Former chairperson of Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation creates “Peace Culture Village”
Apr. 2, 2015
by Keiichi Nohira, Staff Writer
Steven Leeper, 67, the former chairperson of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, located in Naka Ward, has moved from Hiroshima to Miyoshi to create the “Peace Culture Village,” a hub of exchange where peace is contemplated in a rural setting. The village plans to bring in guests from Japan and abroad to serve as a place of international exchange.
Mr. Leeper is making use of an old farm house in the Kounu area of Miyoshi City as the base for the site. People at the Peace Culture Village will take part in various activities such as performing farm work in the fields and rice paddies, exploring the woods and bamboo forest, renovating the farm house, and organizing concerts and arts activities. Working together with others involved in peace activities in Japan and other countries, local residents, and sponsors, Mr. Leeper plans to hold the village’s first event this summer.
Mr. Leeper was born in the U.S. state of Illinois. While serving as the chairperson of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation for six years, starting in April 2007, and working on peace activities, he felt “There’s no end to conflict in the world over resources like oil and food. Japanese will face big problems in the future.” With the belief that “We are living in a convenient and materialistic world now, but I hope to change people’s awareness of affluence, little by little, and demonstrate a model for sustainable living,” he came to envision the idea of establishing a village of peace and culture.
His connection with Kounu began when his second son, Yoshio, 37, worked for two years at Kounu Junior High School as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT). He chose Kounu as the site because he was acquainted with the local residents through his frequent visits to the area, and felt its abundant nature would embody his vision for the village.
The traditional farm house is a two-story structure built over 100 years ago. The site also has 6000 square meters of fields and rice paddies. The house was originally owned by the parents of Kazumitsu Suzuki, 66, the head of a publishing company in Higashi Ward, Hiroshima, who came to know Mr. Leeper during a book project 15 years ago. When Mr. Leeper shared his idea for the village, Mr. Suzuki offered to let Mr. Leeper use his parents’ old house. Mr. Leeper then moved to Kounu this past January. “I’d like the activities of the village to take root and eventually open a Peace Culture Village in America, too,” he said. To contact Steven Leeper about his work, call 080-4267-3566.
(Originally published on March 27, 2015)
Steven Leeper, 67, the former chairperson of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, located in Naka Ward, has moved from Hiroshima to Miyoshi to create the “Peace Culture Village,” a hub of exchange where peace is contemplated in a rural setting. The village plans to bring in guests from Japan and abroad to serve as a place of international exchange.
Mr. Leeper is making use of an old farm house in the Kounu area of Miyoshi City as the base for the site. People at the Peace Culture Village will take part in various activities such as performing farm work in the fields and rice paddies, exploring the woods and bamboo forest, renovating the farm house, and organizing concerts and arts activities. Working together with others involved in peace activities in Japan and other countries, local residents, and sponsors, Mr. Leeper plans to hold the village’s first event this summer.
Mr. Leeper was born in the U.S. state of Illinois. While serving as the chairperson of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation for six years, starting in April 2007, and working on peace activities, he felt “There’s no end to conflict in the world over resources like oil and food. Japanese will face big problems in the future.” With the belief that “We are living in a convenient and materialistic world now, but I hope to change people’s awareness of affluence, little by little, and demonstrate a model for sustainable living,” he came to envision the idea of establishing a village of peace and culture.
His connection with Kounu began when his second son, Yoshio, 37, worked for two years at Kounu Junior High School as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT). He chose Kounu as the site because he was acquainted with the local residents through his frequent visits to the area, and felt its abundant nature would embody his vision for the village.
The traditional farm house is a two-story structure built over 100 years ago. The site also has 6000 square meters of fields and rice paddies. The house was originally owned by the parents of Kazumitsu Suzuki, 66, the head of a publishing company in Higashi Ward, Hiroshima, who came to know Mr. Leeper during a book project 15 years ago. When Mr. Leeper shared his idea for the village, Mr. Suzuki offered to let Mr. Leeper use his parents’ old house. Mr. Leeper then moved to Kounu this past January. “I’d like the activities of the village to take root and eventually open a Peace Culture Village in America, too,” he said. To contact Steven Leeper about his work, call 080-4267-3566.
(Originally published on March 27, 2015)
