1. Practice Gaman
“Gaman” is a Japanese cultural value that means “resiliency in the face of adversity” and “the ability to endure hardship.” On a prosaic (everyday) level, gaman implies patience, understanding, and self‐control. The history of post‐war Tokyo is a prime example of gaman. After World War II, Tokyo’s inhabitants had to rebuild their lives amid significant hardship, including trauma and destruction from the war, lack of food, rampant inflation, and a foreign military occupation. The Japanese people’s capacity for endurance and resilience—to literally rise from the ashes of disaster—is a well‐documented aspect of the nation’s culture.
When taken to an extreme, gaman can lead to the suppression of emotions, which may result in mental health issues such as anxiety. It also may perpetuate a culture of overwork, toleration of unfair situations, and feelings of isolation. However, when practiced in moderation, incorporating the positive aspects of gaman can help build resilience, self‐discipline, and emotional strength.
Here are some suggestions on how you can cultivate gaman:
Build endurance: Practice patience in challenging or awkward situations by focusing on what you can control and letting go of what you can’t.
Delay gratification: Strengthen self‐control by delaying gratification in small ways, such as waiting to buy something or sticking to a healthy habit even when it’s difficult.
Focus on solutions: Instead of reacting impulsively in stressful situations, take a moment to assess the problem and think of constructive ways to solve it.
Find value in adverse situations: Focus on opportunities for learning and growth in difficult situations.
Write a personal journal entry in which you reflect on ways to develop gaman. Specifically, think of a recent situation in which you could have practiced one of the coping behaviors. Describe the problem and how you dealt with it, and visualize alternate ways you could have behaved that would have incorporated more gaman.
2. Have a Civil Discussion about Strategic Bombing during World War II
This task aims to engage students in a civil discussion about the ethical, military, and humanitarian implications of US strategic bombing during World War II. Students will learn various perspectives, formulate ideas, and join a structured classroom discussion.
The question students will discuss is:
Learn
Since the end of World War II, a debate has raged among historians about whether the United States’ dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was justified to end the conflict. Watch a BBC Studios video to get a glimpse of the horrors of the bombing. Then, watch a Washington Post video to learn more about the decision to drop the atomic bombs in August 1945.
Less well known is the controversy over the March 1945 firebombing of Tokyo that killed 100,000 people in one night. Watch this clip from the documentary The Fog of War to learn about it. Robert McNamara helped plan the US bombing of Japan. Later, during the John F. Kennedy administration, McNamara was secretary of defense and was in charge of the Vietnam War. He made this documentary late in life, perhaps regretting his wartime decisions.
Read this chart from The Economist:
Think and Write
Write a one‐page reflection on your initial thoughts about US strategic bombing during World War II. Your reflection should include:
Keep this reflection because you will add to it after the discussion.
Discuss
You will be divided into two groups:
You will be divided regardless of your personal views to encourage understanding of multiple perspectives.
Discussion Guidelines
Discussion Structure
Address this question:
- Opening statements from each group (5 minutes)
- Rebuttals (3 minutes)
- Open floor discussion where students can ask questions or challenge each other’s points (15 minutes)
- Closing statements (3 minutes)
Reflect
Take out the paper on which you reflected on your initial thoughts about US strategic bombing during World War II. After the discussion, write a one‐page reflection on how your views may have changed or evolved after hearing different perspectives. Your reflection should include the following:
3. Investigate a World Megacity
Tokyo had a million inhabitants by 1750. By the 1940s, the wider Tokyo metro area had 7 million people. During World War II, Tokyo’s population plummeted. But after the war, people returned, and the city steadily grew. Even though the overall population of Japan is shrinking, the number of people in Tokyo continues to rise, reflecting the opportunities the metropolis provides.
The United Nations projects that 68 percent of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050. By 2030, the world is projected to have 43 megacities with more than 10 million inhabitants. Where will these megacities be located? What will life be like for their inhabitants? What are the opportunities and challenges they present?
Work with a partner to investigate a world megacity. Choose one metropolis from the Wikipedia article for Megacity. Gather information about the urban area based on the chart below and then compose a 500‐word report about the megacity. Include a bibliography or a list of references.
The information in the table below will give you a well‐rounded perspective on the megacity you are studying and insight into its past, present, and future.
Name
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Population
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Population density
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Country
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Region
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Migration patterns
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Ethnic makeup
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Languages
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Wealth distribution
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Geographic features
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Climate
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Poverty rate
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Natural resources
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Historical background
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Main economic sectors
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Transportation systems
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Housing and urban sprawl
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Pollution levels
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Green spaces
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Administration and planning
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Entertainment
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Future challenges
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Innovative solutions
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Future projections
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