Hello. My name is Patrick and I'll be your CIR for the evening.

The Urasoe City Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) is hired through the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. Though the CIR position can vary considerably depending on where one is placed, in Urasoe the CIR's duties include:

• Translating City Hall documents, correspondance, and announcements
• Interpreting for the mayor and other city officials, as well as foreign residents who need assistance with procedures at City Hall
• Kindergarten and children's center visits, in which the CIR teaches English while playing with the cute little children
• Writing the Urasoe English Newsletter, a publication which informs foreign residents (and online viewers) about announcements from City Hall and happenings in and around Urasoe
• Editing the Urasoe City Guide, a resource for foreign nationals living in Urasoe, and those who are interested in learning about the city
• Interpreting during the Okinawa International Center training program participants' visits to Urasoe City Hall
• Writing a column in the monthly public relations magazine: the Koho Urasoe
• Participating in a monthly radio program on FM21
• Assistance with International Relations Section and International Relations Association events, for example the annual New Year's Party and Sports Day at the OIC
• Planning of events which are realized through the International Relations Association, such as cooking classes and cultural exchange activities
• Assistance with military base affairs

      First of all, I should perhaps explain the photo. It's a little bit silly, but I took it in hopes of conveying the atmosphere I've experienced working on Okinawa thus far. While retaining a healthy dose of the formality for which Japan is famous, Okinawa manages to come off as a relaxed, semi-tropical paradise. I am constantly delighted by this paradox. Perhaps the best example of this phenomenon is kariyushi wear, a close relative of the Hawaiian shirt, usually emblazoned with traditional Okinawan patterns or fanciful flowers. On Okinawa this is formal wear, sported by office workers and city officials on commemorative occasions. No tucking in is necessary. I have a hard time visualizing this happening on mainland Japan, where even instituting Koizumi's "cool biz" campaign several years ago caused a stir in government circles.
      My path toward Urasoe has been a long one. My interest in Japan originally stems from a trip I took to my hometown's sister city of Iwamizawa (Hokkaido) as a junior high school student. I spent about half of my university years in Japan, studying Japanese at the Yamasa Institute in Aichi Prefecture and later becoming an exchange student at Miyazaki University. I worked and studied in Europe for several years after graduation, and eventually decided I would like to try doing some sort of work involving international relations in Japan. Luckily the JET program offers just such a position! I feel extremely fortunate to have an opportunity to work in the public sector here. It puts me in contact with a wide variety of people and allows me to concentrate on what I think is most important in fostering international relations: trying to understand one another on a basic human level. I believe caring about other people (as well as animals, plants, and the environment) and creating community is the first step toward fostering empathy, where the darker facts of existence, such as violence and exploitation, are curbed by an awareness of the benefits of cooperation and mutual respect.
      I know that sounds kind of uppity. Yet I thought it might be a better introduction than just concentrating on my qualifications or how much I like Japanese food! Thanks for bearing with me, and hopefully we'll have the occasion to help each other out in the near future.       -Patrick

Read Koho articles by Patrick Robison (Urasoe CIR August 2008-???).
Read Koho articles by Hilary Holbrow (Urasoe CIR August 2007-August 2008).
Read Koho articles by Matt Cockey (Urasoe CIR July 2004-July 2007).