Honoring The Rehabilitation Act of 1973

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By Mary Greenfield

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 passed crucial supports for people with disabilities that remain central to the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) system we know today. Known simply as the Rehab Act, this legislation stands on the shoulders of decades of public rehabilitation laws in the United States. In celebration of the anniversary of the Rehab Act, The Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth) honors this legislation by outlining its history and importance for youth and young adults with disabilities.  

A Short History

The earliest acts establishing rehabilitation services in the United States were passed in 1918 and 1920. These rehabilitation acts provided soldiers returning injured from World War I and civilians with disabilities, respectively, access to employment services. While helpful for supporting veterans and some of the general population in obtaining employment, these initial acts limited the provision of VR services to people with specific disabilities.

The federal government passed subsequent amendments to these acts in 1943, 1954, and 1965. Overall, these amendments:

  1. Provided VR services to a greater diversity of disability types;
  2. expanded infrastructure for VR centers;
  3. diversified the types of services VR could offer; and
  4. increased funding for the public VR system as it grew in popularity across the United States.

By the end of the 1960s, the VR system was streamlined to serve tens of thousands of people with disabilities, while its earliest iterations only served thousands. Disability rights activists around this time began lobbying for a renewed focus on serving people with the most significant disabilities.

Enacting the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

In response to these sentiments, President Nixon signed the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. There are seven titles in the Rehab Act. A few of the great things the Rehab Act achieved was:

  • creation of Independent Living Services Program; the Centers for Independent Living Program; and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research;
  • renewed focus on VR service delivery to people with the most significant disabilities;
  • customization of VR services to meet the individual needs of people with disabilities; and
  • reduction of physical barriers to attaining employment.

Section 504

One of the reasons the Rehab Act is so famous is found in Title V. This title is a civil rights provision – the first civil rights legislation for people with disabilities in the United States. The standards established in this title were used in Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Section 504 of the Rehab Act is particularly important for youth and young adults with disabilities, the focus of CAPE-Youth’s work.

Section 504 states:

No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States, as defined in section 705(20) of this title, shall, solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance or under any program or activity conducted by any Executive agency or by the United States Postal Service.

Simply, Section 504 makes it illegal for the government, and any program or organization using government funding, to discriminate against individuals with disabilities in employment practices or in program participation.

Regulations for enforcing Section 504 of the Rehab Act were only passed after a protest movement of the disability community. The movement included many young adults and people from varied backgrounds who demanded 504’s implementation and full civil rights.

Equal Access to Education

The education system is one of the largest entities in the United States receiving federal funds. For youth and young adults with disabilities, Section 504 requires education systems to provide reasonable accommodations to promote equal access to all aspects of the educational experience while in school.

Outside of the classroom, Section 504 regulations mandate the accessibility of school buildings and facilities to students with disabilities. In the classroom, Section 504 defines a qualifying student with a disability. This definition serves as the guideline for who has access to receiving a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Providing a FAPE entails accommodating students with disabilities so they can participate and benefit from the educational environment to the same extent as nondisabled students. Because of Section 504, schools now identify students that are eligible for specialized accommodations because of their disability, then outline what services should be provided. Schools also have procedures in place to evaluate the effectiveness of supports and rework accommodations if needed.

A 504 plan is a document outlining the accommodations, interventions, and resources a student with a disability needs to successfully perform in a generalized education setting. This is usually administered by school staff in consultation with a 504 team made up of teachers, guidance counselors, and a parent/guardian. A 504 plan operates similarly to an Individualized Education Program (IEP), but outlines changes that can be made to the learning environment instead of accommodations related to the curriculum.

When students reach the postsecondary level, or college, many of the federally mandated supports from the high school level no longer apply. However, these students with disabilities are still protected under Section 504, which requires Institutions of Higher Education receiving federal assistance to provide necessary supports for students with documented disabilities. Postsecondary accommodations under 504 are available through an application process, which vary depending on institutional requirements. Generally, students share any documentation of their disability with a disability services representative and work with them to determine what they need for success in a postsecondary environment.

Equal Access to Workforce Services

Section 504 also has implications for students entering the workforce. It says that employers who receive federal funding (i.e., covered employers) cannot discriminate against qualified applicants with a disability. For example, Section 504 limits covered employers from asking medical questions about a disability during the job application process.

