Matsukata House Museum: Stories from the Museum
A Girl Scout Legacy at Nishimachi
By Catherine Noyes
The Internationalist 2024-2025 Vol 72
I am cheerful and courageous at all times.
I respect all living things.
I am a friend to all, and a sister to every Girl Scout.
— 3 common tenets of the Girl Scout Law
The Matsukata House Museum has received a meaningful addition to its collection—a 1979 Girl Scout troop pin donated by alumna Aileen Ramirez ’83 during our 75th Anniversary Alumni Weekend in March 2025. This small but powerful item reflects a vibrant chapter in our school’s history and the enduring legacy of Girl Scouting in Japan.
Nishimachi was for many years home to active Girl Scout troops—Daisies, Brownies, and Scouts—thanks to the USA Girl Scouts Overseas (USAGSO) program. Originally created to support girls in American military families living abroad, the USAGSO helped new arrivals find community and continue beloved traditions. They created their own troop pins and badges unique to their international experiences. These global Girl Scouts, once called “Lone Troops,” first formed in Shanghai in 1925, eventually reaching places like Mexico, Guam, and Japan.
Nishimachi’s own Girl Scout troops, part of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, welcomed girls from Nishimachi as they engaged in cross-cultural learning and leadership. Though our last Daisy troop met several years ago, the values of service, friendship, and empowerment remain strong.
Aileen credits Girl Scouts—and her mother, Magaly Ramirez, her troop leader—as shaping her confidence and leadership skills. Her donated pin, inscribed with “ガールスカウト日本連盟” (Girl Scouts of Japan), connects us to that personal and shared history. You can revisit past Brownie, Cubs and Scouts pages in our collection of Ayumis from decades past.