Cruise Report

On Peace Boat, guest educators from various realms-such as professors, journalists, musicians, peace activists, social creators, and artists- are invited to join our voyages.

In Japanese they are called ’mizusaki annainin’ which means ship’s pilot or navigator because they assist participants in navigating the themes and issues of the voyage ahead. Onboard, guest educators not only give lectures and workshops on a wide range of topics, they also co-create events with staff members and participants.

They are an essential part of the onboard education programme and life onboard.

 

On Peace Boat’s 93rd Voyage, the following guests from Japan and other countries around the world are planning to join us onboard to share their experiences and wisdom.

Check regularly for the latest updates!

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Charles E. McJILTON (Yokohama – Singapore)
CEO of Second Harvest Japan

 

Charles McJilton first came to Asia in 1984 with the US military.

Researching at Sophia University and living in a religious community in one of the poorest sections of Tokyo (Sanya) where day-laborers and homeless people lived, set him on his current trajectory.

In 1995 he founded gLetfs Build,h a self-help center dedicated to providing tools for those living on the streets to either help themselves or die with dignity. Despite understanding many of the issues of those in his community, he felt something lacking. So from January 1997 to April 1998 he lived in a cardboard house among the homeless along the Sumida River in Tokyo. This experience radically changed his worldview and deeply influenced his approach to providing aid and developing organisations.

He has founded four organisations in Asia that tackle food security, including the first food bank in Japan (Second Harvest Japan) and in the Philippines (Salu-Salo: Food Bank Philippines), respectively in 2002 and 2012, and has taught NGO Management at Sophia University for six years.

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MO Bang Fu (Yokohama – Singapore)
WriterEJournalist

Born in Shanghai, China. Mo Bang Fu arrived to Japan first in 1985.

As a journalist specialising in Japan, he has continued to write about a wide range of topics from politics and economics to society and culture. He is an active advisor and consultant for Japanese companies looking to become established in China, and works to encourage economic exchange between Japan and China.

His works include Japanese bestsellers such as “Jato” (Snakeheads) and “Chugoku Zensho wo Yomu” (Encyclopedia of all the states of China), “Shinkakyo” (New Overseas Chinese) – among many others.

He has a column in the Diamond Online, the Jiji Web, the President magazine among others.
His home page “MO BANGFU Office” is: http://www.mo-office.jp/ .

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Tim COLE/BaoBao CHEN (Yokohama – Singapore)
Artistic director/Producer of music and film project “Small Island Big Song”.

For the past eighteen months, Small Island Big Song (SIBS) has been crossing Indian and Pacific oceans, recording with indigenous musicians and filming in their grassroots villages, in locations including Madagascar, Mauritius, Australia, Taiwan, Guam, Indonesia, Hawaii, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Rapa Nui.

Tim and BaoBao will set up an onboard gstudioh for participants to experience SIBS production, as well as sharing their stunning journeys the with Peace Boat community.

TimCole is an Australian film director and music producer specialising in cross cultural indigenous arts projects – filmed, recorded and produced in the field independently.

As well as his own work, Tim will also be sharing some of his favorite film and music projects.

BaoBao Chen is a Taiwanese travel blogger, producer, and story-teller. As a deep-travel lover, she has been sharing her journey across the globe attracting 153k facebook followers.

Small Island Big Song website: http://www.smallislandbigsong.com

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KATAOKA Hideo (Yokohama – Valparaiso)
Certified Instructor of NPO The World Heritage Academy.

The World Heritage Academy is a Japanese non-profit organisation that strives to promote UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Academy runs the World Heritage Knowledge Test, which certifies one’s level of understanding of World Heritage Sites.

Kataoka Hideo is certified as “Meister of the World Heritage Knowledge Test”.

He has visited over 300 World Heritage sites, and gives lectures in universities and community centres around Japan. He is also popular on radio and regularly appears on TV in Japan.

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OSAWA Norio (Kobe – Singapore)
Martial Arts and Medical Specialist, Health Advisor, CEO

Osawa Norio provides acupuncture treatments, tai-chi healing, and teaches self-defense based on the principle of ’disease prevention’ from Eastern Medicine tradition. He also trains many students in these techniques. He often gives practical lectures on maintaining health through Eastern Medical philosophies, and advises local communities on how to improve general health.

He is fascinated by the peculiarities of the Japanese language, and is a poet and a musician, and likes to analyse the differences between Japanese and Chinese culture. He is also the Leader of the Kanto Region Tug-of-War Association, a group which aims to increase the sport’s popularity. On this voyage, Mr. Osawa will not only give lectures about health issues while traveling, but plans to run a tug-of-war competition on the ship!