Section 504 also requires covered employers to provide reasonable workplace accommodations and supports to employees with disabilities, as needed and requested, as long as the accommodations will not create an undue hardship. Regulations also prohibit an employer from retaliating against employees who ask for accommodations. The protections and requirements of Section 504, paired with the vocational training resources put in place by other sections of the Rehabilitation Act, provide a network of resources for youth and young adults with disabilities to access the workforce.

To learn more about the protections of Section 504, click here. To stay up to date with CAPE-Youth, follow @CSG_CAPEYouth on Twitter/X and like CAPE-Youth on Facebook. If you have questions about the policies or programs in your state that support youth and young adults with disabilities, check out our website or submit a free request for technical assistance.

Long-Term Care Workforce the Focus of Pennsylvania Summit

A June 21 in-person and virtual summit in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, expanded on a 10-year strategic plan unveiled by the state to meet the needs of its older residents. Through the summit, participants highlighted ways to support the long-term care workforce and caregivers, as well as strategies to support them.

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OVI releases resources for supporting voters in military service, their families and US citizens living abroad

The Overseas Voting Initiative has released two resources to help election officials support military service members, their family members and U.S. citizens living abroad who are interested in voting from abroad. Both publications were developed in collaboration with our working group of state and local election officials and the U.S. Department of Defense Federal Voting Assistance Program.

The first resource is a toolkit for state and local election officials that are building relationships with military installations in their community. Titled “Toolkit: Building Relationships with Local Installations,” this resource provides seven tools that can be used to build lasting relationships with military bases. It also includes a helpful email template for outreach to the voting assistance officer assigned to the military base near you.

Building Relationships with Local Installations

The second resource outlines a series of best practices for websites that support military service members, their families and U.S. citizens living abroad. These nine best practices highlight how states can ensure that their election websites provide the most utility for these voters. By ensuring valuable information can be found online, these voters who may not be able to call during regular business hours will be able to answer questions they may have.

Best Practices for State UOCAVA Web Pages

For questions, please contact [email protected] or Casandra Hockenberry at [email protected].

It’s a Grand New Flag!

By Trey Delida

“Let’s run it up the flagpole” is a figurative phrase legislators use when workshopping a new idea. Recently, however, the phrase has taken on a literal meaning as a number of states have introduced or approved a major redesign of their state flags.

“In the last 20-25 years, there are two fundamental reasons why states are changing their flags. The first is offensive symbolism. The second is poor design,” according to Ted Kaye, secretary of the North American Vexillology Association (NAVA).

Kaye has been involved in several flag redesigns in the states and internationally in the past two decades. In 2016, he compiled the works of 20 vexillologists/vexillographers into a booklet entitled, “’Good’ Flag, ‘Bad’ Flag,” which lists the five principles of good flag design. These guiding principles are often referenced in the flag redesign process and have become a touchstone for the creation of new flags.

The Five Principles of Flag Design

Based on these principles, states like Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Alaska, Maryland and South Carolina exhibit the qualities of good flag design through their simple yet memorable composition.

Almost 20 years ago, NAVA administered a survey asking people to rate the design qualities of U.S. and Canadian state, provincial and territorial flags. The resulting report was disseminated to media groups across the country with varying reactions, which Kaye believes changed how states viewed their flags.

“It was really the first time on a national scale, that state flags were compared to each other and shared with the public,” Kaye said. “States are starting to understand that the flag can be an important symbol representing themselves to the rest of the world and their residents. Call it branding, if you wish.”

Recent legislation has shown that lawmakers and voters alike feel that the “seal on a bedsheet” design no longer represents them. Such is the case for states like Utah, which recently voted to raise a new flag.

In 2023, four years after legislation was introduced, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed the bill enacting a new state flag. Sen. Daniel McCay, however, became involved much earlier in the process, thanks to the 2015 TED Talk by Roman Mars, “Why city flags may be the worst-designed thing you’ve never noticed.”

“After I watched that podcast, I called up the House sponsor of the bill, Rep. Steve Handy, and said, ‘Steve, I think we might need to do this,’” McCay recalled.

A handful of flag bills failed to pass in 2019 before the passage of SB 48, which was sponsored by Handy and McCay in 2021. The resulting Utah State Flag Task Force, comprised of six subcommittees, launched its “More Than a Flag” campaign that accepted thousands of potential designs from enthused Utahns.

