Intercultural Crosstalk

• Intercultural Crosstalk

The three participants came to Japan, the country of their roots, with their own thoughts and feelings. In round 2, we asked them about their impressions of Japan, their feelings upon arriving in Japan, and how their thoughts on identity have changed.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

We will be presenting a three-part series of round table discussions with "people who have come to Japan, the country of their roots." There are many people living overseas who have roots in Japan. In this series, we will hear from 3 people who were born and raised overseas but chose to come to Japan, the country of their roots, of their own volition. They will talk about their reasons for making that decision, the countries where they grew up, and their thoughts on their identity.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

We asked 3 caregivers working in the field to talk about the future of the care-giving profession, the rewards of working in the field, and whether they want to continue working in the field.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

Caregivers work shifts, so the time they start work varies from day to day. How do they manage their health and what kind of life do they lead? How do they spend their days off? We also asked them about the difficulties they face in continuing to work in a field that is said to be short of staff.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

We will be delivering a 3-part series of round-table discussions with caregivers from abroad. The number of foreign residents working in the elderly care industry is increasing year by year. Amidst the current shortage of care workers, we spoke to 3 people who are actually working hard in the care industry about how they got into it, what their jobs entail, and their thoughts on the work.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

The research environment and school systems differ from country to country. What are the differences between Japan and your home country? We asked the participants to talk about the differences they have noticed in their research, and the good things about doing research in Japan.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

We asked 3 researchers living in Japan about how they spend time in their daily lives. As their research topics and environments differ, it seems that the time they spend on research and how they spend their days also differ. We also asked them about the things they do to take a break from their research and the things they enjoy about their lives.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

We will be bringing you a 3 part series of round-table discussions with researchers from abroad. There are people in Japan researching in a variety of fields. Many foreigners also come to Japan to research. What kind of research are they doing? And what kind of life are they living? We asked them about the reasons for their research and why they chose Japan as their place of research.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

We wondered how the things they learned at the community Japanese language classes were useful in their current lives. The topics of discussion ranged from how long they had been taking the classes to what they thought was good about it. They also shared their ideas of what kind of Japanese language classes they would like to see in the future.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

We are pleased to present a 3 part series of round-table discussions on "work and activities that connect their home countries with Japan". In this second session, we will be discussing their work and activities. What kind of reactions do their family and friends have to their work and activities? They also talked about how their own lives and the environment around them had changed as a result of continuing with their work and activities.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

Over the next 3 months, from this month until November, we will be bringing you a 3-part series of roundtable discussions on the topic of “Community-based Japanese Language Classes and Support”. The 3 participants in this discussion have experience of attending community Japanese language classes or Japanese language classes at school. In the first round, they talked about their first encounter with a community-based Japanese language class.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

We are pleased to present a 3 part series of round-table discussions on "work and activities that connect their home countries with Japan". In this second session, we will be discussing their work and activities. What kind of reactions do their family and friends have to their work and activities? They also talked about how their own lives and the environment around them had changed as a result of continuing with their work and activities.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

We are pleased to present a 3 part series of round-table discussions on "work and activities that connect their home countries with Japan". In this second session, we will be discussing their work and activities. What kind of reactions do their family and friends have to their work and activities? They also talked about how their own lives and the environment around them had changed as a result of continuing with their work and activities.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

We are pleased to present a 3 part series of round-table discussions among 3 people who continue to engage in "work and activities that connect their home countries with Japan". The 3 are living in Japan and are working and conducting activities that bridge their home countries and Japan in a variety of ways.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

In the final session of our three-part series of round-table discussions with foreign restaurant owners, we asked them to talk about the "daily life of a foreign restaurant owner". They probably spend most of the day in the restaurant, since there are many tasks such as preparing food before opening and cleaning up after closing. The COVID-19 pandemic must have caused some changes in their lives as well. We asked the 3 participants, who are always busy working, to talk about their restaurant's business days and how they spend their days off.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

