Recap FEW Virtual Lunches May-July 2020
FEW Japan is pleased to have offered several virtual lunches in the first half of 2020. Thank you to Special Events Director Kyoko Nagano for taking on the initiative and our guest hosts who reached out to our members and participant guests during such an isolating time in history with COVID-19.
We would like to continue to offer these FEW Virtual Lunches giving our members an opportunity to be a guest host on intriguing topics that they are passionate about. Please reach out to Kyoko Nagano, Special Events Director to collaborate.
May 21, 2020
FEW Virtual Lunch with Guest Host Katheryn Gronauer of Thrive Tokyo
A diverse group of lunch attendees from developers, educators, entrepreneurs, executive coaches, IT employees, project managers, virtual assistants to stay-at-home parents were present for FEW’s first Virtual Lunch. While attendees were introducing themselves, the positives that had come out of the Stay Home period in Japan were also relayed. The conversations highlighted women’s community, gender equality, how an online existence is forcing many to actively connect more and appreciate the need for inspiration.
Business culture coach Katheryn discussed how the lifestyle designed to revolve around the common 9am-5pm work schedule has shifted. The same amount of time is spent on work at home, but it has shifted especially for those with small children resulting in some challenges. While some members mentioned they have more time with remote work, others expressed that they were actually much busier with everything shifting to online.
This VL proved that connection with others is still necessary and very much appreciated especially to those who have never been able to attend previous FEW events. That is one positive right there!
June 11th, 2020
FEW Virtual Lunch with Guest Host Jennifer Shinkai
Executive coach, facilitator and FEW member Jennifer Shinkai proposed self-compassion as the theme for this VL. After a couple of minutes for taking a pause of silence to regain one’s own centre of focus and presence, three speed networking opportunities were provided with another lunch attendee. The rules given were refraining from mentioning one’s job and choosing a different conversation topic for each networking partner.
Upon returning to the full group, each participant shared how they felt in one sentence. Some were dealing with job loss and anxiety. Understandably, many were facing challenges with their profession and family at home. There was a consensus of how easy it is to be overwhelmed by both global and local events. Loneliness was expressed and the desire to have face to face interactions at cafes, restaurants, stores etc. While some could not wait to go back to the office, others were dreading to go back to normal, or to the way things used to be.
It was mentioned that a pause was a good chance to check in with oneself and perhaps lower expectations in order to align with today’s reality. Jennifer revealed that the pause was also a good way to avoid self criticism especially when no one could have ever predicted nor prepared in advance for the difficult times 2020 has brought.
*Jennifer Shinkai is also the founder of the Make March Matter, an accountability support group dedicated to helping businesses and freelancers during the pandemic.
June 17th, 2020
FEW Virtual Lunch with Guest Hosts Julia Marino and Miica Fran
FEW member Julia Marino, also storyteller and co-founder of Hola Tomorrow, introduced Miica Fran, a world travelling food creator of “Bio Labo House” inside Bar aVin in Meguro-ku. Their parallel friendship formed when Julia was recovering from breast cancer and Miica introduced further depth to the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi. This approach to life takes the simplicity and imperfections of nature around us and embraces it as a part of growing, healing, and being present in the moment. Julia mentioned that with this mindset, stress seems to dissolve away easier and she is able to go with the flow of what life brings her.
Miica gave a virtual tour of her wholesome kitchen displaying several oddly shaped yet adorable vegetables. Equally fascinating were her methods for separating food and plastic waste in the kitchen. The conversation steered towards changing one’s mind set to realize the abundance we actually have in front of us. Miica advocates thinking of waste as rewards. Taking examples straight from the kitchen, she demonstrated that one can use dry onion peels as colour dye for tablecloths and using the accumulated swell plastic to produce creative coasters.
The VL’s lively audience welcomingly contributed to the dialogue and inspiration to embrace more wabi-sabi in our lives— the beauty in the imperfect, the impermanent and incomplete.
Learn more about wabi-sabi with Julia and Miica here.
July 7, 2020
FEW Virtual Lunch #BLM
FEW Program Director Sabrina Hassanali and FEW Member Tia Haygood held a joint chat to share their perspectives on the Black Lives Matter movement as both women have hometowns in the American South. With much appreciation to Sabrina and Tia, a safe place was established to ensure heart to heart conversations on what it means to be an ally and the sharing of experiences and thoughts relating to BLM. The energy was one of solidarity with attendees appreciatively contributing reading suggestions to further educate oneself.
Articles:
Read here for an article that thoughtfully ties the American BLM conversation back to the implications for racism and diversity in Japan. It creates space for diversity of black men and black women’s experiences in Japan to offer additional Japan-specific narratives on black and hybrid identities in Japan.
Books:
- How To Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
- Looking White People in the Eye: Gender, Race and Culture in the Courtrooms and Classrooms by Sherene H. Razack
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
- Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
FEW Japan stands in solidarity with the movement in support of Black Lives Matter. As an organization committed to equality and justice in Japan, we empathize with the pain and outrage felt around the world due to systemic racial discrimination, bias, and police brutality. We seek to participate in the dialogue aimed at creating a world where racial justice and equality are enjoyed by all.