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| Courtesy photo |
| The 2010 winners hit the ground running in Tokyo. Here, they admired some of the subway's murals. |
The students received a 14-day, all-expense paid trip from the Scripps Howard Foundation, which sponsors the program with the assistance of the Indiana University School of Journalism.
The competition, established in 1984, honors the memory of Roy W. Howard, who led Scripps Howard Newspapers from 1922-1953 and United Press International from 1912-1920. Asia was an area of special interest to Howard, who traveled and reported on the area extensively, even while leading major news organizations.
In addition to Malagon’s achievement, the school has other connections to the competition. Dean Brad Hamm, a Roy W. Howard scholar, leads the students as they tour cultural and media sites in Japan. And, Howard’s archives are housed at the School of Journalism.
More:
- See a YouTube video of the 2010 trip highlights.
- Read bios for all the winners.
- Learn more about the program.
- Read an article about the students' visit on the website of the Hiroshima Peace Center at the Chugoku Shimbun.
- See a photo slideshow from the trip:
Trip reports:
New perspectives
Libby Sile
Junior, Ithaca College
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| Photo by Mike Conway |
| Students took in the sights and sounds as they navigated Japan's busy cities. |
Before going to Japan, I had a very specific view of what I thought the country was going to be like: crowded like Times Square everywhere you went, incredibly efficient and very homogenized. Yet after spending time in the country and meeting great the people, I found that Japan’s culture is so rich it was almost too much to wrap my head around in one trip.
The people and society are dynamic in the way that while respect and tradition are engrained in the culture, people are free and happy in ways you don’t see in the states. Yes, Japan is often crowded and society is very professional, but there are so many different people and subcultures living and existing together. In many ways, Japan seemed like the epitome of harmony and prosperity.
Perhaps one of the best things I took away from the trip to Japan was meeting and spending time with locals, hearing their stories and experiencing their way of life. As a journalist and someone very interested in other countries, I thrive on getting to know people who are different than I am. All of the people we met along the way — young and old — provided me with new insight into their country that I wouldn’t have otherwise gotten from just touring and sightseeing for seven days. That kind of cultural immersion was what made this trip really stand out.
These perspectives and my new found appreciation for Japan and east Asia will no doubt be invaluable in my journalism career and life. I believe that in this increasingly globalized world, it is crucial that we understand and acknowledge the other people and cultures outside our borders. The Roy Howard trip gave me the opportunity to this, and for that I’m very grateful.
These perspectives and my new found appreciation for Japan and east Asia will no doubt be invaluable in my journalism career and life. I believe that in this increasingly globalized world, it is crucial that we understand and acknowledge the other people and cultures outside our borders. The Roy Howard trip gave me the opportunity to this, and for that I’m very grateful.
Comparing cultures
Todd Petty
Junior, The College of New Jersey
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| Photo by Elvia Malagon |
| Near the Imperial Palace, Dean Brad Hamm told students about Roy W. Howard's reporting in the 1920s and 1930s. |
When our plane first touched down in Narita, Japan, we easily could see we were no longer in America. Our eyes were met with all the telltale signs of a new and exciting culture: strange money, unfamiliar language, and, of course, Japanese people.
Aside from all of its differences, Japan shares similarities with the United States. Fortunately for us, during our stay in Japan, we didn’t just see the differences and similarities, we experienced them as well.
Japan is a culture of subtlety. This unique aspect of Japanese society is reinforced through its customs and values. Living in busy cities, the people remain remarkably reserved. Japanese people value quietude. For such a high volume of social exchange, people remain incredibly polite. Japanese people put a high premium on manners. For such a technologically advanced culture, people observe ancient traditions and rituals.
The post-World War II American influence still is apparent in Japan, making it very easy for American tourists to navigate the country. Tokyo, in many ways, resembles America’s own New York City: boulevard upon boulevard of skyscrapers, neon lights and a bustling night life.
