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In Nepal, I learnt what happiness truly means, says Japanese youth ambassador

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Yamamoto Shizuku, a 17-year-old Japanese student, is here in Nepal as the youth ambassador of the Japanese government to express solidarity with Nepal’s earthquake victims and to study the effect the 2015 quake has had, especially on Nepal’s children. Notoriously known as the ‘land of earthquakes’, Japan is a hotbed of seismic activity.

“Our school in Japan sent me to Nepal to help relieve the trauma the recent quakes have caused to the people here,” Shizuku told Onlinekhabar.

Shizuku hails from Kobe City. After her arrival in Kathmandu on March 7, Shizuku has visited many quake-affected houses and schools in districts, including Sindhupalchowk, Kavre, Kathmandu and Bhaktapur.Shizuku 2 There, she interacted with the guardians of children living in makeshift shelters and also visited schools in the area, where she taught origami to children and talked about alternative ways of teaching.

“Young students in these areas are traumatised by their recent experience but all of them are trying to move forward and go on with their lives,” Shizuku says. “I want to aid in any ways I can. I want to enrich their lives.”

Shizuku has always been fascinated with Nepal. In a way, her love for the county was the reason behind her recent visit.

The young student had met Ganesh Man Lama, an entrepreneur and social worker based in Japan. She was sent to Nepal under the supervision of Lama. Shizuku was highly impressed with his works and had even given herself a Nepali name after Lama: Laxmi Lama.

Shizuku had prepared a speech for an event at her school. The speech had such an impact that the Japanese government decided to send her to Nepal.

In Japan, it is common for students to travel to different countries as youth ambassadors, where they learn and experience the workings of a culture different from theirs.

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“Almost all students are sent to first-world countries like the USA and Australia,” says Shizuku. “But I insisted that I be sent to Nepal. Japan’s Education Ministry then sent me here. This shows how the Japanese government invests in the overall development of students.”

Shizuku finds the Japanese government’s full-hearted involvement in their students’ overall development a sharp contrast to the education system here in Nepal where she found the seeming apathy of Nepali teachers to be discouraging.

The disparity in the two countries’ education systems can be attributed mainly to the lack of funds. But there are positive changes that Shizuku believes can be introduced to the Nepali way of schooling.

“Nepali students have a lot of load in the form of homeworks,” Shizuku says. “In Japan, instead of covering the lessons after being taught, we are told to go through a certain lesson before we are taught the same in classroom the next day.”

It is expected in Japan for students to research on a certain topic on the internet before they are taught on the same in class the next day. “In Japan, the teachers put in a lot of effort to invest in their student’s education and help them specialise. It’s the same here, at least in theory,” she says. “But I found it to be lacking in practice.”


There are positive changes that Shizuku believes can be introduced to the Nepali way of schooling.


In Japan, Shizuku says, the teachers make the good students explain certain portions of a lesson if other students can’t grasp it even after the teachers have made several explanations. “I think it immensely helps students to learn from fellow students,” she says.

Shizuku Yamamoto Young Ambassador to Nepal (6)In Nepal, she found the teachers’ general sense of domineering to be rather discouraging. “I found that here, the teachers make student stand up and then ask questions about lessons. If s/he can’t answer it, he makes a different student to stand up and then ask him the question,” Shizuku says. “I think it helps immensely if students are told to research on their lessons beforehand. I think students should also be guided in specialising in a certain subject and be given more vocational training.”

But even with the apparent factors that Shizuku finds detrimental to the education system here, she still thinks that students here are lucky to have the support of their parents, financial and otherwise, while finishing school and then college.

“In Japan, most students work on their own to support their education through high school. Our parents are mostly busy with their work and are highly focused on earning. They hardly have time to guide their children on the ways of life,” Shizuku says. “In a way, our schools fill this void.”

After several days of her stay in Nepal, Shizuku feels grateful to have been here. “I feel really happy,” she says. “Nepal is such a beautiful country. Even the earthquake hasn’t fazed its immense appeal. But more than that, I am humbled by the indomitable spirit of the people here.”

In Japan, Shizuku says, people are highly money-minded. “They think that money is the prime objective in life that should be fulfilled no matter what. But after seeing young kids living under tarpaulin houses and still very happy, I feel that money is hardly a means. Happiness is everywhere in Nepal.”

Shizuku will be in Nepal till April 7.

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