Julia Hirata: Kitanotenmangu Taiko Group

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     In the past month I have started to play taiko at Kitanotenmangu shrine. Taiko practices and gatherings have been the highlights of my time here in Kyoto so far. All of the members are Japanese and don`t speak any English so it is a great opportunity for me to improve my Japanese, learn more about the cultural customs, and interact with more Japanese people in a social setting. The members consist of mostly middle-aged men and women and their children. Spending time with a group of people ranging from 5-50 years old has really made me understand the stratification of Japanese communication. For example, when our teacher speaks to his 10 year old daughter he uses casual form and is very expressive in his tone. However, when he speaks to the supervising monks at the temple, he immediately switches to keigo and often bows throughout the conversation. One thing that I was surprised at was how quickly the other members came to use casual with me. I noticed this more with the female members and young children. The taiko teacher’s wife even began calling me Julia-chan. I thought it would take a while to break down social barriers and speak as friends, but after one lesson they invited me to a dinner party and welcomed me in with open arms. The group teacher’s wife added me as a friend on Facebook and showed me videos of her daughter dancing. I sat by her the whole night and we chatted about taiko, school, her daughter and the drunk people around us. At the party, everyone drank and laughed and spoke very informally to each other while joking around. I felt so lucky to be included in the group and treated as a fellow member.
One cultural difference I noticed was the social involvement of the monks at the shrine. When I see the head monk at the shrine during practice, he is always dressed in traditional garb and is always nice but extremely formal. At the party, he came dressed in a western suit and joined in all the festivities. When people got particularly rowdy or drunk instead of sternly lecturing them, he would tease them and speak informally to them. I was surprised that the monk interacted with us so freely in a social setting. I was so happy to talk to him and get to know him over nice sake and good food.

 

Sara Allen: DESA (Doshisha International Student Club)

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Since the Japanese school semester finishes in mid-March, I unfortunately had to end my CIP as a volunteer at a Kyoto Middle School. For the rest of my time in Japan, I decided to join DESA, a Doshisha University international exchange club. During my first few weeks in Kyoto I had attended a few DESA events so it was a natural fit for me to become involved in DESA.

I found DESA to be an invaluable experience. Although I was able to practice Japanese at home with my host parents, I felt that I was able to talk more candidly with the Japanese students in DESA. Moreover, it was interesting to learn Japanese slang, as well as being able to hear Japanese university students’ thoughts on global issues. Most of our outings were to nomikai’s and izayaka’s (all you can eat and drink restaurants), which are large part of Japanese nightlife. This was a great way to familiarize myself with Japanese drinking culture and also provided a relaxed and friendly atmosphere for us all to get to know each other.

It was interesting to see the differences in nightlife and drinking culture. American university students usually frequent bars and clubs and Japanese students tend to go to nomikai’s in small groups. This more intimate setting allows people to get to know each other since nomikai’s are more relaxed and quieter than the clubs and bars in America.

However, since Doshisha was not in session at the time I was attending DESA meetings there were not as many meetings as usual. Even when there were meetings, the number of international students greatly outnumbered the number of International students.

That being said, the people I did meet, both international students as well as Japanese students, were all awesome people. All of them enriched my time in Kyoto in some way.

 

 

Yejing Gu: Social Dance & Calligraphy

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Luckily, I have two CIPs, Kyoto University’s Amateur Dance Circle and Kyoto University’s Calligraphy Circle, and I love both of them.

I participated in the Kyoto University’s Amateur Dance Circle for the first half of the semester. This Amateur Dance Circle focuses on social dances, which I had no previous experiences of. Although I learned Chinese dance when I was young and I took dance lessons in college, it was difficult for me to remember step sequences in a fairly short time and dance on high heels. Taking the challenge, I practiced at home by learning basic steps on YouTube and I think I did much better later on. The best thing about this Amateur Dance Circle was that it provided a wonderful way to socialize with local Japanese students. While practicing in pairs, I got to know almost every member in the circle. After dancing, I usually stayed for lunch and talked to them about dances, Kyoto University, tourist attractions, and etc. I think lives of Kyoto University’s students are very enjoyable because they have such interesting circles.

