Participating in the changing cultural landscape in Japan

Last year, I told you about the growing need for language and cultural support for families, revealing a bit about my experience as a second-generation Canadian kid serving as an interpreter for my Scottish grandparents with their strong dialect. This is nothing to compare with kids in newcomer families encountering life in Japan with a very different language and culture.

I got curious about opportunities to connect with the communities in Chiba Prefecture where I live. I took the plunge and applied to Chiba Prefecture's Chiba Kun Global Partners, a project to draw on the foreign resident population - business people, educators, students, and retirees.


Coming together, photo MART PRODUCTION

When I applied to the project, I wondered how I could contribute.  At the appointment meeting, the prefecture's convention bureau and international association staff invited me to participate in multicultural workshops in public schools.

I was hestiant as I think I'm not nearly fluent enough to pull off presentations in Japanese...but I gave it a go. And it was not nearly as difficult as I had imagined, the young learners responding with enthusiasm and thoughtful answers.

To support Chiba Kun Global Partners and associated outreach to the foreign community, I started a newsletter, Chiba Explorers.  Please read my latest post, Roses and Thorns in Yachiyo City, about the first shot at a multicultural workshop/lecture.

Does your community have a growing foreign population? Have you found a way to contribute to easing newcomers into their lives in Japan?