Aarron Lee: Kyuudou

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Kyuudou, as a sport, is a rather peculiar one. It doesn’t really strive for perfect accuracy and precision (unlike its western counterpart, archery). Instead, it is intensely focused on being able to maintain a perfect form, going through a set of 8 steps (called the hassetsu) while maintaining a very rigid posture. The “sport” of Kyuudou has a huge emphasis on self-discipline, but it does not have an end goal like “getting the highest score” or “being the most accurate”. Or at least, that’s my impression of Kyuudou after doing it for the past few months.

The basic tenet of Kyuudou seems to be “self-improvement”, where you pretty much must discipline yourself to follow those 8 steps that are so vital to Kyuudou. And with no real end goal (like a score, etc), the only real motivation for improvement is your own desire to do so. That, in itself, is a rather refreshing difference from most sports that I do play (basketball, skiing, snowboarding, etc). There’s no real standard you need to compare yourself, you don’t need to get particularly skilled or accurate, you simply need a desire to improve your Kyuudou abilities in a way you see fit. While the hassetsu is quite regimented and strict, at the same time it’s rather freeing due to how you can define your own vision of what you want Kyuudou to be.

With that being said, I don’t find Kyuudou particularly fun or exuberating. Rather, it gives me time to simply focus on something other than the chaos of real life and student assignments, and that shift in focus is a blessing during times of stress. You sort of just forget about the ongoing world around you, and focus on the target in front of your face. You temporarily forget about that paper due in a week, or a test the next day, or ongoing drama amongst your friends, etc. All that matters is that target, and whether you can hit it. Yea, I did talk about how, unlike archery, there aren’t really any defined set goals in Kyuudou. But mine is being able to hit the target where I want it to, so in a sense, my goals in Kyuudou align with what an archery practitioner may strive for. With enough practice, will I ever reach my goal? Who knows, but if I ever do, I know that it was a goal I set for myself.

Cara Moriwaki: Church and English Assistant

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Hello!

In the past month, I have been meeting many more Japanese people through church!  One of the people I talk to often at church helped me to contact the leader of a Bible study circle at Doshisha, so I have been able to go to two of their meetings so far.  At the meetings, which are on Friday afternoons, we read a passage from the Bible and answer questions from a worksheet.  I bring my own Bible in English, but I still have trouble understanding the conversations because the vocabulary is difficult and they get deep, but I’ve learned that I don’t have to understand everything to enjoy myself!  The most important thing for me is this chance to meet many different people in Japan.  One of the girls who attends this circle regularly is not Christian, but she is interested in reading the Bible and learning about Jesus.  Even though I don’t always understand and don’t often contribute to the conversation, they have been very accepting of me.  By going to these meetings, I have learned a lot of different vocabulary and have been able to work on my listening comprehension, which has really taught me to make the most of any difficult situation!

For the last two church services that I went to, a lot of things happened!  We had communion!  Because it was very much like any other communion, I felt at home, and as though I have been going to this church for a significant amount of time, instead of just visiting.  I got to eat lunch with everyone afterwards, too!  The following week, I got to watch two girls get baptized.  After a group of the younger people sang songs to congratulate them, the two girls gave their testimonies.  Although, again, I couldn’t always understand what they were saying, I could still feel their emotions as they told us about their spiritual journeys.  I’m very happy that I had the chance to witness these girls take such an important step in their lives.

I’ve found that, at least at church and at the Bible study circle, Japanese people are not very different from Americans in their customs.  Just like the people I met at churches that I have attended in the United States, people here have been very inviting and patient with me.  Recently, I have had to go to church by myself, but I’ve learned that if I have even just a little bit of confidence in myself, I can have a lot of amazing experiences!  It is also thanks to the many people that I have met for very warmly welcoming me into the church community.    Despite my KCJS A-class status, I can still connect with many people!  Matthew 17:18 “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you.”

At Kamigyou Intermediate School, I have continued to help students with their English competitions.  There were two competitions, one which was for recording the story on a tape to be submitted, and the other for which the students had to perform their speech with arm motions.  Within one week, I saw that the students had improved in their intonation, pronunciation, and energy in their movements.  I remember that the school’s Vice Principle asked a student to do her best in one of the competitions, which made me realize that these students are pressured to represent their school as best they can.  Their determination to do their best for themselves and for their school is inspiring, and makes me want to ganbaru at Japanese, too!

