‘あなたの”はたらく”を想像してみよう’ performers acting during a rehearsal of the show.

For my CIP, I took a part in a community program that involved meeting over the course of three months to talk about working and then taking part in a performance at the end of the program. The performance was like documentary theatre in which everyone talked about their own experiences or thoughts about working, in their own words.

My CIP was really difficult, especially at the beginning, and left me confused a lot of the time. It was hard being part of a group conversation in Japanese so I was often confused. But, I’m so glad that I kept going because performing and getting to know the other participants in the program was incredibly rewarding and I felt like I grew so much – both in Japanese ability and personally.

This activity required a high level of Japanese, and an ability to keep going and trying to be open to interacting with people a lot. It will probably be very difficult, but I recommend that you try to be as open as you can to meeting knew people – just saying hello and asking them about their week will help so much, even if it feels like you’re out of place. This program benefits so much from discussing your opinions and experiences, so if you share them, they will truly make a difference.