“During the process I talked to thousands of Utahns. I traveled the state and talked to people in grocery stores, I talked to people in hardware stores — anywhere I was for that year and a half, I was talking to people about the flag,” McCay said. “It became this mission in some ways to capture, you know, Utah and make a flag that was representative of that. I was worried about not getting it right.”

The final design resulted from 70 people’s work pieced together to create a more modern emblem representing Utah’s heritage and landscape. Receiving the name “Beehive Flag,” the new design highlights the state’s snow-capped mountains, the southern red-rock canyons, and its historic ties to the early Mormon pioneers through the beehive symbol.

“One thing that I love about the new flag, is that it is 100% about Utah. I think that is a tribute to the iterative, constant public outreach and public process that helped refine the design to make it what it is.”

While Utah’s new flag is largely considered a success, it is not without criticism. Prior to the new flag’s adoption, opponents collected signatures to place the issue on the ballot. While these efforts failed, it is an indicator that this level of change can be difficult for state leaders to navigate. In an effort to find a middle ground, lawmakers moved to keep the original Utah flag as the historic state flag.

On May 11, the North Star State officially adopted its new state flag, replacing the original, which brought up painful memories for Native American communities. The original state crest and flag depicted a white settler farming while a Native American rides off on a horse. Army Capt. Seth Eastman designed the seal in 1858 and his wife’s accompanying poem about the design confirmed its problematic interpretation.

For Sen. Mary Kunesh, a descendant of Standing Rock Lakota, this cause was especially close to home.

Kunesh was a primary author of SF 386 (2023), which passed with bipartisan support and subsequently launched the commission to redesign Minnesota’s flag.

“Not only did the state come to the realization of what that flag depicted, but it also gave a pause to understand the historical context of our indigenous people,” Kunesh said. “It allowed us to create a flag that really represents the Minnesota that we are today.”

Through the State Emblems Redesign Commission, state leaders worked in conjunction with designers, vexillologists and other members of the public to find a design that accurately reflected the state’s diverse communities and history. The Minnesota Historical Society was tasked with providing administrative support, gathering participants from across the state and setting up processes for design submissions and public comments.

According to the report of the commission, a total of 2,128 flag designs were submitted, garnering 21,882 public comments for redesign finalists via the main commission page.

The final design depicts a dark blue interpretive shape of Minnesota’s outline with an eight-point star in the center, representing the night sky and the North Star, or the state’s motto “L’étoile du Nord.” The other side of the flag is a bright blue color, symbolizing water, as Minnesota is commonly referred to as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes.”

One of the most prominent features in the Minnesota State Capitol is the large eight-pointed star on the floor of the rotunda beneath the dome. Throughout history, this star has been used in many cultures across the globe but was used extensively in quilting among Indigenous tribes. A marked difference from the original imagery.

“It’s phenomenal that I, with my Indigenous background and my unique knowledge of the history of Minnesota, was able to do this in partnership with so many people who believed in how important it was,” Kunesh said. “I think this is another indicator that Minnesota is willing to listen and learn and make positive changes.”

This sentiment rings true for Mississippi, which adopted a new flag in 2021 to replace the original which depicted a Confederate flag in the top left corner.

For Utah, a state founded on the principles of hard work, the new flag gives reverence to the original battle for statehood while setting the stage for a new era. Every facet of the new flag is formed out of a hexagon, the strongest naturally occurring shape.

“What I hope about the new flag, and we hope, is that Utah will be known for our strength,” McCay said.

For Minnesota, the new flag symbolizes a change in direction, one that all Minnesotans can stand behind.

“I think it demonstrates that the future of Minnesota is worth working for and worth fighting for,” Kunesh said. “We’re a people that are working hard to achieve inclusion and equality, and by exchanging or removing the hurtful flag that we had before, we’re taking another step closer to the goal of ensuring that we represent a positive Minnesota.”

Other states are still considering legislation that would change or modify their current state flag, including Michigan and Maine. In Illinois, the legislature plans on starting the redesign process later this year.

Statement by David Adkins, Executive Director/CEO of The Council of State Governments on the 80th Anniversary of D-Day

June 6, 1944

“Let’s go.”

With those words, General Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander of Expeditionary Forces, gave the order to commence Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious assault in the history of the world.

