Creating Shared Spaces for Peace

In Japan’s places of memory and nature.

Transformative learning journeys in Okinawa, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and beyond.

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OUR PHILOSOPHY

Peace Education Beyond the Classroom

We believe peace is more than something we learn; it is something we experience, practice, and create together.

Through immersive learning in Japan's places of memory and nature, participants are invited to step into the stories of the past, connect with one another, and reflect on what peacebuilding means in today's world.

Programs combine historical inquiry, experiential learning, facilitated dialogue, and nature-based reflection to create transformative learning experiences that continue long after participants return home.

What is Common Ground?

At Common Ground Japan, "common ground" is more than a metaphor. It is the shared space where history, place, and human connection come together. Whether standing together in a peace park, a forest, or a circle of dialogue, participants are invited to explore different perspectives with curiosity and respect. We believe peace begins not with agreement, but with creating common ground where understanding can grow.

OUR APPROACH

Learning Through Place

We believe meaningful learning happens through experience. Rather than simply learning about history, participants engage with it in places that invite reflection, dialogue, and connection.

Places of Memory

Sites such as Okinawa, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki invite participants to engage deeply with histories of conflict, resilience, and reconciliation. These places become powerful learning environments where the past informs present understanding.

Experiential Learning

Interactive activities create shared experiences that help participants cultivate trust, empathy, and compassion while developing communication, collaboration, and critical thinking.

Reflection in Nature

Natural environments provide space to slow down, reflect, and make meaningful connections between history, personal experience, and possibilities for peace.

Dialogue & Action

Participants explore how lessons from the past can inform their relationships, communities, and responses to today's global challenges.

THE LEARNING JOURNEY

Every program follows a carefully facilitated learning process:

Explore

Engage with places of memory and the stories they hold.

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Experience

Participate in interactive activities and shared experiences.

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Reflect

Pause in nature for guided dialogue and reflection.

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Connect

Bridge the past and the present by connecting history to today's world and your own life.

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Act

Leave with new perspectives and practical ways to contribute to peace.

About the Founder

Hi, I’m John, an educator and peacebuilder with more than twenty years of experience living, learning, and working in Japan.

I hold a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University, where I specialized in international negotiation and conflict resolution, and pursued studies in education and international affairs at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. My background includes outdoor education through the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), as well as service on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program as a Coordinator for International Relations (CIR), where I taught in Japanese public schools.

I have designed and facilitated experiential peace education programs in Okinawa, Hiroshima, and other locations across Japan for high school and university students, educators, and adult learners. My work brings together places of memory, experiential learning, facilitated dialogue, and reflection in nature to help participants explore history, develop empathy, and connect lessons from the past with the challenges of today.

These experiences led me to found Common Ground Japan, an organization dedicated to peace education through Japan’s places of memory and nature. I believe peace begins by creating shared spaces where people can understand one another with openness, curiosity, and respect. My hope is that every program invites participants to reflect, connect across differences, and discover new possibilities for peace.

Our Programs

Okinawa Peace Learning Journey

An immersive exploration of the Battle of Okinawa and its enduring legacy through historical sites, experiential learning, dialogue, and reflection in nature.

Educator Workshops

Professional learning experiences equipping educators with experiential peace education approaches they can adapt to their own classrooms and communities.

Hiroshima & Nagasaki Peace Experiences

Reflective learning experiences exploring the human impact of war, nuclear history, and the ongoing pursuit of peace through dialogue, empathy, and deeper understanding.

Custom Programs

Collaboratively designed learning experiences for schools, universities, NGOs, community organizations, and visiting groups throughout Japan.

Participant Voices & Reflections

I feel like the sessions really brought meaning to everything we were doing. We were no longer tourists looking at cool monuments but actually exploring the deep meaning behind the places we went to and why or how they came to be.
— Okinawa Participant
It was eye-opening as it really allowed me to see things from a wider perspective, and let me learn to take time in understanding what other people's reasoning behind their perspective is before I judge too quickly.
— Okinawa Participant
This experience brought out both much needed peace and much needed reflection on the things that were causing me turmoil in my life. It should go to prove the importance of this space, the harmony within the group, and how much closer you have brought some of us.
— Hiroshima Participant
I have to confess that I didn't think that such an experience would be so impactful to me. I rarely have felt so calm, accepted, and accepting. I think it was a really good bonding experience for us to do at the beginning of our trek, and I am really thankful to John for doing it.
— Hiroshima Participant
I learned that it is important to use visual representation to teach people. As you used different visual activities, like pushing elbows, it helped to visualize and model the situation to analyze it properly. Also, I would apply the spectrum of stances to the future negotiations to make them more constructive.
— Okinawa Participant
In our visits to museums and other sites, I feel the culture and I see the history, these experiences provoke thinking and insights. However, it's these sessions that helped me to turn those abstract feelings into actual gains and reflections. Moreover, these sessions helped me to further expand my thoughts and learning, putting what I learned in Okinawa into a global context and understand how they can be applied in a broader context.
— Okinawa Participant
I thought it was amazing and I hope I get the opportunity to work with John again, wherever in the world. I know if I did I would take up the offer in a heartbeat. I know there is so much more to learn and this is just a taste of what peace really feels like. However, it was a great and big step forward that will stay with me forever. I want to learn about peace with every place I visit and create meaning and lessons out the experiences I have. Experiential learning can be done anywhere and I will take the lessons I learn in Okinawa and apply it everywhere.
— Okinawa Participant
With the initiation of how to 'win' each task I immediately thought of using force (such as the fist exercise). I thought juxtaposing this against cooperation and dialogue as an alternative was powerful. I will think of this exercise in future negotiations.
— Hiroshima Participant
To be able to imagine war/peace in such a significant setting in world history was very powerful. Having walked through the museum and learned from all the written recounts as well as the spoken one provided me with a new perspective on nuclear disarmament, world peace, and ugliness of war.
— Hiroshima Participant
I like the idea of visualising our own stands, as this approach allows us to genuinely understand that apart from the simple distinction between "agree" and "disagree," there's also different extents to which everyone agrees or disagrees about an opinion. Also, I heard so many interesting arguments and discussions from my peers during this activity which gave me access to new perspectives.
— Okinawa Participant

Let’s Connect

Whether you're planning a student program, educator workshop, or customized learning experience, I'd be delighted to hear from you. Together, we can explore how experiential peace education in Japan can support your learning goals.