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GAKU-MC (Kobe – Singapore)
Rapper

Rapping with his acoustic guitar, GAKU-MC is a pioneer of Japanese hip hop. In 2011, he started the Label Rap{Entertainment, starting his movement with the “Directing Rap into a Positive Direction” slogan.

In 2012, he began the “akari to raibu” or light and live event, an event that brings people together through music and the light of candles and has since continued to use his music to contribute to recovery activities in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. He also established MIFA (Music Interact Football for All) association which aims to connect people by fusing soccer and music.

The association created the Japanese Soccer Federation official support song for the 2014 national team with Sakurai Kazutoshi from Mr. Children. He has published a book titled “If the world were to come to an end tonight”.
Official website: http://www.gaku-mc.net

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KATO Naokuni (Singapore – Cape Town)
Naturalist Guide

Born in Izu, Shizuoka in 1972, Kato Naokuni spent one year studying at Tanzania’s Mweka College of African Wildlife Management.

After graduating with an interest in ecotourism, he traveled through nine countries in Southern Africa and their safaries, before beginning working at the Mpata Safari Club in the Masai Mara, Kenya.

From the year 2010, he started teaching environmental education at Kenya’s Kakamega National Reserve.

After that, he became interested in the jungle environment, moving to Central and South America, volunteering at nature reserves for wildlife rehabilitation. Nowadays he is a lecturer at the animal-specialist school “Tokyo Communication Art ECO,” while working at “Dososhin,” a travel agency specialised in trips to Africa conducting Safari Tours.
His naturalist webpage: http://naturanger.blog25.fc2.com/

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Victor MATOM (Port Luis – Maputo)
Photojournalist

Victor Matom is a self-taught photographer from Soweto, South Africafs largest township under the apartheid regime. At that time, black people were not allowed to study at photography schools however Victor Matom succeeded in teaching himself the art of photography. From the 80s to date his photography has kept a consistent focus on human dignity, which he has always held dear, as he has continued to take photos of marginalised South Africans.

His photography has become a vehicle to express to the world the real circumstances surrounding Apartheid.

He also teaches children living in slums who cannot receive proper photography education so that they can learn the joys of being creative. He received the Mother Jones Photojournalist award in 2001.

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Ela GANDHI (Maputo – Cape Town)
Peace Activist

A peace activist, social worker, and former member of the South African Parliament, Ela Gandhi was banned from political activism and placed under house arrest during the South African apartheid era of racial segregation. Following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent activism, Ela Gandhi remained undaunted and continued working to end the highly unjust political system.

She has received numerous awards and recognition for her accomplishments.

Onboard the 93rd Voyage, her lectures will be about non-violence and Mahatma Gandhi’s life and teachings, while covering her activism including nuclear disarmament, for which she has been vigorously striving in recent years.

 

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Marcio Akira COUCEIRO (Cape Town – Rio)
Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Capoeira Center of Federal University of Roraima

In 1996, Mr Marcio Akira Couceiro became interested in capoeira and Brazilian popular culture when he was an undergraduate student at Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Since then he has coordinated several capoeira groups in Brazil and Japan.

In 2008, he founded the Capoeira Center to work with capoeira and Brazilian popular culture for education and social inclusion at Roraima State, Amazon Region of Brazil. Recently, his work has extended to Guyana and the Amazon State. Mr Couceiro will introduce the participants to the history of capoeira, originally developed by African slaves brought to Brazil and the cultural connections between Brazil and Africa.

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SHIMOGO Satomi (Cape Town – Rio)
Freelance Journalist

Born in Kanazawa City in Ishikawa Prefecture. Shimogo Satomi lived in the favelas in Sao Paulo between 1992 and 1994, during which she engaged in educational activities to support the children living there.

In the summer of 2005, in search of an organic lifestyle, she moved to an old mountain village located in the west of Kamogawa city where she has been involved in regional revitalisation. She has filmed and written about local activism, ecology, education for disabled children, Brazilian popular culture and social problems.

She is also involved with an NGO that supports the favelas and tries to protect the amazon through filming documentaries about Brazil, and connecting Japan and Brazil. Until 2010, she worked at gTransmitting Japan to Brazil,h a media content company that disseminates information in Portuguese, whilst traveling all over the country and reporting about regional traditions.
Shimogo Satomi’s Blog: http://hyakuishou.exblog.jp/

 

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Michael JOSEPH (Rio – Ushuaia)
Specialist in conflict transformation/community reconciliation processes

Michael Joseph currently coordinates the Peace Studies Center of the Baptist Seminary and University of Cali, Colombia.