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| Photo by Natalie Podgorski |
| Dolls have a place in many facets of Japanese culture, from decorative hand craft to gifts. |
The relationship between Japan and America is a complex one of symbiosis. The American influence is pervasive; walking down the streets of Namba at night one might hear anything from Lady Gaga to Michael Jackson pealing out from a club into the night air.
However, just a relatively short train ride from Namba is Kyoto, where one might visit Ryoan-ji, a Zen temple where visitors are expected to remove their shoes before entering the sacred shrine.
Regardless of its similarities and differences, Japan remains a singular and unique experience for tourists from all countries. A simultaneously new and old country, Japan is replete with history, rebirth and cultural exchange.
A visit to Asahi Simbun
Renee Bruck
Sophomore, Franklin College, Franklin, Ind.
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| Courtesy photo |
| The group toured several news organizations, including Mainichi Broadcasting System, where they met with reporters and experimented with the broadcast set and green screens. |
During the press conference-style meeting, we noted similarities and differences in journalism in Japan and the United States. Even though the basic principles of journalism still apply and seem uniform in the two countries, the education and hiring process are as different as the language barriers we faced at times while we were in Japan.
One major difference between journalism in the United States and Japan is education. While aspiring journalists in the U.S. often attend colleges often have a strong journalism program, students in Japan do not study journalism while attending their universities.
Instead, potential employees apply for a job with Asahi Shimbun, and if hired, attend classes during their first few weeks of employment and throughout the first year on the job. During these classes, journalists are taught much of what U.S. students study in journalism classes. From a pool of thousands of applicants, as few as 30 people may be hired.
Also, journalists in Japan do not to give preference for the types of jobs they would like. In the U.S., journalists apply for jobs such as broadcast or public relations. In Japan, individuals may be hired for advertising, reporting or photography when they apply.
This may be similar to the convergence occurring in the United States today. While aspiring journalists attend classes that often emphasize the combination of reporting, shooting photos and working with audio for multimedia projects, Japanese journalists must be flexible enough to learn how to work within their departments.
Another major difference I found interesting is that the paper translates articles written into both English and Japanese and publishes daily papers in both languages.
With a large circulation of over 8 million papers in the morning and a circulation of over 3 million papers in the evening, I find it amazing that time can be spared to design two papers at once.
The visit to Asahi Shimbun provided a look at how a large operation goes about its daily work. While I have many unforgettable memories from Japan, I find the visit to the second largest newspaper in Japan to be one I remember with awe as I walk into the newsroom at work, which could fit easily into a corner section of the newsroom at Asahi Shimbun.
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| Courtesy photo |
| IU's Elvia Malagon reads The Daily Yomiuri, Japan’s largest English-language newspaper. |
Another major difference I found interesting is that the paper translates articles written into both English and Japanese and publishes daily papers in both languages.
With a large circulation of over 8 million papers in the morning and a circulation of over 3 million papers in the evening, I find it amazing that time can be spared to design two papers at once.
The visit to Asahi Shimbun provided a look at how a large operation goes about its daily work. While I have many unforgettable memories from Japan, I find the visit to the second largest newspaper in Japan to be one I remember with awe as I walk into the newsroom at work, which could fit easily into a corner section of the newsroom at Asahi Shimbun.
Hiroshima
Katy Ralston
Sophomore, Texas A&M University
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| Photo by Natalie Podgorski |
| From front, left, Howard winners Todd Petty and Caleb Fleming pose with a group of Japanese students near the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. |
Hiroshima. That name burned out on the itinerary every time I read it. It was the reason I applied for the chance to win the trip to Japan in the first place. It was the catalyst for innumerous repeating of the same conversation subject in the weeks leading up to the trip (although I’m sure my friends and family could tell you the exact number). It was the cause for endless anticipation for a certain June 23 morning. But no matter how ready I was to be there, I was not ready for what I found.
