Two Elliott School graduate students recently traveled to Japan on a cultural exchange funded by the Japanese Foreign Ministry. The Kakehashi Project is a grassroots exchange program aimed at promoting greater understanding of Japanese politics, economics, society, culture, history, and foreign policy. In Japanese, the word Kakehashi means bridges—in this case, bridges between cultures.
Mimi MacKilligan, MA International Affairs ‘23, and Amanda Earls, MA Asian Studies ’23, traveled from Kanto to Kansai—two regions in central Japan—where they visited Tokyo and Osaka and the ancient capital of Nara.
In Tokyo, the group met with government officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and heard about Japan’s vision for regional relations known as FOIP (Free and Open Indo-Pacific), then headed to the Sasakawa Peace Foundation for a meeting.
They joined in the famous “Shibuya Scramble,” the busiest intersection in the world in downtown Tokyo where upwards of 3000 people cross the intersection during each light cycle.
The Tokyo tour included a trip to the Harajuku district known for its inspiring fashion trends from Cosplay to Gothic Lolita. The trendy shopping street is a people-watching mecca in Tokyo. “Visiting these new and old landmarks of Tokyo enriched my experience by also highlighting the mix of history and modernity that Tokyo is known for,” said Mimi of her time in Tokyo.
Riding the Japanese bullet train, known as the Shinakansen, from Tokyo to Osaka traveling at speeds up to 186 miles per hour was an experience Amanda won’t soon forget: “The 320-mile ride from Tokyo to Osaka took less than two and a half hours, reigniting my hope that someday major cities in the U.S. will also be connected by high-speed rail,” she said.
In Osaka they spent time with students from Kindai University. They were treated to a sushi lunch including tuna from the university’s renowned Aquaculture Research Institute which has succeeded in farm raising a bluefin tuna, which, unlike salmon, is extremely difficult to do.
After a two year hiatus due to Covid, the Kakehashi Program is back to a successful exchange. From Tokyo’s Imperial Palace, to musical and sumo demonstrations, to apple picking with a local family, the group’s trip was full and eventful. As Mimi says, the visit to Japan was “both overwhelming and yet it also exceeded every expectation I had … the whirlwind visit to Japan’s metropolis made a strong impression and impactful introduction to the Kakehashi Program.”
For more information about applying to Kakehashi, contact Elliott School’s Graduate Student Services office.