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Nearly 25 years ago, a group of curious Japanese university students set out on a voyage to uncover their country’s military past. They chartered a boat and left for neighboring shores to listen to what the rest of Asia had to say. Through meeting those who experienced Japan’s aggression firsthand, they hoped to initiate understanding and reconciliation, and to bring their newfound knowledge back to their homeland. Their journey laid the groundwork for what was to become the Peace Boat, which has since made 62 voyages.
Each year the Peace Boat sets off on three global trips, visiting 15-20 ports over a three-month period. The approximately 800 members on each voyage are mainly from Japan, with a few from Korea, China and various other ports. Within the crowd there are children as young as 3 up to senior citizens at 90. For those who can’t commit to the full term, a number of shorter voyages are also available. People on board even have the option of getting off the boat for overland tours — organized through Peace Boat or at the person’s discretion — and meeting up with the group at another port at a later stage.
Voyages can take participants as far as Peru, Spain or New Zealand, and the destinations typically tie in with places where Peace Boat has established projects that they continue to cultivate. “In Eritrea, we cooperate a mangrove planting project,” explains Peace Boat spokeswoman Jennifer Teeter, 28. “We also visit women’s groups there... In the past, we have donated soccer balls to the children and wheelchairs to those who need them.”
These encounters have led to life-long connections between Peace Boat members and the communities they visit. “I remember one Peace Boat participant enjoyed her experience in Kenya so much that she kept in touch with the people she met and ended up going back there on an English exchange program,” says Teeter.
Because port stops are normally two days each, the bulk of the three months is spent onboard the ocean liner. To keep things interesting, up to 50 guest speakers come to give talks, including NGO workers, educators, and locals. “We’ve had people from conflict areas like Israel and Palestine come on board for a short portion of the trip to discuss their experiences,” explains Teeter. Participants are also encouraged to organize their own workshops and share anecdotes.
Many foreigners choose to get involved in the Peace Boat as a volunteer rather than a participant, signing up to teach or translate on the Global English/Espanol Training (GET) program. The goal is to foster Peace Boat participants’ language abilities so that they can make the most of their land visits, and also to look at how language can be used as a tool for building peace. Once back onshore, students can continue their language training with Peace Boat in Tokyo.
Away from the ship, the Peace Boat team is busy with a number of related issues and activities, with aims to improve relationships in East Asia, abolish war, fight against gender issues and protect the environment. They also have project teams who work with local partners in the various ports.
"Our Peace Boat Mine Abolition Campaign started out as a way to collect money to remove landmines in Cambodia. Since then it has developed into a program that also builds schools. It costs only 100 yen to remove a mine.”
Advocacy is another big part of Peace Boat’s efforts, in the form of awareness-raising campaigns, networking, and using the ship as a neutral space for peace- and environment-related meetings.
Returning to the NPO’s roots, the staff is also developing a common Asian textbook that aims to set the record straight by describing each country’s experience during World War II.
To learn more about Peace Boat visit www.peaceboat.org or email pbglobal@peaceboat.gr.jp. This story originally appeared in Metropolis magazine (www.metropolis.co.jp).
© Japan Today
19 Comments
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jeancolmar
A good article about a worthy endeavor. The Peace Boat is a reminder of another Japan, the one committed to peace, Article 9 and against militarism.
One question someone might answer. The writer states that the Peace Boat started nearly 25 years ago. I thought it was older than that.
kimigano
Are these ships really safe? I've heard about a lot of safety problems on the recent trips.
amandah
I always thought Peace Boat WAS all the things this artical says..until my student's husband joined the current trip and I saw the schedule of places they go to....not sure what projects they are doing in Singapore, Vancouver and New York! must be good old Shopping Therapy Projects I guess!
maybe the original idea was all of the above stuff...but I think now it is just a nice cruise round the world for people who pay a huge amount to join it. The marketing value of the word "Peace" is wonderful....
flyingfish
yeah and when they get off the boat they refer to all the locals as the gaijin
Altria
Grassroots interaction all right...they go from port to port!
USNinJapan2
Too bad this cruise ship isn't powered by nuclear energy. Maybe if it was some of the misguided peace activists would understand the vast and fundamental difference between nuclear generation/propulsion and nuclear armament...
rjd_jr
Wow, yet another example (out of countless others) showing Japanese activism and understanding/questioning of their past.
So, what say those who accuse the nation and its people of being ignorant and fascist war mongers?
stipend
Peace Boat is not what they would have you believe. PB is part of Grace Japan, a tour company.
Most of what they do is shrouded in mystery because they are "a private company." No transparency, no annual report of accounts. This I'm sure keeps a lot of reputable NGO from working with them.
PB sales offices are filled with fresh faced "volunteers" working in exchange for a reduced fare or for some even free passage. Huh.. so much for being altuistic, although that is what does brings a lot of them in. Is everyone an activist? Does everyone worry about Artice 9? Hardly at all in my experience.
