{"id":66854,"date":"2023-02-09T19:12:29","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T10:12:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/?p=66854"},"modified":"2023-02-10T19:05:19","modified_gmt":"2023-02-10T10:05:19","slug":"japanese-fika-vol6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/japanese-fika-vol6\/","title":{"rendered":"Tea with Seiko Ito and Sayaka Kankolongo Watanabe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FJbN_zIje7w?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>\u201cYoung people these days.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.\u201d is an expression that always limits a society\u2019s possibilities. Who ever said there\u2019s an age limit to positive action? Whether young or old, man or woman, everyone should be a collaborator in Sayaka\u2019s WELgee activities. I may be closer to the older end of the spectrum but count me in!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>\u30fcSeiko Ito<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seiko: I heard you studied in Bangladesh as a university student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sayaka: I was studying peace building and development at university and wanted to visit a region with an indigenous population for fieldwork. The program was two weeks long, but I ended up taking time off my studies and staying for two years. After graduation, I was set to go back to Bangladesh on the job for an international support organization, but my trip was canceled because of terrorist attacks in the capital, Dhaka. Instead, I joined a multidisciplinary graduate program in human security at the University of Tokyo, and while a student, I formed a circle of friends and launched WELgee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seiko: So your mind was made up all along. You had to make a move and tackle the issue of refugees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sayaka: It\u2019s a very complex challenge. If there were a person or organization already working toward a potential solution, I would have joined that cause, and offered my input, and hopefully made a stronger impact. But I couldn\u2019t find an ideal solution in the making, so I decided to make one myself. The biggest focus for me was working with the refugees and solving their problems together. Simply just saving them or supporting them didn\u2019t seem like a solution to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seiko: I\u2019ve interviewed refugee support organizations outside Japan, and from what I\u2019ve seen, the refugees often help out, but they rarely take part in the actual planning. Isn\u2019t that what you mean\u2014come up with ideas together with the refugees, for the refugees?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sayaka: That\u2019s right. These people have fled persecution and discrimination by their government. They\u2019ve brought their experiences and qualifications from their home countries and are trying to build new lives in Japan. But they don\u2019t know where to start, and all they can do is wait to be recognized as refugees so that they can continue to stay in Japan. This wait is devastating for their mental health. And if they aren\u2019t granted recognition at all, they\u2019re told to return to their home country, but they can\u2019t do that as many of them would face life threating situations. So in reality, they end up living from day to day relying on assistance. This is not a problem that can be resolved by money or staffers alone. The system itself needs to change. We needed to figure out how to change it together with the refugees, otherwise we can\u2019t move forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0022-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-66867\" srcset=\"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0022-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0022-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0022-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0022-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0022.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seiko: The people I\u2019ve talked with who became refugees at a young age say they want to study. They are very aware of how the system works. Without an education, they have no way out of social isolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sayaka: In the early days after we started WELgee in 2016, all we did was search for hints to a solution day in, day out. We wandered around Shibuya Station and in the underground passage of Azabu-juban after the last train of the day, looking for refugees and asking them to share their stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seiko: And then? How did you take the next step forward?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sayaka: We forged paths to get the refugees integrated into life in Japan, like by helping them learn the Japanese language, and for those seeking an education, by looking for opportunities to attend Japanese university and find scholarships. Refugees come from all walks of life. There are lawyers, doctors, athletes. We also look for partner companies that see potential in those careers and skills and arrange ideal matches where the company hires a refugee for business growth. No two people have the same professional background, you know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seiko: When the Japanese hear the word refugees, they tend to picture people clothed in rags running away for their lives. Sure, there may be refugees like that too. But it seems the Japanese are too oblivious to realize that everyone has unique circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sayaka: The Japanese word for refugee,&nbsp;<em>nanmin<\/em>, doesn\u2019t help either. It has lost the sense of evacuation and displacement and ended up with the characters meaning \u201cdifficult people.\u201d At WELgee, we call our members \u2018Internationals\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0003-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-66871\" srcset=\"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0003-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0003-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0003-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0003-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0003.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seiko: What is the biggest project you\u2019re working on now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sayaka: We\u2019re working on a career program. There are two reasons. One, having an exciting and rewarding job is a great way for refugees to integrate into society. And the other\u2014visa. Foreign nationals need some kind of justification for staying in Japan, like a student visa sponsored by their university, or a dependent visa sponsored by their spouse. Since refugees don\u2019t have any sponsors, they are granted a special visa under the government\u2019s refugee recognition system. The problem is that after an average wait of four years and four months, only 1% of applicants are recognized as refugees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seiko: If it were me, I couldn\u2019t keep up my motivation for so long. I would start feeling miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sayaka: One day, an idea came to me. If the system won\u2019t grant refugee status to everyone who needs it, then why don\u2019t we broaden the scope of visas that refugees can apply for? There are 29 types of visa in all. We scrutinized each of them and narrowed our target to just one with the long name \u201cEngineer \/ Specialist in Humanities \/ International Services.