Of course I found the nearly desecrated remains of one of the only buildings left from the bomb. I found the story of pure destruction told from the aerial pictures of the completely flattened city. I found the pain and sadness of an entire people group woven into the Aug. 6, 1945, account of a hibakusha, or A-bomb survivor. But I also found something even greater. I found what happened the day after the bomb was dropped, and what has been happening since. I found that “World Peace Begins in Hiroshima.”
This phrase was the slogan adopted by the Peace Restoration Festival held in Hiroshima one year after the bomb and it was one of the many things of a similar theme that struck me about the famous city. For some reason, I had spent a great amount of time thinking about Hiroshima without ever getting past the bomb itself. Maybe it was my American egoism, only thinking of the impact Hiroshima made on our country. Maybe it was my sense of associated guilt that made me focus on only the negative effects. But for whatever reason, I had never contemplated the moving on.
And the moving on was amazing. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum was filled with stories of the entire countryside of Japan mobilized to begin the rebuilding just one day after the bomb was dropped and pictures of foreign troops and government organizations coming in to assist the Japanese. As for the rest of the city, it looked just like a normal city with buildings and roads and cars and people at every glance.
Our tour guide, Awa-san, told us about the annual cherry blossom party in April where the city gathers in the Peace Memorial Park for singing, dancing and drinking sake to celebrate the blooming of the trees. While some people in Hiroshima are afraid holding the festival here is a threat to honoring the city’s past, she said she believes the other way. She wants to show the world the beauty of life humanity can still have despite of what happened.
The beauty of life and strength of humanity to continue was the theme I noticed over the entire city. Hiroshima is now one of the world’s greatest advocates of nuclear disarming and a collective world peace effort. Not only have the residents rebuilt their city’s roads and buildings, but they have also rebuilt their city’s culture into one of forgiveness and peace.
It reminds me of my favorite exhibit in the museum—a picture of a single plant springing up from the ground in the midst of rubble and debris, after it was said that nothing would grow on the ground of Hiroshima for 70 years after the bomb. Nature will defy all odds and bloom on the scarred fields of Hiroshima just like it would anywhere else. It’s like our second chance. Nature doesn’t judge us and deem our bloodshed too unforgivable, but instead can make something beautiful from the ashes. And the citizens of Hiroshima have proven human nature can do the same.
And the moving on was amazing. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum was filled with stories of the entire countryside of Japan mobilized to begin the rebuilding just one day after the bomb was dropped and pictures of foreign troops and government organizations coming in to assist the Japanese. As for the rest of the city, it looked just like a normal city with buildings and roads and cars and people at every glance.
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| Photo by Elvia Malagon |
| The Genbaku Dome serves as a memorial to the people who were killed in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. |
The beauty of life and strength of humanity to continue was the theme I noticed over the entire city. Hiroshima is now one of the world’s greatest advocates of nuclear disarming and a collective world peace effort. Not only have the residents rebuilt their city’s roads and buildings, but they have also rebuilt their city’s culture into one of forgiveness and peace.
It reminds me of my favorite exhibit in the museum—a picture of a single plant springing up from the ground in the midst of rubble and debris, after it was said that nothing would grow on the ground of Hiroshima for 70 years after the bomb. Nature will defy all odds and bloom on the scarred fields of Hiroshima just like it would anywhere else. It’s like our second chance. Nature doesn’t judge us and deem our bloodshed too unforgivable, but instead can make something beautiful from the ashes. And the citizens of Hiroshima have proven human nature can do the same.
Peace
Elvia Malagon
Junior, Indiana University
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| Photo by Natalie Podgorski |
| The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum represents the city’s commitment to peace and to nuclear disarmament. |
In other words, I had never put myself in Miyoko Matsubara’s shoes or any other survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
But that changed once we visited Hiroshima.
Although Hiroshima today looks like a typical city in Japan, it once was anything but that.
While we were there, Miyoko shared her experience with us. She was only 12 years old when the atomic bomb struck the city. She described the effects the bombing had on her and her family. She survived the bombing, but has faced different types of cancers. She also had many social problems because of the scars from burns from the bombing.
