Nearly one week has passed since we made the long journey back from Japan, where has the time gone? I find myself missing many things from Japan: the wonderful cuisine, the extremely efficient public transportation, and the bustling city of Tokyo. As soon as we got off the plane in Detroit the difference between the United States and Japan started to jump out immediately: signs in English, walking on the right side, and people speaking loudly. For me, and I think for the other students as well, it was nice to see prices in figures that we could more easily interpret, ex.) a sandwich costs $5 rather than several hundreds of yen! Although the conversion rate was relatively easy to calculate, I still found myself rethinking some things, especially when prices reached over 1,000 yen, thinking that items were more expensive than they actually were. In a strange sort of way, it is also nice to hear people speaking loudly, rather than hearing complete silence on a crowded train. Despite these differences, I cannot wait to go back to Japan and discover all of the things that this wonderful place has to offer to any curious visitor.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Lauren Porter
Dreams Do Come True #Kitty-chan
Although many students on the trip
were not in a Hello Kitty craze as I was, I still happily indulged in as much
Hello Kitty as I could possibly take in during our three-week excursion. In Japan Hello Kitty is an extremely popular
face that originated in 1974 and continually spreads throughout Japan. The creator of Kitty-chan, Yuko Yamaguchi
designed this quaint cat with a red bow and no mouth as a form of playing to
the emotions of the viewer. Having
previously researched the Japanese company Sanrio, I had a high interest in
exploring the many Sanrio shops found in Japan.
Japan’s Sanrio Company, Ltd. aims to make the world a cuter place with
its motto “small gift, big smile.” While walking the streets of Japan, decked
out in my Hello Kitty decor I noticed that Sanrio’s motto fully promoted big
smiles among Japanese individuals. I was
pleased when many of Japan’s students noticed my Kitty-chan getup, pointing at
me and smiling or saying “kawaii.” It
was almost like we had an intimate connection through our obsession and
fondness of Kitty-chan.
Throughout our travels I made it my mission to explore the Hello Kitty
stores of Tokyo. Among my three-week
stay I was fortunate enough to go to Sanrioworld in Ginza, Kiddy Land in
Harajuku, as well as the Toy Park and Gift Gate in Ginza. All of these locations feature Hello Kitty in
their store. Upon previous research I
had learned about an amusement park called Sanrio Puroland, which is an indoor
Hello Kitty theme park found in Tama New Town, Tokyo, Japan. This was one attraction that I had hoped to
visit in my lifetime but was one that I never imagined actually attending…One
can dream though, right? However, my
wonderful host mother was able to get me a ticket to visit this Kitty-chan
infested attraction. Sanrio Puroland was
absolutely incredible. Having attended
the theme park with a 1 ½ year old and a 4 year old, only made my experience
significantly more enjoyable, especially because I was able to interact with my
host mother’s grandchildren, sharing the same delight and compassion for Hello
Kitty as the youngsters. During this day
of glory I put my Japanese speaking skills to the test. Since the 4 year old only spoke Japanese, I
tried my hardest to understand her, replying to the best of my abilities. Yet simple, I learned that this interaction
greatly impacted my experience, showing me that despite having a language
barrier a smile as well as small exchanges can go a long way with others and
inevitably promote long-lasting memories, which translated to the amount of
happiness and enjoyment each of us experienced during our day of splendor. 
Monday, May 20, 2013
Lauren VanCour
I never expected to have such an amazing, eye opening experience before
boarding the flight in Elmira, NY to our destination Tokyo, Japan. Since
I have been in Japan, not only have I been having the time of my life,
but I have also been learning so much about the Japanese culture, which I
find to be extremely unique and fascinating. The two experiences that
have been my favorite and most memorable would be the helicopter tour of
Tokyo and the Japanese tea ceremony. These are two experiences that
are once in a lifetime and memories that I will cherish for the rest of
my life.