\u201d This visa is granted to foreign nationals who are hired as technical workers. The idea was that if we could get private companies to be sponsors, we might be able to count work visa as a potential solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seiko: Brilliant! I\u2019m impressed you thought of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sayaka: So we started out by visiting companies together with the Internationals. To date, we\u2019ve matched nineteen people with companies, and five of them have completed the switch to work visas. Those Internationals are no longer just waiting to be granted refugee status. They can invite their families to come and live with them. They can travel outside Japan on business. They have hope for regaining their freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seiko: It makes you want to support those sponsor companies, maybe by buying their products. I mean, who doesn\u2019t want to feel the pride of taking part in the solution?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sayaka: That\u2019s an important point, isn\u2019t it? If the only solution available were recognition of refugee status, people would feel as if they couldn\u2019t help unless they were a lawyer or member of a support organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0151-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-66863\" srcset=\"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0151-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0151-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0151-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0151-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0151.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seiko: It\u2019s also amazing that you\u2019ve accomplished so much in the space of five or six years. Isn\u2019t that fast?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sayaka: We had a lot of help from all kinds of people\u2014seasoned administrative scriveners and lawyers, companies, and above all, the refugees taking on our challenge together\u2014the Internationals. After being betrayed by their own government or captured by military forces, it\u2019s very difficult for refugees to trust anyone new. They all say there was some skepticism at first. Is it safe to trust WELgee? What do they want? If we had called for participants in a system that WELgee made from scratch, without the help of the Internationals, they probably wouldn\u2019t have wanted to work with us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seiko: How many staffers does WELgee have?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sayaka: We have four full-time staff members, plus dozens of collaborators&nbsp;including part-time career coordinators, pro bono contributors who volunteer their professional services, and monthly supporters we consider part of the WELgee family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"last wp-block-paragraph\">Seiko: I\u2019d love to be part of that family too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/DSC7737-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-66859\" srcset=\"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/DSC7737-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/DSC7737-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/DSC7737-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/DSC7737-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/DSC7737.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Japanese Fika&nbsp;Table<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Tea&nbsp;| Nyembwa Lubutshia<\/strong><br>This tea is from Sayaka\u2019s husband\u2019s home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo. Steep for about 3 minutes and enjoy piping hot. The Congolese prefer their tea sweetened with dollops of honey. Sayaka recommends taking it straight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sweet&nbsp;|&nbsp;Local confectionery from Binowa Caf\u00e9<\/strong><br>Besan Ladoo (left) are Indian balls of dough mixed with nuts and raisins. Shekerbura (right) are Azerbaijan\u2019s most popular sweet pastries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Flower |&nbsp;An arrangement inspired by the guest\u2019s lovely smile<\/strong><br>The lilac flowers of false anemone with purple fountain grass native to Africa and the Middle East evoke the autumnal charm of Chinese silver grass. Vase by LA-based ceramic artist tomoropottery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"678\" src=\"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0094-1024x678.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-66855\" srcset=\"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0094-1024x678.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0094-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0094-768x509.jpg 768w, https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0094-1536x1017.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ATS0094.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sayaka Kankolongo Watanabe, Founder, NPO WELgee<\/strong><br>Sayaka Kankolongo Watanabe was born 1991 in Shizuoka Prefecture. As a university student, she visited Bangladesh for fieldwork. The experience of being caught up in a clash in a conflict area moved her to take time off her studies and return to the country, where she engaged in support activities by joining a peacebuilding project as an intern with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). After graduating from university, Watanabe enrolled in the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and completed the master\u2019s course of its Graduate Program on Human Security. Together with her circle of refugee friends, she established <a href=\"https:\/\/www.welgee.jp\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WELgee<\/a> in 2016. Their latest project is <a href=\"https:\/\/jobcopass.welgee.jp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Job Copass<\/a>, a career program that matches the expertise and experience of refugees who have fled their home countries and arrived in Japan with Japanese companies, and to continue accompanying and supporting the processes of training, recruiting, and retention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><strong>Seiko Ito<\/strong><br>Born 1961 in Tokyo, Seiko Ito is an author and creator who works in a spectrum of expressive genres including literature, film, stage, music, and online platforms. His latest publications include&nbsp;<em>Gaza Strip, West Bank and Amman: Report of M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res<\/em>&nbsp;(Kodansha) and&nbsp;<em>Fukushima Monologue<\/em>&nbsp;(Kawade Shobo Shinsha). \u201cTohoku Monologue\u201d is currently being released in serial format in&nbsp;<em>Kahoku Shimpo<\/em>&nbsp;(Kahoku Shimpo Publishing)&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>Bungei<\/em>&nbsp;(Kawade Shobo).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Japanese Fika, Seiko Ito acts as the host and invites a guest to chat over tea. Our guest this time is Sayaka Kankolongo Watanabe, founder of NPO WELgee, who works together with refugees to shape their future in Japanese society. Sayaka has designed solutions that do more than just \u201csave\u201d and \u201csupport\u201d refugees. She and her growing circle of friends promise a better society that leaves Seiko feeling inspired and fascinated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":66858,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[117],"tags":[402,5056,399,5408,5410,405,5406],"place":[133],"writer":[],"class_list":["post-66854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture-en","tag-fika-en","tag-issue-67-2-en","tag-japanese-fika-en","tag-jobcopass-en","tag-sayaka-kankolongo-watanabe","tag-seiko-ito","tag-welgee-en","place-tokyo-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Tea with Seiko Ito and Sayaka Kankolongo Watanabe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In Japanese Fika, Seiko Ito acts as the host and invites a guest to chat over tea. 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