「From Hawai‘i to Japan: Community Networks and the Development of Autism Support around “Team Lenny”」

Annoucement forwarded from H-Japan in the H-Net Commons:

The final talk in the CIEE Kyoto Seminar Series this Spring, on Friday, April 3, 2026 by Benjamin Dorman (Senior Research Fellow, Nanzan University Anthropological Institute):

From Hawai‘i to Japan: Community Networks and the Development of Autism Support around “Team Lenny”

Abstract:

This talk examines the development of a community-based network around an autistic child in Japan and the forms of practical knowledge that emerged through that process. When our son began to show early signs associated with autism, we sought advice from specialists in Japan but were largely encouraged to “wait and see.” In contrast, time spent in Hawai‘i exposed us to a different environment of diagnosis, family services, and parent support networks. After returning to Japan, we gathered a small group of volunteers around our son in our home, forming what we called Team Lenny. Over several years, volunteers met regularly in a playroom environment shaped largely by what we learned through online communities andfrom teachers we later engaged directly. Through ongoing interaction and reflection, the group developed shared forms of practical knowledge about engaging with an autistic child. During the COVID-19 pandemic, some interactions later continued online before the network gradually wound down as our son grew older.

Although centered on one child, the experience later intersected with institutional settings. In 2016, a crowdfunding campaign connected us with the director of the NPO Tokotoko, who invited us to share our experience with teachers at the Hidamari no Ie center. Elements of the approach were later incorporated into Tokotoko’s "To Heart" program. The talk reflects on how knowledge about autism support can emerge through collaboration between families, volunteers, and childcare professionals.

Please note this talk begins at 18:00 and will be run in hybrid format from CIEE Kyoto (6th Floor, Gion Classroom) with Zoom access available.

Format & Venue

Time: 18:00–19:30 (JST), unless stated differently
Location: CIEE Kyoto, 6th Floor, Gion Classroom and Zoom (hybrid)

Registration

Please register in advance for either in-person or online participation:

In-person (CIEE Kyoto): [On-Site Registration] CIEE Kyoto Seminar Series - Benjamin Dorman – Fill in form

Zoom (online): https://ciee.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gMMpzz0VSJW08y-hDSr7WQ#/registration

The drama "Midnight Diner" is getting a new season after 7 years!

It was announced on the 17th that a new series of the drama " Midnight Diner," starring actor Kaoru Kobayashi, is in production. This will be the first new series in seven years, and it has been decided that it will be broadcast in the fall of 2026 in the "Dramaism" slot on MBS and TBS... "Midnight Diner" is based on the comic of the same name by Yaro Abe, which is known as one of Japan's leading national "food" comics, with the series selling over 9 million copies worldwide . It was first adapted into a drama in 2009 with Kobayashi in the lead role. The story is set in a diner in a corner of a bustling city, and depicts the small stories that unfold at the counter as various customers of different genders, ages, and backgrounds visit the shop.

See the full story at Yahoo News: https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ce9cae89a414dc176a596eb8c41ced767b5d7867

"Mari Katayama wins inaugural Mori Art Prize"

Photo source: https://www.akionagasawa.com/en/artist/mari-katayama/GINZA/

Mari Katayama received the inaugural Mori Art Award grand prize at a ceremony at the Roppongi Hills Club in Tokyo on Feb. 26. This biennial award for Japan-based, mid-career artists comes with a ¥10 million monetary prize and the opportunity to hold an exhibition at the Mori Art Museum. It is among the largest payouts for a single contemporary artist in Japan, surpassing the Tokyo Contemporary Art Award, which distributes ¥3 million each to two artists.
...
Katayama, 39, works with analog photography and handicraft practices such as embroidery and needlework, designing and handsewing objects she attaches to her body that she then captures in self-portraits. Her creations challenge preconceptions about the human body, disability, gender, nature, beauty and fashion. She was born with tibial hemimelia, a congenital condition affecting limb development, which resulted in a cleft hand and the amputation of both her legs at age 9. On her website, she describes the core of her artistic practice as “living every day within her own body, which she uses as a living sculpture, mannequin and lens through which to reflect society.”

Read the whole story at The Japan Times: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/03/02/art/mori-art-museum-prize/

Mari Katayama | 片山真理 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katayamari/

Cover your mouth please (Japan Today Picture of the Day)

Caption: A manners poster on the wall of a Tokyo subway station reminds passengers to cover their mouth when they sneeze or cough.

Source: https://japantoday.com/category/picture-of-the-day/cover-your-mouth-please

"Osaka police arrest man in his 90s for alleged graffiti"

Japanese police arrested a man in his 90s Thursday for allegedly defacing a sign at a prosecutor's office in the city of Osaka, a local officer said. A security guard at the government building in the city made an emergency call saying "graffiti had been scrawled on a sign with red lacquer paint," according to the senior Osaka police officer.

