This semester, I’ve had the pleasure of volunteering at a children’s ward located in Kyoto University’s Hospital. The group I volunteered with, ニコニコトマト, is dedicated to giving children admitted into the hospital an enjoyable experience during their stay, through means of various activities including games, story-telling, and making arts and crafts. By participating in this volunteer group, I had the chance to experience what it was like to be a member of a “community” here, and it was a nice change of pace from learning in a classroom. Along with volunteering, I was able to observe and gain a better understanding of the Japanese community as well.

One of the first things I noticed and found interesting when I started was how easy it was to volunteer. The first day I arrived, I was immediately greeted by other volunteers and was asked to help out right away. It wasn’t until after the fact that they realized that I was the student from Doshisha University coming that day to volunteer. My first thought after that experience was that this would probably never happen in the United States, where there would be a sign in system of some sort at least. Still, ニコニコトマト is a special case even in Japan, as a fellow volunteer stated, to her, it was the only known volunteer group to have such a relaxed system. Nonetheless, I can’t help but wonder if it’s because of the predisposed notion that Japanese society is so safe that volunteering seems to be much easier to do than back home.

Another interesting thing I noticed was how close the community seemed to be in a hospital setting. All of the children, volunteer staff, doctors, nurses, and parents all seemed to have close relationships with one another, and I feel I wouldn’t typically see this in a hospital back in the United States. Parents gossiped with each other and with volunteer staff members, the children played with each other, and from time to time the doctors and nurses would join in for activities as well. Sometimes, if a parent had to discuss things over with their child’s doctor, another parent, volunteer, or nurse would watch over their child in their place for the time being. Everyone has an understanding on what everyone else is going through, so it’s a really nice support system that they have. To me, this trust and reliance on others in this “community” seems to possible because of the Japanese society’s emphasis on group harmony.

And finally, I was able to get a sense on how Japanese society views foreigners. My first thought, before even volunteering, was that the children would be scared of foreigners, and it would be an issue with my CIP. However, I was gladly mistaken. At first glance, children don’t even recognize that I am a foreigner because of my Asian descent, but even after they do, their opinion of me only gets better! Some of the children there are currently learning English, and as soon as they find out I’m from America, they get really interested and try practicing what they’ve learned on me. There was a time when one of the girls started playing Frozen’s “Let It Go” (one of my favorites!) on the piano, so I decided to sing along in English, and she, along with the other children there, couldn’t help but smile, laugh, and enjoy my performance. Parents also seem to be happily surprised when they find out I’m from America. To them, it seems so fascinating that I came to Japan, and they always ask tons of questions about my home and my opinions on Japan.

Now that my time volunteering is coming to an end, I can’t help but feel grateful and glad that I was able to donate my time with such a wonderful organization. Not only was I able to immerse myself in their community, they made me feel welcome every visit, and were always happy to have me around. Through my experiences, some views I had of Japan prior to coming have changed, and some have been reinforced, but one thing I know for sure is that I’m glad I had the opportunity to experience Japan’s community firsthand, and I’ll look forward to any future opportunities to join another one!