This year, being a second-year graduate student, my routine and learning style has changed a lot. Instead of doing most of my learning in class (or even wanting to be in class at all) I've grown the most in activities outside of ICU. Since I took one class during fall term and didn't enroll in the intensive Japanese course, I had a lot more free time to work on my research, think about future plans, do some traveling, participate in some cultural activities and spend more time with Sean. These last three months have been some of the most fun and fulfilling ones that I've had in a long time.



Classes ended in the middle of November and since then I think I've been much busier and learned a lot more than during the official academic term. Right after ICU classes ended, I started a competency-based experiential learning course at United Nations University that was absolutely fantastic. The goal of the class was to help researchers learn how to convey their academic findings to the public and to policy makers. Every day we had UN communication professionals help us with a different and specific focus, then we got to try it for ourselves and finally we received expert feedback. The skills were: public speaking and presentations, powerpoint slide design, giving and participating in interviews, building a personal website, online presence in social media and article writing. All the aforementioned topics were for an intelligent audience not in our field and our instructors consistently asked us to imagine communicating to a typical person who would watch a TED talk. Without a doubt, this was the best course I've had since being in Tokyo and I think "Communicating for researchers" should be a required course for any graduate student looking to make an impact or use their findings for societal change and improvement.


I'm spending the last two weeks of the month after the UNU course speaking at two different conferences: The Japanese Association of Language Teachers conference in Nagoya and a conference entitled Japan in the World and the World in Japan in Osaka. In the middle of those two conferences I'm speaking in three different high school classrooms about my experience in Mozambique. Although public speaking isn't one of my favorite things to do and definitely isn't one of my strong points, I'm consistently seeing the need to get better at it and also feel more comfortable.



Winter term classes start on December 5, the day after I return from Osaka and it's going to be hard to return to campus and be back in the classroom after all the fun I've had learning in new ways and in different places. If you're interested in seeing how the first year went, the latest edition of the ICU Rotary Peace Center Newsletter can be found here:  https://rotaryicu.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/newsletter_volume8-2.pdf

A lack of internet at the various places I've been these past few weeks has made it difficult to post but I'm looking forward to writing more regularly once winter term begins. Thanks for following along!

Beers, sake and edamame as a common appetizer

Dinner - the "Monk's feast"

 Although we had wanted to stay the night at a traditional Japanese inn in Nikko we opted for a slightly more modern choice as Japanese inns are a cool experience but also extremely pricey. I've never stayed in one before but we're going to give it a try in a different city in December. Traditional inns or "ryokans" are typically very simple but elegant with private onsen (hot pools) in your room. They are commonly full board with beautiful breakfasts and extravagant dinners. Our inn wasn't quite so nice but still much appreciated after walking around all day.

After finishing up at the shrines, we hiked to our inn and enjoyed dinner which was called the "Monk's feast". Dinner included local vegetables and "yuba" which is a type of soy product famous in Nikko. Along with sake and beer the dinner was fantastic and I enjoyed the tempura the most. After dinner took advantage of our private onsen hot pool. Usually, Japanese onsen are gender separated and it was nice to finally hang out with Sean instead of with naked strangers.





Breakfast the next morning was equally delightful and also comical. When the hosts found out that we were from the States, they prepared a "Western" breakfast for us containing: scrambled eggs, sausage, salad, pumpkin soup, yogurt and honey and bread. Can't say I've ever had pumpkin soup for breakfast before but it was delicious!

Trains to Nikko

Since we didn't travel much last year, this year Sean and I have been very active and deliberate in making plans to visit some places that came highly recommended from previous Peace Fellows. High on the list was a weekend trip to Nikko, a city about three hours away by train known for its famous and historic shrines along with beautiful nature. Nikko is a World Cultural Heritage site and there is a lot to see whether you're a history buff or a fan of great hiking. It is known to be especially beautiful in the fall because of the changing leaves in the mountains.

Walking from the station to the hills

Early Sunday morning, Sean and I caught several trains en route to Tobu-Nikko station in the small mountain town. From there, we walked about thirty minutes to reach the historic sites in the hills. It was most fun to see the carving of the famous three monkeys which drew quite a crowd. After touring several shrines, pagodas and monuments, we walked back down the mountain for a coffee and cake break before hitting up a famous Buddhist monument along the river which was on the way to our inn where we were staying for the night.

We saw lots of Japanese in traditional clothes taking pictures near the shrines

The colors of the trees were fantastic!

The three monkeys carving

Hordes of tourists visiting the historic attractions

Posing before a famous bridge in the area

Every week I bike to a nearby community center to meet for an hour or two with local women from our neighborhood who want to practice English. We meet in a little cafe and talk about anything from daily life to cultural differences. Sometimes I bring a game or activity but other times we just chat and let the conversation carry us through different topics. It's always a highlight of my week and today (Election Day) they were a bright spot in a dark and disappointing time for me as an American voter.

