Spring 2017 Vol. 58 21
Nishimachi celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of Food Fair on Saturday, October 15, with great weather and many visitors making it a huge success. NishimachiKai ran the Nishimachi-Kai Café and the falafel booth, a community favorite, adding to the already festive mood as we celebrated Food Fair’s fiftieth-year milestone. At the café, we sold new merchandise, which included NIS shield logo bento/snack boxes (which sold out!) and clear files in two different designs (shield logo and Matsukata House) as well as NIS shield logo temporary tattoos, which were popular among the students who visited the café. We also sold the usual iced coffee, popcorn, bottled soft drinks, red and white wine, Mako’s baked goods, and other Nishimachi-Kai merchandise. Many alumni and friends from the Nishimachi community dropped by the café to say hello. Our new headmaster, Michael Hosking, also spent some time there, meeting and chatting with members of the community.
Food Fair 2016 October 15, 2016 Lalaka (Ogawa) Fukuma ’90 Vice-Chair, Nishimachi-Kai
We would like to send a huge thank you to the many individuals—donors, volunteers, patrons—who are integral to our efforts and supported the café and falafel booth so generously. Alumni parent Yoko Nakayama and daughter Mayumi Nakayama ’90 donated plastic bags and popcorn kernels; Haruko (Kawai) Kohno ’85: balloons; Makiko Saito ’87: wine; Mako (Hara) Tomita ’86: mouthwatering, homemade baked goods; Anri (Teshigahara) Watanabe ’98: more wine; and Cheerio Corporation: soft drinks and tea. We could not have run the booths without the help of a dedicated team of volunteers made up of alumni and a few current students. With great appreciation, we list their names below. Last but not least, we thank Mari Takeuchi ’76, Haruko (Kawai) Kohno ‘85, Junko Sumiya’83, and Toyoko Tasaki ‘83 for the planning, designing, and production of the beautiful new NIS merchandise. Every year, we are truly delighted by, and grateful for, the strong school spirit evidenced by many alumni, former faculty, and parents all coming together for this big event. That makes our job worthwhile and provides us with great incentives to pursue our mission to help perpetuate the philosophy of our founder, Tané Matsukata; and to provide an opportunity for alumni to reconnect and network with one another while getting to know, and interacting with, the broader Nishimachi International School community. We hope that you had a great time catching up with your Nishimachi friends and look forward to seeing many of you at the 2017 Nishimachi-Kai BBQ on June 17 and/or at Food Fair 2017! N-Kai Café and Falafel Booth Volunteers Mari Takeuchi ’76 Jeff Hsu ’77 Junko Sumiyia ’83 Toyoko Tasaki ’83 Haruko (Kawai) Kohno ’85 Andy Hill ’86 Mako (Hara) Tomita ’86 Nina Humphreys ’90 Yuko Yamada ’90 Yhu Kuni ’94, his wife, Sayaka Ruka Sakurai ’99 Hana Freeman ’20 Claire Ozeki ’20 Erika E. Grade 6
22 The Internationalist
Mini-Regional Reunion in L.A. Mayumi Nakayama ’90 Development Office
Four Nishimachi alums got together for lunch on Saturday, March 25, in Santa Monica, California, at 1212 Santa Monica, a local restaurant: Howard Lee (SP class), our reunion host; Maylie Chang Segal ’80; Seth Gilbert ’89 and his wife, Julieta; and my daughter, Erica, and I. What a great time we had whiling the afternoon away, sharing our Nishimachi memories. This was my second regional reunion, and I have been struck on both occasions by the fact that conversations among Nishimachi alums can veer anywhere from life back in the old days at Nishimachi (the common denominator for us all) to something totally random and unconnected, like, say, raising livestock in the city. (While bees do not exactly qualify as livestock, Seth and Julieta recently installed a beehive in their backyard and are now raising honey bees. A lot work, but think of all the fresh honey!) The group represented a range of class years, and we were able to swap some funny stories. Here’s a good one: Nishimachi did not have a gym when Howard and Maylie attended the school. (It was there a few years later, though, by the time Seth and I were at Nishimachi.)