Hello everyone! I am Zhao Ruifeng, a second-year doctoral student in our Empowerment Science lab. Today, I'm pleased to share the experience of attending this Mirai Empowerment café with you.
This Empowerment café was held in an online format hosted by Watanabe sensei on November 22nd at 6pm. The café was attended by Power-up teachers as well as members of the empowerment lab. The speaker for this café was Sakai sensei, who gave us a lecture on the topic of Play and Toys that Nurture the Power to Create the Future - Child Empowerment through Play.
During the presentation, Sakai sensei explained in detail the types of play for children, the relationship between play and child development, and the support that can be provided to children. In specific, Sakai sensei also mentions the association between play and the development of children's social skills, and indeed the history of society. These contents refreshed our perception of what children's plays are all about. After the presentation, Sakai sensei answered our questions in a very professional manner. It was very beneficial to us and we really felt that the knowledge we learned and the research we are going to do are relevant to the future development of children in this society.
It was a great honor to attend the café and we are grateful to Sakai sensei for her wonderful lecture on children's play. We all look forward to the next Empowerment café!
Hello! I'm Afsari, a second-year doctoral student at the Empowerment Science lab of the University of Tsukuba. Today, I'm excited to share one of the most memorable experiences I've had.
On the beautiful morning of November 17th, 2023, four eager learners—Zhu zhu san, Li San, Wang San, and myself (Afsari)—embarked from Tsukuba toward Kyoto. Accompanying us on the bullet train was our esteemed professor.
Our destination? The "Kyoei Childcare Center/ Minori Childcare Center," nestled in the heart of Kyoto, surrounded by picturesque shrines and mountains. This unique daycare center operates both day and night, offering its services simultaneously.
Our purpose for the visit was to present our survey report, crafted from the annual analysis of Child Care Cohort data. During our time there, we expressed our gratitude to the childcare center for their years-long collaboration, sharing invaluable data aimed at elevating the quality of childcare in Japan. Engaging in meaningful discussions about the strengths and challenges faced by their children compared to national standards enriched our interaction.
Post-presentation, Mukuda-sensei and Kobayashi sensei warmly ushered us inside the childcare center. The environment exuded warmth, vibrant colors, and a child-friendly ambiance. What struck me the most was the children's lack of shyness; they fluently greeted and welcomed us. Additionally, the center's approach to child-rearing emphasizes self-sufficiency, teaching kids basic life skills like eating, bathing, and cleaning at an early age. This cultural contrast was truly eye-opening. In Bangladesh, children typically rely entirely on their parents, but learning these skills early on fosters responsibility.
Following the childcare center visit, Professor Anme sensei took us to a renowned Negiyaki restaurant, recommended by ‘Kobayashi sensei’. Here, we indulged in the famous and delectable Negiyaki (Green onion pancake) from the Kyoto and Osaka regions. Its exquisite taste was truly unforgettable!
Overall, the experience left a lasting impression. I eagerly anticipate delving further into Japan's culture and exploring evidence-based child-rearing practices in the future.
Al last, thank you very much Mukuda-sensei, the principal of Kyoei Child Care Centre, and all the other committed childcare professionals who kindly give us their time. Your relentless commitment is genuinely precious.
Hello, everyone! I'm Pei, a first year MPH student in the empowerment lab. And today it is my great honor to share the welcome party with you.
The welcome party was held in our empowerment lab (offline), to celebrate Bruna Navarone Santos-san’s successful arrival in Japan. Bruna is from Brazil, and will spend one year as a special doctoral program student in our empowerment lab in the future with us.
Firstly, Anme sensei warmly welcomes Bruna san's arrival and looks forward to Bruna san enjoying her studies and life in Japan. Then, the lab members took turns introducing themselves to Bruna san and expressing the joy of meeting her, as well as their desire to progress together with Bruna san in the future. At the same time, Bruna san also expressed gratitude to everyone and presented the prepared gifts. We also shared cakes and tea together and had a pleasant and intense exchange.
We all enjoyed it very much today! And we are looking forward to studying and working with the different academic minds from different countries that can inspire us, and making contributions to health and empowerment research together in the future.
Hello, everyone! I'm Zhao Ruifeng, a second-year doctoral student in our Empowerment Lab. I am pleased to share with you this experience of our participation in the Japanese Society of Public Health 2023 in Tsukuba.
October 31st was the first day of the Japanese Society of Public Health. At two p.m., everyone gathered in the second Hall of the Tsukuba International Conference Center for the presentation of the Tobishima project. The session was chaired by Anme sensei, and Watanabe sensei and other Tobishima senseis explained our project in a comprehensive and detailed way. The presentation not only showed various interesting points of the project, but also demonstrated the professionalism of the senseis. It caused everyone in the audience to listen attentively. There was also a lot of interest in the program from those who attended the meeting, and their questions were answered one by one.
After the meeting, everyone went to an izakaya for a information exchange party. Members of the empowerment lab and Tobishima's senseis introduced ourselves to each other and exchanged name cards. In the warm atmosphere, we enjoyed drinking and talking, and deepened our relationship while understanding each other better. As the night wore on, the atmosphere of the party reached its peak, but it was time to leave. We said goodbye to each other with reluctance, but took the friendship in our hearts on the way home.
Through this meeting, all of us have made new friends, at the same time, also learned a lot of knowledge from each other. In the future, we will be able to utilize this experience to work together for the empowerment of Tobishima. A very enjoyable day was had by all. We look forward to the next time we meet!
Hello everyone! I'm Soko, a first-year doctoral student in our Empowerment Lab.
On October 26, we had the fortunate opportunity to participate in the Tobishima Meeting, focusing on long-term care insurance planning and disability sector policy development. Tobishima Village located in the southwestern part of Aichi Prefecture and boasts numerous beautiful landscapes.
During this meeting, we had the invaluable chance to engage in the development of long-term care insurance and disability policies. This is crucial for understanding the social security system, policy formulation, as well as the challenges and opportunities in long-term care. We collaborated with representatives from various sectors in Tobishima Village to explore how we can better meet the needs of the community, particularly in the realm of long-term care and disability services.
The scenic beauty of Tobishima Village made this meeting even more special. This opportunity not only allowed us to gain important insights into policies and social services but also appreciate the beauty of nature.
Cosmos flowers were in full bloom in the field of Mr. Hattori, the former vice-mayor, who took great care of us.