It is a pity that during the latter half of the semester, the practice’s time for the Amateur Dance Circle shrank from three hours to only one hour, which is even less than my commute time. Instead, I joined the Kyoto University’s Calligraphy Circle. The practice in the Calligraphy Circle is very flexible, for I can write whatever I want for however long. I learned Chinese calligraphy before, so I was very interested in their differences. One thing I noticed is that Chinese usually write calligraphy on a table while standing or sitting on a chair, whereas Japanese write calligraphy on a low table or on the ground while doing seiza, which is challenging for me. My legs were usually numbed after the practice. But I appreciate that experience because now I can do seiza for much longer. Calligraphy is probably not an ideal CIP because calligraphy requires the person to be quiet, which makes it hard to socialize. However, it’s not a problem for Kyoto University’s Calligraphy Circle, because they have another activity room for meetings. I usually stay in that room before and after the practice. Circle members always took the initiative to talk to me when I came into the room and invited me to join them. Maybe because I am a junior and most of them are freshmen and sophomores, they use the polite speech form to me. I was confused which form I should use until I met a senior who talked to me in the short form. The experience of this kind of Japanese upperclassmen-underclassmen relationship is interesting and useful.

Based on my CIPs’ experiences, my advice for future KCJS students would be, your CIP should be something you are good at, and it should be easy to socialize.

Good Luck and Have Fun!

Jerome Molasky: EMBG and DESA

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As I said in my previous blog, it has been very difficult to have a regular CIP activity this semester due to the fact that school was not actually in session the majority of the time. I have been to my CIP from last semester, the Kyoto Daigaku music circle EMBG, once this entire semester (I had another chance to go as well, but I happened to be sick that day). They are starting again next week, so I will probably go again and with any luck it won’t be too awkward.

Because of the limited activities of EMBG this semester I have been participating in some of the activities of DESA, a cultural exchange circle at Doshisha. The only problem is that DESA does not have activities every week, leaving me with nothing to do. The several events I have gone to with DESA, including a nomikai and a video game party, have been very fun and I have had opportunities to talk to Japanese students, but nevertheless feeling like a true member of the group has been a bit difficult due to the lack of regular meeting times.

I think that in the future it might benefit KCJS to stress the high likelihood that daigaku circles might not be the best idea for second semester (especially to full year students like myself who may want, as I did, to continue their CIP from the first semester) because of the discrepancy between the American and Japanese school years. If I had known this at the beginning of this semester I may well have looked for a different CIP early on, rather than sticking it out and settling with a slightly less than rewarding experience.

Yeuting Wang: Kyudo & Taiko

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For my CIP, I had originally wanted to do Kendo, since I had just started learning at BU. However, I quickly realized that it would be too difficult, because most practices- at circles and dojos would be too high-level for me. So, instead, I decided to do a different martial art, Kyudo, and Taiko.

One of my friends from a previous KCJS semester (whom I did Kendo with at BU) highly recommended Kyudo, so I decided to try it out The atmosphere of the dojo was very relaxed and it seemed quite common for them to accept and teach beginners, so overall it seemed much more welcoming and comfortable. Since it is a traditional martial art, I was expecting it to be very intense and intimidating, however it was very much the opposite. The sensei is very patient and individually attentive. Although it is a “practice” it really seems more like a lesson.

In addition to Kyudo, I also joined a Taiko group that practices at Kitano Tenmangu. Since the practices aren’t regular, it is sometimes difficult to fit it into my schedule, but the practices are very exciting and fun- despite the fact that they are also very long. The first practice I participated in lasted from about 5:30PM to about 11PM. The practice time included preparation/clean up time- taking out the drums and putting them away, and also dinner time. The actual practice was very enjoyable. I don’t have much experience with Taiko, so picking up the pieces is difficult, but the group members are all very energetic (even if they are a little bit older), enthusiastic and eager to help.

In terms of becoming part of a community- feeling like part of a group, I guess Kyudo isn’t necessarily the best way. However, if you want to take private lessons and are interested in learning Kyudo, then this is a great choice. Because everyone is in the same boat, aiming towards the same goal, you feel more part of the team, rather than an outsider looking in. In addition, the dinner afterwards is a good opportunity to socialize with other members. Taiko, however is great. Everyone practicing together, and eating together afterwards is a nice way to meet people and immerse yourself into a genuine Japanese community.

