Vice Chancellor Flauvis Lilly of the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB) in the U.S.A. and members of the student inspection and training program majoring in gerontology visited the prefectural office. The state of Maryland and the prefecture have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of life sciences as well as a friendship partnership. When I visited the state in October last year, I heard about the establishment of this training program from Vice Chancellor Lilly and others, and this visit to Japan was a realization.

During the interview, I explained the prefecture's initiatives, etc., and then exchanged opinions. People from the University of Maryland expressed their sympathy for the concept of "Kanagawa for Vibrant Inochi - Vibrant INOCHI -" and talked about the role of government in promoting healthy aging.

In the training program, in order to learn advanced cases in Japan, which has become a super-aging society, we plan to visit universities and facilities in the prefecture that are engaged in initiatives related to aging over a period of about two weeks. In the future, we would like to continue to communicate our prefecture's healthcare and new frontier policy initiatives through such opportunities for opinion exchanges and inspections, and to collaborate with related organizations.

Read the full account on the Kanagawa Prefecture Government's website.

We started our day outside on a new train. Everyone seems to be getting more accustomed to the hustle and bustle of the Yokohama station and how to navigate it.

We made our way to the Robocare Center where some of us got to try on the equipment and learn the ways technology is incorporated in recovery and injury prevention. I tried on one which supported my back and muscles!

Afterwards we got lunch and then we had to find the bus, it was like follow the leader and we started running to keep up pace with our fearless leader Mio! The bus brought us to iPark Shonan Health Innovation Park, where they have collaboration between countless different fields ranging from pharmaceuticals and oncology all the way to AI! The design and amenities of the building made it seem like it belongs at the Apple headquarters!

Matthew Prusz
Masters of Physician Assistant Student at UM Graduate School

Today, we had the privilege of visiting a Choju-kai. Choju-kai is a nursing home that has been successfully operating since its founding in 1953. Here, long-term care, short-term care, and daycare services are offered for over 100 residents. There are approximately 100 staff working together at this facility to provide quality care for residents, including administration, nurses, kitchen staff, and occupational therapists. The mean age of all residents at Choju-kai is 92, and some residents have lived there for more than a decade!

Notably, the service cost was significantly lower than in the United States. With the help of long-term care insurance, a private room will cost approximately $1000 per month. Even without the insurance, the fee is around $3500 per month, which is still less than half of the average cost spent on nursing home facilities in the United States. Choju-kai is equipped with comprehensive amenities from a full kitchen, a medical suite, and a bathing facility to maintain and improve the residents' quality of life.

After visiting Choju-kai, we visited the Meigetsuin Temple, also known as the "hydrangea temple." Today was one beautiful rainy day, and blue hydrangeas were in full bloom. Lastly, we visited the great Buddha of Kamakura, which is 43 feet tall!

Nayeon Kim
PhD Student at UM School of Nursing

Today we became seasoned professionals at navigating Japan's public transportation system. We found a rhythm moving as a pack from train to bus and back again as we traveled around Kanagawa and Tokyo.

Our morning was spent at Tokai University where we were warmly welcomed by faculty and students from the Department of Health Management. Much like our group, a diverse range of fields were represented among the research presented by faculty. There were many laughs all around as TU students guided us through a series of physical health tests assessing bone density, body composition, grip strength, and more.

Later in the day we traveled to Tokyo for a presentation at the World Health Organization. Both the presentation on healthy aging and the city views from the 34th floor left everyone impressed. The views continued to amaze as we headed up Tokyo Skytree, the tallest free-standing tower in the world. From the tower we caught our first glimpse of Mount Fuji in the distance.

Sarah Clem
PhD Student at UM School of Social Work

Graduate School of Health Studies and School of Health Studies welcomed students and faculty from the University of Maryland Graduate School in the United States to present their research, exchange opinions, and tour facilities at Shonan Campus on June 16. The Graduate School has students studying a wide range of fields, including gerontology, medicine, nursing, and social work, and for the first time organized a two-week training program to see and learn from the efforts of Japanese government, companies, universities, and private organizations in Japan's super-aging society. As part of the program, the students visited the Tokai University Department after being introduced by the International Strategy Group, Inochi/ Future Strategy Division, Policy Bureau, Kanagawa Prefectural Government Club Rooms.

At the beginning, students from Tokai University Graduate School Graduate School of Health Studies gave a welcome speech, and Professor Seiji Ariga introduced Tokai University and his own research, touched on the decline in muscle mass due to age, and discussed the benefits of training at nursing homes. I explained the situation and the changing fitness industry in Japan. Professor Fumiko Mega, Junior Associate Professor Jun Yasuda, Associate Professor Masaki Miyazawa, and Associate Professor Takeo Shibata then introduced their own research. Various topics such as changes in the local community, the need for muscle mass and protein intake, the development of new anticancer drugs, health bus initiatives, and health management using Graduate School apps will be explained. and actively exchanged opinions. After that, the faculty members of Tokai University and the students of the graduate school guided us around the research equipment and facilities in Building 5. In addition to measuring body composition, bone density, muscle mass, etc., we also challenged the "standing up test", which is one of the "locomo degree tests" installed in Building 5.

