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Yoshihiko Mikami, IBM Japan Media Relations Software Division Director, moved to Nagano in February of 1997. Since then, he became involved in the Nagano Winter Olympic Games. However, Nagano is not foreign to Mikami. Mure village, north of Nagano City, provided refuge for his family during the heavy air raids of World War II, where they stayed until his fifth grade of elementary school. When IBM Japan began recruiting for employees to temporarily move to the Nagano branch office, Mikami applied. IBM, a Global Sponsor for the Olympics, provided the home page coverage of the Olympics.
Moving to Nagano brought many changes for Mikami, not just in his work life, but also in his spiritual life. In March of 1997, Mikami was baptized at the Nagano Sei Kyushu Episcopal Church. Years ago, as a graduate of the International Christian University in Tokyo, he attended church services often with a love of singing hymns and the peace he received there. After moving to Nagano last year, Mikami was living alone, separated from his family, and had time to reflect on his new life in Christ. God gave him a new Nagano friend who studied Christian history. Professor Takashi Shioiri, a devoted Christian historian, and Mikami had a chance to research the Christian history in his hometown area and in the whole Nagano Prefecture.
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Mikami studied many churches' histories: Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Catholic, and United Church of Christ in Japan (Kyodan). He was thankful for the missionaries from Canada, Germany, Finland, and Silesia, a border area between Poland and Czechoslovakia. Those were the people who built churches in the mountainous Nagano area more than 100 years ago. His church will also celebrate its 100-year anniversary in 1998.
While studying the church histories, Mikami was surprised to find that almost all the mission organizations represented the main Winter Olympic participating countries. His feelings then changed and Mikami wanted to volunteer for the Olympics. He ran computer training courses including basic computer use and how to access information on the Olympic home page. He was very proud of the people who volunteered for the Olympic Games who were the real support for the athletes.
Once the Games started, Mikami managed the Information Technology (IT) department at the Main Press Center, which was close to the ice hockey stadium, Big Hat. Ten to fifteen IBM staff and volunteers worked in three teams around the clock to support foreign press correspondents, global news agencies and press crews from small countries. After events, reporters returned to the press center to discuss and share information, an exciting memory for Mikami. He met one East European correspondent whose father was a pastor, and so he could not easily climb life's social ladder. The correspondent modestly said, "my work is just the same as a hotel bellboy who helps make the guests feel comfortable." Mikami enjoyed talking and listening to the stories of many reporters from abroad.
The journalists and volunteers totaled about 80,000 in the press village, each with their own e-mail address and free access to the Internet. The press center's 200-300 computers were busy everyday with reporters sending numerous e-mails outside Japan. Mikami and his staff worked to solve the technical problems. The IBM Olympic website received 600 million "hits" during the Games.
Mikami, 57, is also an active member of North Shinshu (the old word for Nagano) Christian Council Youth group. "You can be a member if you have a young heart," smiled Mikami. He commented that the Shinshu Youth group, also fondly known as "Ecumates", (See story, page 3) was well organized, since they worked with few volunteers, but each member cooperated and prepared together. He believes that the Olympic Games in Nagano, "was a breakthrough for local citizens. Nagano is surrounded by mountains and rather isolated from outsiders. There used to be many people who ran away when approached by foreigners on the streets. But by the end of Olympic Games, many Nagano people did not hesitate to try to communicate when talked to in English and no longer did they run away."
Returning to Nagano gave Mikami many new experiences. "For me the Olympics allowed me to come back to my home town, encounter Christ, learn about the local Christian history and to serve many non-Japanese. I feel satisfied by these experiences." Mikami also has begun to write a novel about Nagano. Now he must decide whether to stay in beautiful Nagano or return to Yokohama, but at least he will wait until after working for the March Paralympic Games. Only God knows what blessings that might bring to his next decision.
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