In comparison to the school activities I was doing at BU, the Taiko and Kyudo were significantly harder to actually get involved in. Initially, it was kind of a shock for me to not have all these club responsibilities and leadership positions. Because of the short amount of time that I am here- just one semester, it’s really difficult to do all the activities I want to the extent I want. In addition to that, just by being in a completely different environment with significantly different societal rules and norms, fitting in and feeling comfortable in a group is a challenge in itself.

And just as a side-note, for any future students interested in doing Kendo, there is a practice held at Kyoto Fucho Center every Monday and Friday from 7-8PM. I’ve gone a couple of times, it’s considered to be a recreational practice and it’s not actually at a dojo. People who practice there are all very high level (I think the lowest rank is 5-dan), but they’re all very nice people and very enthusiastic about Kendo and teaching Kendo. So, it is a great opportunity to learn, if you’re not intimidated by the level difference. It’s 100yen every week.

Calum Galt: DESA/Gradations

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This semester I participated in both Doshisha’s exchange student group DESA and the LGBT circle Gradations that I joined last semester and was unable to continue for most of the semester due to the Japanese students being on break. Both circles were purely social circles which meant I was able to participate in a variety of activities, ranging from the obligatory drinking parties to mountain climbing and sightseeing, while forging and maintaining relationships with many Japanese students.

Perhaps not surprisingly, some of the most valuable experiences I’ve had with my two circles have been nomikais, or drinking parties. I found that the underlying purpose of drinking in Japan is fundamentally different from that in America, at least among the younger student population. In America I get the impression that many people drink purely for the sake of being intoxicated, probably the result of a puritanically based culture that never really came up with a healthy way of integrating alcohol into the social sphere. In Japan, however, alcohol is used in a different way, more as a tool to mediate and deepen  relationships between friends as well as maintain relationships with friends you rarely get to see. It also allows one to escape the boundaries of what is considered socially acceptable to talk about or talk openly about how one feels, creating a much-needed pressure release valve of sorts for drinkers. I’ve been lucky enough to have conversations about love, life and worries for the future with my Japanese friends over drinking, which definitely made our relationships feel more meaningful. I’ve found that my relationships in Japan were strengthened by time spent drinking with good friends, of course with moderation, and I’m very glad to have gained another cultural perspective on alcohol culture. That being said, of course I realize that many of the things I said above about Japan’s drinking culture could just as easily be said about American culture, and that not all Americans drink simply for drinking’s sake; I just think that in Japan alcohol’s role as a social lubricant takes on a deeper meaning.

Of course I had many more valuable experiences outside of drinking. With DESA I was motivated to see and experience parts of Kyoto and Kansai at large that I may not have gone to by myself; I definitely benefited from having a circle of locals who knew where to go, and when. As I mentioned in my previous post, one of my favorite events was climbing Mt. Daimonji at night and seeing the best view of Kyoto from above, but we also explored Osaka and saw sumo, saw the yearly burning of the hills above Nara (a beautiful and very hot festival whose original purpose is vague), and sightseeing around Arashiyama in Kyoto.

As for Gradations, my LGBT student group, I had very little time with them this semester due to the break for Japanese students, but what little time I had was much better than last semester. There were more new members, and a new president, which maybe contributed to me feeling a bit less like an intruder on someone else’s club. Our first outing was an all-you-can-eat party at a ninja-themed desert restaurant followed by ping-pong and karaoke, an interesting choice for an event but one that definitely made me feel like I was a normal member of the group. The one regret I do have about Gradations is that I don’t feel as though I’ve gained much of a perspective on what it’s like for Japanese LGBT youth. We never really talked about what it was like being a sexual minority in Japan, and the overwhelming impression that I got was that most people were closeted and unwilling or unable to come out, understandable given the sometimes oppressively heteronormative culture of Japan. I wish we could have been a bit more than just a social club and maybe talked about what it meant to us to be part of such a marginalized community. Despite this, my experiences with Gradations this semester have been much more enjoyable than last semester.

My CIP experience has been somewhat inconsistent, as my CIP last semester was less than satisfactory and I was limited by students being on break for most of this semester, but it was still a valuable experience that encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone and extend ties with people I wouldn’t have the opportunity to interact with in America. I’m glad to have been given this opportunity.

