投稿者「KCJS24」のアーカイブ

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.

Sandy Lee: Zainichi Korean Study Group

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The Zainichi Korean Study Group has been working towards showcasing exhibitions regarding Korean Schools in Japan at three different major school festivals in Kyoto.  Students met outside of club time to prepare for the actual exhibitions. Work was separated between students. Some made the handouts, some made the posters, etc. I helped out near the end of the preparation by coloring some of the posters and tracing.

The first exhibition was held at Ritsumeikan University.  I helped set up the room and the exhibition by hanging up posters and arranging the photos exhibition. Afterwards, I was made to wear the traditional hanbok/chagoli dress and stand on the street to pass out flyers to festival attending students. However, I was able to bond with some of the members there who were passing flyers along with me. The next exhibition is at Kyodai and Doshisha afterwards. Similar to Ritsumeikan, I also dressed up in the traditional Korean dress and passed out flyers to passerbyers. The people I bonded the most with are those who were with me passing out flyers. Because I showed up on the last day, I also helped clean up the exhibition. After the cleanup on the last day at Kyodai, we had nabe party. I think it is really important to be able to attend all of the food functions because that is where you can talk with members. At the Doshisha exhibition, I was more able to talk with the staffers because I was able to stay inside the exhibition room more of the time than standing outside passing flyers.

The school festivals have definitely helped me bond with my group much more than attending the bi weekly meetings could have. At the meetings, I did not really recognize anybody and there was little opportunity to talk. Through the festivals  I was able recognize more faces and am surprised that people actually know my name. Hence, showing up at all of the meetings do help you become recognized by the community. Although I did not show up to help out at all of the festival days, I showed up at least once at every location: once at Ritsumeikan, twice at Kyodai, and twice at Doshisha. The more I showed up, the less awkward it had been when I tried to start conversations with people, whether it was commenting or offering food. Spending a lot of time together with the same people helped people become more easy around me. Also, because the festivals are multiple days in a row, being able to see someone in a consecutive amount of time really helped people recognize me. A lot of photos were taken of us during the events and in the preparation. Being able to be in the Facebook albums online I think is a success. Communication wise, the head of the group has really taken a great care of me because she kept sending me updates, called me to invite me to a field trip, and I have also responded to all of them. Sometimes I email her questions and received responses. I think this however depends on how big the club is and how interested they are in opening their group to foreigners. Exchanging contact information with the regular members was also a great step forward for me. One of them even gave me his business card because we talked for a couple of days.

My failure so far is not being able to remember people’s names. I always ask people’s names during the introduction but I can never remember them. Having Facebook helped a little bit, but it is still quite difficult. Most of the time I do not refer to people by their names and it has worked well, except in the cases in which I need to use the “you” pronoun. Everyone knows my name and I feel bad that it turned out this way. But, because I am staying here for a year, I think I will come to know everyone’s names. I definitely look forward to the next gathering or function. Participating in the festivals helped me break the ice, but I think it is your own will to show up, participate, and to reach out that makes the differences.

Calum Galt: LGBT Groups (G・Front Kansai and Gradations)

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This semester I decided to try to involve myself with the local LGBT scene by participating in both G・Front Kansai, a region-wide group that appeals to all ages and demographics, and Gradations, a much smaller student group based at Doshisha University. I decided to do this for both intellectual and personal reasons. My major is women’s studies, and I have a particular interest in issues of sexuality and gender, especially in Japan, as it provides an extreme point of comparison to Western conceptions of sex and gender. I wanted to experience the way queer people live in Japan, if only vicariously, by becoming involved with them socially. Personally, as a gay man, I also wanted to see what my Japanese counterparts were like and to become more or less accepted (even as a token gaijin). My experiences this semester have been a mixed bag, some meeting my hopes and some falling short.

