A Toast to Our Alumni : From Grad School to an Organic Agricultural Coop in Ehime
Mr. Yuki Uehara

Mr. Yuki Uehara Born in Tokyo, 1979. After graduating from Waseda Jitsugyo High School, entered the School of Science and Engineering in 1997 to study architecture. Joined a comic theatrical company. Entered Graduate School in 2001 and focused on urban planning under Prof. Haruhiko Goto. Dropped out of the PhD program in 2004 to join the "Shaplaneer" NPO as an intern. Worked in Japan and Nepal. Since 2005, has worked for the “Muchachaen” coop in Ehime Prefecture.

When it comes to "Career Design" and "Life Planning", people tend to think in terms of going straight towards their dreams. However, life is a complex mix of value systems and one can never tell what will prove to be the shortest path towards a dream. Walking the "Long and Winding Road" is not necessarily a waste of time. Take, for example, the experience of Waseda alumnus Yuki Uehara.

"Need to do" is more important than "Want to do"

After entering the School of Science and Engineering. Yuki Uehara joined a professionally-oriented theatrical company. He spent most of his time, from morning to evening, on practice and preparation, and then got around to his homework late at night. There was no time for him to earn money, to find a girlfriend, or even to sleep, but was satisfied with his life. "I was thinking of staying on after I graduated, even though I might not be able to make a living out of it. The theatrical company was such an interesting place that, as long as you could be part of it, you didn't care what kind of role you were given."

In the winter of his sophomore year, his beloved theatrical company disbanded. His dream shattered, he turned his attention to his studies. His presentations were well received and he was able to hold his own in discussions with graduate students. "Although the theatrical company taught me how to work with different materials, how to think flexibly, and how to communicate effectively, it wasn't the most important thing I learnt. The most precious thing that my theatrical company taught me was, instead of doing what you want to do, it's more important to look at everything and think about what you should be doing. I guess this is what gave me an edge over other students. ‘What you want to do’ is the icing on the cake." One of his urban planning projects was approved by his professor and he was able to enter graduate school, eventually enrolling in the doctoral program.

The serious problems facing by provincial areas and foreign countries. "I'm the one who is going to solve them."

When Yuki was a graduate student, he travelled around Japan doing research on how to encourage people to move to sparsely populated areas. He soon realized that people living in the provinces were not so much concerned about developing a unique local image as finding ways to attract tourists, brides and youngsters. His interest expanded to the impoverished areas of foreign countries. As this had nothing to do with his chosen academic field, he began to consider dropping out. Eventually, he decided to talk it over with his professor. To his complete surprise, his professor gave him his fullest support. He was overwhelmed and inspired.

After that, he worked for a year at a NGO, focusing on support activities for poor areas. On his fact-finding visits to foreign countries, he often went into access-prohibited slum areas. "What I found was that everyone, no matter where, wants to live a better life. Whether it's in a developing country or in a sparsely populated area of Japan, the needs are the same. Although it was a happy disappointment to me, that was the first time I realized that creating an interesting community has nothing to do with where you are."

Building communities in Ehime

After returning to Japan, Yuki discovered the “Muchachaen” through the Internet. Knowing that they focus on creating communities that promote stable agricultural production in Ehime, he decided to visit them. He was so impressed by the enthusiasm and vision of the founding members, and their commitment to integration with the local district, that he applied for a job. Now, as an office clerk, he is involved in challenging programs such as creating opportunities for the elderly, for non-Japanese residents, and for handicapped people. He is also involved in establishing an agricultural training system that will help women to be independent. He never stops searching for ways to make things better.

Although people who know him are surprised by the many changes in his life, he himself thinks he's walking down a straight path of his own choosing. He hopes that he will eventually get his parents to understand. For the time being, he'll have to continue his long-distance relationship with his girlfriend, who works for a major company. Even though his salary is not so high, his farming friends share their produce with him and he's not so badly off. But the most important thing is that he's satisfied. "It's not like I've decided to work forever at “Muchachaen”. But I get the same great feeling there that I did in my theatrical company. I'd like to continue working with interesting and stimulating people."