Stella Tsogtjargal: Shamisen

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For my CIP, I decided to learn shamisen! I haven’t played a musical instrument since middle school and I think classical Japanese music is really beautiful, so I really loved learning shamisen, which is kind of like a guitar.

Two other KCJS students were at our lessons, and it was really nice to have people there that weren’t just the students/teachers at the studio. Everyone at the studio was very kind, and we’d often all get dinner after the lesson.

The final performance was very special. It was the first time I had worn a kimono, and everyone from the studio was very encouraging. I’m happy with how everything turned out!

If you’re interested in engaging with Japanese culture through music, I couldn’t recommend shamisen, koto, or shakuhachi more!

Zhihe Tian: KGK (Christian Student Association)

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My CIP activity is participating in KGK (Christian Student Association). KGK is a circle that any student can join to meet other students and learn about God and the Bible. There are weekly meetings (Tuesdays) starting at 6:30 PM. We will start with worship (singing songs), then self-introduction, then break up into small groups (4-5 people) and chat about a given topic to get to know each other and learn about the Bible. 


As for advice for incoming students, I encourage you to come to KGK’s meeting even if just once. The friendliest and most open people I have met in Japan are from KGK. The first time I joined, people came up and introduced themselves to me. Everyone is curious about the newcomers and wants to be your friend. I was one of 2-3 foreigners who participated regularly. KGK is majority Japanese students and everything is in Japanese. Despite not being able to understand everything (especially when I first arrived in Kyoto), the warm atmosphere makes going worthwhile. There is an Australian missionary who comes to the meeting weekly, so if you need translation, someone is there for you. Also, I’m not a Christian, but just interested in Christianity, so even if you are not Christian, you are more than welcome to come. 


In spring, there is a 3-day camp for KGK that I attended. It was a bit scary because there are a lot of people and the number of foreigners is few, but I’m really really glad I went because I bonded with the locals and had a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Going to KGK has made my time in Japan very special. I bonded with the locals and had cheerful moments I otherwise wouldn’t have.

Volunteering at Mitsuba Youchien

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For my CIP, I volunteered in the Mitsuba Youchien every Tuesday for three hours. I would help the kids with drawings, puzzles, and other games as well as talk with them in Japanese. It was an extremely enjoyable experience and I was able to improve my Japanese through talking with the children. Although it was a bit intimidating at first, I thought they were much more patient and understanding than I had initially thought and it became second nature to talk about what they were doing and their hobbies and interests. I would recommend for people looking to do this to start asking specific questions and not being afraid to put yourself out there: that’s often the only way you will be able to start making deeper connections with the children.

Kylie Gillen: Wasai

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For my CIP activity, I did Wasai (和裁) which involves the traditional Japanese art of hand-sewing garments including a Haori (羽織), which was what I ended up making. 

The environment of the particular Wasai classroom I went to, Kyoto Japanese Dressmaking School Rokkaku Omiyacho (京都和裁教室六角大宮町), was conducted in an old, Japanese-style house with traditional sewing notions, providing an authentic, comprehensive experience. I had the opportunity to participate in the course alongside Japanese students of all ages. 

Although it can be intimidating, please try to speak in Japanese whenever you can! Most times, it will turn out better than you think 🙂

Mia Nakamura: Volunteering at a Nursery

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For my CIP, I volunteered at Pesutarotchi Nursery, which is a place for kids from ages 0-6. Every week, I would go to the nursery, wake the kids up from their nap, gather them and eat a snack together, play with them, and then help clean up. The reason that I wanted to do this activity for my CIP was because I do not have much experience with young kids since I am the youngest child and cousin on both my dad and mom’s sides, so I wanted to get more comfortable playing and interacting with them. A lot of the time I felt very awkward, but after some time, just being around the same kids allowed me to build a rapport with them, so after a while they would come and play with me. My advice to incoming students is to just act like a kid when you’re playing with the kids and don’t overthink how to interact with them.

