I would imagine my CIP experience was very different from my fellow KCJS students, at least I would hope so. Coming to Japan I was really excited at the prospect of joining Doshisha’s orchestra, especially since I have not played in about three years. However that did not go as planned as detailed in my previous blog. Of course after that fell through I had to look for a different CIP to join which led me to the Doshisha Figure Building Club and the Music Game Club.
Doshisha’s Figure Building Club (模型研究会）seemed like an amazing opportunity to expand my already growing hobby of building Gundam. The emails went well enough, although I could not understand the phone call at all. This turned out to be a precursor for how the club would end up being, a complete lack of understanding. I went to the meeting with a Gundam in hand, knowing that at the very least I would come out of it with a new figure for my desk, but I did not expect the massively awkward atmosphere that lied in wait for me. While trying to make conversation with those around me in the three and a half hours I was there for, I was greeted with one of either two possibilities. Possibility one: a conversation would start and I would have no idea what the other person said or possibly two: I would be ignored. Either way, I did not leave the club a happy camper nor can I say I learned anything besides the fact that building Gundam is an excellent way to distract yourself from the awkward situations.
On to the Music Game Club (Do it!音ゲー) then. The meeting room is basically an ovular table, set up like a conference room, with no games set up. The members were really sweet though I could not understand them very well. I think that if I had another KCJS student with me it might have gone a lot better. I was just a little disappointing that the club does not actually play games at the regular meetings. What I learned here was that in America if I were to hear about a music game club, then I can assume that they play games during the regular meetings, unlike here where they just spoke about their interests.
The CIP that I have gone the most to is a language exchange meeting which I go to with a few other students. Those people are really nice and they make a huge effort in making sure we understand the conversation. Unfortunately, since it took about three months to finally settle on the 交流会 I have not had the chance to learn many new words or make new friends. The reason why it took so long is that coupled with our workload and the obvious desire to sight-see and experience Japan outside of classroom walls, I really did not have the time to actively search for something that fits our needs, schedule, and financial constraints. All in all the CIP program is a good attempt at giving us opportunities to expand our Japan experience, but at the end of the day the program is basically handing someone a book of school activities and saying, “Find something soon, because you’re being graded on it”. If you can not end up doing something you really want, in my case orchestra, then you still have to do something regardless of whether you are interested in it and I believe that is a pretty big flaw.
投稿者「KCJS24」のアーカイブ
Merrick Williams: Hiking and 交流会
When I began the mountain climbing CIP, I was very excited for it. I tried to have some kind of contact every week but it just became very difficult, but right at that time, I was told about a language exchange meeting that took place every Friday at Doshisha, and I have since begun attending that.
Although it is a language exchange program, and most of the members are capable of English as well as Japanese, at the meetings Japanese is by far the more widely spoken language, which is of course preferable to me. I find I learn the most about the Japanese language and culture when the discussion gets away from the more heavily organized discussions and we are able to just talk freely amongst ourselves. Numerous conversations have been had about simple differences we find about American culture and Japanese culture – it was a funny surprise when comparing stereotypes that while Americans often think of the Japanese as short, the Japanese think of Americans as tall. What I am most often struck by is actually the amount of American and Western culture that has been adopted by the Japanese and that they use on a daily basis, both in terms of language and also culture. It is so strange to me that their culture has evolved in such a way that makes it feel foreign but also strangely similar at the same time.
I always also enjoy asking about specific parts of Japanese culture and being able to get answers from similar aged college students about daily life and the smaller aspects of culture that you don’t have the opportunity to learn about in school. These kind of discussions usually lead to comparisons, and it is always fun learning that neither of us know the other’s culture well, and often what either thought was very normal can actually be quite different in meaningful ways. However, in the end, I guess the old cliché is true about how really, as different as we are, we’re really all just alike.
I am excited to continue with this group next semester, as well as participate in the hiking club as often as possible, and continue to forge strong bonds with the people that I meet.
Jerome Molasky: EMBG (Music Circle)
To be completely honest, I actually feel slightly guilty about not being more involved in my CIP this semester. One of the reasons (and a big reason, I think) for my minimal involvement was, of course, the amount of homework that I received from my classes, especially from the afternoon classes taught in English. Go figure. A constant barrage of field trips, coupled with random illnesses also didn’t help.
