Medill Explores in Tokyo, 2024

The 2024 Medill Explores in Japan cohort meet with Stephanie Roberts, Medill Alum and Head of Global Communications at Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems.

Every year, Graduate students at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism can a Medill Explores course that includes a week-long trip to a global or domestic location. The trip to Tokyo in 2024 explored business, economy and society in Japan. The 13 students with varying journalistic interests who chose to go on this trip had the opportunity to meet with representatives of several companies and news organizations in Tokyo. They also got the chance to do reporting of their own while on the trip.

The 2024 Medill Explores cohort finishes up their session with Ryo Umezawa of Antler and Erica Iwai, the CEO and Co-Founder of Sollective.

The first company visit of the trip was to Antler, a company that invests in startups in early stages to help them grow, and Sollective, one of the start-ups that Antler works with. Ryo Umezawa, a partner at Antler, spoke about the challenges and obstacles that start-ups in Japan face within the rigid system and stagnant economy. Erica Iwai, CEO and co-founder of Sollective, shared her own journey of starting and growing a company that is trying to change how the job market in Japan operates by emphasizing the value of freelancers. Her company, Sollective, pairs highly skilled freelancers with companies and serves as a long-term solution to Japan’s dwindling work force.

Kanako Takahara, the Deputy managing Editor at the Japan Times walks students through the history of the 128-year-old paper and its goal to bring Japan news to English speaking foreigners in the country and those interested in Japan news around the world.

The Medill Explores group learned how journalism works in Japan by visiting news rooms such as the Financial Times, Bloomberg and the Japan Times. The Financial Times was bought by Nikkei Inc, a Japanese company, in 2015. The Japan Times began in 1897 as an English paper that brought Japan news to foreigners living in the country. 128 years later, the paper still brings news to English speakers in Japan as well as readers around the world who are interested in the region.

Stephanie Roberts (left), talks to students about her experiences working as an expat in an executive position in Tokyo. Students, including Glenda Valdes (right), ask questions.

Stephanie Roberts is one of several Medill alums the students met who live and work in Tokyo. Roberts began working for the Japanese giant Hitachi while still in the US. Through her work she was able to move to Tokyo as the head of global communications, a rare achievement for an expat in Japan.

Glenda Valdes, gives a presentation on Sollective, a Japan-based start-up, ahead of the group’s visit to speak with the organization’s CEO and Co-Founder, Erica Iwai.

Before each company visit, Medill students gathered in the lobby of their hotel to listen to a designated student give a presentation about the companies they were about to visit and the speakers that they were going to meet.

In additional to company visits, students on the trip got to visit famous sites in Tokyo including famous shrines and temples

Students visit the Senso-Ji Temple in Asakusa, one of the most popular Buddhist temples in Tokyo. The street leading to the temple (right) is full of small shops of food and souveniers. These photos were taken shortly before it began snowing; a rare event in Tokyo.

Ian Gibson and Doris Alvarez Cea (right) wash their hands in the a purification ritual before entering the Meji Jingu shrine, one of the largest Shinto Shrines, built in 1920 to commemorate Emperor Meiji and his wife Empress Shōken.

Throughout the trip, students had the opportunity to report on a story. Doris Alvarez Cea took the opportunity to report on Taylor Swift’s series of concerts at the Tokyo Dome that happend during the Medill Explores trip

Doris Alvarez meets Taylor Swift fans outside of the Tokyo Dome (Doris Alvarez/MEDILL)

Another student, Grace Xue, reported on a capybara cafe, where customers can sit and pet a couple of capybaras while sipping on coffee, tea or juice. A little over 4 feet long and weighing up to 174 pounds, the largest living rodent has gained a lot of popularity, particularly in Asia.

Customers enter Café Capyba in Tokyo’s Sumida district (left)(Grace Xue/MEDILL NEWS SERVICE) Kalila Ziva and Denesto Rizky feed vegetables to Pinsuke and Kohaku (right) (Photo: Yusuke Yoshida)