The Council of State Governments pauses to remember the tens of thousands of allied troops who came ashore on D-Day and the thousands who perished. Their bravery on this day eight decades ago began the successful liberation of Europe from Hitler’s absolute tyranny. Their heroism preserved the freedoms we enjoy today.

As dawn broke over the English Channel beaches of France today, the sun is setting on the Greatest Generation. The boys who stormed those beaches, many still in their teens, are now centenarians. Soon, the living memory of that day will be extinct. We must keep alive the memory of the soldiers buried in the sacred ground near where they fell. We must remember all those whose preparations, sacrifice and leadership made such an audacious operation a success. This includes the women of America who helped build the weapons essential to winning the war and the marginalized Americans whose patriotism never wavered.

Last June, I walked with my daughter among the graves of the fallen heroes in the American cemetery in Normandy, on the cliff above the beaches. My daughter was then just a few years older than the men whose grave markers were carved with June 6, 1944, as their last day.

We couldn’t imagine how scared they must have been as they entered the battle. We thought of all those they loved back home who would receive a telegram sharing the news of their death. We paused to reflect on the horrors of the concentration camps and the pure evil and brutality of the Nazi authoritarian regime. We hoped that somewhere on another dawn, those who gave the last full measure of devotion were comforted knowing that their sacrifice would help defeat Hitler within just 11 months of D-Day.

We remembered my dad, her grandfather, who left high school early to join the Navy and served in the Pacific. We paused in front of one of the many white marble crosses whose inscription read, “Here rests in honored glory a comrade in arms known but to God.”

It was impossible not to think about all the futures that ended on that day. It was impossible not to be profoundly grateful for what that unnamed young American, and so many others, were willing to do for me, my daughter and the generations of Americans that followed.

The Council of State Governments works to support those who serve our country in uniform abroad and to help the families of service members pursue the American dream.

Through our partnership with the United States Department of Defense, we help service members exercise their right to vote, no matter where they are stationed in the world. Through our National Center for Interstate Compacts, we help state leaders draft and enact multistate agreements to reduce barriers for spouses of service members to practice their profession as they move from state to state.

Additionally, through our affiliated organization, the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3), we help states ensure that children of military families are afforded the same opportunities for educational success as other children. We are committed to assisting state officials carry out their priority to serve the men and women who serve us in uniform.

While the American, British and Canadian forces that braved the seas and the chaos of war 80 years ago must never be forgotten, we, today, must dedicate ourselves to carrying on in their spirit. Every generation must shoulder the responsibility of citizenship and fight to ensure our freedoms in their own way. I am honored to witness the work of the elected and appointed leaders of state government who boldly do just that every day.

The lessons of D-Day remind us that, as Americans, that which unites us is far greater than that which divides us, that alliances with other nations make us stronger, that freedom is worth fighting to protect. America remains the leader of the free world today because of the everyday men and women whose service makes America great.

In times of crisis, leadership matters.

Today, Europe faces another threat from a dictator. Again, the United States and its allies stand with the people of an embattled European ally, Ukraine, to keep Europe free, preserve democracy and enforce international norms. It is tragic that the lessons of loss war teaches us are lost on Vladimir Putin. It is beyond comprehension that hundreds of thousands of lives have been extinguished because of Putin’s misguided attempt at conquest

D-Day was a turning point in the war. In honor of those brave souls who did their duty on June 6, 1944, we must continue the work of building a safer world and a more perfect union.

Let’s Go.

Japan Hosts Delegation, Promotes Education, Engagement with the World as Keys to its Future

By Sean Slone, Senior Policy Analyst

CSG Senior Policy Analyst Sean Slone traveled to Japan in February as a delegate to this year’s Local Government Exchange and Cooperation Seminar hosted by the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR).

Each year, CLAIR invites a group of senior state and local government officials and staff from the organizations that serve them to experience Japan firsthand and engage in enlightening information exchanges and networking. The Japan Local Government Centre, CLAIR’s U.S. office in New York City, is a longtime partner of CSG and other state and local government organizations. Slone was chosen by CSG leadership to participate based on his long tenure at CSG.

This year’s delegation included a mayor from Washington, a state senator from Hawaii and representatives of the International City/County Management Association, National Association of Counties, National Conference of State Legislatures, Sister Cities International, and the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario. The group spent time in Tokyo learning about the local government system before riding the bullet train to Okayama Prefecture for a regional study tour in the southern part of Honshu Island on the Seto Inland Sea.

