On October 27, 2026, we held an online exchange with the residents of Tsuwano-ryo, a dormitory in Shimane Prefecture.
Our guest was Cécile, who came to Japan from France and is staying in Tsuwano Town, Shimane, on a working holiday. She spoke candidly about what she loves about Japan, about taking the first step on your own, and about peace.
Say “I can,” not “I can’t”
Cécile fell in love with Japan on an earlier trip. She told us that everyone she meets here is kind, and that people drive calmly.
When she was young, she did not know what she wanted to do. For her first solo trip, she went to Ireland without speaking English. Her rule was never to say “I can’t speak English,” but “I can.” Saying “I can’t” sounds like “please don’t talk to me.”
What matters is not speaking well, but feeling something through conversation. Even if our languages differ, we can be friends. As she said this, the faces of the young people on the screen seemed to soften.
Peace grows in each person’s heart
At the end of the dialogue, we asked Cécile about peace.
For her, peace is something that grows within the heart: feeling free, being honest with yourself, letting many things move you. Making the world around us peaceful is hard, but becoming happy yourself also matters, and the seeds of peace lie within each of us.
Everyone, she said, can take small actions. Caring for nature and animals is one of them. Start with yourself, and from there you can give more and more to those around you.
Cécile added that each person’s action may be small, but it connects and spreads, and that French society is experiencing exactly this right now: even high school students are actively raising their voices and taking part to change the direction of politics.
Thinking about peace not as a big story about faraway countries, but through our own hearts and small daily actions. How do you feel about it?
Looking ahead
At Forum2050, if our learning materials are an “entrance to thinking about peace,” our exchanges are an “entrance to actually meeting” someone in the world. We will continue to hold exchanges that connect children and young people with people living in or traveling through Japan and with young people around the world.
Schools and organizations interested in hosting an exchange are welcome to contact us.
Overview
- Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2026
- Format: Online
- Partner: Tsuwano-ryo dormitory (Shimane Prefecture)
- Guest: Cécile (from France, staying in Tsuwano, Shimane, on a working holiday)