Eva Sasaki: Wasai

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For my CIP, I chose Kyoto Wasai Classroom with fellow classmate Kylie. We chose to make haori and were given the freedom to choose our fabrics. Over the course of 9 weeks, we hand sewed our own haori with the help from 2 senseis. Making my own Japanese clothing item from scratch was very difficult, but the final product is something I will always cherish. If any future students are interested in doing Wasai as their CIP, I suggest researching a new place that has worked with study abroad students before. I also think it would be beneficial to have some background in sewing as I found it to be not super beginner friendly.

Emmett Young: Volunteering at Mitsuba Kindergarten

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This semester for my Community Involvement Project I volunteered at a local kindergarten by the name of Mitsuba where I was essentially hanging out with the kindergarteners there for a couple hours each week. This experience was really fun overall and was actually my first ever time working with kids of such a young age which is ironic given the fact that it was in Japan where a language barrier at some times was very prominent. Regardless, it was an experience that led to a lot of personal growth in learning how to interact with and become familiar with people without always being able to communicate what I hope to say. My advice for incoming students is to honestly do things that you haven’t done before. It sounds generic though when you do things that are not only new to yourself, but you’re also experiencing a language barrier at the same time, it teaches you a lot about how to handle those extremely foreign situations. Then as you get more comfortable with whatever you are doing, the feeling of gratitude is magnified. 

Ayub Nur: Shamisen

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This fall, my CIP was learning the shamisen. The Shamisen is a traditional Japanese stringed instrument: it’s almost built like a banjo and you’ll quite often see it in the hands of a Geisha.

I was lucky enough to learn under Iwasaki Chieko-sensei and Iwasaki Yumi-sensei, who are both in the attached video. Though I just as much have to thank the many others at the company who taught me too. By the time I was ready to perform, it felt much more like I joined a family than just a music group.

My greatest piece of advice that I can offer is, if you’re interested in playing traditional Japanese music, do so with Iwasaki-sensei and tell everyone I said hi. Jokes aside, the learning curve of always speaking a new language is harsh and I’m grateful that I could lean on playing music all throughout the semester. More than just that, I’m glad that I had a final performance that I was building up towards to make sure that I came to practice whether I was feeling able or not. Coming in every week is what truly made my Japanese and music better. The genuine best advice I can offer is, studying abroad is draining so have a project that you can feel your progress in to keep your spirits high.

Sebastian Bonilla: English assistant volunteer

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This semester I volunteered as an assistant English teacher at a school in Ōhara, a small town nestled in the mountains north of Kyōto. Through this experience I’ve reflected deeply on my own rural American upbringing, learned about Japanese school culture, and most importantly: I had fun! My advice to incoming students would be to choose an activity outside of your comfort zone, but still aligned with your interests or experiences. I’ve had many jobs working with kids so I knew I would enjoy my CIP, but it was still unlike anything I’d done before and it’s something I’ll never forget. 

Robert Xing: Kyudo

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For my CIP this semester, I chose to take lessons in Kyudo, the traditional martial art of archery. I had practices at the Kyoto City Budo Center once or twice a week, and I was instructed by Furuya-sensei, a very kind teacher who has taught KCJS students in the past as well. I have actually been interested in Kyudo for a long time, and I’ve done archery before at a club at my home university, but as Kyudo is a very different kind of activity, I wanted to really learn it from the ground up while I had the rare chance to here in Kyoto. Kyudo is different from regular archery primarily in its objective. Rather than focusing on the particular result of hitting a target accurately, Kyudo emphasizes the form of the process itself, from stepping into the range to drawing the bow and everything in between. The idea is that the shooter focuses not on hitting the target, but completes every defined movement naturally and beautifully with an empty mind, and thus the arrow will always strike its target as a byproduct of one’s consistent efforts. I had an incredible time learning this difficult but rewarding art, and I would encourage anyone even remotely interested to give it a shot. A piece of advice I would give to beginners would be to not go into it with any expectations of yourself, as regardless of your previous experience with archery or other martial arts, you will almost certainly have to learn everything from the ground up, as there are just so many minute details about Kyudo. But should you be willing to fail over and over again until your body has remembered every specific movement and posture, I can guarantee that the feeling of gratification you’ll get when you finally hit the target is like no other.