![\"Online](\"https:\/\/forum2050.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/rwanda-jryc-exchange-2026-scaled.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nOnigiri, gyoza, and laughing together<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Rwandan participants spoke of their respect for the kindness of Japanese people and for the way they value order, as well as their fondness for Japanese anime. At the same time, they raised questions about things such as the gap between what people really think and what they say in public (honne<\/em> and tatemae<\/em>), and the tendency to look away when bullying happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Daniel \u201cKATO,\u201d who visited Japan in 2025, said that besides eating onigiri and gyoza, what stayed with him most was the time he spent eating and laughing together with people in Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Francoise, who also visited Japan, said that talking and playing games with Japanese people made her want to learn more about daily life in Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Morris Shema said he had learned about Japan\u2019s earthquakes and Hiroshima and Nagasaki through history and geography. Relating this to Rwanda\u2019s recovery since 1994, he showed interest in the technology that supported Japan\u2019s reconstruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emerance hopes to work in peace and development in the future. She said she finds it meaningful that young people from both countries can share their histories of recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the Japanese side, Akari looked back on her visit to Rwanda three years ago: she came to love the food, the people, and the atmosphere, and wants more people in Japan to know about Rwanda. Maaya Fujimoto, Chihiro Kamimura, and Hana Miyoshi spoke about the joy of hearing from people who grew up in different cultures and environments, and their hope of becoming friends across borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the \u201cwhat I want to know more about\u201d session, KATO asked about how people in Japan behave and relate to groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He had seen both people in a hurry and people taking their time in Japan. Out of concern about bullying, he was interested in ideas such as fitting in with those around you, honne<\/em> and tatemae<\/em>, and gaman<\/em> (enduring) and shoganai<\/em> (\u201cit can\u2019t be helped\u201d). These ideas help keep order, he asked, but might they also make it harder for people to speak up when they are bullied?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Participants from Japan responded:<\/p>\n\n\n\n What about Rwanda? KATO said people in Rwanda communicate more directly. Francoise said her impression was that Japanese people speak and behave politely and show respect to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Morris, on the other hand, pointed out that just as people sometimes answer \u201cI\u2019m fine\u201d to \u201cHow are you?\u201d even when they are not, people in Rwanda do not always say exactly what they think. Views differed even among participants from the same country, and the conversation moved through concrete examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, we talked about peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For KATO, peace is not only the absence of war. It means feeling safe, having the freedom to do things, and feeling confident to act. Peace for him, he said, is keeping a sense of security within himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Akari said she would like to talk more about peace in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thinking about peace starting from the sense of security in each person\u2019s heart. What does peace mean to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Building on the topics that drew interest this time, such as bullying, peace, history, recovery, and technology, we are considering short presentations by participants and deeper discussions of concrete cases. We will continue these exchanges between young people in Japan and Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schools and organizations interested in hosting an exchange are welcome to contact us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cGaman\u201d and \u201cshoganai\u201d: how people relate to those around them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cWhat does peace mean to you?\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Looking ahead<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n