The following is a guest article written by Naoya Kobayashi, who traveled to the San Francisco Bay Area with other graduate students from the University of Tokyo in January 2026, under the leadership of Professor Hideto Fukudome. Naoya is also a Guest Researcher at the Keio University Global Research Institute. SPICE/Stanford collaborates closely with the Graduate School of Education at the University of Tokyo and met with the students during their visit to the Bay Area. 

Guided by Roger L. Geiger’s remark—“Historians should approach the present with trepidation” (Geiger, 2019, 313)—I have conducted archival research primarily along the East Coast and in the Midwest as a doctoral student specializing in the history of American higher education. Working with historical manuscripts often feels like having conversations with people from the past, drawing me away from the pressing educational issues of the present. However, during my first visit to the Bay Area through a SPICE-supported program, I came to realize that Geiger’s statement is not merely a call for professional restraint. It also points to the significant role historians can and should play in contextualizing the present and actively shaping the future.

This program brought together students and alumni from the University of Tokyo, who had been trained across a wide range of disciplines, including sociology, psychology, policy studies, and comparative education. To reflect these diverse interests, Professor Hideto Fukudome invited guest speakers from various fields. Consequently, we were able to engage in candid discussions on topics such as undergraduate curricula, academic advising, international student support, and public service.

Among these experiences, one particularly memorable moment came during a lecture by Professor Londa Schiebinger, an internationally distinguished historian of science and a leading authority on gender in science and technology. She introduced us to Gendered Innovations, an interdisciplinary initiative that integrates sex, gender, and intersectional analysis into scientific research and technological development. After her talk, my colleague Yuki Kihara asked how her work in the history of science connects to this initiative. In response, she stated without hesitation: “I want to create the future, so I use the same techniques as a historian to push and pull on culture. We need to make human knowledge whole again. That is one of my key challenges.” Her response was deeply thought-provoking, speaking to my long-held interest in how historians might meaningfully engage with contemporary issues. (Photo below of Professor Schiebinger courtesy of Naoya Kobayashi.)

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Our learning also extended beyond the university. On the final morning, we visited Japantown in San Jose with SPICE Director Dr. Gary Mukai as our guide. Drawing on his personal memories, he explained the history embedded in local monuments. Through this, we came to appreciate how diverse communities have long been integral to the region’s social fabric, shaped by both hardship and resilience. From the perspective of contemporary Japan, where public discourse has increasingly focused on how diversity might be “accepted,” this experience revealed a simple but profound truth: diversity is not a possibility to be realized but a reality to be recognized. As a historian, I hope to carry this insight forward by using the past not only to understand the present, but also to imagine more inclusive ways of living together in the future. (Photo below taken in Japantown in San Jose courtesy of Naoya Kobayashi.)

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Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Mukai and all the members of SPICE who so warmly welcomed us. It is my sincere hope that exchanges between the University of Tokyo and SPICE will continue to grow in the years to come.

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Stanford e-Japan is an online course that teaches Japanese high school students about U.S. society and culture and U.S.–Japan relations. The course introduces students to both U.S. and Japanese perspectives on many historical and contemporary issues. It is offered biannually by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE). Stanford e-Japan is currently supported by the Yanai Tadashi Foundation.

In August 2026, the top honorees of the Spring 2025 and the Fall 2025 Stanford e-Japan courses will be honored through an event at Stanford University. SPICE is most grateful to Mr. Tadashi Yanai and the Yanai Foundation for making Stanford e-Japan, including the ceremony in August 2026, possible.

The three Spring 2025 honorees—Mahono Fuji (Seinan High School), Nagi Matsuyama (Doshisha International High School), and Jinichiro Taguchi (Kaijo High School)—will be recognized for their coursework and exceptional research essays that focused respectively on “From White Flight to Gentrification: Rethinking Urban Spatial Inequality,” “Reconsidering U.S.–Japan Food Trade,” and “Trump’s Policies and the Monroe Doctrine.”

