Participants:
Anne Marie Todd, Ph.D. Candidate, University
of Southern California
Andy Peterson, Graduate, University of Iowa
Coach:
Barb Pickering, University of Nebraska at
Omaha
This was an amazing experience, and I can’t
say enough about the hospitality of ALL our
Japanese hosts. It was truly an experience I’ll never forget,
and I speak for all three of us in thanking
the CIDD for this opportunity. It’s difficult to truly capture this experience
in words, because everything and everyone
was so wonderful.
GENERAL COMMENTS:
First, our thanks to all the programs who
hosted us, and to the student/faculty participants. Each and every one of them made our trip
an especially memorable one. I hope that the U.S. hosts are able to reciprocate
the hospitality shown us by the Japanese. Whether it was finding a unique restaurant
to try, visiting the local historical (and
often “social”) sites, or chauffeuring
us to train stations or airports, we felt
very well cared for at each stop.
Second, special thanks to: Naoto Usui whose careful planning and constant
concern for us made our travel extremely
easy; Tomohiro Kanke and Yoshi for their
“extra-special” attention; Kanke &
Yoshiro Yano for their willingness to play
“tour guides” as we visited some astounding
temples and Japanese gardens; Yoshi for her
help in coordinating our airline and train
travel outside of Tokyo; extra-special thanks
to Yano for arranging an unforgettable lunch
at the Iron Chef French restaurant, and his
general good nature in dealing with the US
team; Kauhiko Seno, who astounded us with
his knowledge of NDT history (often embarrassing
us with our lack of knowledge!); and finally
to Satoru Aonuma, Father Scott Howell, and
all the JDA members for their tireless efforts
to keep debate alive in the universities
of Japan. We were often pleasantly surprised to see
the smiling face of a JDA member in the audience
of a debate event. Their support for this tour is overwhelming. We commend them for their support and for
their friendship.
Finally, at each stop, we marveled at the
skills of the Japanese debaters. I would echo the sentiments of previous coaches
in my admiration for their mastery of English. When you consider that debating in English
requires a sort of translation of words into
Japanese concepts and back into English,
it is truly impressive to observe these students. We hope that the U.S. exchange tour can continue
to provide an avenue for these students. Regardless of the students’ debate experience
(which ranged from novices to alumni of the
college programs) we were always impressed
with their command of English.
Topics we debated were:
Resolved: That Japan should elect its Prime
Minister directly by citizens’ vote.
Resolved: Should Japan amend its Constitution so as
to allow the threat or use of force for settling
international disputes
June 11 The tour begins!
Andy and I connected in Minneapolis before
flying to Los Angeles. After sitting on the runway (no kidding!) through a thunderstorm, hail
and tornado?3 hours later we began the flight
to LA.
June 12 Preparation for the tour
The day was spent in last minute preparation: copying articles, cutting and block materials.
June 13/June 14 -- Departure from LAX/Flight
to Tokyo
We arrived in Tokyo and were able to clear
customs easily. The only “notable event” was the customs
agent who said to Anne Marie, “You are very
pretty. Do you have a boyfriend?” We were greeted at Narita Airport by Naoto
Usui, who escorted us to the Shinagawa Prince,
which was our “home away from home” for
the next 18 days. After checking in, Naoto hosted us at dinner
at the top of the hotel, where we enjoyed
our first meal of sushi.
June 15 --
We had the morning off, so Andy, Anne Marie
and I did final preparation for the tour,
and we all began adjusting to the time difference! That afternoon we went to Sophia University,
where we met Father Scott Howell. After an orientation meeting for the tour,
we met many of the Japanese students who
were involved with the JDA. Party at Sophia with Naoto Usui, Seno, Kanke,
Satoru, and Father Howell. Lots of good Japanese beer! Our first exposure to nato (fermented soybeans)!
