Ulawe-Apate teacher Jared Otieno goes to Japan for skills sharing

This article was originally published in the Tribune print issue 4 in March 2026. It was republished online in September 2026.

By the Tribune

Jared Otieno, a teacher at the Ulawe-Apate school, was in Japan last month for a professional exchange programme. He participated in various skill sharing events, including a workshop focused on music and art at the Tamagawa University Graduate School in Tokyo. 

Mr. Otieno also made a classroom appearance at an elementary school in Tokyo. The classroom session involved a lesson on African musical instruments. In one instance, he played an instrument and asked the class to identify it from pictures displayed on a large screen. 

In an interview with the NHK Word Japan radio, the Japanese equivalent of the BBC, Mr. Otieno said he was impressed by how Japanese classes felt more interactive. He particularly liked how the children felt free with their teachers during lessons.

Mr. Otieno’s Japan exchange programme was facilitated by the Teachers’ Organisation of Skill Sharing (TOSS). TOSS is a Japanese educational research organisation founded in 2001. 

It works with teachers to gather and share excellent educational techniques. It also offers study groups to improve teachers’ skills. TOSS launched its Kenyan studies in 2013.

In Japan, Mr. Otieno met Eriko Mukoyama, also known as Anyango Nyar-Alego, a Japanese lady who spent a good amount of time in Kenya to learn to play nyatiti. Nyar-Alego is Kenya’s Goodwill Cultural Ambassador in Japan. She accompanied Mr. Otieno to the classroom sessions.

Mr. Otieno is deeply involved in promoting talent through music and dance, including through initiatives such as the Ulawe-Apate Cultural Group. 

In many ways, the exchange programme in Japan was an international recognition of his outstanding contribution in this area.

Mr. Otieno arrived in Japan in winter, braving freezing temperatures that are never experienced in Kenya.