Takashi Yamashita Professor of the University of Maryland Graduate School commented, "The research at School of Health Studies was very broad and gave me a variety of perspectives, and I had a very meaningful time thinking about gerontology." Kyota Koitabashi (Graduate School Graduate School of Health Studies, first-year student), who was in charge of planning the facility tour, said, "I prepared for the tour by thinking about how to explain an idea that originated in Japan, like locomotive syndrome, and how to get people interested in our research field. It was difficult to explain in English, but I am glad that everyone listened with great interest. I hope we can continue to cooperate and exchange ideas in the future. Aruga Professor said, "We wanted the students to have an opportunity to look at the world and deepen their studies in their field of specialization and in English. While deepening exchanges among faculty members and students, we also hope that the students will be motivated to challenge themselves at international conferences.

Read more on Tokai University's website.

 

After starting the morning out with a hot bottle of coffee, a visit to my favorite little shrine, and a walk along the Toyouku flower greenway, I met the group for our day’s visits. First, we took a long hike to the Sotetsu line and headed out to the Kanagawa Cancer Center. Here we learned about the trends of cancer occurrence in an aging population from a group led by Dr. Narimatsu, chief of the Cancer Prevention and Control Division and direct of the Division of Genetic Medicine at the cancer center. One big takeaway I had here was that while older women were at greater risk for most varieties of cancer studied than older men, men have a higher incidence of lung cancer since they have a higher likelihood of a smoking history.

In the afternoon, we took a maze of taxis, trains and busses to the Kanagawa University of Human Services School of Health Innovation. Here, we enjoyed a series of presentations that gave us a broader understanding of Mi-Byo research and its implementation in Kanagawa prefecture. We also got the opportunity to learn about the program at this school. Hearing Yu Sakamoto’s story of being involved in pharmaceutical regulation with the government, then signing on at Japan’s Merk subsidiary, and now enrolling in the program at the School of Health Innovation to learn from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives resonated with my process and reasoning for pursuing higher education.

We students (and Taka-sensei, who is most certainly not a student) got to give a brief presentation on our work to the school as well. I kicked it off with a headshot of me eating the Maryland food, crabs, and then talked about a project I’m involved with studying the difference in chronic outcomes of traumatic brain injury in young versus aged mice at a cellular level. It was wonderful getting to hear the work my peers our doing in a more formal setting, and I just want to say that Eric and Matt pitched there job so well that maybe I should think about being a P.A. instead. Once the day was over, we wandered toward Haneda airport, got to stop for a brief introduction and some beautiful views at Kanagawa Life innovation Center, and I took a train out for a solo evening in Ginza.

Benjamin Grissom
PhD Student in Molecular Medicine

Social connection is an integral part of the human experience. However, it is not uncommon for older people to be socially isolated. Increased longevity can mean having more years to look forward to; at the same time, societies are arguably unprepared to support the continued engagement of older adults in later life. Post-retirement, older adults can find themselves on the periphery of society. Added to this, later-life changes in physical functioning and health status can challenge older adults’ mobility and thus their ability to maintain social connections. That said, loneliness and social isolation does not have to be the order of the day.

In fact, today’s tour of the Wakabadai housing complex showcased an intriguing example of a community that provides a quality life for older adults. Wakabadai supports social connection: older adults are actively engaged, particularly via volunteer service throughout the community; and older residents who live alone would frequently convene in communal spaces. Wakabadai also features a range of amenities including a grocery store, hair salon and bookstore. Prioritizing safety, vehicular traffic is separate from the pedestrian and bicycle paths. Built specifically for intergenerational living and thus intentional connection across generations, our visit to the Wakabadai housing complex was an insightful one.
Video about Wakabadai 

Donnette Narine
PhD Student in Gerontology at UMB and UMBC

On our last day in Yokohama, we convened for a final reflective conversation. After sharing our contemplation on the goals we established prior to this trip, we quickly progressed into conducting an in-depth discussion on the interplay between various fields (e.g., business, government policy, healthcare, and research) positively impact endeavors towards long-term care and quality of life of the older population in Japan.

Our critical analysis of how the U.S. and Japan align and differs in supporting older adults included the following: (1) How the collectivism and relative homogeneity in the Japanese population facilitates community building/outreach/education through shared experience impacting health; and (2) How to increase the accessibility of the cutting edge technology to serve a larger population to achieve health equity.

We concluded by sharing our appreciation for aspects of the course that were particularly beneficial towards shaping our “ikigai,” a meaningful purpose of life that motivates us to start a new day. Some students developed empathy towards patients facing language barriers, which inspired them to actively recruit medical interpreters into practice. Some students contemplated ways to integrate and apply takeaways from this course into their research and clinical practice.

Afterward, we took our one last train trip to Tokyo. At Asakusa, where tradition meets modern society, we appreciated the vibrant beauty of Sensoji temple, the delicacies of dango, and relaxation over a cup of traditional herbal tea. While capturing the Sensoji Temple with Tokyo Skytree, I was reminded of Haruki Murakami’s quote, ”Through the seamless integration of tradition and technology, Japan has found a way to improve the quality of life and longevity of its citizens while staying rooted in its cultural values."

During my two weeks immersion in Japan, I had the great privilege of learning about the Japanese approach towards life while receiving invaluable wisdom that accompanies the passage of time, as Paulo Coelho stated: “The only way to learn is to live.” I seek to cherish these invaluable insights as I endeavor to enhance the quality of life for my future patients.

Euna Cho
MD Student at UM School of Medicine