Wow! What a wild ride. Japan has my heart now. Allow me to share with you, some (out of many) take aways I have from my experiences in Japan so far. Let’s start from the beginning, shall we?
How the program found me:
One cold morning, I decided to head in early to class. I remember feeling a bit down in the dumps because midterms were coming up and I wanted to do good, but I was having trouble balancing my time between work and school to study. I walk into the UWB discovery hall from the parking lot with my head down in my puffy coat running a peptalk through my head to get me ready to participate in class. I suddenly saw a familiar face, a former professor, Miyamoto Sensei. We started talking and I answered with what I could in my rusty Japanese. He then told me about the Study Abroad program he would be conducting in Japan early Fall and that I should apply to the program (thank fully in English – which wasn’t a requirement. We’ll get into that more later). I almost passed up the opportunity but, I was curious. I believe it was God’s will for me to come out to experience Japan and I am glad I decided to take a leap of faith.
Even if it were only for two weeks, there were so many unknowns that were running through my mind. I was so hesitant. This was my first trip abroad and coming out to the mainland U.S. from Guam was a struggle in itself. In addition, I was not sure how I would fit into the group I would be traveling with and living with. I had just turned thirty and felt like I might not be able to relate to or fit in with the younger people the group. I was graduating late in terms of a traditional pathway and was not sure how I was going to be perceived. This and many other thoughts crept into my head as the decision date came closer and closer.
Rolling with the punches:
One of the reasons why I was hesitant about this program is because of the timing. There were life-altering decisions my husband I were going through when I found out about the program, and I felt like it was too much to take on at once. I applied anyways with the understanding that I might not be accepted in the anyways. So, why not give it a shot!
Thankfully, I got accepted.
Now, fitting things into my luggage was another challenge.
I did my best to prepare for the trip with the time that I had available to me, but it was nowhere near how I wanted to be prepared. This was my first time in Japan. The only things I knew about Japan, I picked up from internet research and secondhand word of mouth. My experience in traveling to another country was zilch! So, in some ways, I didn’t know where to start my preparations.
Firstly, being proficient in the Japanese language was not a requirement but it would have been really helpful for me to study more before I got to Japan. Although there were many language barriers, I was able to make it through the program with the little Japanese I knew, Google translate, and the unwavering patience of the people I interacted with in Japan.
Secondly, navigating some public transportation stations and airports in the U.S. are hard enough as is. What more in a country where I can’t read most Kanji? We eventually figured out that we would need to take an underground rail to our correct terminal when we got to Haneda airport in Japan. Again, super thankful for Google translate and not being alone on most of my travels from start to finish of my study abroad program in Japan. I really had to keep on my toes in this area.
That being said, after experiencing public transportation and airports in Japan, there would never be enough preparations I could have done which brings me to my point in all of this. Being abroad and rolling with the punches has encouraged me to be resilient and step out of my comfort zone with things like speaking up and asking questions to using common sense to find help or resources. It’s all about what type of attitude you have towards problem solving. Some of these experiences ranged from finding places to eat that could seat a big group and translating the menus to finding the right entrance to the building and finding places to park our bikes or finding the right medication to get for a headache.
(Four of us trying new things like horse sashimi at an Izakaya in Hiroshima)
(Four of us trying shaved ice in Ozu) (First Izakaya in Japan in Shinjuku)
Financial Planning:
Let’s talk about the thing that no one want to talk about, but everyone is worried about: Money. Financial planning for this program was challenging. Thankfully the Study Abroad Ambassador Grant was available to me and helped me immensely with what I needed for this trip.
This is always a hard reality to face when planning for the future, let alone a trip abroad. After going through the program, I am glad I overestimated on my expenses. Some expenses to consider that I did not in the beginning (which is why I gave myself a good amount of cushion money) are public transportation funds – if you are not planning on driving, parking expenses if the program seems like this would be necessary – such as bikes, scooters, or cars, fun activities with groups on free time not connected to the program, more food than usual if you are walking or biking everywhere ( I found that I worked up an appetite more often than usual biking and walking everywhere).
Culture and custom experiences in Japan:
It is customary to take off one’s shoes and put on slippers to wear inside a Japanese house, temple, restaurant, ryokan or school. It is also customary to give a wholehearted welcome to guests. This type of welcome makes me want to spread kindness.
WAKKA is welcome to all!
(Ken San Educating through cooking – Hamo Preparation)
This was a once in a lifetime experience with the only chef with the ability to remove all the bones – over 700 – from Hamo to prepare sashimi. We ate it too and it was delicious!
(Hide San and Makoto San Educating through cooking – Onigiri and Onimichi Ramen)
There is an art to cooking which is also an important life skill. I enjoyed our time with Hide San and Makoto San. I will be back soon!
(Education through music – Koto)
This was an amazing experience playing the Koto and learning how this can help relax the mind and relieve stress. We learned the song Sakura which is the spirit of the samurai. I eager to learn more!
(Sawada San – Education through Baseball)
Learning the philosophy behind teaching through other activities and facilitating life skills through discipline in sports was very close to my heart. We understood each other instantly despite the language barrier. Don’t be afraid to talk with anyone. If I stayed in my bubble, I would have not gained a friend in Sawada San.
(Karaoke!)
This was an experience I was dreading but was one of the most memorable and fun things I have done with everyone in this program. I can’t want to share this with others wherever I go. It’s. such a great way to break the ice and bring everyone together. If you can enjoy the company of others, you can enjoy karaoke.
(Pieces of Japanese History)
Matsuyama Castle and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park Museum were the most impactful memories I have of Japanese history. The Peace memorial park was very heavy, but created such intentional displays of history throughout the museum. The Matsuyama Castle had more to offer than just looking at the castle like how the castle was defended and how the layout of the castle played a role in disorienting the enemy. (Fun fact, there are only 12 original castles standing out of the thousands that got burned down.)
Coming out of my shell: Mono no aware
The Japanese culture study abroad program has ended and as I sit and reflect on everything I have experienced here; I am overcome with a sense of gratitude. It has been a long journey getting to this point and I am grateful to all the people that have helped me and supported me along the way. Some of those people, I have met in Japan and consider friends and even family.
I would have never pushed my boundaries and continued to step out of my comfort zone if it were not for this program.
Others I’ve met along the way…
Reflection:
By expanding my lived experience through study abroad in Japan, it has allowed me the opportunity to reshape my perspective on my future and the way I see the world. This reassures my dream of teaching abroad. This program has challenged me in way that I wouldn’t have known I would be able to handle before experiencing life abroad. I believe this program has encouraged me to pursue teaching abroad and to continue to study abroad in the future. Now, I can confidently say, I will be back in Japan. Hopefully, the next time I am in Japan, I will be a part of the working community. Until then Japan, see you! (待ったね！)