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| Photo by Elvia Malagon |
| Miyoko Matsubara, an atomic bomb survivor, speaks about the effects of the bombings over her lifetime. |
However, the most surprising thing that I learned that day is that the people of Hiroshima didn’t hate Americans. You would think that after all of this, the people there would really despise us. But this wasn’t the case. Instead of focusing their energy on hate, the people of Hiroshima have focused on peace (it’s in the title of the museum and all over the city). They have tried to educate the world on what happens when nuclear warfare is used.
The visit to Hiroshima is something that I will always take with me. I will always remember the people and places that I saw next time I read anything about nuclear weapons.
To learn more about Miyoko’s story or the stories of other atomic bomb survivor’s visit the museum website.
The beauty of shibumi
Caleb Fleming
Junior, Virginia Tech
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| Photo by Mike Conway |
| Small balls of ice cream are wrapped inside a Japanese rice cake to make mochi, a traditional sweet. |
Shibumi. This Japanese adjective loosely translates to elegant simplicity and is commonly used to describe Japanese cuisine.
In Kobe, one can enjoy world-famous steak prepared on a hibachi grill inches from his or her plate. Though the meal would include steak, bean sprouts, cabbage, rice and soup, the emphasis is on quality and preparation and carries over to taste. When ordering steak, one should bear in mind that a “medium” steak in America will be much more “rare” in Japan.
In the Kitchen Street food-walk at Tokyo Station, passersby are greeted with an abundance of food options. One restaurant offers a simple sesame chicken and salad, with the greenery artfully arranged as though a three dimensional sun rests on the plate. Another is a bagel shop that individually packages the bagel, utensils, cream cheese, napkins and everything else to a seemingly excessive degree.
In Osaka, one can find restaurants more commonly known for their communal dining style, in which several dishes will be ordered to be shared among the dining party. Dining patrons here will take their shoes off and step into a secluded room with a sunken floor.
Regardless of location, variety can be found, as long as one understands what he or she is looking for. Many menus come with pictures explaining the accompanying Kanji writing, and some restaurants offer English menus to make the process even easier.
For vegetarians, Japanese cuisine can be a challenge. Many dishes that would otherwise be free of meat or fish are coated with katsuobushi, or dried tuna flakes.
For the fast food enthusiast, Japanese streets are also home to McDonald's restaurants, though not in the traditional sense. Green tea milkshakes and sandwiches with less grease greet the customer, along with shrimp flavored nuggets, seaweed French fries and teriyaki burgers.
And, of course, there is no shortage of options for those looking to experience the sushi that the island nation is known for. There are as many raw options as there are cooked, and in seaside cities like Osaka and Tokyo, the sushi is world famous. Yellowtail, tuna, crab, shrimp and salmon are just a few of the options represented. And for those feeling exceptionally bold, fish eggs are always on the menu.
As for desserts, a single scoop of green tea ice cream is commonplace.
Rice, fish, noodles, and greens are staples of every Japanese meal, and while an emphasis is placed on taste, presentation and experience are seemingly just as important.
Etiquette represents another important aspect of Japanese dining. Before each meal, hand wipes are distributed to patrons to clean their hands with, while wiping one’s face is considered to be rude. During the meal, chopsticks are expected to be stored on their hashioki, or rest. When serving food to someone else, which is polite to do, one is expected to turn the chopstick around. It is polite, even flattering to the chef, to slurp one's soup, and it is considered rude to not finish the entire plate of food.
Japanese cuisine is, simply put, different. A meal in Japan is comparable in price to a similar meal in America, though it is possible to find watermelon and cantaloupe selling for $100 (U.S.). The food is higher in sodium, lower in fat, and clearly prepared with a great deal of attention to detail and desire for satisfaction.
Japanese food really is an embodiment of the culture. Shibumi, with great value placed on serving the patron well.
In Osaka, one can find restaurants more commonly known for their communal dining style, in which several dishes will be ordered to be shared among the dining party. Dining patrons here will take their shoes off and step into a secluded room with a sunken floor.