Dion Munasingha (Yaizu Chuo High School) and Natsuka Yamamoto (Keio Girls Senior High School) each received an Honorable Mention for their coursework and research papers that respectively focused on “Language Support for Children of Immigrants in Japan and the United States” and “Future of Natural Disaster Response Management in Japan and the United States.”

The three Fall 2025 honorees—Sawa Ito (Iida High School), Yurino Ohara (Okayama Prefectural Okayama Asahi High School), and Amy Yanai (The British School in Tokyo)—will be recognized for their coursework and exceptional research essays that focused respectively on “A Comparison of Mental Health in the United States and Japan: What Japan Can Learn from the United States,” “Redesigning Japan’s OTC Policy: A Digital Strategy for Fiscal Sustainability and Patient Protection,” and “Community Resilience and Soft Power: Disaster Recovery in the United States and Japan.”

Aiko Nakano (Shizuoka Futaba Senior High School) and Takaki Okada (Musashi High School) each received an Honorable Mention for their coursework and research papers that respectively focused on “A Comparison of Refugee Recognition Systems in Japan and the United States: The Role of Public Awareness” and “‘Anti-Globalism’ Sentiment in the United States: Its Causes and Effects.”

In the Spring 2025 session of Stanford e-Japan, students from the following schools completed the course: Azabu High School (Tokyo); Chiba Prefectural Higashi Katsushika High School (Chiba); Doshisha International High School (Kyoto); Ehime Prefectural Matsuyama Chuo High School (Ehime); Fuji Sacred Heart School (Shizuoka); Gunma Kokusai Academy Secondary School (Gunma); Hiroshima Prefectural Ogaki High School (Hiroshima); International Christian University High School (Tokyo); Kaijo High School (Tokyo); Kanazawa Izumigaoka High School (Ishikawa); Keio Girls Senior High School (Tokyo); Keio Shonan Fujisawa Senior High School (Tokyo); Kyoto Rakuhoku High School (Kyoto);  Meijigakuen Senior High School (Fukuoka); Meikei Gakuen High School (Ibaraki); Nagasaki Nishi High School (Nagasaki); Saitama Municipal Urawa High School (Saitama); Saku Chosei Senior High School (Nagano); Sapporo Kaisei Secondary School (Hokkaido); Seinan High School (Fukuoka); Shibuya Makuhari High School (Tokyo); Suwa Seiryo High School (Nagano); Toin Gakuen Secondary Education School (Kanagawa); Tokyo Gakugei University International Secondary School (Tokyo); Tokyo Metropolitan Kokusai High School (Tokyo); Waseda University Senior High School (Tokyo); Yaizu Chuo High School (Shizuoka); and Yatsushiro High School (Kumamoto).

In the Fall 2025 session of Stanford e-Japan, students from the following schools completed the course: AICJ High School (Hiroshima), Akita Minami Senior High School (Akita), Caritas Senior High School (Kanagawa), Higashiyama High School (Kyoto), Iida High School (Nagano), International Christian University High School (Tokyo), Kaetsu Ariake High School (Tokyo), Katayama Gakuen High School (Toyama), Keio Girls Senior High School (Tokyo), Kindai Toyooka High School (Hyogo), Koshigaya Kita High School (Saitama), Makuhari Senior High School (Chiba), Mita International School of Science (Tokyo), Musashi High School (Tokyo), Nagoya University Affiliated Upper Secondary School (Aichi), Nishiyamato Gakuen High School (Nara), Okayama Prefectural Okayama Asahi High School (Okayama), Okinawa Prefectural Kaiho Senior High School (Okinawa), Ritsumeikan Keisho High School (Hokkaido), Seigakuin High School (Tokyo), Senior High School at Otsuka, University of Tsukuba (Tokyo), Shizuoka Futaba Senior High School (Shizuoka), Shuyukan High School (Fukuoka), Suwa Seiryo High School (Nagano), The British School in Tokyo (Tokyo), Tokyo Metropolitan Hibiya High School (Tokyo), Tokyo Metropolitan Koshikawa Secondary School (Tokyo), and Tsurumaru High School (Kagoshima).

