The Japan ICU Foundation Staff recently returned from a wonderful 8 day trip to Tokyo, Hiroshima and Osaka. The ICU Homecoming Tour had a wide range of activities and the participants and presenters were equally diverse in their experiences and backgrounds. The one thing that tied everyone together was their love for ICU, a strong belief in its mission to be an exemplary liberal arts university in Tokyo and its vision to be a leader in creating the next generation of peaceful, global citizens. Below is a brief description of the programs and events that were part of the ICU Homecoming Tour of October 2014.

On Monday, October 20th, the participants trickled onto campus and the Homecoming Tour began with a walking tour of ICU’s verdant campus conducted by an energetic student who showed us the new and old buildings while sharing interesting bits of history. The rest of the day was spent acclimating to ICU with an intimate dinner with just the participants and ICU President Junko Hibiya and Dean of International Affairs Shaun Malarney in the 7th Floor Lounge of Dialogue House. The sun had already set so we couldn’t see Mount Fuji from the balcony, but it was an enjoyable evening filled with updates on ICU, a short lesson on ICU’s Musashino Cross Wine and a chance for the participants to get better acquainted.

On Tuesday, October 21st, the tour took off by bullet train for Osaka and Hiroshima where we spent the next three days taking in the sights and culture of Osaka and learning about Japan’s powerful history in Hiroshima and its hopes for a peaceful future.

In Hiroshima, we had a full day hosted by the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation. They went above and beyond to give us an unforgettable and exceptionally meaningful experience! The day started with Hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor) Ms. Keiko Ogura who told her story of being a young child living through the devastation. She stayed with us through lunch and expressed how important it was to be able to share her experience. After lunch, three volunteers read poems written by survivors of the atomic bomb. The horror of what took place and the strength and compassion of the survivors touched each of us deeply. The rest of the day was filled with a somber walking tour of the Peace Park and Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the A-bomb with the day culminating in a short lecture by and dinner with Mr. Yasuyoshi Komizo, Chairperson of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation.  With his trenchant remarks, he reminded us of the importance in promoting peace in as many ways as possible. The following day in Osaka, we visited the historic Osaka Castle, took in the view from the breathtaking Floating Garden Observatory and did a little shopping in the famous Dotonbori market.

All of the ICU Homecoming Tour participants returned to campus via bullet train on the evening of Friday, October 24th where we then attended a public screening of “Hafu: The Mixed Race Experience in Japan”. The film was created by an ICU alumna and Rotary Peace Fellow Megumi Nishikura and was shown in the Dialogue House. There was a lively panel featuring two “Hafu” ICU students and the topic sparked an engaging group discussion that was moderated by Professor John Maher.

The rest of the weekend was filled with celebrating ICU’s 60th Anniversary and the student run ICU Festival! Some highlights included an impressive bento box lunch with the ICU Trustees and presentations from the Dream Competition winners which were hosted by the ICU Alumni Association, a private tea-ceremony with a tour of the Taizanso House and a student led tour of the Hachiro Yuasa Memorial Museum and lecture from 60th Anniversary Professor Bill Steele on “Situating ICU in Modern Japanese History”. All of the presentations and programs were conducted with an impressive attention to detail and they were truly professional performances!

Monday, October 27th, was the last full day of the Homecoming Tour. We joined friends, students and close programmatic partners at a Farewell Brunch in the shokudo (dining hall). Those in attendance represented the many different ways that ICU and JICUF have worked together. The Visiting Scholars Program, Global Link summer program, former ICU exchange students and Masters in Peace Fellowship were just a few of the different ICU/JICUF ties that were highlighted..

Later that afternoon, a current ICU student and a recent ICU alumna presented in a small roundtable discussion on social entrepreneurship and service  learning in Japan and at ICU. The current ICU student, Haiming Hu, is from China and had moved to the US and was studying at UCSD when he decided to come to ICU for a one year study abroad program. He is now very involved in a group called Team Asunaro that is supported by JICUF and brings ICU students to volunteer in Tohoku. Sayaka Watanabe was the recent ICU Alumna and she is very involved in social entrepreneurship in Tohoku through the creation of a beauty care product line supporting business in Tohoku and she also helps run an annual Asian Women Social Entrepreneurs Seminar in Bangkok, Thailand.

The ICU Homecoming Tour was a great opportunity to bring together friends and alumni that have long-supported ICU and its mission as an ecumenically Christian ‘University of Tomorrow’. The Japan ICU Foundation thanks each and every person who was involved – from attending to presenting and, of course, the behind the scenes help from the invaluable staff and faculty at ICU. International Christian University would not be the same without the unfailing support and partnership of its friends and alumni.