* With no gym, then, Nishimachi students had to play basketball on an outdoor court. Maylie had us in stitches when she told us that one of her classmates didn’t know at the time that basketball was an indoor sport, which meant that courts should be inside, not out. There was an upside to the outdoor court arrangement. Nishimachi students had a home court advantage while playing other schools: Only they knew the exact location of the potholes—and where to dribble the ball to avoid them! We all agreed that, no matter who you were or where you were from, every student at Nishimachi learned not only
the Japanese language but had exposure to Japanese culture in all its richness. Maylie vividly remembers her first grade homeroom teacher, Yaye Hirooka, and, of course, Nishimachi founder Tané Matsukata, and “how educated they were despite the fact that they were women,” since “back then Japanese society didn't care much about women having any education.” Maylie wrapped up the event on a very nice note. “The beauty of our ‘mini-reunion’ was that it was multigenerational. We were able to get together and have a great time despite differences in age and circumstances. It goes to show how very strong the NIS bond remains.” And last but not least, a BIG thank you to Maylie for arranging the reunion, and to Howard for hosting it. Howard Lee SP class Maylie Chang Segal ’80 Seth Gilbert ’89 wife Julieta Mayumi Nakayama ’90 daughter Erica
* Nishimachi’s Ushiba Memorial Gymnasium was completed in 1985.
Class of 1988 Reunion Date: TBA (most likely during the summer of 2018) Person in Charge: Maki Suzuki
Place: Tokyo or Honolulu Email: makilisasuzuki@gmail.com
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Food Fair 2016
Spring 2017 Vol. 58 25
2017
Spring
Upcoming Events
ARE YOU A GOLFER?
GRILLERS AND PREP CREW WANTED FOR BBQ!
Outreach Scholarship 14th Annual Golf Tournament Chiba Birdie Club Saturday, May 27, 2017
Nishimachi-Kai Annual BBQ Saturday, June 17, 2017
Mark Your Calendars
Community Service Flea Market/Bazaar -
Saturday, May 13th Nishimachi International School
Outreach Scholarship 14th Annual Golf Tournament Saturday, May 27th Chiba Birdie Club
Graduation -
Friday, June 16th Nishimachi International School
Nishimachi-Kai BBQ -
Saturday, June 17th Nishimachi International School Contact the Development Office if you would like to join, or would like more information on any of the events above.
Nishimachi Annual Fund Nishimachi International School inspires many of us, students and parents alike, with its dedication to educating responsible world citizens. Your continued support of Nishimachi is greatly appreciated. Support the Nishimachi Annual Fund. http://www.nishimachi.ac.jp/gift
‘I-golf-only-at-Outreach-golf kinda golfer’ to ‘I-golf-more-than-I-work kinda golfer’ Please e-mail: development@nishimachi.ac.jp to sign up or for more information.
Nishimachi-Kai Seeking: BBQ prep crew (morning) Novice to expert grilling crew (daytime) We supply gloves and tongs! Nishimachi-Kai needs your help to make the upcoming BBQ event on Saturday, June 17th a success! Please e-mail: alumni@nishimachi.ac.jp to sign up for shifts.
DID YOU KNOW THAT NISHIMACHI HAS AN OUTREACH SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM, THE GOAL OF WHICH IS TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY AT THE SCHOOL? Please contact us if you know of a student who might qualify or if you would like to make contributions to enhance the program. (Office of Admissions / Development Office) admissions@nishimachi.ac.jp -or-
Nishimachi International School www.nishimachi.ac.jp
development@nishimachi.ac.jp
development@nishimachi.ac.jp
Nishimachi International School
Nishimachi International School Official Alumni
32 The Internationalist