Tim Fraser was an exchange student at ICU in fall 2014. At the time, he was a junior student at Middlebury College, and since then he has graduated and returned to Japan as a Fulbright Fellow. During his time at ICU, Tim participated in Team Asunaro’s volunteer activities in Tohoku, which the JICUF sponsored with funds raised from alumni and friends after the Tohoku Earthquake of 2011. Tim kindly agreed to be interviewed by us.

JICUF: Hi Tim, thanks for agreeing to conduct an interview with the Japan ICU Foundation. We understand you have recently arrived at the Kyushu University on a Fulbright grant. Can you please tell us a bit about your project?

Tim: I am a recent American college graduate studying Japanese and researching energy policy as a Fulbright Fellow at Kyushu University through the generosity of the Japan-US Education Commission/Fulbright Japan. I am researching the extended effects of the nuclear power plant restart debate on Japan’s energy system and communities. Right now, while costs and public opposition are making reactor restarts proving increasingly difficult, energy market regulatory changes and subsidies are causing a boom in renewable energy development. These interlinked issues mean significant changes for rural communities hosting nuclear power plants and for those hoping to host renewable power projects. Through policy data analysis and in-depth interviews, I am exploring how government, businesses, and local communities can work to build an energy system that is equitable for surrounding communities and resilient to crises.

JICUF: That is very interesting. I understand you studied at Middlebury College. What was your major and what activities were you involved in?

Tim: I majored in East Asian Studies, taking courses in Japanese studies, geography, and political science. I wrote my senior thesis on the political dynamics behind the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant restart in August 2015. I sang in the college choir, tutored writing, and helped support college intercultural education outreach programs at local Vermont high schools.

JICUF: How did you decide to study abroad at ICU?

Tim: Middlebury College consistently sends Japanese language students every year from Vermont to Tokyo to study at ICU through their Middlebury College CV Starr School Abroad program hosted by ICU. I came for my junior year fall semester in 2014, excited to expand my Japanese vocabulary and to experience life in Japan. I took language and culture courses while working on a research project on public opinion about nuclear power.

JICUF: Tell us two memorable stories about your time at ICU.

Tim: Thanks to a community engagement project, I was able to visit a local elementary school for a day with other ICU students, sharing briefly about our country and listening to kids’ reports on the United States. Although I didn’t know it at the time, this day jump-started my thinking process about education and what it would be like to go into academia.

I remember when the dormitory co-manager, Mrs. Tomita, taught me how to make onigiri, step by step, and to leave the dormitory rice cooker spotless. Thanks to her advice, although moving to Kyushu has been full of challenges, my rice cooker is always spotless and I always am well fed.

JICUF: Which dormitory did you live in and how was the experience?

Tim: I lived in the newly built Dialogue House, never far from a delicious lunch just downstairs. During my semester at ICU, Dialogue House was only for international students. I roomed with another international student. Incidentally, he also returned to Japan upon graduation, in his case through the JET Program.

JICUF: That’s great! I understand you volunteered with Team Asunaro in Miyagi-ken. Can you tell me about the experience and the impact it had on you?

Tim: I volunteered with Team Asunaro three times on Miyagi Prefecture’s Oshika Peninsula, a region devastated in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that precipitated the Fukushima nuclear disaster. During our visits, we weeded around municipal facilities, cleaned temporary housing units, helped with oyster farming, and got to know local residents in the town of Ayukawa. Coming from landlocked, earthquake-free Pennsylvania and Vermont, I was amazed both to see the destruction of these towns and the resilience of the communities that remained.

Team Asunaro’s example of service deeply impressed me, and when I returned to the US, these experiences inspired me to study politics and community engagement as well as volunteer and present about the disaster in American high schools. I gained new friends and a close mentor. Also, when I encountered the Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant near Ayukawa, I became more aware of how and where our energy comes from and the way these industries shape rural economies. This started me on subsequent interview projects that have taken me to Tokyo, Fukushima, Miyagi, Kagoshima, and now Fukuoka as well.

JICUF: Would you recommend other students to participate in Team Asunaro’s program? If so, why?

Tim: Absolutely.  Volunteering with Team Asunaro was undoubtedly one of the most important experiences I had at ICU. It is an excellent opportunity for Japanese and international students to personally contribute to community reconstruction and development efforts in regions affected by 3.11. Additionally, it is a great way to learn about the Tohoku region, if not simply life outside of Tokyo, and to learn how you can engage in and contribute to your community. Moreover, volunteering over a weekend in Miyagi is very doable and affordable thanks to the leadership and networking of Team Asunaro and the generous support of the JICUF. I would strongly suggest that students try it out!

JICUF: What are your future plans after your Fulbright?

Tim: I plan to start graduate studies in Fall 2017 in the Department of Political Science at Northeastern University in Boston, learning from experts about Japanese politics, resilience studies, and energy transition. I am excited to work as a teaching assistant and to expand my research into comparative studies of energy politics at the doctoral level.

JICUF: Thank you for your time, Tim! We wish you the very best in your studies at both Kyushu University and Northeastern University!