As we entered the building where the tea ceremony
was held, everyone was extremely anxious and excited because the group
had been looking forward to this event. The kimono I was able to wear
was absolutely gorgeous and I felt honored to be able to wear such a
beautiful ensemble. I felt like a geisha or like royalty when the woman
was dressing me in my kimono because it is not a familiar experience
for me. During the tea ceremony, everyone was focused and ready to
learn how to properly engage in the ceremony. Each person was given a
sweet filled with bean paste. Mine was pink and filled with a bean
paste that I did not know. The instructors told us that eating sweets
before the tea will allow us to want bitterness, which the tea could
provide. Afterward, each of us got our own green tea and was instructed
to drink it a certain way, which I found to be fascinating. Bobby,
Jen, and I were able to make the tea ourselves when we were all through
with the actual ceremony. It was such an amazing experience to be able
to learn the proper technique to Japanese tea making. I will most likely
never participate in a tea ceremony again, therefore that is why it was
one of the most memorable experiences of the trip for me.
The helicopter tour was an awing experience and it was
once in a lifetime. Ciara and I went together along with my host
family. Michiko, my Mama-san, Ciara, and I went in the Helicopter while
Okah-san and Michiko's brother, who was the person who made the
arrangements, stayed behind. When we took off I instantly became
excited and nervous. Once we were in the air I honestly don't even
think I blinked because I did not want to miss anything. We saw all of
Tokyo and we recognized some landmarks that we had already been to, such
as the largest crosswalk in Shibuya, shopping centers in Shinjuku, and
the Tokyo Tower that we went to our first week in Japan. Seeing Tokyo
from the air made it seem so small, which left a longing feeling of
relief because seeing how small it is made me feel closer to home. When
we landed, Ciara and I were both grateful, yet sad that it was over.
It is surely one of the many highlights of this trip and I will never
forget it.
Ciara VanCour
May 7, 2013
Today our group visited the Peace
Memorial Park and the Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima. We began the day with
a lecture given by the chairman of the museum. The lecturer basically told us
that the purpose of the museum is to promote peace throughout the world by
advocating for the abolition of nuclear weapons. The people of the museum want
to ensure that what happened in Hiroshima during World War II (the dropping of
the atomic bomb) never happens anywhere else in the world.
After the lecture, a survivor of
the A-bomb presented to our group and told us her experience on August 6, 1945.
The presenter’s name was Keiko Ogura and she was 8 years old when the atomic
bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. On the morning of August 6, Keiko’s father told
her she shouldn’t go to school because he had a strange feeling. She, however,
wanted to go to school and see all of her friends. While she was walking toward
the road outside of her house, she saw a
flash of bright light and was knocked to the ground by some sort of
force. When she regained consciousness, everything had gone black. Keiko and
her family had no idea what had just happened. As the minutes dragged by,
refugees from Hiroshima began to make their way past her house. Keiko described
how awful they looked, with their skin melting off and their organs protruding
from their bodies. When she tried to give them water, some fell dead instantly.
After that day, Keiko described her life as being permanently scarred. Being a
survivor was not viewed as a good thing in post atomic bomb Hiroshima. Men did
not want to marry a woman that survived Hiroshima because she was weak and a
health risk. For decades, Keiko was fearful of sharing her story with the rest
of the world. Now that she has, however, she hopes to inspire younger
generations to strive for a nuclear-free world.
Keiko’s story was followed by a
tour of the museum. The Peace Memorial Museum begins with the events that
preceded the atomic bomb all the way through to the reconstruction period. As
previously stated, the bomb was dropped at 8:15 on August 6, 1945. The
hypocenter of the explosion was decimated and there were no survivors. The
museum is actually built on the location of the hypocenter. The A-bomb killed
thousands of people, both initially and due to severe burns. Even years after
Hiroshima, people died as a result of radiation-induced cancer and other lethal
illnesses.
Hiroshima was chosen by the United
States as a target for numerous reasons. One of the major reasons was because
the Japanese had a military academy and base located in the city. Another
reason was because Hiroshima had yet to be effected by airstrikes, therefore
the Japanese government would not see the attack coming.
After the attack on Hiroshima, the
Japanese government sent relief and aid to the city. Nurses and doctors came
from neighboring towns to provide medical assistance. Schools were transformed
into hospitals, where those injured came to find treatment. Many of the people
that came to these makeshift hospitals died. The city of Hiroshima kept a ledger
of the names of those who perished after the initial bombing. It was very
interesting to learn that some organizations in the United States sent relief
packages to the city. This demonstrates that the citizens, not the government,
are the good will of a country.