Twice, I have had to casually converse with a couple of girls who were very shy about speaking.  Although the students are not shy about reading aloud their passages, they are not comfortable with normally speaking English.  Unlike my language teachers who speak to me in their foreign language, the English teacher here usually only speaks Japanese to her students.  I’m not sure if the emphasis on reading rather than speaking is a good thing because one of the people I met at church said that even though he studied English since he was little, he cannot say anything in English.  Well, in the end, I let the students speak mostly in Japanese to me, but I’ve realized that sometimes, it is more important for them to enjoy English rather than feel stressed out about it.

With only a few more weeks here, I want to make the rest of my limited time here as meaningful as possible by meeting more people and deepening my relationships with the people I have met!

Sam Allen: Kyudo

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Although I intended to participate in more than one club activity, it turned out that my schedule only matched with my Kyudo lessons. But I’m very glad that I picked Kyudo as my CIP, because it’s been a very rewarding activity so far. When I first started, I was nervous. From my observations, Kyudo looked more like an art than anything else. Kawaguchi-sensei was very patient in explaining to us the eight basic steps to Kyudo. Before I was allowed to hold a bow, I had to know the names and actions associated with these steps. I spent the first two weeks practicing the kata, the form used in Kyudo. Once I had memorized these to sensei’s satisfaction, I was allowed to practice with a bow. The bows used in Kyudo are enormous. Really, they’re often taller than the archer using them. And it’s really tough to draw them back, too. Finally, during our third week of lessons, we were allowed to fire the bow for the first time. I’ll never forget that moment – sensei helped me draw the bow fully, and told me to take a shot. My heart was racing when I let go of the string. I think I was shaking afterwards too.

Since then, we’ve been practicing on the straw makiwara targets every time we come to the dojo. Little by little, I feel myself improving. At first, I was using a really weak bow – only 8kg. But I’ve worked myself up to an 11kg, and soon I’ll be able to handle something a little stronger. I’m getting better at controlling my aim, steadying my hands, and keeping correct posture while shooting. Best of all, I recently learned the trick to making the arrow fly in a straight line – a big deal, since the recoil of the bow had been altering the trajectory of my shots.

During my second month of lessons, I decided to buy my own uniform, including the glove. Making this investment means that Kyudo is more than just something I’m trying; it’s something I plan on doing forever, if possible. Not just because it’s expensive, but because it almost felt like an initiation. Going to a specialty Kyudo store over in Shiga-ken to get fitted for a glove and uniform, and pick out my own arrow meant that in a way, I’ve become a part of the dojo. I have, too. I often make small talk with the other practioners, usually somewhat older than me. Some of them greet me when I come in, and it’s nice to feel that I’m seen as less of an outsider.

Meeting other people through Kyudo is definitely harder than in other CIP activities, I think. People go there to practice, not really to socialize. That isn’t to say it’s impossible to make friends there; when I have the chance, I talk with other in the break room, or exchange a few words while practicing. There was one situation in which I introduced myself to a Japanese college student. Of course, the initial response is always very formal and not necessarily open to continuing conversation. What I’ve learned is that, by being in the dojo as often as possible and making constant effort to communicate with others, little by little they’ll open up to you.

The end of this semester ends on a high note in Kyudo as well. Before the year ends, I will likely get my first chance to shoot at a real target, much smaller and farther than the practice makiwara. I don’t know how I’ll feel when I do it – I could be relaxed, due to all the practice I’ve put in, but I might get as nervous as I was the first time I shot a bow. Only time will tell.

ヒュー・タラ：KIXSや会話サークル、その２

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秋学期の始まりにはCIPに対してどうすればよいのか分からなくて焦りましたが、結局KIXという国際交流サークルやEJKGという英語・日本語の会話グループに入ることが出来ました。この１学期、２つのサークルのおかげで、色々な経験が積めて、日本人の大学生の生活が理解できるようになったとは言わないまでも、少なくとも日本人との連絡やコミュニケーションのやり取りが上達した気がします。いずれにしても、サークルのミーティングやイベントで新しいことに気づいて、日本へ来る前には知らなかった２つのことが分かりました。

１つ目は日本人も遅刻することです。私は日本へ来る前に、「日本は電車が４時半ぐらいじゃなくて、４時３３分に到着するというような、ものすごく細かい時刻表があって、最先端技術の国の典型だから、日本人が遅刻するわけがないだろう」という既成概念がありましたが、日本人との付き合いなどで、「やっぱり世界中のどこでも人間は遅刻する。同じ人間なんだ」と考えるようになってきました。実は、私は遅れがちなので、遅れたりしたら日本人をイライラさせてしまうかもしれないと焦ったのに、京都の公共交通に慣れてからだいたい問題なくいけます。逆に、遅刻する方は日本人でした。３０分も連絡なしに遅刻した相手を根気良く待ったこともありましたが、「すごい忍耐力だな」と思いました。

