I, as well as all my friends, started the Japanese Language Training in a beautiful place called Toyama Sunrise in Tokyo from September 6th 2004. Before arriving in Japan, I never had a chance to learn the language and was not able to speak any Japanese; the Japanese language was totally unknown to me. I did not even know how to write and read hiragana or katakana. That is why, at first, I had difficulties communicating with people but after the language training in Japanese I was able to speak and write the language. I was very impressed with their excellent teaching methods. The classes were always fun because we all were from different countries and our pronunciation of Japanese was different from each other. I really enjoyed the class and successfully passed the language proficiency test.

After 3 months of Japanese Language training I went to Yamaguchi Prefecture to receive individual training. It was really a big challenge for me because my language skill was still not quite good enough.

I stayed in one of the houses for persons with disabilities in Shimonoseki. I learnt about the history of the IL movement in Yamaguchi, about different disabilities, the services of this IL Center and other centers. I visited some other IL centers within Yamaguchi prefecture including the CIL-Ube, CIL-Shunan, CIL-Kita and CIL-Kyushu. I found everyone to be very kind and cooperative throughout my stay in Shimonoseki.

I went to Okinawa for a home-stay and when I saw the sea I became really excited. What a beautiful sea! I went to the CIL Kirara. Masaki Aragaki was my host parent. I stayed at his house for about 5 days. With him, I enjoyed seeing the beautiful sea and beautiful parks around CIL Kirara. He taught me about the culture and the history of Okinawa. I went to his parent’s house and stayed there with his mother, father and other family members. Masaki’s mother was very kind and good at cooking and she cooked the tasty food of Okinawa for me. I really enjoyed the food and my home- stay. Masaki’s mother took me to show me so many interesting places. I really miss Aragaki family.

With other Duskin trainees, staff from JSRPD and members of Duskin AINOWA and I went to Niigata Prefecture for a ski trip. This was the place where I felt I was really alive. I marvel at the thought that persons with disabilities can enjoy themselves in the snow. Actually, playing with the snow was beyond my imagination. I had never seen snow like this. This was the first time that I touched the snow with my hands. I enjoyed the snow very much. My ski teacher helped me to ski down the high mountain. It was an enormously fun and unforgettable time for me.

I) After training in Shimonoseki, I took a one-week computer training course. I learnt PowerPoint, Home Page Builder, Excel and Word. I studied DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) too.

II) I went to Saitama Prefectural University to learn about the social welfare systems and the national laws and legislation made for persons with disabilities. I was taught by Professor Maruyama from Saitama Prefectural University, I got a lot of information from him.

III) I went to visit the National Rehabilitation Center for persons with disabilities (NRCD) and got lots of information about the NRCD. I drove a car for the first time in my life, which made me very happy.

IV) I went to participate in some of the events of the Tokyo Polio Association, and made friends.

I went to the Main Stream Association, Nishinomiya on the 17th February for the training. This was regarded as the longest training period, which was 3 months. I learnt about the Independent Living Movement in Japan, about the philosophy of IL, the services and the activities of the IL Center, and the method used to establish IL centers, from Mr. Kadota, Mr. Tamaki and other staff from the Mainstream Association. I also learnt about the employment system in Japan and the education system for persons with disabilities in Japan.

I went to Hiroshima with Mr. Kadota to see the site of the bomb blast. I had heard a lot about Hiroshima and I had wanted to go for a long time, finally my wishes had come true. Mainstream Association organized the disability tour for all persons with disabilities. This was a really good experience for me. I went to see USJ, the historical palaces, temples at Kyoto and other very interesting places.

I got the opportunity to visit and learn something about DPI in Japan. I studied about the philosophy, the activities and the movement of DPI in Japan and other countries, too. I also got the opportunity to participate in some of the meeting of DPI and get involved in their demonstration against the proposed changes to the welfare policies (known as the Grand Design) for persons with disabilities.

This was our final individual training. I, with other 3 Duskin trainees received training from Human Care Association for 2 weeks. During the training, we learnt about Independent Living Movement, philosophy, activities and the needs of persons with various other types of disabilities.

We preferred to make the Plan after returning to the country. I got the opportunity to be trained and make plans for IL after returning to my home country; Mr. Nakanishi, Ms. Nakahara, Mr. Tsukada, Ms. Akiyama and other trainers encouraged me to do something for the community and for persons with disabilities.

This was our final training that was designed to be a group training program. During this period, our training was focused on theoretical and practical aspects of leadership. We got the lectures on various kinds of topics from some excellent experts. We acquired knowledge about leadership, proposal writing and preparation for reports and presentations.

Tokyo is a highly accessible place for persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities can go everywhere by using barrier-free transportation. Some of the wonderful things that I noticed are accessible pathways, gratings and tactile marking on the road, curbs, ramps and power-operated doors. Japanese people are very hard working, peaceful, and helpful. They are always sincere about their work and duties. The knowledge and the experience I got here made me confident, energetic and more committed to work in the disability movement.

The Duskin program is a good opportunity to understand cross disability issues. The 10 months I spent in Japan are an unforgettable time for me. Duskin provided me with a good opportunity to show me real life. I would like to thank the Duskin Ainowa Foundation and all the staff of JSRPD who were always thinking about our needs, and all other concerned organizations, for their great efforts in making my training and my stay in Japan a successful and meaningful experience.