The following reflection is a guest post written by Aylie Guyodo Oyama, an alumna and honoree of the Fall 2023 Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan Program. Aylie is a disability rights advocate and is currently a student at the British School in Tokyo, Japan.

I am beyond thrilled to pen down my thoughts and gratitude for the incredible learning opportunity I’ve had during the Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan (SeEJ) program. My experience has been nothing short of amazing, from the instructors and my fellow classmates to our guest speakers, the teaching methods, and more. All of these elements made my educational journey such an inspiring and meaningful one.

I first joined the program with the aim of deepening my understanding of the world’s issues that have both global and local significance in our lives through the lens of an entrepreneur. It far exceeded my expectations. I learned that the term social is inextricably linked with the concept of entrepreneurship. Most importantly, I developed a sense of global citizenship and responsibility, which has changed the way I see the world and approach different perspectives and solutions. It helped me appreciate how vital it is to live in alignment with what matters most to us as a person, as a member of our community, and as a responsible global citizen. I learned that entrepreneurship is about what you are passionate about in helping others and bringing about positive change. It means recognizing the interconnectedness of our actions with the well-being of communities, the environment, and society at large. This program has instilled in me the importance of ethical decision-making, sustainability, and the pursuit of ventures that prioritize positive contributions to the world and in others’ lives.

The course aligned perfectly with my passion for helping others. Being a disability advocate is something I’m very passionate about. I chose to share my experience of living with a non-apparent disability in the hope that it will help others. I was an aspiring ballet dancer for as long as I can remember. A few years ago, however, I sustained a severe injury, making me rely on a wheelchair and leaving me with a lasting disability. Accessibility became a significant struggle for me. It really changed me completely as a person. This challenging experience provided me with a glimpse into the reality faced by disabled individuals and broadened my perspectives on attitudes and approaches to issues related to disability.

I am therefore on a mission to make a positive impact, foster understanding, support those facing adversity, and improve the lives of disabled individuals for the better. I hope to raise awareness and help flip the narrative toward viewing disability as ability and seeing people with disabilities as contributors to society.

My individual research paper, which is a major component of the SeEJ program, explored disability inclusion and particularly inclusive entrepreneurship as one possible solution and a key pathway to providing equal opportunities and participation for people with disabilities. I am also a big believer in the power of technology and innovation, especially disability tech, and I believe that social innovation can really transform people’s lives, particularly by improving accessibility and social inclusion. This was the central theme of the final group project that my classmates and I chose to work on. We had a lot of fun working as a team to come up with our vision for a more inclusive future and pitch our cutting-edge assistive technology prototype to “investors” to empower the community of visually impaired and blind people and provide them with newfound independence, safety, and confidence in navigating the world.

With the deep opportunities that the SeEJ program has given us, I have come to greatly appreciate the individuality and diversity of others. Working with people of different backgrounds helps to foster deeper interpersonal understanding and collaboration and creates conditions that are conducive to creativity.

Moreover, I really enjoyed the different workshops and group projects, as they were highly interactive and engaging. The step-by-step human-centered design thinking process was such an eye-opener for me. I realized how empathy and collaboration are critical in the process of understanding and meeting the needs of others, as well as prototyping, testing, and getting constant feedback to improve your solutions.

Overall, I am leaving the program with so many powerful insights and a determination to apply those valuable takeaways on my ongoing path to achieving my goals and dreams and growing as a person. One of my favorite inspiring quotes was from Sukemasa Kabayama, one of our guest speakers and co-founder and CEO of Uplift, who gave us this advice: “Be comfortable with the uncomfortable so that we see life as more interesting and richer!” If this resonates with you like it did with me, I enthusiastically recommend the Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan program!

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It’s hard to believe four years have passed since I nervously logged on to meet the first fall Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan cohort. As I prepare to start my fifth year and reflect on the recent fall course that concluded in February, I am filled with a profound sense of growth and gratitude. Each year has been a journey of learning and discovery, not just for my students, but for myself as well.

Seeing the growth and development of my students over the course of just four months has been incredibly rewarding. From timid beginnings to confident presentations and impactful research papers, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing their transformation firsthand. Students not only engaged with complex social issues intellectually but also connected with them on a deeply empathetic level.

Koki Ukai shared his thoughts on the course. “While I thought I knew about the society we live in, participating in this program made me realize that the world is filled with much more complex issues that have not yet been addressed or even recognized. Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan has broadened my perspectives to be aware of these problems and taught me the power of social entrepreneurship in tackling them.”

