e-ShortNews

Shigeo Tajima, Advisor of Meguro UNESCO Association

The 29th Summer Olympic Games was opened on August 8th, 2008, which is the most auspicious day for the host country, China. Exciting events are staged in Beijing and its vicinities every day. We sit in front of a TV whenever we have the time, alternating between joy and sorrow by the outcome of the performance by Japanese athletes. After intensive practice, young people from 204 counties and regions produce their best performances under the pressure of their national flag for glory. They shed tears of joy, saying, “At last, I’ve won!”, or shed tears of frustration, saying, “I could not win, however hard I tried.” Those scenes give the audience a pleasant and fine impression all the more because they are genuine.

Needless to say, the Olympics are meant for competing sport skills; not for blood shedding or killing. That is why it is called a “peaceful festival” however fiercely they fight, and most people do not object to holding the Olympic Games however costly it might be in strained financial conditions.

Watching the Olympic Games on TV, I was especially impressed when I came to know that every medal-winning athlete has an intense fighting spirit, tenacity, and makes a desperate effort, at the same time. They never give up; rather they thrive on adversity, even if they have been disheartened while preparing for the games, or even failed on the world stage.

I understand that Kosuke Kitajima, who won gold medals for the men's 100m and 200m breaststroke at both the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympics, has been crowned with laurel after overcoming several slumps. Also, Kohei Uchimura, who has won a silver medal for artistic gymnastics at the age of just 19, got over from a mistake he made when people all over the world were watching, by showing us later the beautiful skill he acquired through hard practice. The same holds for Yukiko Ueno, who pitched 318 balls for 6 hours in two women’s softball games in a day. I marveled at her physical strength, will-power, and persistence to win.

Those athletes showed us endurance, which is largely attributable to disproving the critical comments of adults saying, “young people these days do not have enough endurance”, “they switch from one job to another”, and “It is OK to try to find an ideal job, but some of them drift from job to job, ending in withdrawal or NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training)”.

August 8th, 2008 was not only an auspicious day but also a day which has left a lot to think about. Around that day, it was revealed that China, a rising power, has accumulated a lot of ethnic problems in Tibet and Xinjiang. Russia, another big power in the north, also invaded to Georgia, a major former republic of the Soviet Union. We can enjoy the sports festival for peace and friendship, and at the same time, through these events, we have reaffirmed the need to be keenly alert to the movement in the international community from a broader perspective, to realize world peace. Furthermore, we have reaffirmed the need to come up with a new method, and a new way of thinking to strengthen or reconstruct the defenses of peace. (Written on Aug. 21, 2008)

Sponsor: Meguro Board of Education / Organizer: NPO Meguro UNESCO Association
Lecturer: Ms. Minami Kawahara (Freelance newscaster)
Date: June 26 (Thur), 2008 18:30- / Place: Midorigaoka Cultural Hall / Attendees: 35

Ms. Kawahara, having appeared in the NHK Education TV program, Korean Language Course, studied at the Korean Language Institute of Yonsei University for more than two years. She is now acting as an MC for various meetings and events involving Korea and the Korean language. Here is a summary of her talk.

Before I went to Korea to study, I had attended the Meguro UNESCO Korean language class, and this connection has given me this wonderful opportunity to talk to you today.

The reason I had come to have so much interest in Korea started the day I encountered a Korean lady on a plane. Without knowing a word of Korean, I was on the way to Korea all by myself to watch soccer games, my favorite sport. A Korean lady happened to sit next to me. While talking with me, she got to know that I was alone and kindly offered help should the need arise.

Our friendship grew even after I returned home from the trip. At my next trip to Korea she offered for me to stay at her parents’ home. They welcomed me wholeheartedly and I was plied with souvenirs, such as rice cakes, kimuchi pickles, etc., on my way home. The experiences I had at their home were totally new and inspiring to me. Giving such warm care and love to a person whom she happened to sit next to, was what attracted me to Korea. Luckily my relationship with Korea has developed and deepened in my life ever since.

What attracts me most about Korea is that the people express their opinions precisely. That is something I lack and it is a great thing to do. I love Korean food and shopping is lots of fun but all in all I love Korean people. Koreans are very truthful to their own feelings and are affectionate. Every time I have contact with them I feel that their purity, affection and mutual support differs from those of my home country, Japan, and that is why I am attracted to Korea so much.

When I lived in Korea, I found that not everything was beautiful. For instance, not apologizing even if they make an obvious mistake such ordering an incorrect shoe size, saying they can to something they never can, easily breaking promises, being quarrelsome, and so on. Yet subtracting all those characteristics, I still think there are loveable people living in Korea.