 

 

Kamuela Lau: English Assistant, Kaiseichuu, Klexon

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I have chosen to be an English teaching assistant as my main CIP for this semester. Due to the discrepancy between the American academic calendar and the Japanese academic calendar, I was unable to continue volunteering at Kaisei Junior High School, and thus I joined an English-conversation circle (club) in Kyoto called Klexon.

I went to Kaisei five times. The first time, I felt that the class period was quite long, and by the last time, the it seemed that the class went by extremely fast. The most rewarding aspect of this experience was the conversations I had with the students; although during the class period, I mainly spoke English, before the class (during their lunch break), I spoke and shared my experiences with them in Japanese.

Interestingly, the Japanese students learning English in a classroom setting appear to have similar difficulties as English speakers learning Japanese. For example, verbs like ageru, morau and kureru, which all have a deictic fuction often marked by a preposition in English, are often difficult for students learning Japanese. Likewise, the students in the class appeared to have trouble with the prepositions in English.

I have only gone to Klexon twice, but I have already found it to be a good experience. The Japanese people in the circle are all there to improve their English ability, and thus they are very open with foreigners, and are happy to make new friends. For example, after the first meeting, I was invited to get some food with some of the other members.

 

Melody Wu: Kyoto Municipal Zoo volunteer, Kitanotenmangu taiko group

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During my time at KCJS, I chose to participate in two CIP activities, which was possible because taiko meetings are infrequent (2-4x a month). Besides living with a host family, CIP was pretty much the only opportunity for me to interact with regular Japanese people. I have definitely learned a lot from my CIP experiences, but they have rarely served as a gateway to strong friendships with Kyoto-ites. This is mainly because attendees change at every meeting. Still, I will try my best to maintain a relationship with the other volunteers and taiko players when I leave Japan.

Before I came to Japan, I was more excited about the CIP part of the program than I was about the classes. I had this grand vision of learning to ride horses (possibly even 流鏑馬), taking kyudo and taiko lessons, and cooking Japanese cuisine on a weekly basis. Well, none of that happened. I wasn’t at an advanced enough level to join the local horseback riding clubs, which also started around 6 or 7 am, and money proved a limiting factor in taking group and private lessons. However, I knew I wanted to work with animals and I wanted/needed some sort of exercise, so I talked it over with my Japanese teacher. She managed to find the zoo and taiko opportunities within minutes, and it went on from there.

I don’t regret my CIP choices. A piece of advice for future KCJS students:  things are bound to be awkward the first few times, but if it still isn’t going well after a month or so, start looking for a new activity! In any case, I greatly appreciate my chance to interact with Japanese children at the petting zoo and playing taiko at a shrine. I was able to practice my Japanese and learn more about the local people and culture in environments that the classroom cannot match. The one good friend I made, I met through volunteering at the zoo. She is an older retired woman, and we visit famous locations (Kinkakuji, Nijo Castle at night) and have meals together. I also added a fellow taiko player on Facebook, so staying in touch with her will be easy.

However, I sometimes dreaded going to CIP activities because of the chance that I will become stressed. One semester is an extremely short time to learn something new in a foreign country, so if you intend on joining a “traditional arts” group, it is best to continue with what you already know. (Lessons would be different, I think.) For instance, while taiko is fun after I manage to get “into the zone,” I am awful compared to the two other KCJS students, who have previous experience. There is supposed to be a performance sometime in April, but I would rather not be in it… Also, because taiko meets so infrequently and not everybody shows up every time, it is very hard to make friends. Most of the members are older, too. I have gone to event, including dinners, but I still feel like a guest rather than a member.

The zoo is alright when I can rely on route memorization, but it becomes harder when I can’t understand guests’ questions. The experience is teaching me to be more assertive in saying no, as I was scolded for helping someone take a picture. It’s a long learning process, but when I finally do something well, it’s extremely rewarding. It’s also hard to make friends here because different people show up each time and everybody seems to have places to go afterward. Still, it doesn’t hurt to try. You should start by writing down everyone’s.

Hopefully, volunteering at the zoo will prove useful to have the connections when I start my thesis research.  My last piece of advice: if you want to write a Japan-related thesis, start networking during KCJS.

Sandy Lee: Nico Nico Tomato Volunteer + DESA

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This semester I participated in primarily two CIP activities: volunteering at Kyoto University Hospital with the Nico Nico Tomato group which supports hospitalized children by creating crafts and fundraising activities; and I participated in the activities held by Doshisha Exchange Student Association (DESA).

