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There are many overlaps between what is nurtured by the practice of mindfulness and the cross-cultural ability required to be a bridge between cultures.

The Japanese Language Center for International Students at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies offers preparatory education for students who were selected for the government-sponsored scholarship program on the recommendation of Japanese diplomatic missions around the world. I have been providing multifaceted support for these students in their first year in Japan before proceeding to the degree programs at universities in various parts of Japan, through teaching, consulting, and coordinating preparatory educational programs. My students with diverse cultural backgrounds aim for degrees in natural sciences, social sciences, or humanities. So far, I have taught students from more than 130 countries. I extensively utilize the knowledge gained from these experiences in teaching courses at the graduate level. Through the expanse of technology makes it easier to access information, I feel the need to support students' mental self-care. To support students, I became the first certified teacher of Koru Mindfulness in Japan; it is an evidence-based curriculum specifically designed for teaching mindfulness, meditation, and stress management to college students and other young adults.

I found that there are many overlaps between what is nurtured by the practice of mindfulness and the cross-cultural ability required to be a bridge between cultures. The term VUCA World is an acronym for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. With the rapid development and spread of information technology and the ongoing pandemics, it will be helpful to make mindfulness a habit, paying attention to the present moment without making any judgment, to live in a society where it is difficult to keep going only with the knowledge gained from past experience.

In the speech at the 76th UN General Assembly in September 2021, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres remarked that our world has never been more divided, and that we face the greatest cascade of crises in our lifetimes. The Secretary General listed the six "Great Divides" that we must bridge at present. They are the peace divide, the climate divide, the gap between rich and poor, the gender divide, the digital divide, and the divide among generations. What can we do to bridge these Great Divides?

In my class at the Institute of Japan Studies, where students from diverse cultural backgrounds gather, I introduce several research frameworks and advise students to comprehend things through multiple frameworks rather than a single framework. We consider feasible ways to support refugees worldwide from Japan. Students learn from each other by presenting various approaches from the perspective of their respective fields of specialization. By thinking about feasible methods to bridge the divides from the perspective of Japan and disseminating these to the world, we will be able to move forward making small yet incremental advances to restore trust and hope.