In order to understand Korea well, needless to say, commanding the language is crucial. My understanding of Korea grew along with my fluency of the Korean language. The language has many similarities with Japanese, so that once you have started to learn Korean, you will find it very interesting. And if you use what you have learned, it will be sure to widen your insight and life itself.

Ms. Kawahara demonstrated some examples of differences and similarities between the two languages. She also showed Korean wedding pictures and even recommended some Korean dishes.

President Kato concluded the Lecture Series by commenting that Ms. Kawahara’s talk certainly made Korea and her people close to us, which is the very belief stated in the UNESCO Constitution.
-summarized by Tadashi Nakamura, Training Program Committee

On May 21, eighteen students from Iga Municipal Aoyama Junior High School in Mie Prefecture visited our office. It was the second day of their school trip of four days and three nights, and they were full of vigor, having many exciting plans such as visiting Tokyo Disneyland that afternoon.
After everyone introduced themselves, we told the students briefly about our activities such as a “study tour to Cambodia”, language classes, international exchange programs, art exhibitions, concerts, etc.
The students had faxed some questions to us in advance: “What is the most accessible UNESCO activity that anyone can do here and now?”; “What inspired you to participate in UNESCO activities?”, etc. In response to the first question, we explained the campaign for miswritten postcard collections. Replying to the second, all the seven members attending the meeting told their own stories.
At the end of the meeting, the teacher who was accompanying her students said, “These third year students, who are supposed to decide their courses soon, will find what they have learned today very useful and encouraging.”
Later, we received a copy of their wall newspaper introducing UNESCO activities, and many thank you letters. Their sincere messages seemed to indicate that we managed to get UNESCO spirit across to the young people, and we felt happy about this rewarding experience.
-reported by Masumi Saito, member of UNESCO Movement Promotion Committee

“What Can We Do Now? – International and Social Contributions”
Date: August 15(Fri)-17(Sun), 2008 / Participants: 48 people, from 8 countries
Place: YMCA Tozanso, Gotenba, Shizuoka / Sponsored by NPO Meguro UNESCO Association
Supported by Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), Meguro City, Meguro Board of Education,Meguro International Friendship Association, and National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan

“Summer Youth Program” Shotaro Kimpara, Chair of Summer Youth Program Committee
Last year, in the spring, I joined Meguro UNESCO Association and attended “Summer Youth Program”. This year, I found myself being the committee chair of the program. Because we wanted to study about social and international contributions, we decided this year’s theme as shown in the title. But what we can do for social and international contributions?
The mission statement of Meguro UNESCO Association says “to make this world brighter, we are ready to serve local community”. I think this spirit is very important when we think of social and international contributions. If local actions lead to the betterment of the world, there must be many things we can do. Let’s think about global issues from a small local daily life.

“Group Work” Mai Ito, youth member of Meguro UNESCO Association
On the second day of the program, we separated into groups and held group talks, crossing lines of nationality and generation.
At first, we did a “show and tell”, showing photos of places where each of us was proud of in his or her home country or region in order to understand each other’s culture. All of the members’ faces were shining when they talked about their hometowns. Then, each group selected one photo. Those were the photos of cherry blossoms, a peace monument, woods, a river, a pagoda, old stores, tideland, etc. After that, we talked what we would be able to do to preserve those places for the next 100 years, and each group made a presentation to illustrate problems and resolutions. At this moment, in the minds of every one of us, was kindled the awareness that “we are living together with the unborn”, a phrase from the speech Mr. Okusawa made on the 1st day. That was the awareness of the need to conserve nature, to hand down the cultural heritage from our ancestors to our next generations, etc. In this camp, various kinds of awareness was born in our minds, and I would like to say that the defences of peace, which the constitution of UNESCO aims for, were already built in our minds even if we were not conscious about it.

To support the World Terakoya movement, we donated in the last fiscal year, through the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan, 400,000 yen to Laos and 300,000 yen to the Philippines. We also made a contribution, through other bodies, to the Darunee Scholarship Program helping Thai children attend junior high school, and to the Sakura-Lanka Scholarship Program for children in Sri Lanka. We have been supporting those two scholarship programs for more than 20 years (33,000 yen/year to Darunee; 36,000 yen/year to Sakura-Lanka). We have recently received a Darunee newsletter and the photos of children receiving scholarship this year.
Porntiwa Lueang-On, a girl in the first year of junior high school, lives in a fatherless family. Weeradech Bodtaisong (left photo) is a second year boy whose dream is to become a teacher, a soldier, or a lawyer. Thawatchai Ratananet (right photo), who is in his third year, seems to be anxious to go on to high school. We would like to help them as much as we can. For a family whose income is one dollar a day or less, scholarship, even in small amounts, seems to be a very encouraging support. We would like to go on watching the children’s growth and development.
- Fumiko Harada, International Support Activity Committee