Stanford e-Japan is one of several online courses for high school students offered by SPICE, including the China Scholars Program, the Reischauer Scholars Program, the Sejong Korea Scholars Program, Stanford e-Entrepreneurship U.S., Stanford e-China, Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan, as well as numerous local student programs in Japan. For more information about Stanford e-Japan, please visit stanfordejapan.org.

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The following is a guest article written by Yuki Kihara, who traveled to the San Francisco Bay Area with other graduate students from the University of Tokyo in January 2026, under the leadership of Professor Hideto Fukudome. Yuki is also an administrative staff member at the University of Tokyo. SPICE/Stanford collaborates closely with the Graduate School of Education at the University of Tokyo and met with the students during their visit to the Bay Area.

On the final day of the intensive seminar in the San Francisco Bay Area, we visited the Japanese American Museum of San Jose. When we entered the museum, an elderly woman who happened to be there told us about her experience living in a concentation camp. She said that in the middle of the desert, the barracks’ housing was full of dust, and that every night before falling asleep she would check under the bed to make sure there was no scorpion. This unexpected encounter became a memorable moment that wrapped up what I learned at the intensive seminar.

At first, this story did not have a strong impression on me. However, as we walked through the museum, docent Atsushi Uchida explained in detail about life in the concentration camp, citing the elderly lady’s words. For instance, because the camps were built hastily, undried wood was used for the barracks. Consequently, as the wood dried and shrank over time, gaps appeared, and clouds of dust came into the barracks and rose in the air. These gaps also allowed scorpions to sneak in, which is why the elderly lady had to be cautious every night. Of course, this is a minor memory of that elderly lady which would never be written down in a textbook. It would also perhaps have slipped out of my memory quickly if Atsushi had not shed light on it. But because he pointed it out, her experience was incorporated into my thoughts and has stayed with me for a long time. Photo below of docent Atsushi Uchida at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose, courtesy of Tina Tan.

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Atsushi also told us about some remaining words which have been passed down within the Nikkei (Japanese emigrants and their descendants) community in California. Among them is the phrase “Shikata Ga Nai,” meaning “it cannot be helped” in English. In Japan, this expression shows a certain sense of giving up or resignation. On the other hand, the word “Shikata Ga Nai” used in California also contains a slightly positive nuance: It means doing what can be done in the place where one has been put. This story made me focus on the pain that Nikkei people at that time had to face, and the perseverance to overcome the hardship, with a somewhat optimistic outlook on life. Atsushi’s comment on “Shikata ga nai” also made me realize that the nuanced differences between the Japanese and Japanese American interpretation of specific Japanese terminology are not merely subtle linguistic variations, but something I may be able to perceive, perhaps, because I stand both inside and outside of this cultural context.

I believe that the privilege of a researcher is to pass down people’s words, regardless of how many people read them. In this regard, I cannot help but think about what I should write and pass down as a person who specializes in education. The children captured by an official government photographer looked cheerful, even at the concentration camp, but I feel that I must also turn my eyes to the moments of pain that would have been hidden from a master narrative of history.

The explanation from Atsushi extended to the story of Norman Mineta. He was a Nisei (second-generation Japanese American) who served as the United States Secretary of Transportation during the George W. Bush administration. Because of his experience of incarceration in his childhood, he opposed racial profiling after the September 11 attacks. His influence on society was huge, and no one doubts his significant achievement. At the same time, interestingly enough, the recollection of the elderly lady also stayed in my memory. I felt that the defining experiences of the two were the same, and it was not until I visited the museum that I came to realize the link between the two. I learned the importance of actually visiting the site on my own. The story of Norman Mineta and the recollection of this elderly woman formed an interesting contrast, and together they left a deep impression on me.

Speaking of this contrast, I also cannot help looking back on the education I received when I was an elementary school student. As homework for a history class, I interviewed my grandmother about her experiences during World War II. She told me about wartime evacuation and her life at home and school. At that time, somewhere in my mind, I regarded these stories as merely personal experiences, not as history to be learned, and I dismissed them as insignificant. The encounter with the elderly lady brought up this memory again, forming a strong contrast with my elementary school experience. It made me reconsider what history is and for whom it exists.