The course underscores the role of empathy in problem-solving via design thinking. But one of the most impactful lessons I’ve learned from my students is the importance of empathy and vulnerability in creating a supportive learning community. This year, in particular, I was inspired by the way students embraced these values, sharing their personal stories of loss and hardship with courage and openness. Some students also initially hesitated to broach sensitive topics due to emotional discomfort. However, upon hearing their peers’ presentations, they recognized the value of sharing their perspectives on difficult topics to raise awareness about these issues. Their willingness to be vulnerable with one another fostered a sense of connection and solidarity within our virtual classroom. 

To further emphasize the significance of sharing our stories, I invited guest speakers to practice mindfulness with the class. These moments of openness created a safe space for students to express themselves authentically and recognize the common humanity that binds us all together. And it has reinforced my belief in the importance of nurturing not just academic skills, but also resilience, empathy, and a sense of social responsibility.

I also never cease to be amazed by the innovative ideas and boundless energy that my students bring to the table. Their fresh perspectives and willingness to think outside the box and being a part of a student’s “aha moment” inspire me to push the boundaries of my own thinking and how I approach teaching. 

Yuzuka Seto also shared her thoughts. “Participating in Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan has imbued my Sunday mornings with anticipation, and has brought me invaluable insights and experiences. When I shared my passion-driven ideas and inquiries with Ms. Bryant, she graciously introduced me to a film aligned with the subject. The film not only expanded my perspectives and deepened my interests but also enabled me to discover a sense of purpose and responsibility in a new field.” For our student-led session, Yuzuka, along with Aylie Guyodo Oyama, gave a lesson on Single Mothers and Child Poverty in Japan, which was unfamiliar to most students.

I’m humbled by the lessons I’ve learned from my students and the impact they’ve had on me as an educator and as a person. Teaching this course has been a transformative experience, and I look forward to many more years of inspiring the next generation of social entrepreneurs. I’m grateful to everyone who has supported this program. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Gary Mukai and Mr. Yusuke Ed Matsuda for their vision and leadership and our fall Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan donors, Noriko & Norman Chen and Mako & Andy Ogawa, for their continued support. I’d also like to thank Maiko Tamagawa Bacha and the eEntrepreneurship teaching team for their help in shaping this course.

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan is currently accepting applications for fall 2024.

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

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With start-up companies and cafes popping up throughout the city, it’s no wonder that Fukuoka is called the Silicon Valley of Japan. Meiji era schoolhouses and red-brick buildings that housed insurance companies a century ago are now being turned into start-up cafes for entrepreneurs and community cultural centers. In November 2023, the city even began offering foreign entrepreneurs a “startup visa” that allows them to stay in Japan for up to a year to help launch their businesses.

During my visit to Fukuoka in November 2023, I wasn’t surprised to learn that Fukuoka Governor Seitaro Hattori had just returned from Boston where he and his delegation—representing governmental, corporate, academic, and emerging sectors—met with Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, hosted a pitch event for entrepreneurs, visited MIT, and promoted Fukuoka’s famous Yame green tea in New York City.

Governor Hattori (photo below) joined Stanford e-Fukuoka’s closing ceremony at the prefectural government office on a crisp November day, as U.S. and Japanese flags waved overhead. There, he addressed the 17 students who gathered from all corners of the prefecture and offered words of encouragement for their participation in the six-month course. He remarked, “Through your participation in Stanford e-Fukuoka, you have been able to experience things that can’t be learned or experienced in a regular classroom. As we confront challenging global issues and conflicts, I hope we can overcome them by holding onto what is important. Do not let the fear of making mistakes hold you back from your pursuits.”

2022–23 Stanford e-Fukuoka honorees Rui Ogura (Chikushi Jogakuen Senior High School) and Ayumi Ryu (Kurume High School) shared their thoughts about the program and their recent visit to Stanford University in August 2023. Ogura stated, “I would like to express my sincere gratitude for giving me such a wonderful learning opportunity. Although the lecture content was extremely difficult for me, I was inspired by the high English language proficiency and proactive comments by my classmates. It made me want to work even harder.”

In her presentation at Stanford, Ogura suggested ways to rebuild a sustainable society in present-day Fukuoka based on the eco-friendly lifestyle of the Edo period. Ogura added, “Through the six-month-long Stanford e-Fukuoka program, I reaffirmed the importance of ‘staying curious.’ Kasumi-sensei encouraged me to keep asking questions. In addition to preparing for the lectures, I was asked to think about my research and presentation from many perspectives. As I prepared for my presentation, I received new questions every few days. Answering them made me reflect on my ideas from different angles.”

Ryu also shared her thoughts on the course. “There are many things that I gained through this course, but the two main ones are meeting diverse people and seeing things from multiple perspectives. By asking questions during lectures, sharing my own thoughts with guest speakers, and having discussions with other high school students, I not only learned about leadership but also learned about fellowship.”