Unlike my senpai, Adam Roberts, who did the same activities as me, I found Gradations rather then G・Front Kansai to be the more enjoyable group, perhaps because we wanted different things from our groups. Having said that, I share many of the same objections he had to both circles. The lack of events, the low participation rates, and the many awkward silences and palpable feeling of being separate from the group put me off quite a bit. Any gains I’ve made in getting close to my circle have been gradual, especially considering the few opportunities I’ve had to meet with people. I’ve focused almost entirely on Gradations, as  the events are more geared towards college-age students and thus involve my peers. It also helps that events are on mostly on or near to campus. In contrast, I found G・Front’s events awkward because of the age gap between me and the few members I’ve encountered. The distance I had to travel to Osaka and the awkwardness of the meetings put me off and I didn’t go back after my first few attempts. Gradations, not without its awkwardness, was still friendlier that G・Front, especially after people realized that I can in fact speak Japanese.

Gradations events consisted of 飲み会 and ランチ会, or drinking parties and lunch meetings. The drinking parties were the most enjoyable because everyone was able to relax their inhibitions and have fun with everyone, whereas the lunch meetings were often awkward affairs with a very clearly split between nihonjin and gaijin, with regular members having conversations in small clusters and gaijin separated from the main group. I found this the most frustrating, and sometimes skipped lunch meetings because I preferred to eat with other friends in KCJS and have real conversation. I still have another semester, though, and I’m determined to involve myself more in Gradations and hopefully break down some barriers with the time I have left. I only wish that there were more activities and more participants, which I imagine could happen if the group weren’t so secretive (another point of frustration, but admittedly a necessary one). I may consider taking on a second CIP next semester (KIX or Kyodai’s LGBT group perhaps) in order to expand my opportunities for interacting with Japanese students.

Astrid Brown: Kyoto Soft Tennis Circle

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The Kyoto University Soft Tennis circle was definitely a new experience for me. It’s been years since I’ve participated in a sports team, let alone voluntarily involved myself in sports. However, after listening to my Japanese friends recommendations, I decided that a sports team would be the most authentic Japanese university experience.

 

I learned pretty quickly that I am not very good at soft tennis. The members of the soft tennis team had been playing since elementary school, so naturally compared to them I am just terrible. The circle itself has a lot of members from multiple different universities in Kyoto; even after going to so many practices I doubt I have met them all. The core group is comprised of many sempai who instruct us on our drills and yell things like “Nice shot!” “Good volley!” throughout practices. However, due to the constant change of people attending, I was always reintroducing myself and I found it harder to make close friends. The drills themselves were monotonous and mostly involved a lot of standing around and waiting, which enabled only short chats with other members. Though the circle is pretty relaxed, there is a definite differentiation from the older and newer members. Sempai typically inform the members of the drills. Everyone bows before every drill and we gather and bow after practice, which is definitely a little different from America.

 

One of the girls would walk home in the same direction as me after practice, and this would give us a chance to actually get to know each other better.  Though these conversations were superficial, it was nice to have this opportunity. This led to more members greeting me when I arrived at practice, and there was more of an attempt to make me feel welcome. From this incident I found that just by communicating more with the members made them less hesitant to talk to me, and encouraged them to ask me questions. At first, they were nervous that I wouldn’t be able to communicate with them, but when they found that I was capable enough I found that they were actually really curious. Personally, I learnt that it is important to be as friendly as possible and be open with people. I feel like this is an important component in getting people to want to talk with you, and therefore further the relationship from acquaintance to friend.

 

Overall, I wouldn’t say that my experience with the circle was a negative one. The members were very accommodating, I was allowed to join the circle without paying the entrance fee and a racket was lent to me each practice. However, it was difficult to become part of the group. Since I did not pay the entrance fee, I was not invited to join for prepaid nomikais, dinners and the circle weekend trip.  Participating in the circle was definitely an interesting experience, however it was not as successful as I had hoped.  However, this experience gave me a deeper view into a typical Japanese circle, and I learned a lot more about kohai/sempai relationships as well.