Following the emergency call at around 9:45 a.m. that day, officers rushed to the scene to "arrest the man, who had already been held by the security guard, on suspicion of property damage," he said.

The stone sign at the front of the building bearing the words "Public Prosecutor's Office" had been defaced, the officer added.

The man — who the officer said was in his 90s but declined to specify his exact age — later admitted to investigators that he had "dirtied" the sign.

The man did not appear to be politically motivated, according to the officer.

Source (photo and text): https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/27/japan/crime-legal/elderly-osaka-graffiti-arrest

Jesse Jackson (October 8, 1941 – February 17, 2026): "Keep Hope Alive"

Jesse Jackson surrounded by marchers carrying signs advocating support for the Hawkins-Humphrey Bill for full employment, near the White House, Washington, D.C.

Photo Source:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jesse_Jackson_participating_in_a_rally,_January_15,_1975.jpg

Jalan Jalan (107) pt.2: the challenges and charms of the neighborhood...

Jalan Jalan (107) pt.1: sunny and warm; almost feels like spring is coming; taking in the ume (plum) blossoms at the local shrine...

The last day of the holidays; classes begin tomorrow... Aside from preparing for classes, these are some of the things I did today - in two-frame style...

We received a box of daikon (大根) from my wife's brother in rural Aichi Prefecture...

I documented the worn handicapped parking spot at our locl convenience store...

I encountered a black cat, but she didn't cross my path. Still, I went to our local shrine (scroll VAoJ for the many photos of the shrine) to pray for a successful semester, good health for family and friends and world peace...

I bought some pineapple candy (パインアメ) to ring in the new semester and spring training for the Hanshin Tigers...

Tondo Matsuri at Ubusuna Shrine scheduled for January 15, 2026 has been canceled. 2026年1月15日に予定されていた産土神社のとんど祭りは中止となりました。

Ubusuna Shrine, Shirogaki-cho, Kadoma-shi, Osaka-fu, Japan

One of two small hand-made signs at our neighborhood shrine.

The Tondo Festival (とんど祭り) is conducted annually on January 15 to coincide with ko-shogatsu (小正月), or "small new year." Ko-shogatsu is a holdover from the time when Japan used a lunar calendar and is acknowledges appreciation for housewives who were busy during the New Year; it also marks the "conclusion" of New Year's events. This festival has many names (Dondo yaki - どんど焼き - is a common name but there are many others) and local variations. It seems to be a large celebration in various locations across Japan. But my neighborhood version could barely be called a festival as it was practiced in a very low key manner. At the Tondo Matsuri, shimekazari (a traditional New Years decoration hanged at the entrance to a house), omamori (good luck charms), ofuda (talisman), ema (votive tablets) as well as other religious or new year's related ornaments are burned. This is in effect a sort of recycling - these various ornaments are returned after a year or so of use and new ones are purchased. This is also an important community service as many neighbors come during the morning to drop off their used New Year's or religious paraphernalia. It is actually a lot of hard work but also a chance to share New Year's greetings and scoialize with neighbors.

Tondo Matsuri at Ubusuna Shrine, January 15, 2025

But it was canceled this year, probably as fallout from the resignations of the shrine elders (as previously explained in a previous post) who conducted the Tondo Matsuri every year. I do not intend to blame the elders as many other traditional neighborhood activies have been shortened or canceled due to demographic changes and gentrification in Japanese neighborhoods like my own.

The signs at the shrine announce the cancelation and inform neighbors that a Tondo Matsuri will be conducted at the parent shrine,「島頭天満宮」Shimagashira Tenmangu Shrine, a 10-15 minute walk from「産土神社」Ubusuna Shrine, and invites people to drop off their items there (and to not bring their regular daily garbage for disposal). I usually have to work on January 15, but I was able to participate in the festival last year, not knowing that the shrine elders would resign and that it might be the last time the festival would be held. So the VAoJ post documenting the evetn becomes an important recording as salvage ethnography. View it here:

「とんど祭り @ 産土神社 2025」Tondo Matsuri @ Ubusuna Shrine 2025

https://visualanthropologyofjapan.blogspot.com/2025/01/2025tondo-matsuri-ubusuna-shrine-2025.html

I also participated in 2013:

Tondo Festival - とんど祭り (2013)

https://visualanthropologyofjapan.blogspot.com/2013/01/tondo-festival.html

It is my hope that my neighborhood can somehow reorganize to revive the shrine, its activities and other neighborhood traditions.

Bonus stuff (added 1/21/26):

January 8, 2026

Source: https://japantoday.com/category/national/elderly-woman-burned-as-clothes-catch-fire-at-new-year-bonfire-in-hokkaido

Dondo-yaki: Japan’s Fiery Farewell to the New Year (a simple explanantion found on GaijinPotBlog): https://blog.gaijinpot.com/dondo-yaki-japans-fiery-farewell-to-the-new-year/