DAY-1 “Arrival & Orientation”
Participants from ASEAN nations safely arrived in Japan. They were welcomed by Japanese participants at their first destination, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office.
From the observation deck on the 45th floor of the building, the participants enjoyed an aerial view of the entire Tokyo. They could also see the National Olympic Memorial Youth Center (NYC), the main venue for the program, from high up. Then the participants traveled to the NYC by bus. The opening ceremony was held, and TYCA Volume 6 finally kicked off.
Icebreaker games helped the participants get to know each other. Appearing nervous at first, they seemed to quickly become comfortable. Day-1 ended with Kinnya-monya dance. Participants from Oki-Dozen High School delivered a presentation on the traditional dance of their region. Other participants also experienced the dance, wearing happi coats and holding shamoji rice spatulas.
On Day-1, the participants seemed a bit nervous about meeting new people yet excited about upcoming programs. TYCA programs will start in full swing on Day-2.
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DAY-2 “Diversity & Identity”
Every day before activities start, the participants take part in Morning Check-in. By playing games and teaching greetings in their respective languages, they had a refreshing time and became closer to each other.
The first program on Day-2 was the “Lecture about Japan” by Mr. Omori (TIFO). Using photographs and videos, he introduced various aspects of Japan, including culture, economic growth, and social issues behind the growth. The lecture on Japan’s economic growth process and future society prompted the participants to think about what kind of future they aimed to create.
At Student Session, for which Ms. Mika Temma (ACCU) served as the instructor, each participant talked about what activity at TYCA he or she was looking forward to and what social issues he or she was interested in. In the latter half of the session, the groupings for subsequent activities were announced. The participants broke into Groups T, Y, C, and A and each group looked deep into its members’ thoughts. The participants were able to share the view that different countries have different social issues but also have common or relevant issues, paving the way for the programs that follow.
In the afternoon, Ms. Tomoko Hoshino gave a lecture on SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). The participants visually perceived issues faced by the entire world and thought about how these issues were related to each other. On the three days from Day-2 to Day-4, after programs ended, the participants wrote about what they learned during each day in E-Journal. For details, please click here.
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DAY-3 “Thinking about Sustainable Society (1)”
Day-3 opened with a lecture by Ms. Junko Edahiro. The participants learned about some methods of thinking they could use when thinking about the future, such as Sustainability, Energy Shift, Backcasting, and Systems Thinking. After the lecture, the participants took a large bus and left for Kawasaki. On its way to Kawasaki, the bus passed by some of Tokyo’s hot new spots, such as the New National Stadium and a wind power plant.
Arriving at the destination, the Toshiba Science Museum, the participants were given a lecture on “Technology & Social Innovation” by Dr. Naoki Ishibashi (Komazawa University). The participants learned that technologies developed in the past have been passed down to today and how innovation is created. They then toured the Toshiba Science Museum, where they saw cutting-edge technologies and found clues to how technological advances could be utilized to solve social issues.
This day was Christmas Eve so a staff member dressed as Santa Claus gave out Christmas sweets on the bus driving back to the NYC. At the NYC, the participants enjoyed special Christmas dinner.
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DAY-4 “Thinking about Sustainable Society (2)”
In the morning on Day-4, the participants did the rajio taiso (radio exercise), which is commonly known in Japan, making their bodies wake up.
The first program on the day was a lecture on ocean plastic pollution by Dr. Satoquo Seino (Kyushu University). The participants learned about how sea turtles are trapped in plastic waste and other conditions in coastal areas, as well as how marine floating plastic impact our life. Many of the participants had mentioned the plastic problem in their pre-program essays, and they seriously listened to the lecture.
After that, an expert on furoshiki gave a workshop on Japanese traditional wrapping cloth. The participants were amazed to see that you can use a simple cloth for various purposes by making different knots. The workshop, held in a Japanese-style room, not only let them experience Japanese culture but was also informative, presenting an alternative to plastic bags for those who want to reduce their use of plastic.
In the afternoon, the participants played the “Logy & Nomy” game, which helped them think about balancing the environment and the economy. While having a fun, they also learned how they could create an ideal society.
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DAY-5 “How to make the world better?-Create a Vision 2040”
On Day-5, the program entered its second half. One unique feature of TYCA is the presence of advisers, who spend with participants for the eight days. Advisers watch over participants, give them advice occasionally, and work together with them toward the goal.
During the morning session on Day-5, the advisors served as speakers. On the theme of education, they talked about the education environment at different countries and jobs to students divided into groups. Advisers spoke about their respective professional experiences, and the participants actively asked questions to them.
For lunch, the participants went out to restaurants near the NYC and enjoyed Japanese food such as sushi, soba buckwheat noodle, and ramen noodle. On this day, the participants broke into Groups T, Y, C, and A, and then talked about what kind of future they aimed to create and looked deeper into their “Vision of future Asia 2040.” Within each group, the participants were engaged in active discussion and drew up outlines for Final Presentation.
After dinner, students from ASEAN countries who were currently studying in Japan came over and talked about their life in this country. TYCA participants spoke with students from their own countries in their respective languages, making for a memorable time.
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DAY-6 “Vision of future Asia 2040”
In the morning of Day-6, the participants visited Meiji Jingu shrine and learned about Japanese culture and history. They had a refreshing walk on a path surrounded by trees.
In the afternoon, they returned to the NYC, and prepared for Final Presentation on the following day. Each group was given advice from Mr. Omori (TIFO) and Dr. Ishibashi (Komazawa University), and refined their presentations. After dinner, a rehearsal was held at a hall where the actual presentation would also take place, making the participants feel tense. In different groups, the participants worked on the preparation for their presentations until late at night.
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DAY-7 “Final Presentation – Commitment to Next Action”
On Day-7, Final Presentation was held to showcase what the participants had learned at TYCA. Guests from various entities, including diplomats from embassies, also attended. The participants looked tense and nervous. Each of Groups T, Y, C, and A delivered presentations on a vision for 2040 and ideas for achieving it. Although the presentations were short, they contained well thought-out ideas and were arranged to encourage each participant to take necessary action even after the end of the program.
Following the presentation, all students were given certificates, and the program came to an end.
Relieved from the pressure of Final Presentation, the participants went to tour the Harajuku district in the afternoon. After enjoying the unique culture of Harajuku, they returned to the NYC and attended Farewell Party. A video of scenes from the past seven days was shown, reminding that there is less than a day left for them to spend together. Some participants found it hard to part with their friends and they hugged each other.
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DAY-8 “Departure”
Very early in the morning, all Japanese participants went to bid farewell to students returning home.
The eight days were long but passed by in a moment. We hope the participants, who spent these memorable days together, will continue their friendship and get reunited someday.
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