Yueyi Zhou: Kyoto University Tennis Circle

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In comparing the tennis practices from my high school team to the ones in Japan, I honestly didn’t notice much difference in the tennis itself. Every practice started out the same way, with the relaxed long-range rallies sans the jogging around the courts (supposedly because the courts in Japan are shared with about 5 other groups at any given point). When all the important sempai had finally assembled, we would gather in a circle and wish each other well, then splitting off into two groups: one to return the practice shots, and another to catch the balls and return them to the baskets, where the “instructor” sempai would grab them and shoot off practice shots to the other side. Interestingly enough, Mika, our “guardian sempai” who looked over us from the first day, would always direct us as to which group to join. After a few practices, I started realizing that our group never had the opportunity to practice smashes, volleys, or line drives – that is to say, Mika had purposefully funneled us into the “lower level” group. A month or so in, she stopped directing us, a psychological graduation from our initiation into soft tennis. Practice would ensue, with the two groups switching off, culminating in 3-point sets played across two courts. “Don’t mind!”, “Nice Shot!”, and “LAAAST!” (to signify the last few shots before a switch off) resounded around the courts. Finally, two “representatives” would start sweeping the sand evenly back across the courts while the rest of the team congregated around the benches for some idle post-practice chatter. At the very end, another group circle-up and “Otsukaresamadesita!” concluded the events of the night.

With just these actions, there were a few key differences that I immediately picked up on between Japanese and American tennis practices. They were both highly ritualized – the American one was mostly a physical ritual, beginning with a jog, then a mini rally by the net, moving gradually further back to coincide with the long-range rallies beginning the Japanese practice. Japanese ritualization, however, was more of the language and social hierarchy that was implemented, such as “Yoroshikuonegaishimasu!” at the beginning of practice and per switch-off, having assigned “court sweepers”, and subordination to (through fetching balls for) the sempai who were conducting the drills. Distinguishing between the upper and underclassmen was made incredibly easy due to the standardized greetings afforded to upperclassmen compared to the casual waves to incoming underclassmen.

Another point of interest was the use of English phrases (as exampled above) throughout practice. At first, I had to really strain my ear to figure out what was being said, but once figured out the phrases became second nature. As these phrases are actually more ingrained into Japanese culture, it’s totally understandable that the group would use these set phrases, but I’m still curious to see if other sports / CIP groups tend to use English exclamations.

All in all, soft tennis will definitely mark my experience in Kyoto – the foray into Saiin, the sand in my socks, soft tennis balls hurtling at me at breakneck speed. But most of all, I’ll remember the members of Kyoto University’s Soft Tennis Circle, for all their their kindness and the wonderful memories they’ve left with me.

Christina Banoub: Art Circle

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I joined an art circle at Doshisha for my CIP. It wasn’t my first choice of activity. However, I love art, and I was looking forward to having a dedicated time for art—which I have not really had since I entered college.

 

I went in knowing that a circle in Japan is somewhat though not entirely comparable to a club in America, but not certain what differences I would notice. I noticed that, in Doshisha’s “Kurama” drawing circle at least, the kohai and senpai dynamics mattered—though to what extent I couldn’t really grasp. Not everything was hard to grasp, however.

 

The subject matter of the circle made sense. The circle has weekly meetings that center around practicing a particular art method and subject (still life, portraits, pastel, colored pencil, water color, etc). One member of the club, usual a more senior member, taught the method they were studying or familiar with. Most of the members were art majors, and extremely talented so I felt as though I learned a lot, and it left me feeling my lack of practice and ability.

 

At the same time, all the members work independently on their own projects, and have a chance to display their art on several occasions. Since I was only staying a semester in Japan, I did not have time to complete anything or display anything, but I would have if I stayed for a year.

 

As for the social aspect of the club, I have to admit it wasn’t very easy. As I mentioned before, the hierarchical aspects of social interaction were hard to discern, and the members seemed to expect that I wouldn’t understand. However, instead of trying to make it clear, they just ignored the issue. This might sound ideal, the foreigner not having to worry about cultural norms, but when the rest of the circle is using these social practices it is awkward to be the only person not doing so. I would recommend asking at your first contact, “what year are you?” and “what should I call you?” That might seem awkward, but it makes things smooth later.

 

All the members were very friendly, and during the meetings chatted naturally with each other and tried to include me in the conversation. I have to say, that as much as Kansai dialect as I picked up during these conversations, just as much went over my head. The club members were very busy, so they didn’t seem to meet outside the pretext of the meetings very often—if at all. So I didn’t have the opportunity to meet members elsewhere. However, as it is an art circle where art is the goal, I didn’t feel as though they were simply excluding me.

 

However, this does seem like a club that needs more than a semester of participation to truly become meaningful. Art takes time, and art students in Japan are just as busy as in America. So I would recommend this to year long students only.