Learning From a Different Culture
I have just spent four-plus years in Tokyo, Japan. It was a wonderful experience. Actually, it was in Japan where I "dove into" RC after dabbling in it in the U.S. I read all of Harvey's books while I was there, and they sank in beautifully. I think it had something to do with being outside of my own culture as I took them in-there wasn't a lot around me that pushed old buttons.
I enjoyed Yuho Asaka's leadership and the Tokyo RC Community. I experienced a lot of work on being an ally for people with disabilities.
I had limited success leading a young adult support group but am proud that I led it, and taught a fundamentals class, in Japanese.
I did corporate sales for a moving company and spent much time feeling like a harried, overworked, Japanese "salary man" (white-collar worker). At a workshop, I was able to lead a lunch-time topic table for "salary men and salary women." People enjoyed it very much. We "salary people" were few in numbers at the workshop. If I return to Japan, I'd like to work on getting this population acquainted with RC. In Japan, men in particular feel a lot of pressure to devote their lives to the company they work for.
Bruce Danford
Montague, Massachusetts,
USA