The United States has a lot riding on the success of Japan. For one thing, the country is a major market for U.S. goods and services, including agricultural products, commercial aircraft and pharmaceuticals.

Moreover, in 2022, Japanese automakers manufactured about 2.82 million vehicles at production facilities in the United States, supporting more than 2.3 million U.S. jobs. Those automobile manufacturers play an essential role in the U.S. economy having invested more than $60 billion in manufacturing facilities over the past 40 years.

Photo: CSG Senior Policy Analyst Sean Slone (second from right) poses for a photo alongside his CLAIR Fellowship Exchange Program attendees at the Korakuen Garden in Okayama on Feb. 15. Photo credit: Natalie O’Donnell Wood, National Conference of State Legislatures.

Located near the CSG national headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky, is the community Georgetown, which has benefited considerably from the presence of one of those manufacturers: Toyota Motor Manufacturing. Toyota set up shop in 1986 and now employs more than 9,300 individuals. By one estimate from a few years ago, if indirect jobs and spin-off companies are factored in, the number of jobs supported statewide is closer to 30,000.

State policymakers around the country recognize that maintaining the economic impact of a company like Toyota requires building and maintaining an educated workforce. But in recent years, that is where the United States has struggled, for several reasons. It’s estimated that the U.S. has lost as many as 1.4 million workers from the labor force since the start of the pandemic in February 2020. Meanwhile, the birth rate in the U.S. has decreased since the Great Recession, declining almost 23% between 2007 and 2022. Whereas in 1950, the average American woman gave birth to three children, today that number is around 1.6, significantly below the replacement rate of 2.1 children needed to sustain a stable population.   

Tokyo Skytree
Photo credit: Commissioner Larry Johnson, DeKalb County, GA
Seto Inland Sea
Photo credit: Sean Slone
Tokyo cityscape from the Skytree
Photo credit: Sean Slone

While we may not talk much about such declines in the United States, Japanese government officials are very concerned about how a declining population and birth rate on the island nation may impact their future. It was a concern expressed by many of the officials the CLAIR delegation met with in February. However, that concern may ring slightly hollow as you’re wandering the busy streets of Tokyo’s Shinjuku neighborhood on a weekend night, making your way through a busy train station to catch the shinkansen — Japan’s smooth-running bullet train — or jostling with hundreds of other tourists for the best view at Tokyo Skytree, the 2,000-foot-high broadcasting and observation tower that affords a commanding sense of the scope of the world’s most populous city.

Still, government officials predict that most Japanese prefectures will see significant declines in population between now and 2050. Eleven prefectures will each see their population shrink by more than 30%, according to the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research. Moreover, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry reported that the number of babies born in 2021 fell by nearly 30,000 from the previous year. At the same time, the number of people age 65 or older in Japan reached a record high of 36.27 million in 2022.

The reason for the concern in Japan is that the regions expected to experience the biggest population declines are likely to face declining tax revenues and economic contraction, making it difficult to maintain infrastructure and local government services. And while Tokyo is expected to remain hugely popular both with Japanese and transplants from elsewhere — its population is expected to increase 2.5% over the same period — many believe the concentration of people in the city is a matter of some urgency. 

Shunsuke Kimura, a professor in the Graduate School of Governance Studies at Tokyo’s Meiji University, told CLAIR seminar delegates the nation’s long-term vision for taking action against a shrinking society includes four objectives:

  • Generating stable employment in regional areas.
  • Creating a new inflow of people into regional areas.
  • Fulfilling the hopes of the young generation for marriage, childbirth and parenthood.
  • Creating regional areas suited to the times with safe and secure living and cooperation with other regions of the country.

One factor that many believe could help lift Japan’s outlying regions — and one that U.S. communities might want to take some cues from — is a focus on education that emphasizes both civic engagement at home and study abroad programs that allow students to experience other parts of the world.

