Examples of Activities from Past JASCs:

60th JASC: Portland, OR – Los Angeles, CA – Missoula, MT – Boston, MA

• Okonomiyaki (savory Japanese pancake) party and scavenger hunt

• Visit to the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center (Japanese American History Museum)
• Beach day at Seal Beach and Huntington State Beach and Hollywood visit
• Cross-Cultural Media Forum &Comparative Political Participation Workshop at UCLA
• Business tours to the Stewart Filmscreen Corporation, the Ball Corporation, and So Cal Computer Recyclers followed by a visit to the Port of Long Beach and dinner reception
• Reception at the residence of Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles Mr. Junichi Ihara
• Montana Homestay & Western Montana Fair
• Environment Course and War & Peace Course (the Milltown Dam, Smokejumpers Center, the Jeannette Ranking Peace Center, Fort Missoula Rocky Mountain History Museum, and more)
• Boston Baseball Game
• Several Roundtable Discussion Series and Alumni Receptions throughout Conference

“I was amazed at not only the intelligence of the delegates but also at their level of cultural sensitivity and varied life experiences. Through the conference’s various academic and social exchanges, I came to realize just how dedicated members were to cultivating ties between our two countries. If the JASC experience is an indication of future relations between Japan and the United States, there is indeed cause for great optimism.”

-Peter Weldon, 60th JASC delegate

University of California Los Angeles

59th JASC: Tokyo – Akita – Hiroshima - Kyoto

• Reception at Consul General Shinoda’s residence
• Visit to Hiroshima Memorial Peace Park
• Guest speaker Miyoko Matsubara (A-bomb survivor - hibakusha)
• World Bank Environment Forum
• Kanto Festival with local parade, lights, and music
• Akita Forum Panel Presentation
• Akita Homestay
• Kyoto Buddhist Temple Homestay
• Tour of Yokosuka Naval Base along with meeting Admiral James Kelly the Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Japan, U.S. Ambassador Schieffer, and other Naval Officers
• Several Roundtable Discussion Series and Alumni Receptions throughout Conference

“During JASC, I found myself repeatedly challenged by a fellow round table member.  We agreed on practically nothing, but there is something novel and startling in confronting someone whose opinions -- whose way of looking at the world -- are so diametrically opposed to mine.  That we could sit down and have peaceful conversations about politically sensitive issues is remarkable and can only be attributed to the environment of the conference: tolerant of differences without sacrificing inquiry and dialog.”

-Nancy Yang, 59th JASC delegate

Harvard University

58th JASC: Cornell - New York City - Washington, D.C. - University of Oklahoma - San Francisco

• Reception at Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C. and White House Tour
• AIG Trilateral Forum held at American University
• The Contemporary Native American and Indigenous Peoples Issues Forum
• Native American Pow Wow and visit to Fort Sill, OK
• Oklahoma Homestay
• Visit the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
• San Francisco Business Day
• Trip to Ground Zero Memorial in NYC
• Oklahoma Bombing Memorial & Oklahoma City National Memorial Visit
• Several Roundtable Discussion Series and Alumni Receptions throughout Conference

“JASC provided me with a comfortable outlet where it was okay to be myself, to speak a jumbled mixture of Japanese and English, to laugh until I cried, and cry until I laughed.”

Elissa Furutani, 58th JASC delegate

Princeton University

57th JASC: Stanford – Kyoto – Hiroshima – Okinawa – Tokyo

• Environment Project: Kyoto Protocol
• Field trip to famous Kiyomizu Temple and overnight temple stay
• Ryokan Stay and Nomikai (Japanese style party)
• Visit to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and speech from Prime Minister Koizumi at the 60th Anniversary Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6th. 
• Several U.S. Military base visits and meeting with the generals
• Visit to the caves (WWII hiding sites)
• Okinawa Homestay and Talent Show
• Beach Socials and shopping in International Naha
• Trilateral Conference with Chinese students from Beijing University

“Meeting all the alumni and seeing the history of the JASC family made me realize how much we are part of a bigger whole.” 

57th JASC delegate

“It has been a great opportunity to talk to the Japanese delegates and truly understand Japanese culture and way of thought - something textbooks cannot teach.”