June 16 Japanese Businesspeople Debate Federation
・
Students (U.S. International Debate team)
participated in a debate
・
Topic: election of Prime Minister/ Side: Negative
・
Affirmative: Mr. Isao Ayabe and Mr. Norio Sakurai
・
Oral critique of the debate.
・
Lecture, “Critical thinking skills as a
valuable outcome of debate training”
Isao Ayabe and Norio Sakurai hosted us at
a pre-debate lunch. That afternoon we debated at Meiji Yakka
University in front of approximately 50 people. Many of these members participate in the
JBDF for the purpose of learning English
and practicing their skills. This organization is the Japanese equivalent
of U.S. Toastmasters in some ways. Our dinner afterwards was at a traditional
Japanese restaurant, and the food was FABULOUS. Memorable moments: Sushi served complete with the fish head
on the platter!
June 17 Japanese East-West Debate Tournament,
held at Dokkyo University
・
We judged the quarter-final, semi-final and
final rounds of the tournament (Japanese
equivalent of the National Debate Tournament)
・
Oral critique of the final round of competition
The atmosphere at this tournament was similar
to that of U.S. high school tournaments. After the tournament students from Dokkyo
University hosted us at dinner.
June 18 University of Kitakyuushu
・
Students (U.S. International Debate team)
participated in a debate against 2 members
of the Kitakyuushu English Speaking Society
(ESS).
・
Lecture, “How did the Debates affect the
2000 Presidential election?"
・
Audience of approximately 200 students/faculty.
Kanke and his partner Yoshi took us to Tokyo
airport for our first out-of-Tokyo event. We flew to Fukuoka where 3 VERY enthusiastic
English Speaking Society students greeted
us. As we drove to the campus, we marveled at
the scenery?it was a big change from Tokyo,
very green, lush, mountainous terrain. The ceremony at Kitakyuushu University was
very elaborate, they had banners to advertise
the event, each of us had a “personal attendant”
for the day, and they did everything for
us! The students were very bubbly?they were clearly
excited about hosting the U.S. team. We had some great sashimi afterwards with
the students.
June 19 Kyuushu University
・
Students (U.S. International Debate team)
participated in a debate against members
of the Kyuushu English Speaking Society (ESS).
・
Host: Professor Inoue
・
Lecture, “Critical thinking skills as a
valuable outcome of debate training”
・
Audience of approximately 50 faculty/students/English
Speaking Society debaters.
We left Kokura Station on the Shinkansen
(Bullet train) for Kyushu University where
we were met by Nariaki Sato and Yasuyuki
Toki. The weather conditions for the day were TORRENTIAL
DOWNPOURS! The students told us that this was not a
very good time to visit, because they were
in the middle of “the rainy season”?they
weren’t kidding. This group included debaters who were less
experienced; consequently we did a run-through
of the debate prior to the actual event. I lectured on Critical thinking skills?and
discovered there were several faculty in
the audience who had either done research
on the topic, or wanted to know more about
the research. The discussion with the Japanese faculty
was extremely interesting. Following the debate, we had dinner at the
Royal Host with Tommy Hirahasi (faculty)
and the Kyuushu students. It was an interesting picture, with the Japanese
students ordering American style foods, while
the three of us tried okonimayki (a Japanese
style pancake made with egg, flour, vegetable
and meats) for the first time.
June 20 Ehime University.
- Students (U.S. International Debate team)
participated in a debate against Shinsuke
Y. and Yuji H. who were students from Ehime
University ESS
- Lecture, “Critical thinking skills as a
valuable outcome of debate training”
-
This was our first travel scare?we found
out before leaving the hotel in Kyuushu that
morning that the airline we were scheduled
to travel on had gone out on strike. Luckily, the flight from Fukuoka airport
went out as scheduled and we headed to Matsayama
where we met students from Ehime’ University. The audience consisted of a small group of
debate students and a few faculty members. This group referred to us as having “funny
character”?we still wonder exactly what
they meant by that?! They were excellent
hosts! We had one of the most “American” style
meals during our trip at Ehime’?fried chicken,
pizza, French fries (along with Japanese
food). Our best karaoke experience was with this
group?and we have the pictures to prove it! Favorite songs, “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Hotel California.”
