My Plan for December and January

1 My Plan in December

After finishing my final report and exam on December 12th, I have been enjoying a relaxing life, meeting many people and reflecting on my days in the fall semester, without feeling the pressure of due dates. There have been many events, including a year-end party of the Japanese Harvard Association and a networking dinner between the Tufts Fletcher School Japan Club and the Kennedy School Japan Caucus. My co-worker from Japan, who is now studying at Cornell Business School, visited me, and we went to eat ramen at Yume wo Katare, a famous Japanese ramen shop in Porter Square. I also held a sushi party in my apartment, inviting friends living nearby, with the cooperation of a Japanese friend from HKS. Today, I will go to a year-end party at the Vogel School, a place where Japanese students and researchers often gather and discuss various issues in Japan. I feel that these networking opportunities I help broaden my perspective by talking with people from different fields, such as business, medicine, and education.

This weekend and the beginning of the next week, I plan to go to New York for the first time in my life. It’s only four to five hours from Boston to New York. During the semester, I often wanted to go to New York, but I didn't have a chance to go there because I was busy with classes and extra-curricular activities. In New York, I will meet a friend from my college basketball club, a coworker from my previous workplace, and other senior co-workers from my current company. I also want to look around major sightseeing places such as Times Square and Ground Zero, as well as watch a musical.

2 My Plan in January

From the 5th-16^th of January, I will take a class for January Term at the Kennedy School. Students don't necessarily have to take January Term courses. Some students will go to warm places such as Florida and California, and some international students will go back to their home countries. I will take a course called "Arts of Communication". The lecturer is Holly Weeks, who is a specialist in communication skills and has taught various communication seminars at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Harvard Business School. This course will train students to be effective communicators, especially focusing on presentations and speechmaking. Each student has to give three presentations during the course. Students will give feedback on each other's presentations as well as reviewing their own presentation videos. For this class, students earn 0.5 credits. In Japan, I didn’t have this kind of intensive presentation and speech training seminar. I decided to take this course because the intensive practice of speaking English in front of audiences will give me great confidence over the next 1.5 years at HKS.

From the 17th-25^th of January, I will go to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of a research program at the Kennedy School called The Emirates Leadership Initiative Program.On the trip, students will visit the World Future Energy Summit, Masdar City,  the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency, and the Dubai Expo 2020 Sustainability Team. The UAE is a significant country for Japan's energy security because the UAE is the second largest exporter of oil to Japan and the eighth largest exporter of LNG to Japan. During the trip, I would like to keep in mind an important question: How can Japan and the UAE cooperate in the energy field in the coming years?

Admission to this program was competitive: 27 students were selected out of over 100 applicants. I and a  mid-career student from China are the only Asian students. This year, there are 11 Japanese students at HKS, a small number compared to past years. I am well aware that I benefit from this small number of Japanese students because I can be accepted for this kind of program more easily than if I were here in previous years. At the same time,  it is my belief that these small numbers are a problem: Asian students are underrepresented in the Kennedy School. Discussions tend to be led by Western students. It’s my goal to increase the presence of Asian students in the Kennedy School, and find a way to make our voices heard.

Thanksgiving!

Today is Thanksgiving day. It is my first time in more than 20 years to experience Thanksgiving day in the United States. In the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), this Thursday and Friday are days off, and there are no classes. Even on Wednesday, many of the classes were canceled because it was a pre-Thanksgiving day. Many of my American friends in HKS are going to their hometowns. Many of the international students who live with their family are traveling to some places such as New York.

Last Sunday, I went to a party named Friendsgiving, which was a gathering with my MPA2 classmates. More than 40 people came to the event. MPA2 program doesn't have any requisite classes, so unless taking the same class, we don't meet with each other very often. In this party, I talked with many of those classmates who I don't usually meet in everyday class, and it was a lot of fun. Everyone was asked to bring his or her own dishes of origin. I made the most use of the fact of being only Japanese in the class and brought nigiri and makimono which I bought in Sakanaya, a excellent fish market in Allston. Those nigiri and makimono were one of the most favorites in this day's dishes.

On Wednesday, I went to Japanese-style hot tubs named East Heaven with my Japanese friends in HKS. It was located 100 miles west from Cambridge. Although it was snowing and very cold, I soaked in the outside Japanese-style bathtub and relieved my fatigue of studying hard every day

Until Sunday, we have a break. But I can't just sit around and do nothing because soon after the break finishes, I have to do a final group paper in the Negotiation class, a final exam of the Energy Policy class, a final take-home report of the U.S. Business-Government Relationship class, and a group paper and a final exam of the Trade Policy class. Thus, I will spend my time until Sunday to prepare for these assignments of each class step by step so as not to panic right before the deadline, while relaxing at my home.

