I have lived in England since December 1995. I am enjoying the beautiful countryside and watching horses, rabbits, foxes and squirrels. In my village I am the only Japanese person.
I wear the kimono almost every day. When I want to relax, I enjoy tea ceremony with my daughter, Rimika (11 years old).

I teach Japanese language and culture at Hurstpierpoint College in West Sussex. I also go to many places lecturing about the 'History of the Kimono','Tea Ceremony', 'Japanese Lifestyle' etc. After my lectures I am asked many questions. Especially after the demonstration and explanation of the tea ceremony, I am asked about 'Zen', 'Bushido', 'Shinto', by many people. All the time I try to answer.

I really like British people who respect traditional and old things, so those questions that I am given after the lectures are my treasure. From the questions I can learn about English people, and also about my own country, Japan.

So where could I get the kind of information I need to answer the questions ? One way is by getting professional books from Japan, but using the latest technology, the internet, is the most convenient for me. Web site design is part of my work, so the internet is part of my life now. It was through my research on the Internet that I found out about the International Shinto Foundation.

At the symposium, all the presentations were in English. As the subject matter was quite complicated, understanding it required knowledge of special English, which was sometimes a little difficult for non-native English speakers, like me. I think that four of the speakers were Japan based Japanese people, who do not normally use English. Another twenty speakers were people, Japanese or otherwise, who use English regularly. Therefore, the preparation and delivery of the various talks was more of a challenge for the people who do not normally use English, and they did well.

7th December

Reverend Miyake Yoshinobu : 'The Japanese view of corpses'

I always felt that the feeling to corpses is very different between Japanese and foreigners. He explained about that. He looked stately and spoke convincingly in a clear voice.

Doctor Nitta Mitsuko : 'Mizuko Kuyo and organ transplants'

It was interesting to know about the details statistically as well as her research. During question time, foreign women asked about how Japanese women felt guilty about Mizuko. I felt that this kind of research, so deeply connected to cultural feelings is difficult to explain by the use of statistics. Beyond the words, there is a background of culture and different thinking styles.

Doctor Yoko Tsuji : 'Japanese funerals and koden or incense money exchange'

Even Japanese people, like me, were surprised about the research about funerals and koden. Specifically, in question time, when questions were asked about the funerals of yakuza. Normally, Japanese people would like to avoid contact with Yakuza, so we don't want to talk about it. However, from a foreign person's point of view, it is a strange and interesting world.

8th December

Professor Wang Yong.

I read his speech instead of him, so I was able to understand the contents very well. I am personally interested in Chinese philosophy, so I was pleased to learn new and useful information.

Professor Elizabeth Kenny : 'Pets and cemeteries'

Using slides everybody enjoyed watching the pictures of cute funeral ceremonies for pets. This talk was particularly enjoyable for non-native English speakers, such as myself. And was therefore relaxing.

9th December

Professor Sonoda Minoru : 'Death and ritual in the Shinto tradition'

It was very interesting for the people like me who really want to study about Shinto in Japanese concepts.This talk was full of rich and important information. It was a great pity that due to the time limit, he was unable to finish all that he had prepared to say. His English was clear and well paced, so that it was easy for me to understand.

Professor Michael Pye : 'Why ancestors matter'

It was interesting for me to learn about the way Japanese people feel and are perceived to feel towards their ancestors. I was left with a feeling of discovery.

In summary, all the speakers said things of interest. I appreciated the time and energy of the speakers and the organisers from making it all possible. I hope that there will be many more opportunities for such gatherings in the UK as well as other parts of the world. It was wonderful that specialist people from all over the world could gather and exchange their study and ideas. Next time, it would be very interesting to have a larger audience of journalists and ordinary British people as well. I am sure that it would be eye-opening for them and increase their appreciation of deeper Japanese thinking on important matters.

I came away with a strong feeling that there is a difference in the way Japanese and foreign people study the things that were presented by the speakers. For Japanese people it is a matter of taking something that is a part of our history and culture, looking at it through academic eyes, and reveiling more about the subject. For foreign people the starting point is different. They are attracted to something that to them is strange, so they want to find out more about it.

For me, the research and other study conducted by Japanese people on these subjects is academically interesting, but I am particulalry intrigued by the way that foreign people appraoch the subject. Things that are natural for me are treated in a new way. This allows me to see my own culture and traditions from a different view point.

It was a pleasure taking part. I hope that there will be many more opportunities for myself and other people to learn about these interesting matters.