２つ目は、日本人がアメリカ人に比べれると割とシャイだということです。やっぱり、性格というものは人によって異なりますが、全体的に比べると、日本人の方は割と恥ずかしいと感じやすいと思います。交流サークルで紅葉を見に行ったとき、日本人も外国人もいましたが、両方はあまり交流せず、仲間同士で固まった状態でした。違和感まではなかったけれど、自分の選択で国際交流サークルに入っているのに外国人と話さないというのは、恥ずかしがり屋でも変だと思いました。とはいえ、これはただ人見知りなだけかもしれません。会話サークルで話が盛り上がったら、私は日本人の相手が恥ずかしく感じると思わないのです。結局、留学生の私たちは外国人なので、交流するにはさまざまな超えにくいバリアーがあるのではないかと思っています。

最後に、CIPに参加することで、そうしないと理解できないことを一杯身につけてきました。あいにく国際的なサークルばかりに入っていて、もし普通のスポーツやアクティビティーに関するサークルに入っていたら、もっと学べたのにと少し後悔する一方、国際的なサークルで、１つの趣味だけではなくていろいろな趣味のある日本人、そして日本人だけではなくて世界中のあらゆるところからやってきた留学生、多種多様な人々と出会えて、大変嬉しく思っています。これからも、自分の知識や能力を伸ばすために、頑張っていきたいと思います。

Leila Lin: Kyudo and Doshisha Student TV Circle

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This semester I’ve been going to Kyudo, or Japanese archery practice twice a week at the Budou Center. I was fortunate that on my first visit I met Kawaguchi Sensei, a petite and energetic 80-year-old woman. She was wonderful despite the language barrier and we’ve all come to really love her. Other than we few gaijins at the dojo, everyone else, mostly Japanese, has been practicing there for at least a while. I was surprised at how tirelessly Sensei devoted her time to teaching us, some of us knew zero Japanese. Other members of the dojo do not normally come up and talk to us, but if I ask for help or questions in general they have been very patient and kind. The dojo is also very international and I met so many interesting people there. Three professional artists (pianist, photographer, multimedia artist) from German started practicing with us around the same time and we’ve cultivated friendship and been going to their performances and such.

For me at first, as someone who has practiced Western archery before, I was surprised to find how ritualized Kyudo is as a martial art. I wasn’t very sure if I could stand the endless aisatsu, or greetings, or the left-foot-first-right-foot-second sort of ritualized steps, but slowly I’ve gotten used to it and begun to appreciate the beauty in these traditions. Life in Kyoto has been quite busy and overwhelming but I found my times at Kyduo, twice a week, to be the most calming. It’s only at the dojo that I can clear my head of everything and just focus on one thing, the arrow.

My second activity is the Gakusei Terebi circle, or the Doshisha Student TV circle. GakuTere makes TV specials, documentaries, commercials aimed at Doshisha students. This sounds very intense but the atmosphere is very relaxed. My circle-mates have been very friendly especially considering how little I understand and speak Japanese. Since I was the only person joining the circle this semester (because most people joined in April), I was invited to many hot pot parties or events of that nature, which made me feel very welcomed.

The biggest difficulty with Gakusei Terebi, however, is definitely the language barrier. Unlike Kyudo, where you don’t need to communicate with others too much most of the time, communication is everything in Gakusei Terebi. People speak very fast there, mixed with kansai-ben, and, in typical Japanese fashion, never ends a sentence and just goes on with 〜て、〜て、〜けど…, so it’s easy to lose track of what one’s saying. This is not to say that I did not enjoy the experience at Gakusei Terebi. I’ve been to both bangumi-making sessions and their parties, and even though I am still in the kengaku stage and can only say that I understood about 40% of what they say most of the time, I have enjoyed and value my experience at GakuTere very much.

Yaya Campbell: Volleyball Circle

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I really enjoyed my CIP during my time here in Japan. If the goal of having a CIP was to interact with Japanese people, then I definitely had a positive version of that. One of my favorite things about the volleyball circle that I joined is that the members range from beginners to advanced, so there is a lot of fun but not overly-serious competition. In this circle, everyone seemed to simply enjoy a few games of volleyball.

I do wish that I got to spend more time with them outside of practice. I did go to dinner with them once and it was really nice. It was funny because they all had bicycles so I had to ride on the back of someone’s bike. At first I tried with one of the other girls but she couldn’t balance very well so I had to ride on the back of one of the guy’s bike. It made for awkward conversation but it was an interesting and unique experience. I remember thinking to myself “haha, I don’t think very many people get that experience here”.

