Japan Climate Stories
From August to October 2019, a team of students from Worcester Polytechnic Institute traveled to Kyoto, Japan, where they carried out interviews with 19 people about their perceptions of climate change. The interviewees ranged from university professors, to coffee shop assistants, to potters, all with different views on the changing climate.
All climate stories are also hosted on our Soundcloud page and YouTube Channel.
Ishino Akihiro and Eguchi Hisao
Ishino Akihiro, a fish shop owner, has been living in Tokyo for 50 years. With such a strong connection to the ocean, Ishino has a unique view on climate change and how it affects his life and the fish he sells. Also included is a vegetable shop owner named Eguchi Hisao. He has been working at his shop in Tokyo for 26 years. With his many years of experience, he is able to talk about how the rising heat has been affecting his vegetables.
Ishino Akihiro, a fish shop owner, has been living in Tokyo for 50 years. With such a strong connection to the ocean, Ishino has a unique view on climate change and how it affects his life and the fish he sells. Also included is a vegetable shop owner named Eguchi Hisao. He has been working at his shop in Tokyo for 26 years. With his many years of experience, he is able to talk about how the rising heat has been affecting his vegetables.
Robert Lee Yellin
Robert is a potter and former English teacher living in Kyoto. He first visited Japan when he was a college student and he instantly fell in love with the culture, so he decided to stay. He runs a ceramic art gallery focused on highlighting the works of other people, showing off many different styles of art. Here, he talks about climate change in a more spiritual way, showcasing a different perspective on climate change.
Robert is a potter and former English teacher living in Kyoto. He first visited Japan when he was a college student and he instantly fell in love with the culture, so he decided to stay. He runs a ceramic art gallery focused on highlighting the works of other people, showing off many different styles of art. Here, he talks about climate change in a more spiritual way, showcasing a different perspective on climate change.
Aileen Miyoko Smith and Kenro Taora
Aileen Miyoko Smith is the Executive Director of Green Action, a Japanese NGO working to make Japan a nuclear-power-free country. We met Aileen at the Climate Strike Parade in Kyoto, where she graciously agreed to talk to us about her personal views of climate change. At the same parade, we met Kenro Taora, a worker for a climate action network called Kiko Network. Since he works so closely with climate change, he was very knowledgeable about the topic, telling us about how it has affected his company and his personal life.
Aileen Miyoko Smith is the Executive Director of Green Action, a Japanese NGO working to make Japan a nuclear-power-free country. We met Aileen at the Climate Strike Parade in Kyoto, where she graciously agreed to talk to us about her personal views of climate change. At the same parade, we met Kenro Taora, a worker for a climate action network called Kiko Network. Since he works so closely with climate change, he was very knowledgeable about the topic, telling us about how it has affected his company and his personal life.
Chuck Kayser
Chuck is an organic vegetable farmer from Chicago who runs an organic farm near the mountains north of Kyoto. Chuck was also one of the sponsors for a Worcester Polytechnic Institute group during 2019. He spends his time tending to his vegetables and keeping pesky monkeys off of his farm. Here, he talks about some of the struggles climate change has posed to his work in organic farming.
Chuck is an organic vegetable farmer from Chicago who runs an organic farm near the mountains north of Kyoto. Chuck was also one of the sponsors for a Worcester Polytechnic Institute group during 2019. He spends his time tending to his vegetables and keeping pesky monkeys off of his farm. Here, he talks about some of the struggles climate change has posed to his work in organic farming.
Naoki Ono-san and Chuck Kayser
Naoki Ono-san is a mechanical engineering professor at Shibaura Institute of Technology in Tokyo. In this interview, Ono-san reflects on how life has changed through his time in Tokyo, and talks about changes in extreme weather patterns. Organic farmer Chuck Kayser also speaks about his perceptions of climate change in this video.
Naoki Ono-san is a mechanical engineering professor at Shibaura Institute of Technology in Tokyo. In this interview, Ono-san reflects on how life has changed through his time in Tokyo, and talks about changes in extreme weather patterns. Organic farmer Chuck Kayser also speaks about his perceptions of climate change in this video.