At Stanford, Ryu presented on ways to create a sustainable food supply for residents of her hometown of Miyama City through the revitalization of akiya (abandoned buildings). Ryu added, “I learned how to think about social issues and how they are related to history. Through the class, I was able to think about solutions from new perspectives and used English in a practical way. I became more interested in social issues such as food systems and the preservation of historic buildings and enjoyed learning about the diverse backgrounds of each guest speaker. Stanford e-Fukuoka made me reconsider my vision for the future.”

This year, we welcomed guest speakers including Julie Wurfel, a Silicon Valley sustainable food entrepreneur; Erika Enomoto, an arts enthusiast and Product Manager at Microsoft; and Jan Johnson, the owner of Seattle’s Panama Hotel, a National Historic Landmark built in 1910 and steeped in Japanese American history. Students from Fukuoka also had a chance to exchange ideas with peers in the United States when they met Japanese language students from the Bronx High School of Science (my alma mater) online. Students from both countries enjoyed discussing a range of topics from anime and J-pop to differences in high school and college experiences in the United States and Japan. Many shared their mutual aspirations to study abroad in the future.

Stanford e-Fukuoka student Kokomi Wakizono (Fukuoka Futaba Senior High School) noted how it was not only students overseas but those nearby with whom she was able to connect. “Stanford e-Fukuoka was an amazing chance for me to learn how Fukuoka and Japan are connected to the United States. This program gave me an opportunity to meet different people, my age, with similar interests and ideas. It was also the first time that I connected with people in Kitakyushu and Kurume even though we live in the same prefecture. I was so surprised to see how we are so connected!” Izumi Matsumura (Nakamura Jogakuen High School) added, “This class made me realize that it’s not only important to learn about our own areas of interest. We need to think about how it might be related to something or someone else. I feel motivated to study various fields and find connections from a broader perspective. Just as Steve Jobs said, we need to ‘connect the dots.’”

A highlight in 2023 was when we were joined by renowned poet, educator, feminist, and human rights activist, Mitsuye Yamada, who was born in Fukuoka and emigrated to Seattle as a child. She shared stories of her youth, her family, and wartime incarceration in Minidoka. Stanford e-Fukuoka students flooded her with happy birthday wishes a few weeks before her 100th birthday. Yamada was delighted and shared her enthusiasm for lifelong learning and said, “We’re never too old to learn and share what we’ve learned.” With this thought in mind, I look forward to welcoming my students to the third year of Stanford e-Fukuoka in 2024.

Stanford e-Fukuoka was launched in Spring 2022 and is made possible through a partnership between Stanford University, the U.S. Consulate Fukuoka, and the Fukuoka Prefectural Government. I would like to extend my gratitude to the Honorable Seitaro Hattori (Governor, Fukuoka Prefecture), the Honorable Shankar D. Rao (Consul, U.S. Consulate Fukuoka), Chie Inuzuka (Director, Fukuoka American Center), and Kyoko Tomita (Teacher’s Consultant, Senior High Education Division, Fukuoka Prefectural Board of Education) for their collaboration and support in making Stanford e-Fukuoka possible. This course offers students throughout the prefecture with an opportunity to learn about U.S.–Japan relations, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and entrepreneurship. Stanford e-Fukuoka is one of SPICE’s local student programs in Japan. 

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 supported by the Yanai Tadashi Foundation.

Throughout the entire Stanford e-Japan Program that I participated in fall 2020, I was able to develop the ability to critically consider my perspectives on social issues in Japan. The participants came from various regions in Japan, not only public high schools like mine, but also private schools and international schools. The student backgrounds were diverse, ranging from individuals who grew up in Japan like me to those who were born and raised abroad, with experiences in different countries. Engaging in discussions with such members made me realize that different backgrounds can bring significantly different perspectives and opinions to class discussions. For example, when I read posts on the discussion board from participants who held opposing views, I found myself understanding and accepting their perspectives, while often thinking, “Oh, I never considered that way of thinking before.” By listening to the reasons behind their thoughts during class discussions, I also found that my perspectives could be reconsidered. It was the first significant opportunity for me to contextualize myself on a global scale, extending beyond Japan.

At that time, I was on the debate team in high school, and I experienced that I could argue both for and against controversial topics if I had appropriate supporting data. However, I found it challenging to express opinions that were beyond broad generalizations. Stanford e-Japan had a thrilling course design centered around discussions, with a significant portion of the class dedicated to Q&A sessions. Initially, I struggled to express my genuine opinions, and could only provide general arguments that were often heard. I felt quite frustrated with this. However, as the classes progressed, I began to pay closer attention to the various elements behind my opinions, such as my country of birth, my gender, or my experiences that might have shaped my views. I learned from how others formed their opinions, and gradually, I was able to post my original ideas. To this day, this way of thinking remains an important foundation for my aspirations and their impact on the future.

