Rikkyo University

The Rikuzentakata Project, which started in 2013 on a pilot-basis, is a project-based learning program in which students attend a five-day field trip in Rikuzentakata, a city hit hard by the Great East Japan Earthquake. They study Rikuzentakata’s current situation before tackling tasks that contribute to the city’s rebuilding efforts. In the 2018 academic year, 14 Rikkyo University students were joined by six students from Stanford University, which has participated in the project since the 2015 academic year, and two students from the University of Hong Kong, which joined the program this year. The University of Hong Kong has deepened ties with Rikkyo University through internship programs offered by the Japanese university and student exchange programs.

This year, the project’s theme was to “produce and publicize content showcasing attractions of Rikuzentakata City” through Marugoto Rikuzentakata, a general incorporated association entrusted by the Rikuzentakata municipal government to carry out and manage various projects. The students were divided into four mixed groups. One team planned and held an exchange meeting with Rikuzentakata residents, while three were tasked with making proposals, after undergoing on-site learning and experiences, to improve programs offered by Marugoto Rikuzentakata for foreigners, and making articles, videos and other content to publicize the city’s charms. Two of the three groups took part in the “Furusato Visit” program, in which they stayed in private homes near the coast or in the mountains for several hours during daytime. The remaining group visited Kanda Vineyard. They also stayed overnight at private homes and posted Instagram messages about what impressed them.

Near the end of the September 7-11 fieldwork, the students reported their ideas to the Rikuzentakata mayor and residents at a meeting. At the final presentation at Rikkyo University on September 12, the students explained their findings in front of Marugoto Rikuzentakata staff members.

The following is a gist of an interview with Yui Kuriyama, a first-year Rikkyo University student at the Department of Economic Policy Studies, College of Economics. She participated in the team that proposed improvements to the hands-on learning program at Kanda Vineyard and publicized charms of the city.

I will prize listening and talking directly to people about information I have seen or heard, whether it is a domestic or overseas issue. There is a phrase, “Seeing is believing.” It is necessary to reach out and talk face-to-face with people to find out what they really think deep down, which often is not obvious from outside. Any of us could be struck by a natural disaster, so I now think it is important to always be aware of this and to provide disaster-related information.