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Volume 6, Issue 1 [May, 2010]
People's Educational and Cultural Exchange (PEACE)
LLL-SIG interviews Tadashi Ishida
This month, we are excited to bring you news about a group founded by Tadashi Ishida and his students. The LLL-SIG newsletter interviewed Ishida-sensei about the group, called People's Educational and Cultural Exchange.
LLL: We are really excited to hear about the group that you and your students have formed. Can you tell us a little about it?
Ishida-sensei: Our group is called People's Educational and Cultural Exchange. It's abbreviated to the acronym "PEACE." It's a social educational organization authorized by the Board of Education of Taito Ward in Tokyo. My students and I launched the group on January 15, 2010. PEACE brings people from all over the world together for intercultural workshops, social events, and interpersonal exchanges. The aims of PEACE are to promote international understanding and intercultural communication through the medium of English and to thereby develop deep bonds of friendship between Japanese citizens and people from abroad.
LLL: What kinds of events do you hold?
Ishida-sensei: We organize both regular and special events offered free of charge for non-Japanese to help them gain a better appreciation of Japanese culture and customs. We also have a program of presentations in order to help Japanese people gain a better appreciation of foreign cultures and customs.
LLL: Wow. That sounds like a lot of events! Could you tell us about the regular and special events for non-Japanese guests?
Ishida-sensei: The regular events are Japan culture days that feature demonstrations and performances of Japanese culture. This is in addition to our sightseeing tours of Ueno Park in which PEACE volunteer members acting as guides for our non-Japanese guests. The special events that we have planned so far include a cherry blossom viewing picnic at the end of March, participating in the Sanja Festival in Asakusa in May, and, in July, a special Japan culture day to be immediately followed by a walk to Asakusa to view the display of bamboo branches decorated for the Tanabata Festival and to taste some snacks traditionally offered for sale at festivals. Participants in this program will also be able to visit the nearby specialty stores selling restaurant supplies, including the plastic models of food that you often see at restaurants in Japan.
LLL: The Sanja Festival is one of the biggest festivals held in Tokyo each year, isn't it?
Ishida-sensei: Yes, that's right. It's famous for a parade of about 100 portable shrines around Asakusa. Each of the shrines is carried on the shoulders of 20 to 30 people. We would like to give our guests a chance to join a team carrying a portable shrine.
LLL: I thought that only residents of Taito Ward could carry a shrine.
Ishida-sensei: That's generally true. However, with special permission from PEACE members living in Taito Ward, we are able to offer up to 10 guests this wonderful opportunity to really participate in the festival.
LLL: That's amazing! I am sure you are going to have lots of people interested in all your programs. How do you gather participants?
Ishida-sensei: Well, we have our webpage in English and Japanese, so a lot of people see that and send emails to us about events. We also put up posters in hotels, so many people travelling in Japan see those. And some participants are friends of my students or myself.
LLL: I see. And where are the cultural events held?
Ishida-sensei: They are held at hotels popular with non-Japanese travelling in Japan, in culture teachers' classrooms, and at community centers.
LLL: By the way, who are the teachers for the culture day program?
Ishida-sensei: The teachers are my English students, who are over 60 years of age! They do demonstrations of calligraphy, origami, tea ceremony, or how to put on a kimono. Or the program might include a shamisen (three-stringed Japanese instrument) performance.
The guides for the tours are my English students who are between 30 and 50 years of age. They guide our guests around Ueno Park on a Saturday afternoon. Ueno Park is a beautiful, restful place to take a Saturday stroll around the pond; visit temples, shrines, and museums; and see statues. The younger students also help to interpret for the older students during our programs. Everyone volunteers because they want the chance to use their English in a real communicative situation with our guests.
LLL: And what about the presentations about other countries?
Ishida-sensei: Well, in this program, we invite non-Japanese guests to speak about their countries. So far we have had guests from England, China, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Each of these events has been very special.
LLL: This sounds like a really innovative program. It's wonderful that your students are being so active in sharing Japanese culture and learning about other cultures in English. They will always be learning! And so will your guests! Thank you so much for sharing the details of this group with the JALT LLL-SIG members.
Ishida-sensei: It's my pleasure. And I would like to invite LLL-SIG members to contact us if they have any questions about the program, or if they would like to participate in the program as a guest or guest speaker.
For more information, please visit the PEACE website at <peace2010.web.fc2.com/> or email: <peace.peace2010@gmail.com>.