Furthermore, Instructor Meiko Kotani cultivated an open atmosphere throughout the course where everyone was encouraged to think about the course’s progression. We were able to provide feedback on the course and discuss how to utilize our time effectively, and the feedback influenced the design of future courses. It became a catalyst for considering what learning methods were most comfortable for me, as it introduced a different style of learning compared to that of the high school I had attended.

The most memorable module during the 13-week course was about innovation in Silicon Valley, where we compared the industries of the United States and Japan. It was not only fascinating to learn about innovation, which I was already interested in, but also genuinely gratifying to work on the group assignment. In particular, the ability to examine innovation from various perspectives such as ideas, work styles, and economic trends directly relates to my current endeavors, and I still keep in touch with those group members who are now friends.

For the final assignment, I combined the ideas I had been contemplating during my local activities to promote a regional and global understanding of the SDGs with what I learned in the Silicon Valley module. In my paper, “U.S.-Japan Cooperation on Innovative Technology: The Way to Balance Economy and Protection of the Earth,” I concluded that by leveraging traditional Japanese lifestyles, combining the strengths of Japanese and American companies, and engaging in joint ventures, we could potentially influence the values of people worldwide and achieve a balance between economic growth and environmental protection. Looking back, the idea of balancing the two things has become elemental to my way of thinking since then.

Currently, I have a strong desire to apply cutting-edge technology in everyday life. I took the entrance examination for the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tokyo and was accepted. After completing two-year liberal arts education, I will specialize in precision engineering starting next year. My goal is to create a cycle of technology where advanced robotics technology used in space can be applied to solving challenges on Earth, and vice versa. I am excited about working in the space industry, which has always been my dream. To achieve that, I am currently acquiring knowledge in the fundamental study of robotics and learning about business and backcasting methodologies through Deep Innovation Creation Ecosystem (DICE), a research and development-oriented startup community that focuses on fostering talent. In March 2023, I had the opportunity to visit Silicon Valley through DICE, where I observed the robotics laboratories at Stanford and the community of startups and investors. It was an overwhelming experience to meet Meiko Kotani in person for the first time. Additionally, driven by the desire to address social issues while maintaining profitability, I am working on creating a web service to solve mobility challenges for the elderly in Japan. My team has established mairu tech Inc., and we are planning to proceed with service demonstration experiments in Japanese cities.

The society I would like to create in the future is one that can simultaneously address immediate challenges and achieve long-term goals. Engaging in conversations with diverse individuals allows for deeper consideration of topics and enables us to contemplate what society and the future should aspire to from multiple evaluative perspectives. Although decision-making often requires one to narrow down options to a single evaluation axis, which can be challenging, I believe it will gradually become possible by engaging with many people with a positive mindset.

Finally, I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have participated in Stanford e-Japan and to have met amazing fellow participants. Moving forward, I want to continue learning, form teams, and strive toward my vision with unwavering determination.

For more information about the Stanford e-Japan Program, please visit stanfordejapan.org. Application deadline for the fall 2023 session is August 12, 2023.

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Applications opened today for Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan (SeEJ), an online course conducted in English to foster Japanese students’ creative thinking and innovative problem-solving skills to address social issues. SeEJ is offered twice annually in the fall and spring by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) at Stanford University and the non-profit organization e-Entrepreneurship in Japan. It is open to Japanese students in their first and second years of high school. The fall 2023 course will be taught by Irene Bryant and will run from late October 2023 through February 2024. 

The application form is now live at https://forms.gle/3JFWsxxq4AB12qKE9. The deadline to apply is September 8, 2023 23:59 Japan Time. 

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

“When I came across this program, I had to look up what the word ‘entrepreneurship’ meant,” said Juria Kawabe, a student in the summer 2022 session of SeEJ. “Three stimulating months later, I now have a clear vision of what entrepreneurship is, a goal that I desire to achieve, and a countless amount of information about our world’s issues.” 

For more information about Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan, visit the program webpage. Interested high school students should apply online by September 8, 2023. 

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan is one of several online courses offered by SPICE.  To stay updated on SPICE news, join our email list or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Applications opened recently for the Fall 2023 session of the Stanford University Scholars Program for Japanese High School Students (also known as “Stanford e-Japan”), which will run from the end of September 2023 through the end of February 2024. The deadline to apply is August 12, 2023.

Stanford e-Japan
Fall 2023 session (September 2023 to February 2024)
Application period: June 30 to August 12, 2023

All applications must be submitted at https://spicestanford.smapply.io/prog/stanford_e-japan/ via the SurveyMonkey Apply platform. Applicants and recommenders will need to create a SurveyMonkey Apply account to proceed. Students who are interested in applying to the online course are encouraged to begin their applications early.