June 21 Travel to Kyoto
We left Matsuyama airport and traveled to
Kyoto on a VERY ROUGH flight! Deborah Foreman-Takano met us at the airport
. She graciously took us for an afternoon of
“power sightseeing”?two temples in less
than 3 hours, including the Ginkaku-ji temple. We also walked the “Path of Philosophy,”
but it’s hard to say whether that enhanced
our intellectual skills! Later we had dinner at Ashoka, a wonderful
Indian restaurant. In the afternoon we had some time to do shopping
at the Kyoto Handicraft Center?this is a
good place to pick up the “little gifts”
you may be looking for.
June 22 Doshisha University.
- Students (U.S. International Debate team)
participated in a debate against Doshsisha
debaters: Akino Yamamoto/Momoyo Iwatsuru
- Topic: Prime Minister election
- Oral critique of the debate.
- Lecture, “Critical thinking skills as a
valuable outcome of debate training”
- Small group discussion with students from
English Speaking classes.
The event was well attended, and the students
were especially excited about the reception,
which was hosted at the faculty center on
campus. On our way to the Kyoto station we were able
to see a “Japanese style grocery store”?I’ll
never complain about the price of groceries
again. A single cantaloupe ranged in price from
500 yen to 750 yen?wrapped in beautiful gold
ribbon and packaged in a box!!! This truly puts the cost of Japanese living
(particularly food costs) in perspective! We rode the Shinkansen back to Tokyo, where Naoto met us at Shinagawa
Station.
June 23 Daily Yomiuri Debate Tournament competition.
- Competitors include graduates of college
programs, and members of the general public
(some who have never debated before).
・
All of us judged preliminary rounds, and the final round.
・
I presented an oral critique of the final
round. Audience is the general public, between 250-300
members in audience.
・
Lecture by Takeshi Suzuki on Critical Thinking
Skills. Unfortunately, it was in Japanese.
W left the hotel in the morning, headed for
the Daily Yomiuri Newspaper Company. Seno accompanied us to the event. A special “VIP lounge” was available for
the judges in between rounds of competition.
The final round audience was over 200 people
in the audience. Final round panel included the 3 of us, a
JDA member and the editor of the DY. This competition is for graduates of Japanese
universities, and includes many individuals
who have never debated before. The first place prize was $2,000. It’s a great way to showcase debate competition. Afterwards we had dinner at “A little girl
typhoon” (Chinese style) in the Ginza area
with the competitors, the JBDF and the JDA
folks.
June 24 --NAFA Kanto debate event, Dokkyo
University
- Lecture, “Critical thinking skills as a
valuable outcome of debate training”
- Tournament held is for college sophomores,
audience was approximately 100 students.
Left the hotel in the morning for Dokkyo
University. This event was the NFA Debate event. This was our toughest competition because
we debated against 2 members of the NAFA
who were also graduates. The audience included many sophomore level
teams who had finished their day of competition. After the lecture, these students had lots
of questions regarding current U.S. practices
in debate. Dinner afterwards was hosted by the NAFA members.
June 25 Day off
We took advantage of a day without debates
to travel to Kamakura with Kanke as our able
guide. It was nice to get out of Tokyo for a day. We saw the “Big Buddha”, as well as several
other beautiful flower gardens, and temples?one
which was designated for “women who had
lost children” (an interesting concept to
us Americans!). We had lunch at a Soba (buckwheat noodles)
restaurant. On our way back we stopped in Yokohama and
took a ferryboat around to the Landmark tower?the
tallest building in Japan. Anne Marie, Kanke and I went to the observation
deck at the top. We later had dinner in Chinatown at a restaurant
where the chef was a competitor of the “Iron
Chef”).
June 26 Kanda University of International
Studies
- Students (U.S. International Debate team)
participated in a debate against Teruyo Kotaki/Risa Miyajima (Kanda ESS program).