Regardless of location, variety can be found, as long as one understands what he or she is looking for. Many menus come with pictures explaining the accompanying Kanji writing, and some restaurants offer English menus to make the process even easier.
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| Photo by Mike Conway |
| Ramen, a popular dish in Japan, is comprised of broth, noodles, toppings of sliced pork or chicken, green onions and seaweed. |
For the fast food enthusiast, Japanese streets are also home to McDonald's restaurants, though not in the traditional sense. Green tea milkshakes and sandwiches with less grease greet the customer, along with shrimp flavored nuggets, seaweed French fries and teriyaki burgers.
And, of course, there is no shortage of options for those looking to experience the sushi that the island nation is known for. There are as many raw options as there are cooked, and in seaside cities like Osaka and Tokyo, the sushi is world famous. Yellowtail, tuna, crab, shrimp and salmon are just a few of the options represented. And for those feeling exceptionally bold, fish eggs are always on the menu.
As for desserts, a single scoop of green tea ice cream is commonplace.
Rice, fish, noodles, and greens are staples of every Japanese meal, and while an emphasis is placed on taste, presentation and experience are seemingly just as important.
Etiquette represents another important aspect of Japanese dining. Before each meal, hand wipes are distributed to patrons to clean their hands with, while wiping one’s face is considered to be rude. During the meal, chopsticks are expected to be stored on their hashioki, or rest. When serving food to someone else, which is polite to do, one is expected to turn the chopstick around. It is polite, even flattering to the chef, to slurp one's soup, and it is considered rude to not finish the entire plate of food.
Japanese cuisine is, simply put, different. A meal in Japan is comparable in price to a similar meal in America, though it is possible to find watermelon and cantaloupe selling for $100 (U.S.). The food is higher in sodium, lower in fat, and clearly prepared with a great deal of attention to detail and desire for satisfaction.
Japanese food really is an embodiment of the culture. Shibumi, with great value placed on serving the patron well.
Comparing journalism
By Elvia Malagon
Junior, Indiana University
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| Photo by Mike Conway |
| Howard winner Natalie Podgorski (left) interviewed Asami Sudani about Japan’s hidden treasures. |
Thursday, we visited Mainichi Broadcasting System, a TV station in Osaka, Japan. We were given an overview of the company.
I was immediately impressed by how many bureaus it has. We were given handouts about the company that had a map of the world showing all of the bureaus throughout Japan and bureaus from Beijing to Cairo to London. It also surprised me to find out that many of the reporters for the television station eventually get the opportunity to work at a bureau.
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| Courtesy photo |
| Students saw cultural sites as well as visited media outlets. Here, they posed in front of the Temple of the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto. |
Like the journalists at MBS, I love journalism because it’s a learning and changing environment and because we get to tell important stories.
Friday, we toured and talked to journalists at Asahi Shimbun, the second largest newspaper in the world. I was it publishes a morning and evening edition as well as a website. During a discussion we had with various journalists there, I learned that journalism education is different from the United States. In the U. S., we have many schools where students learn about journalism. However, in Japan there are a few schools that have begun to do this, but in general, there are none.
Asahi Shimbun trains its employees during the first month so they can become journalists. This is only after an intensive four-stage hiring process. This year, the newspaper hired 30 reporters. The journalists at the newspaper said that number is typically high during they annual hiring period. In total, it has 22,000 reporters. Like MBS, it has many bureaus abroad.
During the month of training, the employees attend journalism workshops that teach them about ethics, and how to write, report and take photos. They hear from guest speakers as well.
The journalists said they believe journalism is mostly taught in practice. Since I’m a journalism major, I found all of this interesting since I have taken classes preparing me to be a journalist for the past three years.
Some things are universal about journalism. The qualities the company looks for in potential employees are ones that I have heard in the United States: good writing, having guts and having an interest in history. The journalists at the newspaper also seemed to agree with our reasons for becoming journalists.