Eventually,
the city of Hiroshima was rebuilt. It is now a major advocate for world peace
and the abolition of nuclear weapons. The mayor of the city writes letters of
protests to the leaders of nations who continue to test nuclear weapons. The last
letter written to President Obama was in March 2013.
Allison Traynor
Japan is more wonderful and amazing than I ever thought it could
be. The environment and culture is different from anything that I have
experienced. The language continues to be the greatest struggle making
it difficult to interact with the Japanese people. But the Japanese host
family that I have stayed with have been remarkable. They are
hospitable, generous, and heartwarming.
My favorite
experience however has been visiting the Fushimi Inari-taisha, a shrine
in Kyoto. What is so special about this shrine is the Torii or gates
that line the paths leading to the inner shrine. There are thousands of
them, all closely standing next to each other. It is famous throughout
Japan and was used in the film Memoirs of a Geisha. The torii are
donated by Japanese businesses after achieving success in their
business. Large stone foxes stand outside the temples to the shrine as
messengers. We went there at nighttime because there was not other time
that we could go, but it was still an incredible sight to see. Out of
everything that I knew about Japan, it was the one thing that I wanted
to see and I will never forget it.
My other favorite
experience about Japan was trying all the food. I tried everything, from
swordfish to salmon eggs, from eel to jello tofu. While I did not eat
rice all the time because it is so heavy, I tried with over easy eggs
mixed with meat. Up until now I have not been able to eat eggs but ever
since I got here I eat eggs almost every other day. One of my favorite
dishes was okonomiyakii, a dish that is a large pancake but is grilled
using vegetables and meats of all kinds. I have had bamboo shoots,
purple potatoes, seaweed jelly, and dough pastries filled with anko
beans. The variety is astounding, and so far I have loved everything.
Its very filling, not to mention that there are no preservatives in the
food like they are in America. The seafood is so fresh too. One night my
host family served a buffet spread of make-your-own sushi. There were
eight different kinds of fish! While I will admit that I miss breakfasts
that only included fruit and yogurt (here they have noodles, rice,
soup, fish, or vegetables) I have
enjoyed tasting different kinds of food throughout Japan. Even the
smoked fish that is still served with their eyes has not dissuaded me.
Out
of all of the countries that I have travelled to, I have enjoyed
traveling here the most and know that I will comeback again! But that
won't stop me from adding some of Japans culture into my own life
everyday back home!
Jennifer Vigil
Gambari: Work hard, but not too hard.
Before coming to Japan we had a week of intense classes
about the Japanese culture and how to behave in Japan. One of the things that
we learned is that Japanese love to Gambare.
What do I mean by Gambare? Well Gambari is a frequently used word in
Japan which means “doing someone’s best and hanging on.” Japanese people consider Gambari to be their
greatest virtue; nevertheless it is starting to have a negative impact in the
Japanese society. During our classes we learned that Japanese are taking
Gambari to the extreme level, for example: many people (workers) work excessive
hours, without any breaks, in order to keep their jobs, because they are afraid
they might get fired for not putting in their best. A lot of these people work
from very early in the morning until very late at night and even on weekends
making it very difficult for them to spend time with their family. There is
data the shows that many of this people end up committing suicide after
retirement because they do not know what to do with their lives anymore, since
the only thing they have done is work. But this not only happens to adults,
kids from a very early age are also expected to work hard throughout the school
year. A very great example here is my host sister, she is 16 years old, and she
is barely at home during the week, she leaves to school around 7:00 am and does
not come back until 11:00 pm. Even though she is done with her regular classes
around 3:00 pm she doesn’t come home because she has other classes in other
school, club meetings or kendo practice. I personally don’t know how she does
it, but every time she comes back she is always completing about how tired she
is. But not only on the weekdays, also on the weekends she wears her school
uniform because she has school meetings to attend. I asked my host mother why
students never have free time, and she told me that is better to keep their
minds busy so that they can’t ever think about bad stuff. In my opinion it kind
of made sense. Now you might be asking what does that have to do with the
picture up there. Well during our Japanese culture classes I didn’t really
believed the whole thing about Gambari, until I actually saw it with my own
eyes. During the first week in Japan I
had to take the train and travel for about thirty minutes to the Japanese
Language Instutute where I was going to be taking Japanese lessons with the
rest of the group and every day that I took the train people would always be
sleeping. I would say about 80% of the people in my surrounding would be
sleeping. Whether they were sitting down or standing up, they would always be
sleeping, in the morning, in the afternoon, and at night. This showed me how
serious Gambari is for the Japanese people, even though sometimes it could just
be too much.