I also noticed that even in different countries and languages, people tend to act in a similar manner. For example, when we were at dinner, we were talking about music and when I mentioned Taylor Swift, they both squealed in a girlish way, no different than what I hear in America. The same goes for when we are playing volleyball. The environment felt very similar to what I am used to, very cheerful and having a good time. One of the most noticeable differences though was that we would say things like “onegaishimasu” and “arigatougozaimasu” before and after each game. Overall, I really enjoyed being able to play volleyball and meet other Japanese students.

Julie Zhang: Kyodai Kendo Club and Tennis Circle

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This semester, I chose to participate in 2 activities, both sports related: kendo and
tennis.

My experiences with these two activities were mixed. Firstly, as a member of the
Harvard Kendo club, I sought to continue practicing while in Japan, especially as
learning kendo in Japan is such a great opportunity. In fact, before the program,
I was attending our annual kendo gasshuku near Nagasaki. As a consequence of
my existing kendo connection, an acquaintance was able to introduce me to Kyoto
University’s kendo club. It was a great experience to be able to spar with the Kyodai
club members, but also very frustrating. As the official kendo club, most of the
students had started kendo as elementary schoolers and were thus extremely good.
While I feel like I learned a lot by observing and sparring with these high-leveled
students, because they had so much experience practices focused more on sparring
and less on teaching techniques. However, like many people in my home kendo club,
I only started kendo 2 years ago and thus I need to work on everything from basic
strokes to complicated techniques (waza). I also find that personally, I am more
relaxed when playing someone of about the same skill level. In this respect, if I could
do this again, joining a private dojo for individualized attention probably would
have been better than Kyodai’s club.

I feel like this negatively impacted my ability to interact with members of the club, because I felt awkward being at such a different level of kendo than them, and in a situation where I felt like I was impeding on their practice. Also, the members of the kendo club used very polite language when talking to me, I felt like there was distance between us. This is completely different than my experiences in the Harvard kendo club, where I feel very relaxed. Part of my problems in interacting with the kendo club were probably also that I didn’t have time usually afterwards to go out to eat with them, and unfortunately, I suppose I kind of sunk back into the woodwork after a while. While I like to talk to people, I’m not outgoing enough to get myself into the fold without someone there willing to help.

My second activity was one of Kyodai’s hard tennis circles, Whiteline. I had played
tennis all throughout highschool, but I stopped after entering college. I found
this experience valuable in attending practices, but since the circle is not very
competitive, I feel like people of all levels could go. However, even with previous
tennis experience, I still have a hard time because Japanese tennis courts are
different. While the vast majority of courts in the United States are hard courts, most
courts that I’ve seen so far in Japan are soft courts with a carpet-like texture. While
I’m not positive, I believe this type of court definitely changes the feeling of the ball.
Although many other students may say that being in sports doesn’t allow them
much time to socialize with their Japanese peers, but Whiteline is very conducive
to conversation. In Japanese tennis circles, the 40 odd people who show up are all
squeezed inside 1 or 2 courts, so there’s always a side doing the drill and the side
leisurely picking up balls. In these court change times I often talk to the other 3rd years. Overall, the tennis circle was much more sociable to me than the kendo club, but I could tell that the 1st years and 2nd years didn’t feel comfortable talking to me as I was their “senpai” when actually I didn’t really care.

However, I really enjoyed my interactions with the other 3rd years, and in fact, I recently went to a nomikai with 30 of Whiteline’s third year students and met a lot more people. A combination of factors led to this CIP activity being a success: a more open atmosphere, me being at a closer tennis level to the circle members, lots of time to talk, and the willingness of the Kyodai 3rd years to introduce themselves and arrange a nomikai.

Henry Mantel: Aikido Practice

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For my CIP requirement I am taking Aikido classes two, sometimes three times a week. Aikido is a Japanese martial art that has the interesting priority of self-defense while inflicting as little damage as possible, even on the attacker. There are no punches or kicking techniques. Every move is an arm lock, a throw, or a takedown. Every move is designed to require as little force as possible, which means most of the movement happens in the core of the body. Aikido movements are all about circles. Every move I’ve learned so far involves circular motion, which can be really difficult to get right sometimes.

