How to Define Coming of Age?
Article by Marine Savoure, Writer
December 17, 2019
Every culture seems to have them: the Jewish bar/bat mitzvah, the Korean Gwanrye/Gyerye, the Latin Quinceañera, the Japanese Seijin no Hi ―coming-of-age traditions are a rite of passage around the world. To learn how students at ASIJ view coming of age, I interviewed students from Grades 10-12, asking them to...
The Harsh Reality of Reality TV
Article by Hannah Bonafede, Writer
December 11, 2019
From the dramatic outbursts from contestants on Love Island to the tense elimination process on Hell’s Kitchen, reality television has undoubtedly become significant in modern culture. Reality television is defined as a genre of television programming that documents unscripted real-life situations. Howev...
Technology and School, for Better and Worse
Article by Espi Littlefield, Writer
December 10, 2019
On ASIJ’s campus, technology is everywhere: iPads, computers, and iPhones are used from the ELC up through high school, in the classroom, on the buses, in the hallways. The primary use of technology at ASIJ in recent years has been to enhance and deepen understanding of the topics being learned. Ho...
From Catalonia to Hong Kong: Understanding Autonomy with Mr. Johnson
Article by Sylvan Lebrun, Writer
November 21, 2019
“We believe this is the last stand for our future and freedom.” This quote from a 22-year-old protester in Hong Kong exemplifies the feelings of many of the nation’s young people, who have committed themselves to a taxing and dangerous movement to maintain autonomy from China. They have faced tear gas, ru...
Alien Invasions
Article by Take Zoot, Writer
November 10, 2019
Imagine walking down the street in an ordinary Tokyo suburb. What is the last thing you would expect to see? A flock of parakeets? Well, that’s just what I saw one ordinary afternoon as I went for my usual dog walk around my neighborhood. This got me wondering how the heck they got there. In my mind...
How was Your Shirt Made?
Article by Sejin Yu, Writer
November 5, 2019
According to the BBC, global clothing production “now exceeds 100 billion garments per year.” Defined as “inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends,” fast fashion has taken over the world. Brands make billions of dollars per year while compe...
Here Come the 2020 Paralympic Games
Article by Maia Macek, Writer
October 22, 2019
In terms of media coverage and general awareness, the Paralympic Games have lived in the shadow of the Olympic Games ever since the Paralympics were established seventy years ago. In 2012, NBC dedicated 5.5 hours of television coverage to the Paralympics. The 66 hours allotted for the 2016 Paralympi...
A Life in Print: An Interview with Motoko Rich
Article by Anna Milstein, Writer
June 7, 2019
A few weeks ago, Dohyun Kim and I were lucky enough to interview Motoko Rich, the Tokyo bureau chief for the New York Times; she began working for the Times in 2003. She attended ASIJ from second to fourth grade. Ms. Rich initially didn’t want to become a journalist, explaining that “when I was...
The Thing About Differences
Article by Marine Savoure, Writer
June 6, 2019
Race. Religion. Politics. Sexual orientation. Lifestyles. Hairstyles. Difference enrichens humanity. Yet difference has too often been―and continues to be―a cause of division. Science teacher Suren Tummala knows well the perception of difference. Born in India and raised in the US, Mr. Tumma...
Book Circulation Up; Reading Down
Article by Lauren Hartz, Writer
June 4, 2019
During activity period and the latter half of lunch, the library is chock-full of people. Look around, and you’ll see students socializing, students studying, students playing video games, and students sleeping. Conspicuously absent, however, are students reading. From 2013-2018, fewer and fewer book...
We Only Have One Earth
Article by Kokoro Igawa, Writer
June 2, 2019
With the number of news articles all over the internet about climate change and how it is affecting our earth, it is easy to feel as though you can’t make a difference at all. However, this is not true. As an individual, you hold a substantial amount of power. Here are some lifestyle changes that yo...
Japan’s Borrowed Holidays
Article by Serena Landers, Writer
May 29, 2019
Many countries have various traditions to celebrate the holidays of Halloween, Valentine’s Day, and Christmas, and in most these holidays have become highly commercialized. This is especially true in Japan, where so many companies use the holidays to promote and sell their products. Hallowee...
