Professional Lecture and World Cafe at Kawauchi Junior High School

The day before yesterday, I attended a career talk at Kawauchi Junior High School. Five people from Tokyo and two who have returned to their hometowns spoke to the students about their work and the rewards of their jobs. As a returnee, I spoke about my journey from student to employment, returning to my hometown from Tokyo at age 35, experiencing the earthquake, and now about my hometown's reconstruction efforts, overseas initiatives, and the rewards of working in Fukushima. Afterwards, we split into three groups for a world cafe. The junior high school students will soon be entering important periods in their lives, moving on to high school, college, and employment. I hope they will see the outside world at least once and eventually return, even if only partially, to their hometowns to help create a better community. I was particularly impressed by the honesty and proactive nature of the children of Kawauchi Village, as well as the neatness of their handwriting. I look forward to their future.
Kawauchi Junior High School currently has a total of 17 students, with one second-year student. The superintendent of education told us that in the late 1960s, the school had a total of about 600 students. Although the number has decreased, we are sure that the students will carry the future of the village and the region.