A GUEST FROM JAPAN
On the snowy day of 11th of January, we sat down and talked to Hideki Maruyama upon his leaving for Tartu. Hideki was one of the organizers of the ESD Youth Conference in Japan. It was very interesting to hear about his point of view about The Baltic Sea Project. And since this was our first interview to practice for the BSP conference in June, we decided to add some fun questions, that only we were curious about.
1.When was your first contact with the BSP?
I was first introduced to BSP through UNESCO at 2007 in Paris.
2. What do you think of the BSP community?
Many things- I actually wrote a report on it.
I think the way it started determined a huge part of the projects success.
It was started by local teachers from Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Estonia in 1989.
BSP was not a goverment organized gathering, it was the free will of the teachers, who wanted to change something. I think that is what has made BSP count.
Also it’s good that the organization is open for anyone, so anyone can be a member of BSP.
3. What made you join BSP?
The main reason was research because of my profession. I work as a researcher, right now I am comparing Japanese school system to others, like Estonias.
I also joined BSP to learn and to empower myself.
4. Is Estonia colder than Japan?
Thanks to Japans geographycal location through very different climate zones it has both warm and cold weather, but yes, mostly Estonia is colder.
5. What are your thoughts on Estonian food so far? Is it very different from Japanese food?
It´s very good. And it´s not too different from Japanese food.
6. Do you ever miss Japan if you are aboard for long?
Yes, but I’m used to traveling, it is a part of my job and I like it. I´m not missing the food. But I am missing my bathtub.
When we ran out of questions, we had a little chat about our future plans. And then Hideki cheered us up by writing our names in Japanese. We are both hoping to see Hideki again!
1.When was your first contact with the BSP?
I was first introduced to BSP through UNESCO at 2007 in Paris.
2. What do you think of the BSP community?
Many things- I actually wrote a report on it.
I think the way it started determined a huge part of the projects success.
It was started by local teachers from Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Estonia in 1989.
BSP was not a goverment organized gathering, it was the free will of the teachers, who wanted to change something. I think that is what has made BSP count.
Also it’s good that the organization is open for anyone, so anyone can be a member of BSP.
3. What made you join BSP?
The main reason was research because of my profession. I work as a researcher, right now I am comparing Japanese school system to others, like Estonias.
I also joined BSP to learn and to empower myself.
4. Is Estonia colder than Japan?
Thanks to Japans geographycal location through very different climate zones it has both warm and cold weather, but yes, mostly Estonia is colder.
5. What are your thoughts on Estonian food so far? Is it very different from Japanese food?
It´s very good. And it´s not too different from Japanese food.
6. Do you ever miss Japan if you are aboard for long?
Yes, but I’m used to traveling, it is a part of my job and I like it. I´m not missing the food. But I am missing my bathtub.
When we ran out of questions, we had a little chat about our future plans. And then Hideki cheered us up by writing our names in Japanese. We are both hoping to see Hideki again!