- Topic: Constitution (article 9)
- Side: Affirmative
- Oral critique of the debate.
Because we had much of the afternoon free,
the students took us on a tour of campus
and we stopped off in the student center
to play some ping-pong. A great afternoon of “ping-pong diplomacy”! The debate was conducted using a parliamentary
style of debate. Our audience was approximately 100 people. Dinner was at the “garlic” restaurant at
the top of a building where we had a fabulous
view
June 27 Dokkyo University
- Students (U.S. International Debate team)
participated in a debate against students from Dokkyo University Debate team.
- Oral critique of the debate.
- Lecture, “How did the Debates affect the
2000 Presidential election?"
Lunch at a fast food (conveyor belt) sushi
restaurant. An interesting experience selecting your
food from a conveyor belt as it circled the
counter. Dinner afterwards with JDA (Seno/Kanke) and
Dokkyo students.
June 28 Free day in Tokyo.
Yano took us on a walking tour of a garden
that’s in the middle of the city. It is known for the beautiful irises that
bloom there. We were treated to lunch at “La Rochelle,”
the Iron Chef French restaurant with Yano
and Saturo?VERY FANCY! The best way to describe this lunch is WOW!!! Later we went to Asakusa?where you can do
“touristy type shopping”, although there
is better shopping for specific gifts in
Kyoto. After a visit to the temple, we headed to
Akihabura for Andy to look at high tech stuff. Later we had dinner at an okonomiyaki restaurant
in Skinjuku with Naoto?GREAT FOOD. You cook the egg/vegetable/meat dishes on
the grill that is at your table. Naoto’s an expert at cooking this.
June 29 Free morning/transfer to Tohoku
Before we left Tokyo, we spent part of the
day at Oeno Garden and the Tokyo National
Museum for some sight seeing. Great archeological displays. We took the Shinkansen to Sendai station/Tohoku. The students took us to dinner in the train
station. The restaurant was a “specialty” spot?everything
on the menu was ox?ox tongue barbeque, ox
tongue soup, etc. Truly a dinner to remember!
June 30 Community Center, Touhoku, Japan
・
Lecture, “How did the Debates affect the
2000 Presidential election?"
・
Students (U.S. International Debate team)
debated alumni of Tohoku University: Daisuke Ishii and Kouichi Sato.
・
Topic: Prime Minister election:
・
Side: Negative
Both my lecture and the debate were open
to a public audience. My lecture was taped by a local cable station,
and may actually have aired on their networks! The students included one of the team members
from the NAFA debate and another alumnus
of the program at Touhoku.
July 1-- Sightseeing with the Tohoku students/Transfer
to Tokyo
We went to Matsu-shima on a boat and had
another “unique” lunch?including sea urchin
and many other creatures that I couldn’t
identify. We went through another beautiful Japanese
temple. Later that afternoon we took the Bullet train
from Sendai station. We were met at Tokyo station by Naoto, and
headed back to the hotel. After quickly changing clothes, we headed
to the farewell dinner?where we were met
by 20-30 Japanese debaters, JDA members,
JBDF members, and Father Howell. We spent the evening exchanging gifts and
business cards. After dinner we headed to the Shinagawa prince
for karaoke?which is done in your own private
room! We stayed in the karaoke room for an hour
and then went to the top of the Shinagawa
prince for one last drink with our JDA friends
to say our goodbyes and sayonara.
July 2 Heading Home
After checking out of the hotel, we boarded
the shuttle for Narita airport. When we arrived at the ticket counter, we
found out that our flight to LA was overbooked,
and they offered Andy and I a direct flight
to Minneapolis. After consulting we Anne Marie we immediately
said yes. When Andy and I got to the gate we discovered
that we had been re-booked into FIRST CLASS. Quite the way to return to the U.S.!!!! Clearing customs in Minneapolis was a piece
of cake and Andy and I said goodbye and headed
home on the last leg.