Extra-Curricular Activities at HKS

One of the advantages of studying at HKS is that there is a great number of opportunities for extra-curricular activities. I made up my mind to make use of these opportunities: I will be the Chair of Japan Caucus at HKS and a member of the head committee of Vogel Study Group.

First, I was elected as the Chair of Japan Caucus at HKS. I went up for the position because I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to exercise leadership. In addition, I thought it would be an opportunity to mingle with diverse people because I would be a contact person for other caucuses or HKS administrative staff. Most of all, I had a strong sense of crisis regarding the decline of Japanese presence in HKS due to decreasing numbers of Japanese enrollment. Through activities this year, I would like to plan events on the Japanese culture and study sessions on Japanese economy and politics. I also want to plan a collaborative event with other caucuses in HKS.

Second, I will be a member of the head committee of Harvard Vogel Study Group. Vogel Study Group is a study group where a wide range of students and researchers gather under Ezra Vogel, a professor emeritus at Harvard and a specialist in Japan. This study group will focus on the Japanese economy, diplomacy, and internal affairs. This year, we will hold four subcommittees: international politics, international economy, international competitiveness, and internal affairs.

Since I arrived in Boston, I have been always asked by my classmates about Japanese politics and economy as a liaison to the country. But I sometimes could not answer the questions, especially questions about politics, because I haven't studied the subject until now. Thus, I made up mind to take the opportunity to attend the international politics subcommittee to study politics. I also became a member of the head committee where I work as a coordinator because I thought this would be a good opportunity to deepen the relationships with students and researchers from other Harvard schools, MIT, and Tufts Fletcher School.

I would like to study hard at HKS, which is my main job, as well as commit to extra-curricular activities like the Japan Caucus and Vogel Study Group.

An Enjoyable Interaction with Japanese Fellows at Harvard

Today, I went to a Harvard Japanese Association social event. It was held in the park near Fresh Pond, and was a barbecue. Many families with little children also attended the event.

Many Japanese studying at Harvard Business School, Kennedy School, Law School, School of Public Health, Design School, Medical School, Dental School, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, College (Undergrad), and the Fellow Program such as the US-Japan Program, gathered at once. There were over 100 people. Due to time constraints, I could only talk with some of the participants, but I'd like to keep participating this kind of event and build constructive relationships with other students outside the Kennedy School.

Dinner with a Great Japanese Politician

Today, I had dinner with a Japanese politician and Japanese colleagues who study in the Boston area. This politician used to work at my company and was also a graduate of Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). Today's dinner was organized because he happened to drop by Boston. He was energetic, knowledgeable, and engaging. He talked extensively about his own experiences; here, I outline what I learned from him.

1 What We Should Bear in Mind While Studying Abroad
(1) Strengthen English Capabilities
While studying at HKS, you should strengthen your English capabilities as much as possible. This politician improved his English capabilities by talking with his American English teacher every week. He made his teacher ask questions, and improved his English skills by answering those questions repeatedly. He also attended parties and brown-bag seminars even though he didn't understand the conversations. By doing that, many people remembered his face and he learned English little by little.

(2) Make Friends
You should make friends and build relationships with all kinds of students from all over the world. You will have a chance to work with them. Sometimes, friends at HKS will become President or Minister in their countries. In addition, Japanese friends you meet at Boston might become business partners in the future.

(3) Learn the American Way of Thinking
Harvard is one of the best places in the world to learn about how American people think of international relations and politics. You should take many courses at HKS related to these topics.

2 How to Grow Personally
This politician used to be in charge of personnel transfer at my company, and from that experience, he learned to think about how people grow personally. As a result, he found that a person who can reflect on himself or herself and have a wide variety of experiences, will grow personally. In particular, it is important to seek out opportunities proactively to have a wide range of experiences. For example, when you are asked by your employer about where you want to transfer in the future, you can seek valuable experiences by telling him that you want to go to a tough division. By working in an unexpected division and looking at a new world, you can learn how to deal with various situations in your life.