Joto High School students listen during English class.
Photo credit: Commissioner Larry Johnson, DeKalb County, GA
An English teacher conducts a lecture on
“Romeo and Juliet” at Joto High School.
Photo credit: Mayor Mary Lou Pauly, Issaquah, WA

During a visit to Okayama Prefecture, CLAIR delegates had the opportunity to visit Joto High School and hear about the school’s system for “raising global leaders.” School officials detailed characteristics they aim for in their students, including both support for the local community and a global mindset. They said they seek to nurture creative and critical thinking as well as an ability to use advanced English. The school emphasizes three initiatives, including studying community issues, deepening cultural exchange, and fostering independence and autonomy. As part of a three-year program, students learn cross-curriculum research skills, visit local companies to learn about global issues, conduct empirical research with an emphasis on regional fieldwork, and in year three, do personalized, in-depth research and thesis writing in both English and Japanese, while focusing on four courses: humanities and social sciences, international studies, science and math, and music.

In one classroom at Joto, delegates observed students studying and discussing a simplified version of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” in English (it was the week of Valentine’s Day). In another classroom, students were invited up front to play back elaborate musical compositions they had composed. Down the hall, others were conducting experiments with beakers and Bunsen burners.

Perhaps most impressive was a presentation from a young girl titled “Visualizing Abstract Japanese Aesthetics.” It was a highly conceptual, multi-disciplinary exploration of complex themes such as the core concept to Japanese aesthetics of “wabi-sabi” — the notion that beauty and enjoyment can be found within the deterioration of worldly things. Or as the young student put it, “beauty in decay.”

Joto students also can experience numerous international exchanges, including long-term or short-term study abroad programs in Australia, Canada and the United States.

Student exchange is also a focus at Okayama Prefectural University, the 30-year-old higher education institution in the city of Soja that was also on the delegation’s travel itinerary. University officials there highlighted global partner universities and international networks across North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania and Africa. The university serves a student body of just over 1,700 studying in areas like health and welfare science, computer engineering and design. One student detailed her year of study in Toronto at the University of Guelph, where she created a club for fellow students on making vegetarian Japanese food.

The international focus highlighted across Okayama seemed to reflect the life experience of Ryūta Ibaragi, the prefecture’s dynamic and long-serving governor, who in 1995 received a Master of Business Administration from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. The governor, whom delegates got the chance to meet and exchange gifts with, has established as one of his priority initiatives reclaiming Okayama’s status as the “Education Prefecture.”

Photo: Ryūta Ibaragi, governor of Okayama Prefecture, speaks to members of the CLAIR delegation at the Okayama Prefectural Office on Feb. 14. Photo credit: Sean Slone.

While education may be a key to the future of many places in Japan as the country tries to reverse course on its shrinking society, another concern has emerged more recently in the island nation: a shrinking economy. Last year, Japan lost its spot as the world’s third-largest economy, contracting in the fourth quarter of 2023 and slipping into recession as it fell behind Germany.

But there aren’t many countries in the world where recession would look quite like this. There is commerce everywhere in Japan. From the high-end retailers at every multi-story department store in Tokyo to the businesses clustered around Japan’s train stations to the ubiquitous convenience stores where you can get a surprisingly decent late-night snack and cook and eat it on-site. Wandering the well-stocked aisles of the enormous Don Quijote discount store in Shinjuku, it begs the question: Who is buying all this stuff? Isn’t there a recession going on?

One place providing respite from the non-stop commerce is the peaceful Okayama Korakuen Garden, a 300-year-old Japanese garden that is considered one of the nation’s three great gardens. Unlike one of the gardens of Europe, where the goal is to keep things looking much as they did in the time of long-dead monarchs, Korakuen will not be the same 50 or 100 years from now, we were told. It is designed in the “scenic promenade” style, which presents the visitor with a new vista from every path or tea house on the property. And as an Italian guide told the delegation, the garden is a “moment in time.” It is a memento mori — a reminder of impermanence and the inevitability of death, a reminder of the beauty in decay. Like the cherry blossom — Japan’s enduring symbol of beauty and mortality — it is ephemeral, here one day and gone the next.

As the group prepared to leave Okayama Prefecture and return to Tokyo, delegates were invited to give their impressions of the trip. One of our fellow travelers suggested he needed a couple more days to experience Japan. I told the CLAIR and prefectural staff I needed a couple more lifetimes. But I get the feeling that if I were to return to Japan every year and immerse myself in the country, it would be difficult to ever truly know Japan. Like the garden, the country is a moment in time. A remarkable, unknowable place where past and present collide, and where its residents are trying to shape a bright future despite ominous headwinds.