Dear friends and members of the Unitarian Fellowship of
Tokyo,
We had a good turn out at our annual pot luck
at the Kanada home on July 8th.
Chuck Roberts, now our oldest fellowship member, joined us--
arriving on his bicycle in the heat!
We also enjoyed the intellectually challenging remarks of
gracious Father Leo Lefebure, professor at Georgetown Univ and guest of Miriam
Levering.
Later in the evening two Korean photographers (now
living in Japan) came by at Murata Nobuhiko's invitation. It was an
unexpected and interesting opportunity to meet Ahn Sehong who was just
finishing up his controversial show at Nikon Gallery (it went to court and was
in the news) about his photos of "Sex Slave/Comfort Women" --that is women of Korean heritage who are now in their
eighties and living in China. We looked at his album of photos of women who
have managed to survive but who have never received an apology or compensation
and whose lives were blighted by their experiences at the hands of the
Japanese.
Next Meeting:
September 9 3:00 at International House.
>>An Exciting "Double " Program<<
Prof Fujimoto Akimi: Revitalization, Sustainability
and Education.
He will talk about his recent initiative to
start and run a local company to re-develop idle land in Niigata for
sustainable organic food cultivation with community/student
participation.
It is an interesting story and may be an inspiring model
for other communities or NPO's that many of us work with or support. Also
issues/data about FOOD SAFETY seem even more relevant since 3/11.
Fujimoto is a professor at Tokyo Univ of Agriculture
(Nodai). Please check the web about his organization
called "Jonodai" http://www.jnodai.co.jp/english/index.html
.
Helen Fujimoto, who also introduced Akimi to
our fellowship , during our opening half hour will give us a brief introduction
to Presence Based Communication or "the Art
of Being in Context". She is a certified practitioner and will lead
us in this opportunity to experience a kind of meditation
(focusing and empowerment) through an exercise of
"speaking circles".
We look forward to seeing our old friend and member Bonnie
McClure who expects to be in Tokyo on a short visit before starting a graduate
school program.
Peggy Kanada, moderator