A Free Cafe, Ramen, and 3-on-3

A Free Cafe

Last weekend, I went to the Cambridge Public Library. The building is well-designed and modern. Anyone who lives in Cambridge can get a library card once you show your ID such as a passport and verification of your address. The number of books is much less than libraries in Harvard, but you can read new books, academic books, newspapers such as the New York Times and the Financial Times, magazines such as the Economist and Foreign Policy. Since there are a lot of chairs and desks, you can pick up the books which interest you, sit down at a desk, and read them. In addition, bringing food is possible, and many people read books while eating, which surprised me a lot because in Japan most libraries don't allow visitors to eat food or drink. 

I like Cambridge Public Library, because it is like a free cafe with a wealth of intellectual materials. Since I have not been given a Harvard student ID, I can't use libraries in Harvard yet. Thus, I will go to Cambridge Public Library and enjoy reading a lot of kinds of resources until then.

3-on-3

On Saturday evening, I went to a nearby basketball court inside an apartment complex called Peabody Terrace, which is only a three-minute walk from my apartment, and played basketball with a fellow Japanese classmate at HKS. I was happy to find several outside basketball courts around Harvard because in Japan we don't have many places outside to play basketball. At the courts, not many people were playing, but several guys gathered eventually and we had the numbers to get a three on three game going. Our side was an middle-aged American guy, my Japanese fellow, and I. The other side consisted of three high school students. The atmosphere was appropriately loose and appropriately serious, and I had a lot of fun. I have been playing basketball for sixteen years since I was a junior high school student. Until recently, I was not sure if I could play well in the U.S because Americans were tall, strong, and highly skilled. But I found I could play well and gained confidence. I would like to continue playing basketball here in the U.S., hopefully with my HKS classmates, and build ties with them.

H Mart

There is a convenience store called CVS right in front of the Harvard Square Station and I can buy almost everything I need to for a daily life, which is good, but the only shortcoming is I can't buy fresh food such as vegetable and fruits.On Sunday, I was happy to find H Mart, which is near the Central Square Station, only one station from the Harvard Square Station, and sells Asian food. I found that without using the subway, I can go to H Mart within ten minutes from my apartment by bicycle. On the other hand, H Mart mainly targets Korean, Japanese, and American who are interested in Asian food, and I can buy everything I need to cook Japanese food, such as fruits, vegetable, kimchi, canned fish, soup, instant ramen, and so on.

Ramen

There are several restaurants inside H Mart, and you can eat Japanese ramen there. I have been cooking by myself since I arrived in Boston, but eating Japanese food outside of my house was a great relief. It was a comfort food. I ate yasai ramen (yasai means vegetable in Japanese). It had the orthodox soy sauce taste,which Japanese likes, and I found it delicious.

A Pleasant Social Event of Harvard University Housing

Joint Orientation Hosted by Harvard University Housing

Last night, I went to an event called Cambridge 101 Orientation, which was hosted by Harvard University Housing (HUH). HUH is an organization which offers housing to the graduate students, faculty, and employees. I now live in 5 Cowperthwaite Street, which is part of HUH. It is only a seven-minute walk to HKS, and it was newly built in 2007. This apartments in this building are for a single occupants or couples with at most one child. I have never experienced trouble since I arrived here, because my room has a bathroom and a kitchen, and the apartment has common study rooms, a laundry room, and a training gym. 

Today's event is a joint orientation for people who recently moved to 5 Cowperthwaite and two other neighboring apartment buildings, 10 Akron and Peabody Terrace. Around fifty people attended the event. Four to five HKS students were there. In addition, there were students from the Law School and Graduate School of Education, PHD students, fellows of a research center, and their spouses. For the first hour, coordinators of the event explained safety issues, shopping, and Harvard's institutions such as libraries or gyms. After that, a networking social was held for one hour. Although attending the social was optional, most people attended it.

A Classmate from Argentina

At the social, I was happy to meet an MPA2 classmate from Argentina. He said that he would like to focus his study on economic policy at HKS. Since we shared the same interest in economic policy, we hit it off with each other. He taught me a famous saying, "There are four types of countries: developed, undeveloped, Japan and Argentina." by Simon Kuznets, a Nobel Prize winner in economics in 1971. Kuznets saw Japan and Argentina as exceptions: Japan rapidly grew from a developing country to a developed country after WW2, and Argentina dropped from a developed country to a developing country after the 1930s due to political instability and so on. I got interested in and looked up the Argentine economy. I found that Argentina is an interesting country which has a lot of topics to be talked about. As for its trade policy, Argentina continues to take a protectionist policy. In 2012, Japan, the US, and the EU requested the establishment of a WTO panel to resolve trade issues with Argentina. As for energy issues, Argentina holds the third largest amount of shale gas in the world. Argentina might be a key country to understand Japan's trade policy and energy supply strategy, which I would like to study at a HKS.