![Juri Kimura, ’21 “First I went to this school called Aoba. It was an international school, but basically everybody there speaks Japanese so it was very unhelpful. If you don’t speak [English] with people who are much more fluent than you then you just don’t get the vocabulary you need. But then, luckily, I got into Nishimachi [an international school in Tokyo], and then there I grinded.
I tried to learn English at school. I worked really hard, and even outside of school I tried to never speak Japanese, even to the people that spoke Japanese. I would talk back in English or listen to English music, read a lot of English books. It was a conscious effort.
But now I feel like recently when I talk to my mom, parts of my sentences become English. My mom and my dad have been adapting and trying to learn, but in a way that’s bad for my Japanese, because I get used to mixing. But sometimes I want to speak in English because I’m so much better at debating in English. In Japanese, I feel like I’m so powerless.
But it’s about becoming a global person. It’s hard to do that when you can’t speak or understand one of the most spoken languages. A lot of Japanese people speak less English than in other Asian countries. We have to catch up to the global trend, which is English. Anyway, I was really lucky to be able to come to ASIJ.” (Site link in bio, then Campus Life section.) #asij #asijHighSchool #花火 #hanabi #studentpublication](https://hanabi.asij.ac.jp/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
This week, Humans of ASIJ focuses on language learning, speaking with junior Juri about becoming a global person. https://tinyurl.com/w548cb6 #asij #asijHighSchool #花火 #hanabi #studentpublication
If it were not for her grandmother’s risk-taking, senior Cora wouldn’t have led an international life. Find out the story. (Site link in bio, then Campus Life section.) https://tinyurl.com/qqpnnor #asij #asijHighSchool #花火 #hanabi #studentpublication
Get to know sophomore Su, who has made ski slopes a second home since she was three. https://tinyurl.com/svs23pp #asij #asijHighSchool #花火 #hanabi #studentpublication
What’s the harm in watching a little reality TV? Hannah will tell you. https://tinyurl.com/u4cuvay #asij #asijHighSchool #花火 #hanabi #studentpublication
Wondering why you're paying more at the combini these days? Serena's on it. https://tinyurl.com/taog8q5 #asij #asijHighSchool #花火 #hanabi #studentpublication
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Article by Kokoro Igawa, Writer
January 8, 2020
For many of us, three hot meals a day is a given. But for millions of students in the United States, this is not the case. In low-income households, school lunch costs throughout the year add up and end...
Article by Marine Savoure, Writer
December 17, 2019
Every culture seems to have them: the Jewish bar/bat mitzvah, the Korean Gwanrye/Gyerye, the Latin Quinceañera, the Japanese Seijin no Hi ―coming-of-age traditions are a rite of passage around the world....
Article by Lizzy Rekate, Writer
December 17, 2019
When asked about what her greatest passion is, ASIJ sophomore Su Nakashima automatically said, “Alpine skiing.” Su has been downhill skiing nearly her entire life and has also been competing for...
Article by Maia Macek, Writer
December 17, 2019
It’s that time of year when many of us are feeling the pressure of being a high school student at ASIJ. When a few days left until winter break we can sometimes slip out of some of the good habits that...
Article by Take Zoot, Writer
December 17, 2019
As our world changes due to climate change, so does the Italian school curriculum. Recently, Italy became the first country to make climate change a required course in its public school curriculum. Starting...
December 17, 2019
In early October, ASIJ alum Robin Lewis ('07), spoke to ASIJ students about his high school life and the progression of his career. Lewis works as a consultant at the World Bank's Global Facility for Disaster...
The Harsh Reality of Reality TV
December 11, 2019
From the dramatic outbursts from contestants on Love Island to the tense elimination process on Hell’s Kitchen, reality television has undoubtedly become significant in modern culture. Reality television...
Technology and School, for Better and Worse
December 10, 2019
On ASIJ’s campus, technology is everywhere: iPads, computers, and iPhones are used from the ELC up through high school, in the classroom, on the buses, in the hallways. The primary use of technology...