Overall, journalism in Japan might be a different but the core values of journalism are similar to those in the United States.
Exploring shrines
By Jennifer (Jen) Siino
Senior, California State University at Chico
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| Photo by Jean Person |
| The students visited Osaka Castle. They also visited the Ryoan Temple's rock garden. |
We took time away from the crowds and rode the Japan rail to Kyoto, a beautiful city. We took a taxi to Kinkau-ji and the Golden Pavilion.
We then visited Ryoan Temple, which has a famous rock garden. We enjoyed the rock garden, a few big rocks positioned in various ways on a bed of white pebbles. The pebbles are raked every day and the rocks are positioned in such a way that you can’t see all of them from one vantage point.
We headed to shops and lunch, taking a taxi ride that was like those you see in movies, speeding through narrow streets almost hitting both people and other cars.
We went back via taxi, train and our own feet. At the station, we stopped by a traditional Japanese grocery store, where watermelon sold for $150 and a small basket of cherries was $12.
Past and present
Rebecca Smith
Junior, Elon University
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| Archival photo |
| Roy W.Howard, center, often stayed at the original Imperial Hotel during his visits in the 1930s. |
The palace and its grounds were beautiful, but my favorite part was the many people who came up to us. When we posed for a picture, many other tourists came and took pictures of our group, too. A lot of people also came and started talking to us and asking us why we were in Japan. Everyone that we met in Japan was always excited to hear about our story and to share their stories with us.
After seeing the palace, we all went to the Imperial Hotel. Roy Howard stayed in the original Imperial Hotel often during his visits to Japan. Out of all the days we had, this was the day that made me really appreciate the hard work that Howard did for the world and the field of journalism. This day really helped me connect my present with the past where Howard reported and traveled the world.
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| Courtesy photo |
| Students, with Dean Hamm, visited the Imperial Palace and grounds. |
By Jennifer (Jen) Siino
Senior, California State University at Chico
The word sumimasen is Japanese for excuse me, and it's a word we've been using an awful lot. As a group of 12 or more people — depending on how many tour guides we have for the day — getting around a crowded country like Japan can be difficult.
Today we took a walking tour of the Imperial Palace grounds. They were absolutely stunning and had some of the biggest fish in the biggest moat I've ever seen. We talked a lot about the historical significance of the area and the impact that the emperor's decisions in WWII had on the city as a whole.
As we approached the Imperial Palace, a security guard told us we couldn't walk any further. Since none of us know Japanese, someone nearby translated. He told us we were stopped because the emperor was about to leave and the roads needed to be clear.
Just by a happy coincidence we bumped in to the emperor of Japan. Talk about sightseeing! We spent some time taking pictures and then went to find the Imperial Hotel — which is where the namesake of our scholarship, Roy Howard, stayed while he was in Japan working.
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| Photo by Mike Conway |
| Natalie Podgorski and Caleb Fleming had some fun with a Japanese character promoting seat belt usage. |
Next we went to the Sony building, where we saw showrooms and communication models — all of the brand new Sony stuff, including 3D coverage of the world cup. Very cool.
Next we grabbed lunch and headed back to the hotel to pick up our bags and run to the Shinkansen, also known as the bullet train. The Shinkansen was not only fast but also pretty smooth. Definitely a must-see when you're in Japan.
About three hours after hopping on the train, we arrived in Osaka. We took one more train to get to our hotel and then headed out for dinner.
We had a more traditional Japanese dinner and we all got to practice stepping into the dining area and taking off our shoes. The food was fabulous and luckily, our hosts weren't judging us for all of the cultural faux pas we made.
We learned a lot about Japanese history and culture today, but the thing that really stands out in my mind was how crowded everything was. It seemed like rush hour traffic all the time. Traveling through some of the world's busiest train stations with 10-days-worth of luggage is no easy task.
That's where the word sumimasen comes in. I used that one a lot and I expect to use it more as we travel to Kyoto tomorrow.