The members of the Nico Nico Tomato group are primarily comprised of thirty to fifty year old women. Because of that composition, I learned a little more about the lives of housewives. Reading from academic text about modern Japanese life styles, I have learned that in Japanese culture, after females get married, they become full time housewives, with the primary role of taking care of the family and raising children. In other words, children in Japan are spoiled with love from mothers. Volunteering with eight to ten female volunteers, I get to see a part of how loved Japanese children may be through the time consuming and heartfelt crafts that these female volunteers design and craft. Each craft takes a lot of time and effort to create, and although the children whose age are young may only appreciate the craft for a minute or two, as part of the crafting team, I can feel the amount of love poured into making the craft. From this volunteer experience, I was able to experience how the life of a housewife might be outside of the family. The female volunteers spent about three days a week volunteering and spend a lot of time together, as if that is their equivalent of a college club. The only difference between this group and an actual college group is the members’ use of formal language. While members uses formal speech and often utilize the Kansai keigo “haru”, the most senior member of the group uses Kansai dialect in her speech. As a study abroad student, I often do not understand what they are speaking of and sometimes do not have interest or any comments on their personal lives. However, they are very interested in the student abroad students and often ask questions regarding other countries.

Joining DESA has definitely been a great experience. DESA has events every week, so I was able to go explore Kyoto or have dinner with some Japanese students along with other students who are on study abroad. I have met some really nice students from Stanford University, and some really friendly Doshisha students. DESA normally offers 500yen discounts to study abroad or exchange students, so it may be a good deal some time. On the other hand, I think it is important to invite the Japanese students to have dinner or lunch once in a while because the more you invite them to events, the more likely it is that they invite you to their hangouts. My most memorable trips have been the Nara Mountain Night Fire trip and Takoyaki party that was held by some members of DESA. Facebook is also really helpful to invite people to events without directly asking them to join in your event. Most members are also willing to respond to you in Japanese if you decide to speak to them in Japanese. I think it is possible to become really good friends with some members of DESA, but because many Doshisha students are away during KCJS Spring semester, and because I have been busy with a lot of summer applications this Spring, I was not able to attend all of the DESA events as of yet. However, I cannot think of any negative aspects to joining the group except for the fact that if it might cost some money every week. Comparing this experience to my volunteer group, DESA members do not question how life is in other countries because I think they are more interested in the individual than the works of other countries because such things can easily be searched online.

 

Kevin Terusaki: DESA (Doshisha Exchange Student Association)

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After participating in a street dance circle at Kyoto University for the first couple of months, I eventually had to pick a new CIP activity due to the street dance circle’s one month break. During that time I also attended many of the events held by DESA, the Doshisha Exchange Student Association, and decided that this would be my new CIP. Many of the students in DESA are exchange students which may be discouraging to some who really want to improve their Japanese, but there are many Japanese students that are interested in meeting students from other countries as well.

DESA has hosted a variety of events including watching a Sumo wrestling tournament in Osaka, a food and video game night, going to see eerie demons at the Setsubun festival, and eating all you can eat shabu shabu at a restaurant served by ninjas. Besides the official DESA events, there were many opportunities to hang out with DESA members like random hikes, dinners, etc.

Every event was a great opportunity to practice Japanese and learn about Japanese culture that you normally wouldn’t learn in the classroom. For example, in the Kansai region it is popular to perform boke (playing dumb) and tsukkomi (pointing out mistakes), a comedic art that comes from manzai. This was a great way to learn about Japanese humor, which at times, I do not understand at all. I’ll admit that performing jokes in another language is quite difficult, but it is entertaining despite the challenge.

Compared to egoistic dancers, the street dance circle, DESA was more welcoming with a laid-back ambiance. Most likely due to the structure of egoistic dancers, it was difficult to interact with other people who danced different styles. I mainly interacted with those who practiced popping and locking. There also was definitely a senpai-kouhai relationship amongst some group members. As a new member in a group, it was hard to connect with certain people.

Overall, DESA has been a great opportunity to not only make new friends, but to experience and learn various aspects of Japanese culture. It’s unfortunate that there is only a month left to spend in Japan, but I hope I will have more opportunities to hang out with DESA members before the semester ends.