Accepted applicants will engage in an intensive study of U.S. society and culture and U.S.–Japan relations. Government officials, top scholars, and experts from Stanford University and throughout the United States provide web-based lectures and engage students in live discussion sessions.

Stanford e-Japan is offered by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE), Stanford University. Stanford e-Japan is generously supported by the Yanai Tadashi Foundation, Tokyo, Japan.

For more information about Stanford e-Japan, please visit stanfordejapan.org.

To stay informed of news about Stanford e-Japan and SPICE’s other student programs, join our email list or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

SPICE offers separate courses for U.S. high school students. For more information, please visit the Reischauer Scholars Program (online course about Japan), the Sejong Korea Scholars Program (online course about Korea), and the China Scholars Program (online course about China).

Applications opened this week for Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan (SeEJ), an all-English online course to foster Japanese students’ creative thinking and innovative problem-solving skills to address social issues. SeEJ is offered twice annually in the fall and spring by SPICE and the non-profit organization e-Entrepreneurship in Japan. The instructors are Irene Bryant (fall) and Makiko Hirata (spring). It is open to Japanese students in their first and second years of high school. The spring 2023 course will run from early July through September.

The application form is now live at https://forms.gle/C8gTBAae71yHi5bZ8. The deadline to apply is June 19, 2023 23:59 Japan Time.

SeEJ offers students an opportunity to engage with impactful entrepreneurs from California and beyond through its virtual classes offered twice a month on Sundays. The course will culminate in an individual research paper and final group research projects, the latter of which will be presented at the last virtual class of the course in September. Students who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion from SPICE, Stanford University, and NPO e-Entrepreneurship.

Testimonials from recent alumni attest to the transformative experience that the course has offered students since its inaugural year in 2020. Yura Mizutani (fall 2022 SeEJ) wrote about how the course introduced her to more complex, layered, and multidisciplinary approaches to addressing social issues. “Before joining Stanford e-Entrepreneurship, I was passionate about solving social problems from a public policy perspective. Participating in the program has broadened my world enormously, as I have learned that there are many ways to solve social problems from an entrepreneurial perspective as well.”

For more information about Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan, visit the program webpage. To apply, submit the online application by June 19.

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

To stay updated on SPICE news, join our email list and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan is an online course offered to high school students in Japan. It is offered annually in fall and spring by SPICE and the Japanese NPO e-Entrepreneurship, led by Yusuke Matsuda. The instructors are Irene Bryant (fall) and Maiko Tamagawa Bacha (spring). The goal of the course is to foster creative thinking and problem-solving skills in students with a focus on innovation to address social issues.

Because of my experiences with social issues in Brazil, Argentina, the United States, Japan, and Mexico, my decision to apply to Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan—a course for those with a passion in social issues and innovation—was immediate. However, when I started taking the course, I had little idea of the connection between business and social issues. Soon after classes began, I saw real-life examples of how unique innovations can improve the world. Every two weeks, a different professional gave us a lecture. Getting to hear stories of their first-hand experiences as entrepreneurs was an opportunity I never received at school, and I embraced it fully by asking question after question.

My favorite lecture was one given by David “Mas” Masumoto, who runs a sustainable peach farm in California. Through his lesson on growing organic peaches and passing down the farm to his children, I was able to make connections to a larger social issue in Japan: the lack of young people in agriculture. His lecture provided insights on specific ways professionals were practicing social entrepreneurship.

The course was certainly demanding. After the lectures, we had to work on group projects to come up with our own solutions, which enabled me to further understand and practice aspects of social entrepreneurship. It took hours of preparation and as I was one of the only students who lived abroad, I sometimes had to work with peers at ungodly hours. Nonetheless, all the hard work was absolutely worth it. The diversity provided by the unique regional backgrounds of other students located all around Japan exposed me to important perspectives on social issues.

For the final project, which included an individual research report on a social issue and a group business pitch, we had full control of what we wanted to do. The individual paper was refreshing for me because at school there is never this much flexibility, and it was a perfect chance for me to explore my interest in addressing social issues like environmental sustainability through entrepreneurship. For the group project, we created a business plan for a sustainable toothpaste. I have never worked with such motivated, diverse, and brilliant students willing to put in so many hours of work. Through the project, not only did I get to put skills that I learned during the program into practice, but I also made lifelong friends who shared the same passions as me.

Finally, Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan has grown my interest in how social issues can be resolved through entrepreneurship, and has motivated me to pursue not only the exploration of social issues, but business in college. It is a course like no other, with wonderful peers, invaluable lessons, and a supportive teaching staff. I encourage people who are curious about social issues or business in general to take advantage of the program.

