Scouting in Japan started in 1912, only a few years after the U.S. adopted the program. The English Boy Scouts founder General Robert Baden-Powell visited Japan in 1912 and endorsed Scouting, but it wasn't officially embraced in japan until 1922 when it began to thrive, that is until WWII when it was almost completely eliminated. Rebuilding from scratch, the program was jump-started in the 1950's with the help of many prominent Japanese Community Leaders including Masaru Ibuka, the co-founder of Sony Electronics.
Japan Scouting received a big boost with the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo and has grown steadily ever since with approximately 150,000+ currently active. Next year in 2015, Japan is hosting the 23rd World Scout Jamboree in 2015 expecting over 30,000 Scouts to come to Yamaguchi from over 150 countries.
Ben and I (and the girls) visited the National offices in Tokyo, where our new friend Kenji-san gave us a tour of the Museum, Library, Store and Jamboree offices which currently employ 10-full time positions.
We explained our family trip, our Hinsdale Troop and asked a great deal of questions. We also exchanged patches and took some photos. Like our other foreign Boy Scout office stops, they could not have been happier to have us! We signed the guest book and were on our way back on the subway!
We hope to make at least 2-3 more introductions and patch exchanges on this trip. Sweden? Germany? France? Definitely England!
- Mike
Japan Scouting received a big boost with the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo and has grown steadily ever since with approximately 150,000+ currently active. Next year in 2015, Japan is hosting the 23rd World Scout Jamboree in 2015 expecting over 30,000 Scouts to come to Yamaguchi from over 150 countries.
Ben and I (and the girls) visited the National offices in Tokyo, where our new friend Kenji-san gave us a tour of the Museum, Library, Store and Jamboree offices which currently employ 10-full time positions.
We explained our family trip, our Hinsdale Troop and asked a great deal of questions. We also exchanged patches and took some photos. Like our other foreign Boy Scout office stops, they could not have been happier to have us! We signed the guest book and were on our way back on the subway!
We hope to make at least 2-3 more introductions and patch exchanges on this trip. Sweden? Germany? France? Definitely England!
- Mike
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