In this heartfelt TEDx talk, Shunichi Karube, a 4th grader from Mukoyama Elementary School in Tokyo, shares his moving journey toward understanding peace and friendship across cultures.
Despite never having lived outside of Tokyo or formally studied English, Shunichi’s life changed after a trip to Phuket, Thailand, where he discovered the joy of communicating beyond language barriers. Inspired by the connections he made, he realized that if people can become friends without speaking the same language, learning languages could make bonds even stronger.
Shunichi’s passion for peace deepened after learning about the tragedies of World War II. Witnessing the stories of loss on television moved him to think deeply about how important it is to build a peaceful world — starting with understanding and kindness across cultures.
In this speech, he shares:
His experience making friends abroad despite language differences.His dreams of a world where communication and compassion overcome barriers.A young but powerful call to action for everyone to work together for peace.Through the simple yet profound eyes of a child, Shunichi reminds us: peace is possible when we choose to understand each other — one friendship at a time. Shunichi is a 4th grader at a public elementary school in Tokyo. Although he has never lived outside Tokyo or learned English, a trip to Phuket, Thailand, during his 3rd-grade summer vacation opened his eyes to the joy of communication. Playing with people from different countries, he discovered how fun it is to connect, even without speaking the same language. This experience inspired him to believe that learning English could help build even stronger friendships. That’s why he challenged himself to give an English speech. Around the same time, Shunichi was deeply moved by learning about the many lives lost during World War II through a TV program. This sparked his thoughts about peace. For him, this speech marks the beginning of his personal journey to promote peace. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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