But then another question comes to my mind. If I once regarded my grandmother’s experience as insignificant because of what I learned in history education, does that mean education itself is meaningless? Of course, now, as an adult, I need to examine critically what I have been taught. Yet it was also education itself, this time through Atsushi’s explanation which functioned as scaffolding, that enabled me to question and shed light on something unseen. Here I found hope in education.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Hideto Fukudome for arranging such a wonderful opportunity, to Director Gary Mukai and everyone at SPICE for creating the rich program and welcoming atmosphere, to our Teaching Assistant Mr. Naoya Kobayashi for making the seminar run smoothly in many ways, and to all the classmates who shared thoughtful and engaging discussions with me throughout this intensive seminar. Special thanks to Ms. Anna Marie Rodriguez, my friend and an assistant language teacher (ALT) in Japan under the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme, for her proofreading of this article.

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The following reflection is a guest post written by Yuto Kimura, an alum of the Spring 2021 Stanford e-Japan Program. Earlier this month he graduated from Waseda University’s School of Political Science and Economics.

This is the message I wish to share with high school students considering applying to Stanford e-Japan (or other SPICE programs). As a former participant about to graduate from Waseda University this spring, I can confidently say that the lessons and skills I gained through the program remain invaluable to me, even after five years.

The initial reason I applied for the program was to deepen my understanding of U.S.–Japan relations and U.S. society. Although I was born in the United States, I moved away when I was only a year old and have had little opportunity to engage with U.S. culture since then. While I certainly accomplished that mission through Stanford e-Japan, I came away with so much more. Here are my two biggest takeaways.

The first takeaway is purely skill-based. Throughout the program, we were required to digest a significant amount of reading material to prepare for every class. I vividly remember spending my one-hour train commute focused entirely on these readings. This routine lasted about six months and proved to be an incredible asset during my university studies.

Even at Japanese universities, reference materials are often provided in English; thanks to this program, I was already well-trained to handle them. Beyond reading, the program also honed my ability to write academic papers and deliver presentations. These skills directly contributed to my high grades in university, giving me a head start in areas many of my peers hadn’t encountered until after high school. By dedicating yourself to this program, you are able to sharpen skills that will serve you throughout your future career—a fact that has proven true in countless situations over the last four years.

The second takeaway involves my personal values and perspectives. The most impactful session in the program for me was the one on Japanese American Internment. In Japanese classrooms, we typically learn about the Pacific War through a specific lens—from the Pearl Harbor attack to the invasion of Southeast Asia to the two atomic bombings. However, there is always a flip side to every story.

The program challenged me to look at the war from a U.S. perspective, exploring topics like the rationale behind the atomic bombings through U.S. textbooks, and the internment of Japanese Americans by hearing from some storytellers. You may not necessarily agree with every viewpoint, but acknowledging the existence of differing ones, I believe, is essential to living as a global citizen.

This mindset has stayed with me since then. During my recent solo trip to Malaysian Borneo—an area formerly occupied by Japanese forces—I never missed the opportunity to visit war heritage sites, museums, and Japanese cemeteries in every city. I wanted to reflect on my learning from the program and understand the history through the eyes of the locals.

Lastly, as a proud Waseda alumnus, I also want to highlight the strong, decades-long connection between Waseda and Stanford. From a century-long baseball tradition to Waseda professors of Stanford alumni to countless e-Japan alumni studying here, the bond is deep. If you are considering Japanese universities, I highly recommend Waseda for its rich Waseda–Stanford connections.

Stanford e-Japan is one of several online courses for high school students offered by SPICE, including the China Scholars Program, the Reischauer Scholars Program, the Sejong Korea Scholars Program, Stanford e-Entrepreneurship U.S., Stanford e-China, Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan, as well as numerous local student programs in Japan. For more information about Stanford e-Japan, please visit stanfordejapan.org.