Part of the blame lies with me, though, and my lack of confidence in my abilities to become a full-fledged member of a music circle and its attached social group (in which much of the “community involvement” no doubt happens). I love music, and I love playing the guitar, but I’m still not very skilled, whereas many of the guitarists in the group have been playing for at least four years (I’ve been playing for almost three years now, off and on). I hope to work on this problem next semester, and will try to devote more time to practicing and going to group events. EMBG is a very laid back circle, which did make it somewhat easier to just go up to people and talk to them, but the language barrier is still a big, well, barrier.
Another problem for me has been the sporadic nature of the group. Different people show up on different days, sometimes the group isn’t allowed to make loud noises, and sometimes instead of a group meeting there’s a live performance. For all these reasons I was unable to establish a regular rhythm with my involvement in the group. Like I said before, though, I hope to become more involved next semester as I intend to stick with the group. A lot of the members seem like really cool people and I think it would be fun to hang out with them. I just need to get to know them better. One of the two live shows that I went to was incredibly fun, and the students performing were intimidatingly proficient with their instruments, which I didn’t expect at first from such a casual circle. On the whole, groups like this don’t exist in the U.S., so next semester I want to get as much out of it as possible.
Austen Samkange: Kyodai Kendo
My experience with Kyoto University’s kendo club over the past few months has been an interesting one. Unfortunately, I was unable to practice as much as I would have liked. However, simply by participating in the club’s practices, I observed several interesting differences between Kyodai’s kendo club and my own.
For instance, while I was accustomed to the senpai-kohai relationship, it was never as strongly enforced as I have seen it here. Perhaps this is because the Kyodai club is largely run by the students, with instructors coming in only occasionally to participate in sparring practice. Instead of formal instructors, leading practices, organizing mock tournaments, and giving club members advice is the responsibility of the most senior club members. Thus, the club hierarchy, at least at the top end, seems to be extremely structured and enforced.
Unfortunately, my low-level speaking skills made it difficult for me to hold a lengthy conversation with many of the other members. Yet, I was able to talk with a few, one of whom was part of the upper echelon of club leaders as evidenced by his seat on the side of the dojo traditionally reserved for instructors. After one practice in which we had a mock tournament, I came up to him afterward to ask for his thoughts on my match. Even though he was a club member and a student, I was surprised at both the formality of his tone and the detail that he went into recounting my match and suggesting improvements to me. It was clear that he saw himself as a leader within the club and took it upon himself to observe all of the lower-level members, even if he did not normally associate with them.
The dedication that this particular senpai had with regards to the club was both impressive and inspiring, and I hope that I can serve as a similar example to my kohai when I return to the States. Last year, a few friends and I had formed a kendo club at Stanford, and while I was not there during fall quarter, I can only assume that I will have some sort of leadership role upon my return. For this reason, I hope to draw upon my experiences with the Kyodai club to help our newly-formed one succeed.
Brendan Sweeney: Judo
For my CIP I practiced with the Kyoto University Judo Club. In this club many of the members were black belts, meaning I got to practice with incredibly skilled Judoka. This paired with the strictness of a serious Japanese Martial Arts club made participating a little difficult at times. There was a very strict hierarchy within the club, with the older members generally running practice and teaching techniques, and the younger, newer members taking care of cleaning and setting up the clock along with any other menial tasks. In addition, teachers also occasionally came to class and taught techniques as well. At both the beginning and the end of practiced the members sat in line based on rank within the club. There was also a very strict order to the activities during practice. The hierarchical nature along with the strict schedule of the Kyodai Judo Club was much different than my experience with Martial Arts clubs in America, which are generally much more laid back and there is less of a strict member hierarchy. Occasionally, I was either standing in the wrong position, or doing something that would be OK in an American Martial Arts club, that was not OK at Kyodai. However the members were generally nice about telling me where to go and were understanding of my ignorance.
Originally, when I first started attending practices I was very much outside of the hierarchy and no one really bothered to explain things to me. However, as I continued to show up, as well as attempt to speak with members in Japanese I began to be treated more like a member of the club and less like someone who simply attended classes. Towards the end of the semester I was participating in cleaning duties along with the younger members of the closer. This meant I was at the bottom of the hierarchy, however this also meant I was at least part of the hierarchy and meant I was somewhat of a member and less of an outsider.
In addition to learning a large number of new Judo techniques I was able to see how a Japanese Martial Arts Club is run in comparison to an American Club. While difficult at times this was an invaluable experience which allowed me to not only experience the Japanese Language in greater way but a small microcosm of the Japanese community as well.
Aarron Lee: Kyuudou
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
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
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
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
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.