Interview Falling Under Hiroshima’s Spell: A Special City for Internationals. - Paul Walsh (UK)

Interviewer: What brought you to Japan to live?

Paul: I’ve been in Japan for 30 years, and March 2023 marks my 27th year in Hiroshima. I’ve now lived longer in Japan than in my native United Kingdom. I first came to Japan during college, when I happened to enter an essay contest sponsored by a securities company and awardedan extra prize of a three-week training program in Tokyo.

My next visit to Japan occurred when I was job hunting. I heard about the JET program—an international exchange project in which Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) mostly from English-speaking countries are dispatched across Japan—and I applied for a position. As there was a solid chance of being assigned to a regional location rather than a metropolis like Tokyo or Osaka, I grew quite excited about the possibility of experiencing a different Japan from what I had originally seen.

As it turned out, I was assigned to Beppu in Oita Prefecture and stayed there for three years, enjoying every minute. There was considerable interaction among JET participants, and that is where I met my wife, a fellow participant from the US. Four or five other JET colleagues of mine now also live in Hiroshima.

• JET is the abbreviation for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme, an arrangement bringing young language instructors from overseas to teach Japanese students. The program is a collaboration among local authorities, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR).

Interviewer: How, then, did you come to live in Hiroshima?

Paul: Once I completed the JET program, I returned to the UK. My wife and I planned a working holiday in another country and were saving money toward that goal when I happened to see a newspaper advertisement for a teacher at an English conversation school in Hiroshima. So we moved to Hiroshima with the notion of saving money to explore other parts of the world, but the next thing I knew, 26 years had already passed by (smiles).

Interviewer: How did you feel about life in Hiroshima?

Paul: Nature is readily accessible here, creating a wonderful environment for running and swimming, so I thoroughly enjoyed sports such as marathons and triathlons. There’s nothing as revitalizing as riding your bicycle along Hiroshima’s rivers.

Some three years after I moved here, my wife and I started GetHiroshima, an English language informational website about the city for which I now serve as editor-in-chief.

Interviewer: Was information about Hiroshima for international visitors still scarce at the time?

Paul: Yes, and I still feel that Hiroshima’s charms are a bit tricky to uncover. To be honest, my first impression of the city was not particularly positive. While we were still living in Oita, my wife and I made a trip to Hiroshima, but it was pouring rain when we arrived. We visited the usual spots such as the Peace Memorial Museum and Miyajima, but left without so much as trying the okonomiyaki for which Hiroshima is famous. That was because it was so difficult to find information in languages other than Japanese.

When we moved here, I had no idea where to drink, dine, or seek entertainment. Spurred by my work at GetHiroshima, I took the initiative to search for fun and interesting places in the city, and gradually developed a genuine love for it. feel thatmeeting many people helped deepen my connection to the city.

Interviewer: How did you assemble all that fascinating information about Hiroshima?

Paul: Around the year 2000 when GetHiroshima was launched, many European-style cafes and bars were appearing on the scene. I made the rounds of those cafes along with events in search of information that would enhance international residents’ life in Hiroshima.

Whenever I travel, I try to learn what the locals eat and what they do for recreation. Since I was curious about local information, my goal was to ensure that GetHiroshima was less of a travel pamphlet and more of a town magazine. I felt that this was something that only we, and not the government, could accomplish.

Interviewer: Are there places which are special to you in Hiroshima?

Paul: There are so many, but if I had to choose one, I would probably say the bar Koba. BOM-san, the Japanese owner and bartender, was already making his establishment a place which residents from various countries could comfortably patronize back in 2000 when there were few such bars.

International visitors to the Peace Memorial Museum undoubtedly have mixed feelings—particularly Americans. Those who drop by Koba are greeted heartily by BOM-san with, “Thank you for visiting Hiroshima. I know a lot has passed under the bridge, but let’s start with a toast.” Nothing has changed since the days when he could scarcely speak a word of English. His outreach increased his popularity among overseas residents and visitors, and now his fans are spread across the globe.

I met someone from Finland at Koba the other day who said it was their 8th visit to Hiroshima. It’s a small bar, but I believe such an appealing establishment can have an enormous economic impact on Hiroshima. In 2018, I launched JizoHat, a firm consulting on inbound tourism. One piece of advice I always share with clients is to visit Koba and experience Hiroshima hospitality.

Interviewer: You’ve been in Hiroshima for quite a long time, Paul. What aspect of the city would you choose to promote overseas?

Paul: Perhaps the ease of rearing children here. There is a greater childcare infrastructure here than in the UK. However, it’s more than that. Hiroshima’s historical background and peace-oriented education, plus the kindness of locals toward internationals, make it worthwhile for Western children to be educated here.

Hiroshima is a special city bearing a history of atomic bombing. It isn’t something that people here constantly talk about, but it is undeniably a backdrop before which we lead our lives .Whenever my thoughts linger on that historical context, I feel that even the most mundane aspects of daily life in the city have special significance.

Interviewer: When do you feel that special significance?

Paul: I have children aged 20 and 16 who have been educated solely in Hiroshima, and they have apparently never felt any discrimination from those around them. I suspectthis would be unimaginable in any other country. Even without mentioning diversity, Hiroshima’s peace education may have enabled the realization of such a society.

Overseas, the image of Hiroshima may be nothing more than the infamous mushroom cloud, but “Hiroshima” possesses power as both a word and a place. Local residents ofen seem unawarehow much power their hometown has, but the hosting of this year’s G7 is bringing the global spotlight to Hiroshima.

Interviewer: How can Hiroshima further appeal to those from overseas?

Paul: Hiroshima has recently begun a successful PR outreach to attract new inhabitants, and it would be wonderful to see that effort extended to potential international residents. Like the rest of the nation, Hiroshima is seeing a population decline; if the city proactively sought the skills and abilities of individuals from other countries, I feel society as a whole would benefit. If Hiroshima’s international residents had further career options drawing on their potential, it would be even easier for them to live here.

Interviewer: Do you believe it is difficult for internationals to find employment?

Paul: I know of many people who had to leave Japan as job options were limited. I began my own career as an ALT, and although English education is an easy field in which to get a working visa, committing to a life of teaching language suggests a tough environment for those not desiring a career as a professional English educator.

Some colleagues working in English-language education in Japan were actually top designers in their home countries, for example. What a pity if individuals bringing other skills, talents, and experience to the table were only offered the opportunity to provide English expertise. I would be delighted to see proactive efforts to create conditions supporting these individuals’ careers and lives, enabling them to become long-term residents of Japan, as I have.