Misaki’s Research Project

Dear Family and Friends

One university where I teach is for women from well-heeled families.  Most of the students are intelligent and motivated, so it is a pleasure working with them. My writing classes are particularly satisfying because the students’ steady progress can so clearly be seen. So, I like to give them as much responsibility for their own learning as I can. If they are exceptionally eager and well prepared, I encourage them to do an independent research project.

This semester one student, Misaki, chose a topic that came directly from her own experiences. Last year she went alone to Los Angeles and this year to New York. She loved them both, and wants to return to America someday. But what disturbed her was the number of homeless people she saw. “Seeing those people really shocked me. I couldn’t imagine a life like that. It was so unsettling that it made me want to know more about this situation. That’s why I chose the research topic of homelessness.”

Her exploration has lifted her out of her comfortable worldview. Her upbringing and Japanese media never allowed her to see what was actually going on around her. But suddenly she sees street people everywhere. “They’re a lot quieter here than in America,” she observed. “They don’t sit on the street with a cup and a sign begging for money. In fact, they seem to be saying, ‘Don’t notice me, please.’ But even so, they are everywhere here: in parks, in train stations, in underground passageways. I’m amazed.”

Of course, I encouraged Masaki to volunteer at Imai Sensei’s Yomawari Group. That day she helped dish up rice. 

And then she assisted men to select a nice shirt or trousers. 

“These people are so polite. My image is changing once again. I went from the idea that there were no homeless here to being rather afraid of them. But now I see they’re people just like you and me. There’s such a thin thread between having a normal life and living on the street. I am surprised to find myself admiring these people very much. Life is really hard for them. And what sort of a future do they have? But they don’t give up. And today some of the men even told jokes and got everyone laughing.

“Wow! I have so much more to learn. My outlook is changing rapidly. So, I have to stay open so my opinions can keep pace with my experiences. Mind and heart: it’s important they work together as a team.”

Later I got a message from Imai Sensei. His weary outlook is also grounded in years of direct experiences. “We have some new comers – I mean, homeless people — this time, too. Some of them are in their 20s. We are afraid that they were sent to a construction site by a bad broker, who pockets a kickback from their wages. Sometimes they realize what is going on after a few months. Only a few of them {the bad brokers} are accused, because most workers are scared of YAKUZA.”
 
The problems are very deep. And that makes us even more aware that our humanity is one. 

“Kizuna” — we are here to help each other.

Love,
Anne