Stanford e-Kawasaki is an online course for high school students in Kawasaki City, Japan, that is sponsored by Kawasaki City. Launched in fall 2019, it is offered by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) in collaboration with Kawasaki City. SPICE is grateful to Kawasaki Mayor Norihiko Fukuda whose vision made this course possible. 

The two key themes of Stanford e-Kawasaki are entrepreneurship and diversity, and Stanford e-Kawasaki Instructor Maiko Tamagawa Bacha invites guest speakers with these themes in mind. Most guest speakers address one of the themes. However, when Victoria Tsai—a Taiwanese American entrepreneur who is the founder and CEO of Tatcha—agreed to speak, Bacha noted that she could not imagine anyone more qualified to share her insights on both themes. Tatcha was founded by Tsai to share the geisha’s wisdom with modern women everywhere, and to further the belief that true beauty begins with the heart and the mind. Launched in 2009, Tatcha is now one of the biggest skincare retailers in the United States.

While listening to Tsai’s guest lecture on February 5, 2021, Bacha and I were especially struck by her resilience, approachability and gift for empowering youth, openness to diverse perspectives, and respect for traditional culture. We both quickly realized what a great role model she is for all of the Stanford e-Kawasaki students but for the girls, in particular.

Resilience
While sharing her experiences as a young professional on Wall Street, Tsai mentioned that she was 21 and was next to the World Trade Center buildings when they were hit by a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. She recalled, “We saw lots of people jumping and dying and then my husband got very sick and it made me question my purpose in life. And at that time, I didn’t know anything about ikigai [a Japanese concept that means “a reason for being”] but I knew that if I was going to spend the hours that I am awake working and not with my family and not playing, that I wanted my work to mean something.” After experiencing various jobs and going to business school, which “looked good on paper,” she decided to seek work with a greater purpose.

This led her to establish Tatcha. Tsai mentioned to the students that she hadn’t taken a salary at Tatcha for nine years. This prompted a student to ask about her motivation, to which Tsai replied, “When I think of my life’s purpose, I don’t expect it to be easy, but I do hope that it’s worthwhile. This work is my life’s purpose, so even when it gets hard, I just think, ‘that’s part of life.’” During the pandemic, I imagine that Tsai’s resilience really resonated among the students.

Approachability and Gift for Empowering Youth
I knew from articles about Tsai that she is a Harvard Business School graduate and an extremely successful CEO. Yet, by accepting the invitation to speak to the high school students in Kawasaki—some of whom are aspiring entrepreneurs—she demonstrated her desire to pass on her wisdom to the next generation. Prior to Tsai’s guest lecture, Bacha had sent her a list of questions that the students had written based on their reading about Tsai’s background. In her opening comments, Tsai noted, “You are much more advanced than I was. I could not compete with you.”

This comment seemed to quickly put students at ease. One of the students commented, “I think it’s wonderful that you found purpose in life and help people… A lot of young people like me and my friends feel lost in life, don’t have a dream or long-term vision of our lives, so I want to know how can we find our own purpose in life or dream.” This comment prompted Tsai to describe an activity that was devised by Harvard Business School’s Dr. Tim Butler, who has noted that as youth, they actually already have a hunch about what they want to be when they grow up, but just don’t know the specific names of the jobs. Tsai continued, “then, the problem is when you get older, you start hearing your friends, parents, and teachers saying, ‘oh, you should do that.’ And then in your head you can’t tell anymore if you really want to do something, or if you simply think you should do it because everybody else thinks you should do it.” The activity that Butler recommends is in two parts: (1) read articles that interest you, and identify patterns (specifically, areas of interest) in them; and (2) while keeping these interests in mind, write about what you envision yourself doing in ten years as you are the happiest that you have ever been—that is, completely focused and engaged. Tsai encouraged the students to try this, and some already have.

Openness to Diverse Perspectives
When a student asked Tsai about overcoming gender- and culture-related differences, she reflected upon three experiences: one on the trading floor on Wall Street and two in Kyoto with a taxi driver and geisha. Concerning her Wall Street experience, Tsai recollected, “When I first worked on Wall Street and I walked onto the trading floor, I was so scared. One, there were no women, and I couldn’t even understand what they were saying because they were speaking financial language… I remember being so intimidated. Then one year later, I could understand everything.” She came to the conclusion that “These people are not smarter than me. They’re just older, and the harder I work, the faster I can close the gap in knowledge. I have a great education, I have a decent mind, I have a very strong work ethic, I’ll just keep asking questions. So I figured it out.”