He has lived and worked for peace and human rights in Colombia for the past nine years. Prior to that he was Co-Director of Peace Brigades International-USA in Washington, D.C. Michael lived in Brazil for 9 years with his family from when he was 10 years old to when he was 18. He returned to the United States to attend the University of North Carolina (Latin American Studies with a focus in Political Science). He also worked for 5 years with Witness for Peace in Nicaragua, Cuba, Colombia, Honduras and Bolivia, largely leading experiential study-tours for US Citizens looking at the impact of US policy in those countries and in Latin America as a whole.

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KOKONTEI Kikuchiyo (Rio- Valparaiso)
Rakugo Storyteller

This year marks the 32nd year of Kokontei Kikuchiyo’s career. In 1993, she and her senior, Sanyutei Karuta, became the first women to become “Shin Uchi” (a star performer of Rakugo, Japanese traditional comedic storytelling).

She widely entertains audiences by eagerly developing new fields of Rakugo, crossing boundaries in everything from classic to creative, sign language, and a g2-dimensionalh Rakugo told in Japanese and Korean. Onboard she will recruit some apprentices, organising study sessions every day. Since 2013, she has published a collection of books with the purpose of attracting children to Rakugo.

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FUJIWARA Koichi (Rio- Callao)
Biology Journalist, Photographer, Writer

Born in Akita. Studied Biology at University in Japan and Australia. Fujiwara Koichi is Nature’s Planet Representative and Galapagos Conservation Fund Representative. He also lectures at Gakushuin Women’s College on environmental issues. Whist traveling, he carefully observes wildlife, ecosystems and environmental issues.

He has made appearances on various Japanese TV programmes. In 2007, he launched a reforestation project in the Galapagos Islands with Peace Boat. This project, has been striving to exterminate invasive foreign species which are damaging the biodiversity of the islands. Onboard, he will be presenting a variety of photos that showcase the beauty and mystic of nature as well as explaining the reality of environmental degradation.

 

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TAKANO Teruko (Montevideo – Valparaiso)
Essayist

Driven by her belief that she can gbecome friends with people all around the worldh, Takano Teruko is a traveler who has visited around 60 countries to date. Besides being involved in the production of a number of programmes as a television producer for the film company Toei, she has released travel essays about every region across the globe. Her signature Japanese bestseller “Butterfly in the Ganges River,” which has sold over 150,000 copies, has become the travel bible for people of all generations, and has also been adapted to TV. In 2011, she quit her job at Toei after 11 years to become independent. She writes essays, gives talks, teaches at universities and appears on radio and TV to promote the rich diversity and charm of the world, as a self-styled “love and peace PR officer” for planet earth.
Takano Teruko official website: http://www.takanoteruko.com/index.html

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Amory B Lovins (Buenos Aires – Valparaiso)
Physicist, Cofounder and Chief Scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute

Amory B Lovins, a cofounder and Chief Scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute, is a leading physicist in a wide range of fields, including resources, national security, economy and renewable energy. He has worked as an advisor to major firms and governments in over 65 countries for more than 40 years, published 31 books and 600 papers, and an integrative designer of superefficient buildings, factories and vehicles. The acclaimed physicist, who has received ten honorary doctorates and many awards, was named one of the worldfs 100 most influential people by Time magazine in 2009.

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Judy Hill LOVINS (Buenos Aires – Valparaiso)
Photographic fine artist, consultant, corporate art collector

Born in Colorado and raised in eastern Oregon, Judy Hill Lovinsf has 30{ years of experience as a photographer, consultant and corporate art collector. Capturing the fragile beauty of natural landscapes, her pieces remind us how lucky it is to be living on this fascinating planet. She is also a corporate consultant designer, refining many clientsf interior spaces.

 

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Pier BUCCI (Buenos Aires – Valparaiso)
Environmentalist, Chilean Music Producer and Artist

Born in Santiago, Chile in a family of artists, Pier Bucci emerged as a music producer in the year 2000 and soon released his highly acclaimed ’Familaf album.

This success established him as a unique talent worldwide making him a prominent music producer in Asia and developing his personal sound which combines Latin rhythms with German style electronica.

He adopts classic Latin rhythms and vocals with abstract electronics, combined with beautiful Andean melodies in his music. His love for travel and connection with local communities also led him to collaborate with local indigenous communities.

In 2016, Pier was invited to be part of the Music & Art Peace Academy project to raise funds for natural conservation in southern Chile and declare Patagonia a World Heritage Site. He is currently finishing the album that was co-created with musicians from Rapa Nui, which will be released when Peace Boat visits Valparaiso and Rapa Nui during the 93rd Global voyage. Also a talented photographer/filmmaker.

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SAKANE Hiroshi (Usuaia – Rapanui)
Director of Amano Museum

Sakane Hiroshi graduated from Waseda University in Tokyo with a degree in education. Currently living in Lima, Peru, he is the director of the Amano Museum, which was founded by his grandfather, the late Amano Yoshitaro.

