Containing forty interviews of immigrants from various countries residing in Japan, the Database of Immigrant Narratives (DIN; www.icnresearch.net) was created in 2022 to provide substitutional intercultural encounters through which learners gain the opportunity to encounter individuals to whom they lack physical access. Each interview provides: 1) immigrant cultural background information, 2) immigrant motivations for relocating to Japan, 3) challenges involved in transitioning to Japanese society, and 4) future aspirations. Grounded in pedagogy from the field of Narrative Medicine, classroom application of the DIN begins with learners researching the cultural backgrounds of interviewees following video encounters; however, unlike curricula focused on gaining information-based understandings of culture, the primary objective of the DIN involves assisting learners engage in perspective taking to consider how they would act and feel in culturally diverse situations. Through empathic immersion into immigrant narratives, learners deepen their understanding of who immigrants are, where they come from, and why they choose to live and work in Japan.
In addition to introducing the concepts underscoring the DIN, this presentation outlines its use in a third-year seminar class for English majors at a private Japanese university.