Concerning her experience with a taxi driver in Kyoto, Tsai noted that he is the one who taught her that there’s a difference between a job and a purpose. Through his actions, the driver taught her that his job is to be a driver but that his purpose is to make people happy. When he met Tsai for the first time, she was not feeling well and thus didn’t seem happy. After dropping off Tsai at her hotel, he went home to make CDs of images of Kyoto and delivered them to the hotel, thinking that the images would make her happy. They did and he felt only then that his job had been completed. Tsai reflected, “… and that just stuck with me and I did not know what omotenashi [hospitality that goes above and beyond the expectations of the person receiving the service] was back then, but then I felt it in my heart.”

Lastly, concerning her experience with geisha, who inspired Tatcha’s skincare products, Tsai noted “People in America don’t understand what a geisha is. The importance of a geisha is they were trained in a lot of the classical Japanese arts, such as dance, music, flower arrangement, and the tea ceremony. These are classical traditions that have very important meanings. I think that if you forget where you come from, then you don’t know where you are going. And so I try to hold on to tradition, because it matters. I just thought that’s a beautiful thing… I learned so much from geisha about entrepreneurship and about women’s empowerment through Japanese traditions.”

Respect for Traditional Culture
Her emphasis on Japanese traditions prompted a student to comment, “I was surprised that you made an innovation from old Japanese culture. However, there is a trend to discard old customs. So, how can we get a balance between new trends and old customs?” Tsai shared that what is so interesting about ancient civilizations like China and Japan is that “there is a lot of wisdom in this and something to learn from the past. What we try to do [at Tatcha] is to innovate within tradition, so I never tried to change the core of the tradition, because if it lasted 1000 years, there’s a very good reason for its continuity.”

What Does It Mean to Be a Global Citizen?
One very interesting part of Tsai’s presentation was to learn about Tatcha’s work with Room to Read, which seeks to transform the lives of millions of children in low-income communities in Southeast Asia and Africa by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. A percentage of each Tatcha purchase is donated to Room To Read. Despite the enormity of some of the challenges that these youth face, Tsai noted that “they have a dream and they show up every day and they study hard and they work hard because they want that dream to come true. Nothing that I will ever face in my life will compare to what these little girls are going through, but then I think if I do my job and I don’t give up, then I can make sure thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of those girls can have a different life, and then my life meant something.” This really resonated in Bacha, who is very familiar with Room to Read as her husband works for the organization.

Reflecting upon the session, Tsai noted “I learned about the concept of sekaijin [global citizen] when studying the writings of D.T. Suzuki, and I fell in love with the idea. As people who live between cultures, we have the opportunity to share the best of both worlds to advance society and uplift individuals. It was an honor to share my story of cross-cultural entrepreneurship with the students, who were inquisitive, earnest, and wise beyond their years. I believe that Stanford’s e-Kawasaki program is helping to nurture tomorrow’s sekaijin.” When I consider the question, “What does it mean to be a global citizen?,” Tsai immediately comes to mind, and believe that Tsai’s talk really encouraged the students to aspire to become sekaijin as well.

The SPICE staff would like to express its appreciation to Tsuyoshi Inoue of Kawasaki City and Hisashi Katsurayama from the Kawasaki Board of Education for their unwavering support of Stanford e-Kawasaki.

Launched in fall 2019, Stanford e-Hiroshima is offered by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) in collaboration with the Hiroshima Prefectural Board of Education.

When asked in a 2013 interview with the Stanford Graduate School of Business about the impact he would like to have on the world, Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki (MBA, ’95) stated, “In my current capacity as governor I would like to create social and economic systems that would continuously create innovation and entrepreneurship. This will enhance our ability to create sustainability, wealth, security, and safety.” Six years later during the California-Japan Governor’s Symposium at Stanford, Yuzaki again spoke about his desired impact specifically in the context of Hiroshima–Silicon Valley relations. To achieve this, Yuzaki knew that a global mindset in students in Hiroshima would need to be cultivated, and with his vision, Stanford e-Hiroshima was launched in fall 2019.

With the cultivation of a global mindset as an objective, Stanford e-Hiroshima Instructor Rylan Sekiguchi invited two young Japanese entrepreneurs in the United States to speak as part of the 2020–21 course. The first speaker was Risa Ishii, Senior Partnerships Manager at Plug and Play Tech Center, a company in Silicon Valley that fosters innovation and supports entrepreneurs from around the world. The second speaker was Takaho Iwasaki, Founder and CEO of MajiConnection, a company in Honolulu, Hawaii, that aims to support entrepreneurs, innovators, and businesses in Japan and Hawaii in building relationships with each other.