In addition to him, I talked with an Australian PHD candidate in physics who can speak Japanese and an Indian cartoonist who will be a research fellow in international affairs. I had a lot of fun talking with them. I think that interacting with students such as these with diverse backgrounds is one of the advantages of studying at Harvard. I would like to purposefully continue to participate in this kind of social event.

Reference

An Article about the Argentine Economy by the Economist (February 2014)

Explanation of the Economic History of Argentina from Wikipedia

A Casual Meeting with My Japanese Fellows of the Kennedy School

Last night, I went to a casual meeting with my Japanese fellows of the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). It was held in a Vietnamese restaurant in Harvard Square. This year, the number of new students of the HKS is nine in total. Seven are students of the one-year Mid-Career Master in Public Administration Program (MC-MPA), which is designed for professionals with more than seven years of experience. The other two are students of two-year programs. One is going to the Master in Public Policy Program (MPP) and the other, which is me, is going to the Two-Year Master in Public Administration Program (MPA2). Since the Mid-Career Program started in July earlier than the other programs, mid-career students have already deepened their exchanges with other classmates. Out of two hundred students in the Mid-Career Program, Japanese account for seven. This number is relatively high compared to other countries, higher than China and Korea, which makes Japan one of the biggest groups in the program. On the other hand, MPP, which consists of around 225 people, and MPA2, which consists of around 70 people, only have one Japanese in each program. Therefore, to enhance Japan's presence in each program, we have to act in a proactive manner. HKS is a diverse mixture of students from many countries, so Japan will not be represented if I choose to stay on the sidelines and not contribute my perspective.

Japan Trip During the meeting, we talked about Japan Trip, a weeklong trip to Japan, in which Kennedy School students visit Japan and have meetings with Japanese policymakers, with a view to deepen their understanding of Japan. We do not necessarily plan this trip every year, but we reached an agreement that we would plan the trip this year. Some of the mid-career students have experience planning such a trip at other universities, and other students have an aggressive fundraising strategy. I felt reassured and encouraged by them. I would like to be involved in the planning of Japan Trip, looking for what I could do to contribute to the team.

After talking for three and a half hours we finished the meeting. After that, I and one of the mid-career guys were invited to the home of another mid-career guy. The three of us happen to live in the same apartment, which is operated by Harvard Housing. The two of them have come to Boston with their family. Since I will spend the first of my two years in Boston by myself, I would like to keep in touch with them. We Japanese are not accustomed to life in the US, and I hope we can support each other through both the good times and difficult times ahead. Throughout the gathering, I felt that mid-career people have rich work experiences, are mature spiritually, and can be depended on. I also felt that they put more importance on professional networking with other students, rather than questing for academia, because their program is only one-year. I would like to learn as much as possible from those mid-career students, as well as make an achievement in the academic field, making the most use of my two years at the Harvard Kennedy School.

A Cheerful Gathering with New Japanese Friends

Last night, I had a drink for the first time since I arrived in Boston. I was invited to the home of my Japanese friend who will start studying at the Harvard Business School (HBS) this month. Another guy who also will be a student of HBS joined us, and we had a conversation with each other. Since all of us are the same age, we had an animated conversation with each other. To my surprise, we talked together as long as six hours until well past midnight.

This was the first time I met people from HBS. I will confess that before I met them, I believed a stereotype about students at HBS and expected them to be snobby and arrogant. But my new friends reversed that image. They are gentle, good at talking and listening to what others say. They struck me as down-to-earth and well-balanced men.

One of the advantages of studying at the Kennedy School is that I have a wealth of opportunities to interact with other Japanese peers from professional schools in Harvard such as the Business School, Law School, School of Public Health, as well as MIT and Tufts University.

We share the peer identity that "we are the Japanese who study at Boston around the same time." If we lived in Tokyo, we would not have a chance to meet each other. We are now in Boston, and that makes us feel camaraderie--we are fellows and share the same struggles and similar goals. Living in Boston has brought me closer to other Japanese.

I would like to keep interacting with them actively. I hope we can continue to see each other and grow our friendship as we start our new journey in Boston.