I practice at the Kyoto Martial Arts Center. It’s about 15 minutes away from Doshisha and is between my house and school, making it very convenient for me. The people are mixed but they all seem nice and willing to help if asked or open to suggestions. I confess I cannot understand half of the directions the instructor gives me but he always demonstrates so I just follow his example and I usually get it eventually. I’ve practice with the older students a few times, most of them are in there forties, I think, and they have no mercy. I learned pretty quickly that the harder I grip, the harder I’m going to get thrown. Fortunately I haven’t been injured at all yet, proper falling techniques were the first thing I was taught, but I have screwed up a roll or two and ended up flat on my back. Also sometimes they get a bit over zealous with the arm locks and end up bending my arm in the wrong direction a little farther than necessary, but they’re usually quick to release when I hit the mat.

I’m having a lot of fun with Aikido. It’s been a long time since I’ve taken a martial art and I forgot how much I enjoy it. It’s also a great workout sometimes, which is something I’ve neglected to do since I got here. The people are nice, the teachers are good, and the classes are fun and challenging.

Sarah Rontal: Kyoto Univ. Ultimate Frisbee

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Playing with the Kyoto University Frisbee team (Breeze) has been quite the experience, and it’s definitely taught me about the seriousness with which students in Japan take their circles. (If this isn’t enough proof, my host brother also sacrifices a lot of his life to his kendo club).

On a cold, rainy day when my host mother thought there wouldn’t be practice everyone was there, wearing their normal gear, no raincoats at all.  On Saturdays, when there are no classes and no homework, practices can go for 4, even 5 hours (though I’ve only stayed 4 hours once). When a member of the women’s team couldn’t make it to a practice, she had to apologize and explain profusely why she couldn’t be there. They take the team very seriously.

But – it pays off. The men’s team is pretty high up in national rankings and I believe the women’s team is in the top 10 of the region. I haven’t been able to go to any tournaments because I’m not officially a member, but I’ve heard of their amazing feats and seen (and been overshadowed by) their skills.

I think I made the mistake of having very high expectations going into the club, which led to some frustration that actually, looking back, was unjustly felt. I expected the team to let me become a member – I didn’t even realize being a non-member was a possibility – and I expected them to talk to me, or at least ask me what my intentions were in showing up every week.

In the end, I realized that as the foreigner sitting in on a Japanese students’ frisbee practice, it is my duty to be interested, social, and the most ganbatte-iru person there. I also failed to consider, for the first few weeks, that this team is very competitive and only accepts as members those who can pour their free time and social life into the team. Unfortunately, by missing one practice a week for class and missing a few others for travel, I was already not member-material.

From my current perspective, I’m very grateful that the team has been so inclusive of me – letting me join entire practices, giving me slowed-down explanations of the drills we were running, occasionally asking me questions about Japan or the U.S., and most-impressively taking very good care of me when I sprained my ankle (two teammates piggy-backed me to a water spout and their trainer came to wrap it up!). The team has warmed up to me more and more and I’m really glad they’ve put up with my not-so-competitive Frisbee skills.

I have to admit that my role on the team is still somewhat imbalanced by my comparatively low frisbee and Japanese skills, so it can be kind of stressful and at times I feel like I’m a liability. Perhaps the most prominent thing that I have and they don’t – knowledge of English and America – will shine through at some point, and I’m dearly hoping for that day. Until then, I’ll keep trying my best – gaining skill, proving I know some Japanese, and making some friends! By the beginning of next semester, if I do really feel like a liability on the field, I think I’ll try to find a less-competitive team or even a different kind of CIP. Before I make any big decisions, though, I’m up for giving this CIP a few more shots at success.

Regardless of how things end up, I’m glad I spent this semester practicing with Breeze. It gave me a good time and a much-needed culture shock.

Gabe Beckerman: KIXS

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I have been going to the 食事会 for the Kyodai International Exchange Circle every week. Other than the 食事会, I have attended a couple 飲み会, which have given me a chance to make more Japanese friends. Furthermore, contrary to what I at first thought, participating in a circle that is designed specifically for exchange students has not put me in situations in which I am likely to speak English, but rather, almost all of the members speak only in Japanese with me. Many claimed to not really speak any English, or said they were focusing on other languages.

My main goal for a CIP was to make more Japanese friends, as I have felt that I have not had enough opportunities to meet Japanese students at KCJS. I believe that participating in KIX has fulfilled this goal. Furthermore, it has made me realize the extent to which my Japanese language improvement depends on my own decisions. Being in Japan does not necesarilly mean always being in a Japanese speaking environment. Through KIX, I have been able to make Japanese friends with whom I speak in Japanese almost exclusively. Finding these friends through KIX has made me realize that especially when studying abroad, everything is worth trying at least once.