PB is the rock bottom of world cruises. The older generation likes it because it's cheap and the ship conveniently is all Japan-centric.
One brochure I collected said:
"Join by (a date) and PB will donate 500 yen to (an environmental group)"
The ticket at that time was 1,000,000 yen!!
Right! Show us how much you care!
niku
This is very good
Raja Kumar
Grassroots interactions promotions are good.
usaexpat
Peace Boat is a worthy endeavour and as a bonus keeps an old ocean liner frm being scrapped. As for whether Peace Boat draws only activists, who cares. It gives young people a chance to travel and gain a better understanding of the world around them.
blvtzpk
Damn. Now my Peace Love Hotel will never get off the ground! :(
jeancolmar
I am surprised that the LDP or some ultranationalist right-wing group hasn't come up with a counter boat to the Peace Boat. Maybe in the near future we'll see a Peeve Boat which will travel to all the places where Japan has territorial disputes. I can imagine it being battleship grey and equipped with huge loudspeakers that will play Kimigayo and martial music whenever it gets near a so-called disputed territory. I am surprised, joking aside, that someone like Ishihara Shintaro hasn't suggested some like that.
The Peace Boat seems like such a throwback to an earlier time in this day and age of political apathy and fast rising Japanese militarism. Well, sail on Peace Boat. For what it is worth.
bamboohat
I suppose if you have enough money, you can buy any experience, and claim you are an "activist" for peace, or whatever.
stipend
Grassroots interactions? On PB? LOL! Pay extra for their study program.. they'll have foreign speakers flown in for you. Really. But with anywhere from 300 to 800 people on board tho what are the chances?
It's a cruise ship. Passengers stay in their "bubble" and most of them the whole trip. They have fun but remember, PB is a just for profit business (and personally, one I think is hanging by a thread).
Most PB port calls are NOT two days as this article.. ahem, infomercial incorrectly claims. And unfortunately many of the ports are simply too far from anything to be able to get out and back on your own. But PB has an arranged tour if you pay extra. Until they find better leadership PB is just a business.
kimigano
It's called public relations.
osmondau
in all aspects, PB is not an international friendship building mission. why?? becos its itinerary never touches islets in conflict with taiwan, china, s. korea. she should go and say hi to their coast guard patrols who stay vigilant dusk to dawn in those waterways!!
liralen42
There is no reason to accuse volunteers of not being altruistic just because they get something in return. The people who volunteer work extremely hard because they believe in creating a culture of peace and want to contribute to something that truly makes an impact on people's lives. Since voyages around the world on any cruise ship can be economically prohibitive, it may be the only way for people who do not have a large income to be able to do a trip like this.
Granted, the visits to the ports may not be so long, but Peace Boat activities in port and on the boat, where the the bulk of the voyage takes place, expose people to issues and countries that they may have never thought about before. It is a springboard for people to do something in the future and gain some first hand experience. They can build upon this experience and return to different ports in the future if 1-2 days is not long enough.
Granted, there are many passengers on the cruise, however, the staff make concerted efforts to make guest lecturers accesible to the passengers by creating groups who will help the lecturers during their visit. This is all voluntary. People who join a voyage can make what they want to out of Peace Boat. Just because some people do not get as involved and enjoy shopping does not mean that the motives of Peace Boat should be questioned.
Typical ports may include Singapore, Vancouver, and New York, but the possibilities for passengers to utilize alternative tourism are endless. Plus they learn about the country and issues before visiting so they can approach their trip with a more critical mindset. Take a look at some itinteraries and you will see that the boat does touch many ports of call that you would not expect out of an ordinary cruise liner.
On another note, if you are curious about one of Peace Boat's actions to abolish nuclear weapons, take a look at this project:
NGO Peace Boat will this autumn invite 100 hibakusha of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to join its global journey around the world (at no cost), and over the 3 month (28 August – 8 December, 2008) sea voyage share their experiences of the atomic bombs with people around the world.
(http://www.peaceboat.org/english/nwps/pr/arc/080703/index.html)
stipend
So what is Peace Boat’s efficiency? Donating money, effort, or time to an organization that’s a top issue. Japan Grace gives up nothing.
And why should they? They’ve got this young, energetic, altruistic minded volunteer work force that churns over with every uni grad date (like they say on the farm: there'll always be more in the hopper)
What part of Japan Grace’s bottom line do they make up is what I want to know.
Volunteer? Call it what it is. It’s work in-kind!
I have met plenty of Peace Boaters. Before, during, after their cruise and many speak of disillusionment. Yeah, an experience but not what they were lead on to think it would be.
btw. Peace Boat was detained in New York for safety violations this month by the Coast Guard. A good thing? More time for shopping perhaps. Checked some blogs to see how Peace Boaters #62 are perceiving their present cruise.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601110&sid=aYiiF8kEdmAw