Impression Of Japan
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Ever since I can remember I’ve always wanted to leave
the United States and see other parts of the world. I’ve already seen many
things in the U.S.: Yellowstone, Mesa Verde, Washington D.C., Disneyworld,
Yosemite and others. So part of the reason for wanting to go to Japan was
rooted in just wanting to see it. But of course the real reason I wanted
to go was the one I gave in my application to the Student Ambassador Program:
“To see a part of Japan is also one of my dreams because my great-grandparents/
grandparents are from Japan. I know shamefully know very little about my
heritage, and a visit to Japan, albeit short, would help me to better understand
the part of myself that has been suppressed by living in the United States
for my entire life. A trip to Japan would be a very important and helpful
step in the exploration of my heritage.” The fact that I would be away
from my family for a while provided some discouragement, but I had already
spent long periods of time away going to college 360 miles away. Three
weeks is not much compared to periods of 6-8 weeks I spent away from home
during my first year of college.
Enduring the boring flight over the Pacific Ocean
we finally arrived in Japan at Kansai International Airport. I was immediately
impressed. The airport looked really new and had a unique metal arch and
glass architecture. Though we had difficulty getting through to the exit,
the airport was much nicer than LAX or any other airport that I had ever
been to. After we left the airport we experienced the lovely heat and humidity
for the first time. The cars were all small and the steering wheel on the
right side of the car! The expressway was not free like it is in California,
but you can tell the money goes toward maintenance of the highway, which
is much nicer than anyway highway in the U.S. When left the Hanwa Expressway
we went onto the main street through Wakayama City. Of course we were driving
on the left side of the road. The streets other than the main street were
tiny! Some of them looked like alleys and were maybe only 6 feet wide and
were still two-way streets. At least there were mirrors around to help
drivers. The first night we spent in a hotel room, a very small room at
that with a corresponding small bathroom.
We met our host families the next day, all of who
did not speak much English. This would be the biggest trouble over the
next few weeks, as I don’t speak any Japanese. The language barrier probably
only slowed us down as we still tried to explain many things about our
respective cultures. The experience of living in a Japanese home is the
most valuable experience I can take from the trip. From eating Japanese
food (contrary to what I though before coming I ate relatively well, as
they served me a lot of Western Style, but also some Japanese food) to
just sitting around and observing I learned a lot. A big difference during
eating times is that in Japan it is not rude to make noises while eating
particularly noodle dishes. In Western culture, noises are viewed as bad
manners. It was hard for me to try and fit in with making noises, as I
am definitely not used to it. Other than that some aspects of the home
life were still the same. I slept on a bed rather than on the floor and
ate sitting down in a chair on a dining table. After the day was done,
the whole family would sit down and talk, play cards or watch TV. It was
these times that proved very valuable as we exchanged information about
Japan/U.S. during these times. I appreciate those times the most, because
it was then I learned the most about Japan and they learned the most about
the U.S.
School was a very interesting experience that was
nothing like I was expecting. Biking to school was the first point of interest.
Everyone’s bicycle looked the same! They also all looked the same, wearing
uniforms. I stood out a lot having not worn a uniform. The students in
the class were really misbehaved. They talked, read comics, slept etc.
during the lessons and the teacher didn’t seem to care or notice. During
the assembly I went to, more of the same. They were honoring their sports
teams but not many of the students gave much respect. The Kainan High School
baseball team would go on to the semi-finals of the Wakayama tournament,
but the students didn’t show them much more respect than any of the other
teams. I met an English teacher from New Zealand at Kainan High School
who shared these shocks with me. Aside from the shocking behavior, the
classes were not all that different from the ones I took in high school.
A few differences are that the teachers moved around instead of the students
and the students have to buy their own books. The students and teachers
also bow at the beginning of class, something that has no equivalent in
the U.S.
Sightseeing was a limited activity for me, as my
host family had a business to run and could only do stuff on Sundays. Subsequently
I only did the scheduled sightseeing and some little sightseeing for things
that were nearby. I really liked seeing all the various temples, shrines
and other sites. The most impressive sight was Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion
in Kyoto. The pavilion glimmered with sunshine reflecting off of the pond
in front of it. The squeaking nightingale floor of Nijo-jo and the 108
stairs of Toshogu Shrine also impressed me. American culture is not as
closely tied with religion as Japanese culture is, so the abundance of
shrines and temples in Japan is very different from the U.S., which offers
basically none of that. There were many temples and shrines that I didn’t
see, basically because there were so many of them. Kyoto is famous for
them, but Wakayama has its share of them. The one I wanted to see was Nachi,
but it was too far from Kainan City; however, it was OK since I got see
plenty of shrines and temples anyway.
The biggest difference I noticed between Japan and
here is that the people in Japan are a lot more polite and respectful to
each other. People over there seem generally happier than people here.
I already miss this aspect of Japan. Even though it is probably not fair
to compare Los Angeles with a small city like Wakayama City or Kainan City,
even the people in Kyoto seemed a lot nicer than the people in Los Angeles.
I felt much safer in Japan than I do here, but there was always the fear
of falling into the rice fields riding along side them on the bicycles.
I learned a lot about Japanese culture from my trip to Japan even though
I couldn’t speak Japanese. I hope to one day return to Japan, hopefully
speaking Japanese, but for now the memories and experiences of my trip
good enough to satisfy my curiosity about the land of my ancestors. And
for this opportunity I am eternally grateful to Nanka Wakayama Kenjinkai,
the Wakayama International Exchange Association, and the government of
Wakayama Prefecture for giving me the opportunity to experience Japan first
hand. But, of course, I reserve the utmost and greatest gratitude for the
family who took me in and made me feel at home in my home away from home.
I can only hope to repay them partially by giving my host student, Toshiyuki,
an equally enlightening and enjoyable experience when he comes to the United
States next year.
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