Samantha Dunn
Japan is an
extremely friendly and courteous country. The people can be very shy if they do
not understand much English, but even then, they really like foreigners.
The
best example, and the strangest by far, that I have experienced is when our
little fleet of Americans went to lunch while shopping in Akakusa before going
to the sumo matches. Stephanie, Jennifer, Meredith, and I decided to go to a
small bar for lunch where you buy tickets for food, sit at a table and the
waiters will bring the food for the corresponding tickets. While enjoying our
food an elderly Japanese gentleman approached us and asked us if we spoke
English. We told him we were Americans and despite knowing little to no English
he kept talking to us and we were smiling and answering as best we could and
used our limited knowledge of Japanese to talk back to him. Somehow this turned
into the little old man buying us all shots and toasting together. Then he
introduced his Korean friend who knew a little English as well, before leaving
to resume his dinner with his wife. The whole experience was less than 10
minutes long but it was so funny and awkward that it was just amazing!
Some
of the other girls thought that the experience was a little alarming; despite
thinking it was adorable as well. I truly didn’t feel uncomfortable though,
because I can completely picture my grandfather, and maybe even my father as
well, doing this to a group of friendly strangers. So cheers to the elder
generations and the gifts they give us.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Tiffany Goonetilleke
I am a proud people watcher. If you want to know what someone is thinking don`t listen to their words, pay attention to their actions. Prior to this trip I knew a few simple things about Japanese people but still was not quite sure what to expect. As a collective group all of us going on this trip were a nervous and not sure what to expect when coming to Japan. Personally I was nervous about meeting my host family. "Will they like me? Will I offend them? Do I take off my shoes before entering their house? What kind of food will they feed me?" These are a few of the questions I asked myself upon entering Japan.
Little did I realize that I would fall in love with Japan and it's people. I am overwhelemd by the hospitality not only my host famiｌｙ has shown me but also all of the people I have met here. People in Japan are respectful, kind, polite, intelligent, fashion-forward, healthly, and so much more. I have had an excellent experience with my family. I could not beleive how much affection and kindess they have treated me with. As for meeting strangers, all those who I have met think so highly of Americans! People from afar may look at us (American students that is) but never in a way to be uncomfortable or rude, just out polite curiosity.
As an American I hope to adapt some of the Japanese mannerisms into my lifestyle back home in the U.S. I love how well people dress here, they take pride in their careers and how their apperance. I never expected to fall in love with Japan or her people, but I now know a part of my heart will forever be in this beautiful country.
Katie Thompson
Robert Killmer
On the second week of the trip, our class was in Kyoto, the former capital of Japan. I was excited to see all of the ancient structure sprawled out across the city. It was incredible to see such old, historical sites right next to modern buildings you would find in any major city. We went on a tour of the city, which brought us to some of the major Buddhist Temples in Kyoto. I found myself comparing them to the Shinto Shrines of Enoshima in terms of customs, appearances, and history. These temples were built by some of the most powerful Shoguns of Japan, and showed the immense wealth and power that they held. I learned so much of these structure and history on this tour. As a class, it was great to come together and admire such amazing structures.
Of the many things that I was excited for in Japan, my love for history and expectations of the shrines and temples truly held up. I have loved my entire experience here in Japan, and while being in a foreign country knowing little of the language can be very frustrating at times, I think it has taught me a great deal of humility and respect. I encourage anyone and everyone who loves history to come visit Japan and see some of the amazing sites around the country that I have witnessed.
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