Last year, I found out that a long-time family friend and her husband had been accepted to teach at an international school in Tokyo. After a few months of them getting adjusted, we decided to meet last Saturday to spend the day at Shinjuku Gardens to see the yearly chrysanthemum beds. After some initial confusion about where to meet (Shinjuku Station is the largest in the world and has over 200 exits) we decided to simply convene at the central rest stop in the gardens.


Shinjuku National Garden is an impressive and beautiful green space in the middle of Tokyo. The admission fee costs only about $2 and gives you access to trails, flora and fauna exhibits, greenhouses, Japanese gardens and ponds. We spent the better part of an afternoon there and barely covered half of the park. Though many go to see the hundreds of varieties of plants and trees, others go to hang out in the green space to nap, picnic or play sports.





While we were there we enjoyed a wild rose exhibit and the famous chrysanthemum beds. Though I was expecting fields of tightly packed yellow mums, the exhibits were carefully arranged flowers all emerging from only one root - this is the Japanese way and tradition that is treasured and admired. "Like the cherry blossom, the chrysanthemum symbolizes the season, but more than that, it is a symbol of the country itself. The monarchy is referred to as the Chrysanthemum Throne and the Imperial crest is a stylized mum blossom. That seal is embossed on Japanese passports. The flower is also a common motif in art, and it is seen in everyday life depicted on the 50 Yen coin"(The Japan Times). Because of the significance of the flower, the park was packed, especially around the flower exhibitions. But because it was a beautiful day and we were with old friends, we didn't mind taking our time and chatting while waiting for the crowds to pass.



After walking around the park we headed to an Indian restaurant and enjoyed sharing dishes of curry, Tandoori chicken and plenty of garlic naan. Our friends had lived and taught in India the previous few years so they were experts in choosing a menu that all would enjoy. After walking around the city a bit more, we bid each other farewell with promises to catch up again in the future. Living far away from home and family is difficult and a day that offers a chance to connect with people who truly know you and where you're from is a valuable and much-needed way to stay sane abroad.

In the new class of Peace Fellows there is one other married couple from Australia and Canada. We had gotten to know them a little bit last year when they came to visit to scout for housing and also so Caite could interview at an international school where she is now the kindergarten teacher. We had been wanting to get together for a long time and finally agreed to meet at Kichijoji Craft Beer Market on Friday night for drinks and dinner.

Lorne and Sean laughing because they were drinking Michigan Founders beer in Tokyo

Being married in a program like the Rotary Peace Fellowship has its pros and cons. Having a spouse abroad means constant support and companionship as well as another income. But it also means that you spend less time with the graduate student community on campus which can feel like you're missing out on some events and friendships. Talking to another couple about these challenges was really therapeutic and I hope we can hang out with them more.

Caite and I

A side note about dining in Tokyo - since portions are small and prices are high Sean and I have gotten into the habit of eating a "pre-dinner" before the real dinner. We usually grab some sushi from the convenience or grocery store and eat it outside before going to the restaurant. Then at the restaurant we can try something interesting or unusual without being ravenous and disappointed when we realize that the three bites it takes to clean the plate won't come near to filling us up.

Pre-dinner consisting of grocery store sushi for $7

Although many expats complain about living in Japan for one reason or another, there are several things that this country has nailed such as: 24 hours convenience stores on every corner, safety, punctual and clean transportation and most of all public baths.

Hilary and I warm and cozy after our public bath experience

A picture of what a typical modern sento looks like in Japan

Persimmons and apples decorated in the produce section of our local market  - my first thought was, how long did that take!?

Very typical of Japan - a holiday trash sorting crew in style

Halloween in Tokyo is slowly catching on though it's nothing compared to the level of hype and tradition in the U.S. On any given day in Tokyo you can find people in costumes so it's not that surprising that the holiday is gaining momentum and popularity. We had a Halloween-filled weekend and spent it walking around the center of the city checking out the costumed masses, making Halloween cupcakes and cookies and eating squid ink pasta (Sean's idea) to celebrate the day.

Halloween dinner of squid ink pasta with shrimp and asparagus

We spent Saturday night with Sean's ultimate frisbee team who dressed up to do a Halloween bar crawl at a tiny, little-known station in Tokyo. We had a lot of fun traipsing from bar to bar, trying different beers and wowing people with our costumes. The team even had a tiny pumpkin carved with the kanji of their team name "Kuru".  Naturally, since it was a Japanese bar crawl, everything was very organized. We had little cards with places for stamps at each place. Once we filled in four stamps we won prizes which were bottles of craft beers that we could take home. The next day we received an email from the Doyles in Holland with a picture of Sean's dad in his holiday getup at work. I can see where Sean's love for Halloween and costumes in general comes from . . .

Mr. Doyle enjoying Halloween at Herman Miller