We are pleased to present a 3-part series of roundtable discussions with foreigners that are restaurant owners. The second discussion is on "Preparations for Opening a Restaurant”. The 3 of them decided to open their first restaurant in Japan. In the beginning, there were some areas they had to figure out by experimenting. They had to prepare for many things before opening the restaurant, such as what kind of restaurant to open and how to get many people to come to the restaurant. We asked the 3 to look back and talk about their experiences.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

We are pleased to present a three-part series of roundtable discussions with foreign residents of culinary establishments. In Tokyo, you can eat food from all over the world. It is very difficult for Japanese people to own their own restaurant, but it is a different kind of hardship for foreigners living in Japan to open and manage a restaurant. In this first issue, we will talk about opening a restaurant in Tokyo. They talked about how they came to open a restaurant in Japan, how they prepared for it, and the challenges they faced.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

In this 3rd session with the youth connecting Japan to the world, we discussed "About Identity". There might be cases where people feel hurt by seemingly innocent questions like, "Are you half?" Their experiences crossing borders, living amidst different languages and cultures from a young age, lead to deep identity reflections on "Who am I?"

• Intercultural Crosstalk

In the second part of our conversation of young people connecting Japan to the world, we will introduce the topic of "School and Further Education". It seems that schools and regions in Japan differ considerably in their acceptance and support systems for children with foreign connections, such as Japanese language support and information on higher education. The participants talked about what they didn't know at the time and what they found troubling or perplexing in retrospect.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

We are pleased to present a three-part series of round-table discussions with young people who have overseas connections. This time, we asked three young people who became friends in their 20s to speak in a relaxed atmosphere. Although they now live in Japan, they have crossed borders and grown up in a variety of environments. What have they experienced, and how are they feeling now? In the first round, we talked about "language". Let's take a look at the cross-talk between the three as they reflect on their childhoods speaking different languages.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

This is a three-part series on work and holidays. In this third part, we talked about holidays and leisure time. The discussion expanded to such enjoyable topics as "What do you do on weekends and long vacations? How do you enjoy your spare time?" The last session of the series was a good opportunity to relax and have a good conversation.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

In this second session of our three-part series on work and holidays, we talked about the workplace. The topics of discussion expanded rapidly, including what surprised them when they started working, how they spend their lunch breaks, overtime work, benefits, and side jobs. You will also see the differences between each country and Japan.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

This is a three-part series about work and holidays. We discussed “work” this month. With more and more foreigners living in Japan and working for Japanese companies, what do they feel? The three participants talked about how they came to work in Japan, how they found their jobs, and the difficulties and rewards of working in Japanese society.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

This is a three-part series on i-shoku-ju (clothing, food, and shelter). In this final session, we focused on "housing”. It seems that room sizes and layouts are often different between their home countries and Japan. In this edition, we asked the three participants to share their experiences and the many differences between their home countries and Japan.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

This is a three-part series on i-shoku-ju (clothing, food, and shelter). Living in Japan, which do you cook more, Japanese food or food from your home country? Food was the topic of much conversation!

• Intercultural Crosstalk

This is a three-part series on i-shoku-ju (clothing, food, and shelter). This month we will talk about clothing. Clothing differs in each country depending on climatic conditions, such as countries with different seasons and countries where it is hot all year round. What are the differences in the clothing, such as the number of layers of clothes, color preferences, and so on?

• Intercultural Crosstalk

This is a three-part series on child-rearing. We asked three first-time parents in Japan to talk about their concerns leading up to the birth of their children and the differences between Japan and their home countries.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

In the final session, they talked about kindergartens and schools as their children are growing up. The participants said that there are many things that are different from those in their home countries.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

In this session, in the midst of child-rearing, the participants talked about what puzzled them about the differences from their home countries and what they pay special attention to in raising their children.

• Intercultural Crosstalk

This is a three-part series on child-rearing. We asked three first-time parents in Japan to talk about their concerns leading up to the birth of their children and the differences between Japan and their home countries.