Ishii’s talk was called “What I’ve Seen in Silicon Valley: Its Special Ecosystem and What We Can Learn from It.” She was born in Shizuoka Prefecture and graduated from high school in the United States and from Waseda University in Tokyo. Ishii spoke about the uniqueness of the Silicon Valley ecosystem and underscored the diversity of its workforce and critical availability of venture capital. In referencing the “Silicon Valley mindset,” she advised, “Don’t think that you are too young or that you do not know enough to do anything. Just act and see what happens. It’s okay to fail … and be open to adjusting.” Concerning Plug and Play, she noted that it aims to reform the corporate mindset to promote collaboration with startups. A chart that surprised the students was one which showed that in the 1990s, Japanese companies accounted for eight of the ten largest in the world; today, no Japanese companies remain in the top ten. Given this, she stressed that Japan needs to encourage study abroad opportunities and to welcome more students to Japan as a way to attract global talent. Ishii closed by stressing that students need to “think of how each one of us can contribute to the society and look into unique opportunities in areas that Japan has strengths, like disaster management and prevention and caring for the elderly.”

Iwasaki’s talk was called “Why I Am Supporting Startups in Hawaii.” Iwasaki was born in New York and raised in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. She studied at International Christian University in Tokyo and also received an MBA from the University of Hawaii, Manoa. She interned at Plug and Play where she met Ishii. While in Silicon Valley, she decided that she wanted to help small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in rural areas and strongly believed she could do this in Hawaii. She founded MajiConnection in 2019 and her first event was “Island Innovation Demo Day,” a pitch event during which Hawaii-based startups pitched ideas to Japanese investors and companies. The event inspired Hawaii startups to go to Japan and Japanese companies to come to Hawaii. “A lot of people never believed that I could make it successful because Hawaii had never been a business place for Japanese SMEs,” commented Iwasaki. Despite this, she succeeded by cultivating a global mindset among SMEs in Hawaii and Japan. She also noted the conducive environment in Hawaii for doing business with Japan (e.g., manageable time difference, managing the relatively low language barrier, and strong Asian cultural influences). She closed by noting, “I strongly believe that if Hawaii and Japan work together on common problems, we can tackle a lot of real problems that cannot be solved by ‘continental startups’ [those on the U.S. mainland] in areas like high-cost and non-sustainable energy, marine debris and plastic waste, agriculture and food self-sufficiency problem, and tourist-based economies.”

Iwasaki’s comments prompted a student to remark on a challenge that places like Hiroshima and Hawaii face with young people moving to larger metropolitan areas like Tokyo and on the U.S. mainland, respectively. Iwasaki commented that indeed many young people in Hawaii seek higher education and more diverse types of employment on the U.S. mainland. That said, she noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have returned to Hawaii because of the lower rates of COVID-19. She noted that this trend may happen in Japan as well because of the high costs of living in big cities like Tokyo and the increased reliance on and acceptance of telecommuting in the workplace.

Another student piggybacked on this point in asking about students moving from Hiroshima to bigger cities like Tokyo for higher education and Ishii’s concern about the decline of Japanese students going abroad to study. The student pointed out the financial burden of living abroad in the United States. Ishii noted that the Japanese government realizes that Japan needs to send more people abroad and encouraged students to look into scholarships and fellowships that are available in Japan, like Tobitate, the Yanai Tadashi Foundation’s International Scholarship Program, and those offered by universities in the United States.

Keeping in mind the geographic similarities of Hawaii and Japan as islands, one student pointed out the relationship between the UN Sustainable Development Goals and companies in Hiroshima and asked how companies in Silicon Valley and Hawaii are helping to reach the SDGs. Ishii pointed out efforts on the part of companies like Google and Tesla that are trying to go carbon neutral. Iwasaki noted that transporting oil to Hawaii is very expensive and this has prompted many people to consider the importance of sustainable energy.

After reflecting upon the comments by Iwasaki and Ishii, Hiroshima Board of Education Superintendent Rie Hirakawa added, “I hope that all students—and especially girls—are inspired by young women entrepreneurs like Takaho Iwasaki and Risa Ishii. I am just one of two female prefectural superintendents in Japan and hope that Japan’s new global mindset will underscore the importance of diversity, including more opportunities for women.” Yuzaki agrees and in the 2013 interview noted, “I believe diversity is very important in an organization.” To this point, Ishii reflected, “As a girl who grew up in a rural area, I understand the importance of filling in regional gaps in terms of education, not only domestically but also internationally. I was able to feel the positive energy through my monitor from the students of Stanford e-Hiroshima and I hope that they will continue to drive themselves to create changes in society.” Iwasaki echoed Ishii’s sentiments and added, “I really enjoyed teaching and talking with the students of Stanford e-Hiroshima and was very impressed by how passionate they are to study and try to contribute to their community. I hope we can continue this program for those students and would like to be part of it again.”

SPICE is grateful to Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki whose vision made this course possible and to Superintendent Rie Hirakawa of the Hiroshima Prefectural Board of Education for her leadership. SPICE also extends its appreciation to Teacher Consultant Rika Ryuoh for her unwavering support of Stanford e-Hiroshima.