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This is the second of several articles—focusing on the 50-year history of SPICE—that will be posted this year. 

As noted in the article, “Celebrating SPICE’s 50th: SPICE’s Roots in the Bay Area China Education Project (BAYCEP),” that was written by Dr. David Grossman, founding director of SPICE, SPICE was established in 1976. Professor Daniel Okimoto joined Stanford in 1977, and I met him in 1988 when I joined SPICE. I had first heard of Professor Okimoto in fall 1972 during my freshman year in college. I read an excerpt, “The Intolerance of Success,” from his book, American in Disguise, that was reprinted in Roots: An Asian American Reader. During my first meeting with him, I learned that his family was incarcerated in the same concentration camp for Japanese Americans as my family during World War II. The camp was in Poston, Arizona. Okimoto was born in 1942 at the Santa Anita Assembly Center, a temporary detention facility for Japanese Americans. The detention facility was located at the Santa Anita Racetrack in Southern California, and Okimoto was born in a horse stable. From there, his family was moved and incarcerated in Poston. Since learning about this connection between Okimoto’s family and mine, I felt a strong personal connection to him.

Since the beginning of my time at SPICE, Professor Okimoto has been unwavering in his support of SPICE’s projects on U.S.–Japan relations and the Japanese American experience. He served as the Principal Investigator for multiple U.S.–Japan relations- and Japanese American-focused curriculum projects, the Reischauer Scholars Program (an online course that has been offered to high school students in the United States since 2004), and Stanford e-Japan (an online course that has been offered to high school students in Japan since 2015). One of SPICE’s most popular multimedia offerings is “An Interpretive History of Japan,” which is based on six lectures by Okimoto. Through these projects, I also established a strong professional connection to him.

Professor Okimoto has been an incredible champion for the Reischauer Scholars Program from its inception, rallying other U.S.–Japan experts and leaders to back our mission of teaching and inspiring the next generation of young scholars to strengthen ties between the United States and Japan. Over the past 20+ years, his guidance and example as a mentor have shaped me as a teacher and profoundly strengthened a vibrant community of educators and students.—Naomi Funahashi, Reischauer Scholars Program instructor

Prof. Daniel Okimoto has championed the Stanford e-Japan Program since its inception. In addition to providing some of the lectures for the initial cohorts, Dan was also generous with his time and knowledge with high school students in Japan through guest speaking in Virtual Classrooms.—Waka Takahashi Brown and Meiko Kotani, Stanford e-Japan Program instructors

Importantly, numerous SPICE staff (past and present) have studied under Okimoto, including Dr. Mariko Yang-Yoshihara, an educational researcher and instructor for SPICE whose primary advisor was Okimoto. She noted the following: “Having Dan Okimoto as my doctoral advisor was one of the greatest blessings in my life. What I gained from his mentorship both as a student and as a person was immense, and two moments in particular stay with me today. The first was the Japanese Imperial couple’s visit to the Stanford campus in 1994. Dan’s role as Stanford’s leading Japan expert often meant welcoming distinguished visitors from around the world; and on that occasion, he chose to share something deeply personal, that he had been born in a horse stable as his family was sent to a concentration camp. And in response, Empress Michiko called him ‘another great man born in a horse stable.’ This brief exchange stayed with me through my time as a student as it felt like a real glimpse into my advisor’s life as a Japanese American scholar, carrying the weight of history while still holding onto the quiet warmth of our shared humanity. The second anecdote came shortly after 9/11, when so many of us were grappling with fear and uncertainty of the future. As I sat in his office, anxious and overwhelmed, Dan said very little except, very quietly, ‘I worry about the Muslim American community.’ In that moment, I came to understand how deeply his own experiences had shaped how he cares for the world: amid a national crisis, his heart instinctively focused on vulnerable communities. These were the moments from which I learned the most as his student: lessons in humanity and empathy. They have since become the foundation of the learning goals in the courses I teach. I hope that our work at SPICE will honor and carry forward Dan’s legacy by developing curricula that shed light on the Japanese American experience and nurture empathy and a sense of shared humanity in future generations.”

