This series explores topics surrounding women who began their careers in Japan following the implementation of equal opportunities employment legislation in the mid-1980s. With many now reaching the age of retirement, it is hoped their stories can provide insight and lessons for women in Japan's professional world today.
In the early 1980s, Makiko Nakamori — then a high school student — found herself in a small Idaho town with a population of just 400.
She was selected as a participant in of one of the prestigious AFS Intercultural Programs, which have been sending Japanese high school students on exchange trips abroad since 1954. Having grown up entirely in Japan until then, “the one year spent in Idaho was a turning point,” said Nakamori, who enjoyed communicating in English during her time there.