In addition to his involvement in excavation activities in the Andes region and leading research on the culture, earthenware and textiles of Peru, Mr. Sakane also works with key political figures, business experts, and the press as a private diplomat. He travels throughout Japan for over a month every year, holding lectures and panel discussions in order to deepen understanding of Peruvian culture.

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Cesar Arturo MEJIA ZUÑIGA (Punta Arenas – Callao)
Director of Performance Troupe Arena y Esteras

Cesar Arturo is the director of the performance troupe Arena y Esteras in Villa el Salvador. Villa el Salvador is a town that lies on the outskirts of the Peruvian capital, Lima.

It began as an illegal squatter camp but with careful participatory planning this desert slum has transformed itself into a vibrant town. In 1987 it joined the UN Peace Messengers Cities network and was even nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Integral to the town’s development has been the performance troupe Arena y Esteras (meaning Sand and Mats).

Their community-based art and education programmes include theatre, circus, dance and sculpture, which has humanized their town and brought people – especially youth – together.

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Mario TUKI (Callao – Rapa Nui)
Rapa Nui Musician, Activist

 

As an active promoter of Rapa Nui culture and history, Mario Tuki is the Director of the Ma`ara Nui Cultural Ballet troupe, made up of Rapa Nui youth living in continental Chile.

Despite his young age, he is an accomplished musician and well versed in teaching dance workshops and delivering Rapa Nui-related conferences at university level. He will introduce Rapa Nui history and culture, as well as teach dance workshops, as an introduction not only to Rapa Nui but to the broader Polynesian culture.

 

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Gabriel TETIARAHI (Rapanui – Papeete)
Anti-nuclear & Indigenous rights activist

 

Gabriel Tetiarahi (Gabi) is the founder of “Hiti Tau,” an NGO that strives to restore the indigenous Maohi people’s identity, and regain their independence from French-ruled Tahiti. In the past, he organised and led protest movements against French nuclear testing in the South Pacific, and has been working to promote economic independence among the Maohi people since the testing came to an end in 1996.

Mr. Tetiarahi is also active in training young leaders and working with them to cultivate organic vanilla and taro using traditional methods in order to build a brighter future for Tahitians. Hiti Tau is a long-time partner organisation of Peace Boat, and Gabi has been instrumental in organising optional programmes for participants in Tahiti.

 

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Peseta TIOTIO (Papeete- Apia)
Member of Women in Business Development Inc

 

Peseta Afoa Arasi Tiotio has been a member of the Women in Business Development Inc organisation for many years and has also served as a board member. She is a high chief of Samoa and was formerly the Chief Executive Officer of the Samoa Land Corporation and held other senior positions within the Samoa Public Service.

She has a bachelorfs degree in political science and Management from the University of Papua New Guinea and a postgraduate degree in Business Administration from the University of the South Pacific and she now works as a consultant in Human Resources and Financial Management .

She is also a qualified Samoan mediator. She is passionate about developing Samoa and finding ways for people in Samoa and around the Pacific to seize opportunities to earn an income where they live.
Women in Business Development Inc Website: http://www.womeninbusiness.ws/

 

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TOSA Makoto (Papete – Yokohama)
Director, Sendai Astronomical Observatory

Born in Tokyo in 1944, Tosa Makoto gained his postgraduate degree from Tohoku University in Astronomy in 1973, and has a long teaching career at several universities. His expertise is in astrophysics, specifically related to the galaxies. He has served as the Director of the Sendai Astronomical Observatory since April 2008.

He is now focusing on developing participatory programmes for the general public where those with a mutual interest in the universe can meet. He will give lectures about the earth, the universe and stars as well as leading stargazing nights on the top deck.

 

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SAWYER Kai (Papete – Yokohama)
Nonviolence Activist

Sawyer Kai is a nonviolence activist or Co-Existence Revolutionary (kyo-sei kakumeika in Japanese.)

Born in Tokyo, raised in rural Japan (Minami Uonuma), Hawaii and Osaka. After the 9.11 terrorist attacks (2001) and subsequent US invasions, he was involved with Students Against War and the student sustainability movement at the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC).

At UCSC he was the co-chair of the Education for Sustainable Living Program. He later moved to the jungle in Costa Rica to deepen his understanding of sustainability. Currently, he is the director of Tokyo Urban Permaculture and teaches workshops on permaculture, nonviolent communication (NVC), mindfulness and systems thinking around the world. He lives in the gift economy (gift ecology) and is passionate about creating a world where all life is cared for.
Tokyo Urban Permaculture Website: http://www.tokyourbanpermaculture.com

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***The above list is subject to changes and cancellations.