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On behalf of the SPICE staff, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Professor Okimoto for his unwavering support of SPICE. As someone who was born in a horse stable and unjustly incarcerated as a child without due process by his own country—along with approximately 120,000 people of Japanese descent, two thirds of whom were U.S. citizens—and is now Professor Emeritus of Stanford University, he remains a tremendous role model and inspiration to us at SPICE. He and his wife, Michiko, are still contributing greatly to U.S.–Japan relations through organizations like the Silicon Valley Japan Platform and the U.S.-Japan Council. They worked closely with the late Secretary Norman Mineta (left) and the late Senator Daniel Inouye (center); photo above courtesy of Daniel Okimoto. Like Okimoto, Secretary Mineta was also incarcerated by his country as a child during World War II. Senator Daniel Inouye was a Medal of Honor recipient for his service in the U.S. Army during World War II. Like Okimoto, Mineta and Inouye were also recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun. 

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Stanford e-Entrepreneurship U.S. (SEUS) is an online program offered through the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) to high school students in the United States. The application cycle for the Stanford e-Entrepreneurship U.S. summer course will open on March 1, 2026. This article will briefly explore the purpose of the course and include comments from several participants.

The generous support of anonymous donors enables SPICE to offer SEUS free of charge to its participants. The student-centered format of SEUS represents a meaningful effort to help bridge Stanford scholarship with students from different backgrounds, including those who may never have experienced programs like this before.

SEUS Instructor, Dr. Makiko Hirata, refers to SEUS as a “journey of co-learning…to co-create the most meaningful learning experience for everyone by honing our ability to communicate and to collaborate and learn from each other’s experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds.” She notes that students “will consider entrepreneurship very broadly, asking questions about each of our responsibilities and rights as global citizens, and how to increase our efficacy to effect change to create a better future for all beings.” SEUS treats entrepreneurship as a practice: to notice what moves you, sit with complexity, listen across differences, and turn reflection into meaningful actions.

Lessons begin with several days of exchanges among the students via an online discussion board and collaborative group projects, after which, in a live virtual class, SEUSers engage directly with guest speakers with decades of experience at Stanford, Silicon Valley, and beyond.

SEUS’ inaugural session—co-created by 22 students representing 16 states and regions from Puerto Rico to Hawaii—started in November 2025. Comments from several of those students appear below.

“Stanford e-Entrepreneurship U.S. has not only given me the opportunity to learn about social entrepreneurship and deepen my understanding of social issues, but also about different perspectives from all across the U.S. This course taught me many things that I can apply in real-life situations.” —Alua C., TX

“SEUS pushes me to think more critically, listen with intention, and consider perspectives far beyond my own...[It] has strengthened my confidence as a communicator and helped me understand how collaboration and reflection can lead to real change.” —Rihanna E., PR

“I’ve appreciated the experiences our guest speakers bring, reflecting on the journey that took them to where they are today. With AI threatening many industries, it’s more important than ever to observe how our guest speakers and their respective industries/fields are actively growing alongside it.” —Valerie B., IN

“SEUS has challenged me to put my utmost effort into every assignment… Building critical thinking is like exercising a muscle, and SEUS has cultivated my critical thinking like no exercise I had ever done before.” —Alex C., TN

“SPICE created a place where learning felt collaborative and respectful and profoundly human... SEUS would have a tremendous influence on any high school students who are curious, open-minded, and want to grow… because it fosters that type of connection, critical thinking, and global understanding in a big way.” —Chloe K., NV

Dr. Hirata noted that “The exchanges in class have truly brought the best out of these already motivated and ambitious high school students. I hope that many high school students will consider applying for the Stanford e-Entrepreneurship U.S. summer course and that such exchanges continue.”

For updates and application details, please visit the SEUS page on the SPICE website or sign up for announcements.

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship U.S. is one of several online courses offered by SPICE.

