28th International Odawara Conference in Japan

AfL Newsletter June 2005

"It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."

(Chinese proverb)

A small team of AfL participants was invited to join the 28th International Odawara Conference in Japan. Nandor Lim (Malaysia), Vuth Kim (Cambodia), Aparna Khatri (Fiji) and Nigel Heywood (Australia) from AfL 2 were joined by Ahmad Fikri Arief (Indonesia) and arrived on the 8th of June in Tokyo. We were introduced to the fresh taste of Sushi, wasabe and soy sauce and were treated to a traditional Japanese tea ceremony (Cha Do) served to us by the IofC ladies.

The conference with 89 participants was a time for people to connect from all walks of life and explore what their commitments were and how their relationships in family, work and across national boundaries could be used for a greater purpose. The AfL team shared their experiences during the conference, but by far the most important times were the friendships made over meals, in sharing groups and in the traditional Japanese hot baths.


A dynamic young Japanese, Masaya Onimaru, spoke passionately about the issue of small firearms, child soldiers and landmine removal, for which he has set up an NGO. He has worked in Cambodia and parts of Africa, and gives talks around the world to raise awareness. He started on this difficult path when he heard a talk at university that everyone has a purpose for their life and they must search for how to unfold it.

Nandor interviewed Mrs. Takahashi, who was one of our generous hosts. She shared how her father�s dramatic change had affected her family as a child. In 1946 after the war her father met the ideas of MRA in his travels to America. He was inspired by the idea that change could start with himself. On his return home he quit smoking and drinking and apologised to his wife for the way he had treated her. Her mother became a much more confident and happy person and their home became open to friends from all over the world. At the age of five Mrs. Takahashi�s small world was opened up and now she leads the IofC ladies group in Japan, conducts musical prayer and holds family concerts to help develop young people. We are grateful for her and her family�s hospitality to us on this trip.

We visited several groups of students in elementary schools and Universities, Vuth shares his experience: "We went to Hakone Elementary school. We were welcomed by 16 teachers and 32 students. As we entered the room we had one child to look after each of us. I was touched by the little girl who cared for me. Even though she had little English she tried to talk with me and presented me with a picture she had painted. She took me to the dining room and helped me with lunch. I felt close to this new friend as we tried to chat about our families over food. What woujavascript:void(0)
Publishld the world be like if each of us started to care for each other in these simple ways?"

We were privileged to stay with caring host families after the conference in Odawara. These connections on the personal level with Japanese life and generosity were a privilege and we hope to keep building on these friendships with more exchanges in the future. There are many people we are grateful for in providing for us on this trip but our main guru and inspiration was Mr Kiyoshi Nagano who embodies the true spirit of the Samurai. Thankyou.
Please check it at : http://www.afl.iofc.org/news/nl2005-06.php