Session 1 - 9/28 (morning), Clay Dube

[Katherine Oh]

I found your response very interesting and I agree with you Kurt. It is such a different culture when it comes to rights pertaining to Japanese immigrants. I spent a summer there in 2015 and also got to go visit this past summer for my honeymoon and I observed such a lack of diversity in the culture. For such a heavily populated country, it was very interesting to find out that 2.7 million people are underrepresented. Japan is changing and modernizing very quickly and English is now being spoken by many people in the urban areas. During my time there in 2015, I taught English to people who were living there and I realized that many people spend time overseas to learn English. They often study there for an extended period of time and I wonder if they would feel offended if they were treated the same way Japanese treat immigrants in another country. 

[Katherine Oh]

Hi Dennis, thanks for your response. As a kid growing up, I often looked at the pictures of my own 100th birthday celebrations and 1 year birthday celebrations and I realized that my parents spent alot of money because it was almost like it was a wedding for their first child's first birthday. Now, children's birthday parties are very famboyant and alot of money gets put to hosting and throwing a big party. Sometimes, the guest list can go up to 200 people and there are decorations, food, and even party favors that are given to the guests. There are usally many photo opportunities and even a professional photographer is hired to capture all the hightlights from the celebration. 
I would also ask my students to see the way birthday celebrations have changed for Korean Americans in 2019 vs. Koreans from 1940. It would be interesting to discuss how different they are now. 

[Cynthia Stults]

Robert, I almost feel foolish that I did not make the conneection you did with the Japan Times article and the current plight of a lot of our students who were brought here as babies or young children, and who consider the U.S. to be their home and want to have a voice in how their home is run. I think it would benefit them to see that there are other people struggling with similar problems and encourage them to think of how they can change this situation. Much like it is in the U.S., immigrant rights are a controversial topic and local municipalities sometimes circumvent what is on the books in terms of law. However, one area that greatly differs between the two countries and the affected populations is that the groups in Japan are what would be considered legal immigrants in the U.S. and pay taxes and own businesses. Another surprising difference (at least for me), when I did a little more research, is that when it comes to very local issues, some local Japanese governments are allowing and designing ways for these permanent residents to vote on important local matters, in defiance of their Constitution. Even though these local votes aren't legallly binding, the government is still concerned. I have never heard of this happening within the U.S., and can only imagine what consequences would occur if more local governments were creating their own voting systems. I think that for older students, comparing and contrasting the immigration and voting issues of Japan and the U.S. would add perspective to what has been a hot-button issue in both countries for decades. 

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