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Applications are now being accepted for the 2026 Stanford/SPICE East Asia Seminars for Teachers in Hawai‘i (Stanford SEAS Hawai‘i). This free professional development program offers Hawai‘i educators a unique opportunity to deepen their knowledge of East Asia and strengthen their classroom teaching. Stanford SEAS Hawai‘i is administered by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) with generous support from the Freeman Foundation. Twenty teachers will be selected to participate in a fellowship running from late March through July 2026.

The application form is available at https://forms.gle/pPgP5GKb19m2QogX8, and the deadline to apply is February 23, 2026.

Open to high school teachers across Hawai‘i, the fellowship includes a series of expert-led virtual seminars held from March to June, followed by a three-day, in-person teacher institute in Honolulu in July 2026. Program content examines East Asia, U.S.–Asia relations, and the Asian diaspora in the United States, with particular attention to Hawai‘i’s historical and contemporary connections. Participants will also receive a wide range of teaching resources and take part in discussions focused on both content and pedagogy to support effective classroom instruction.

Past participants have described the program as both intellectually enriching and professionally affirming. Rukhsanna Guidroz, a teacher at Seabury Hall on Maui, reflected on her experience: “My purpose for participating in Stanford SEAS Hawaii was to find community and inspiration in my work as an educator. I absolutely feel that these goals were achieved. I found both in the passionate teachers I met and the thought-provoking lectures we experienced together. Hearing different perspectives—both historical and personal—helped broaden my understanding of East Asia, while the exchange of ideas introduced me to new teaching strategies that I’m excited to bring into my own classroom.”

Casey Hulten, a teacher at Kea‘au High School on Hawai‘i Island, echoed this enthusiasm: “I was blown away by the amount of information I learned and how it interweaves with our Island history. The combined knowledge of all the speakers was unbelievable. I feel so blessed to have been part of this enriching opportunity.”

For additional information about Stanford SEAS Hawai‘i, including participant benefits and program expectations, visit the program webpage. Applications must be submitted by February 23, 2026.

To be notified of other professional development opportunities, join SPICE’s email list and follow SPICE on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

In addition to Stanford SEAS Hawai‘i, SPICE offers teacher PD opportunities virtually to teachers nationwide and locally in California to middle school teachers, high school teachers, and community college instructors. For more information on those programs, please visit the webpages below.

• East Asia Summer Institute for Middle School Teachers
• Virtual East Asia Seminar for High School Teachers in California
• Community College Programs

Applications are now open for Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan (SeEJ), a free online course conducted in English to foster Japanese students’ creative thinking and innovative problem-solving skills to address social issues. SeEJ is offered twice a year in the fall and spring through a collaboration between SPICE and the non-profit organization e-Entrepreneurship in Japan. It is open to Japanese-speaking students, in or from Japan, in their first and second years of high school. The spring 2026 course will be taught by Natalie Montecino and will run from April 2026 through August 2026.

The application form is now available at https://forms.gle/FQDX6NNqj28KKAE37. The submission deadline is March 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM Japan Time.

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan offers students an opportunity to engage with scholars and entrepreneurs from Stanford University and beyond through live virtual classes, which are held twice a month on Sundays. The course will culminate in an individual research paper and a final group project. Students who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion from SPICE and NPO e-Entrepreneurship.

Former students consistently point to SeEJ’s interactive and collaborative design as a defining feature of the program. As Karen Watanabe shares, “I really enjoyed the interactive nature of SeEJ, especially the group discussions,” noting that these exchanges helped develop communication and teamwork skills while offering perspectives she hadn’t considered before. Nina Kasamatsu echoes this sentiment, adding that “interacting, sharing, and being able to bounce ideas off of each other has been the greatest aspect of SeEJ,” emphasizing how peer feedback and collaboration through group projects deepened both learning and personal growth. Together, these reflections highlight the program's innovative, discussion-centered approach, where collaboration and dialogue are central to the learning experience.

For more information about Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan, visit the program webpage. Interested high school students should apply online by March 1, 2026.

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan is one of several online courses offered by SPICE.

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