私のCIPは弓道です。二人のKCJSの学生と一緒に月曜日と木曜日に京都の武道センターに行って弓道の仕方を習います。私はアーチェリーをしたことがないから、弓道は全く新しいことです。でも、新しい経験が好きで、子供の時から弓道に興味があったので、CIPとして弓道をすることに決めました。
最初の日には弓道の形だけを練習しました。3週間ぐらい後で弓と矢を使い初めましたが、まだ矢を放つことはできません。先生は川口先生という先生で、とても厳しいけど、性格はやさしいです。私達が練習する時に道場にいる他の人もはいつも優しくて、喜んで私達を手伝ってくれます。
私は腕の力がないから弓道はちょっと難しいですが、本当に楽しいから、毎週、
月曜日と木曜日を楽しみにしています。
I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting when I climbed the four flights of stairs to K-Classic Ballet Studio that first Friday night in September. Still, having taken ballet classes since the age of four at varying degrees of frequency, I seem to recall feeling pretty excited–but not at all nervous–about the prospect of taking ballet class in a foreign language for the first time.
Boy, was I in for a surprise. Once I’d explained myself to the petite, gently smiling woman whom I encountered just outside the door, I followed her inside–where my jaw promptly dropped. Plaques, award certificates, and trophies from Japan’s most prestigious ballet competitions lined the walls and covered several shelves of a bookcase, while about fifteen elementary-school-age girls diligently practiced their changements and glissades in the center of the room.
But it wasn’t until class actually started that the real surprises began. I would soon learn that the seemingly mild-mannered woman whom I had encountered at the door was in fact O-sensei, the owner/operator and head teacher at K-Classic Ballet Studio. Not only that, but she utterly transformed into a strict taskmaster the very moment she commenced the class with a simple and elegant upward twist of her right wrist.
Now, I studied ballet on the pre-professional track in the United States from about age eight to age fourteen–I thought I knew what a serious class atmosphere looks like. But the laser-like concentration of my fellow dancers here in Japan puts many of their American counterparts to shame. Throughout the class, no one speaks except for O-sensei. There are absolutely no private conversations held, except perhaps for a whispered confirmation or two that one is standing with the correct group in preparation to go across the floor. Despite this apparent lack of student-to-student communication, the hour and a half of practice always runs smoothly, with none of the interruptions (such as clearly incorrect execution of the given steps or trips to the bathroom between combinations) that can sometimes plague American ballet classes.
The students may not speak, but O-sensei certainly does–and there is no ambiguity about what she means. Words of praise are seldom heard, and corrections are given in the Japanese language’s direct style of speaking, rather than in the more polite distal style. For example, if a dancer is behind one count in a fast-paced jump combination, O-sensei is far more likely (based on my observations thus far) to simply shout “Osoi” instead of “Osoi desu yo.”
I fear that, up to this point, I may have portrayed K-Classic Ballet Studio as a somewhat stressful and uninviting environment. That could not be further from the truth! While the goal during each class is clearly to improve one’s ballet technique by whatever means necessary, outside of class my fellow dancers welcome me every week with “Ohayou gozaimasu” and broad smiles. Furthermore, O-sensei and T-sensei have both been remarkably patient and understanding in helping me work out the scheduling and payment aspects of my participation.
As the semester comes to a close, I feel incredibly grateful to everyone at K-Classic Ballet Studio for allowing this rather-out-of-shape ryuugakusei (study-abroad student) to invade their ballet classes on a regular basis. Thanks to their warm welcome, I’ve been privileged to see a whole new side of my favorite hobby, and have become more inspired than ever to work as hard as I can to do justice to ballet, the art form that always manages to transcend linguistic and cultural obstacles in surprising and beautiful ways.
For my CIP I decided to find an aikido dojo. I’ve practiced aikido at home in Hawaii since I was nine, so it felt only right to continue my practice in Japan where aikido was founded. What I wasn’t expecting, however, was for it to feel so different.
Of course there was a difference in style, which took some getting used to, but I was surprised that even the beginners were already really used to that style. Back at home, the beginners generally take a while to get used to the movements and move pretty awkwardly for a while, but here, it’s obvious that the first thing that beginners learn how to do is to move according to the style’s logic. I think that’s a really good way to teach and I’ll probably start incorporate it when I go back to teaching the children’s class at home. I think, though, that this difference comes from the fact that in Japan people tend to appreciate instructions a lot more than in America and tend to deviate less from what they’re told despite the initial uncomfortableness of the movement.
Another thing I noticed that was different, which maybe has more to do with this specific situation than with differences between aikido in Japan and America, is that at my Kyoto dojo, the main sensei is female, which has seemed to attract proportionately more women than normal aikido classes. Truly, there are far more women in my classes here than any other classes I’ve been to with male head instructors. Despite that, however, the class dynamic is no different. There are still people who I prefer practicing with, people who are too gentle, and people who are too rough. Although I previously ascribed rough practice to males, I have found here that in a female-dominated situation, the women have filled that role.
My experience with Aikido Kyoto has been nothing but positive, and I will definitely be keeping with it next semester as well.
私のCIPは合気道だ。９歳の時から合気道をしているから、京都でもしたかったのだ。それで道場を見つけて、入った。私が行っている「合気道京都」という道場は西陣にあり、一週間に二、三回行く。月曜日のクラスは中学生と高校生のクラスで、木曜日の二つのクラスは初心者のと三級以上のクラスだから、いろいろの相手と稽古出来る。
ハワイでの稽古とは違って、日本のはもっと厳しい。畳の上では絶対話しては行けなくて、細かい事も正される。だから、四月までに上手になると思う。
面白い事の一つは、たいてい武道の先生は男性なのに、先生は女性だということだ。
私のCIPはバレエです。四歳の時からバレエをしていたので、日本にいる間も毎週バレエを練習したかったです。それで、チラシで中京区のケイ・クラシックバレエスタジオというスタジオを見つけました。
毎週一回十人ぐらいの他のダンサーと一緒に一時間バレエのクラスに参加します。他の参加者は中学生から若い大人までの年齢だから、クラスの中でレベルに幅があります。面白いことはダンサーは若ければ若いほど、バレエが上手だということです。例えば、中学生の一人の男の子は多分、クラスの中で一番上手だと思います。
それから、アメリカと日本のバレエの文化の違いがとても面白いと思います。例えば、日本では授業中の空気はアメリカのよりちょっと厳しいと思います。先生以外誰も話さなかったり、生徒が色々な尊敬を表すジェスチャーを使ったりすることが今まで観察できました。他の日本のバレエ文化の観察することを本当に楽しみにしています。
There are several reasons that I am sad to see this Spring semester come to an end, and leaving my CIP behind is among the top few. My experience at the 道場, practicing 弓道 hasn’t been the most social or life-changing, but I am extremely grateful for having been given the opportunity to be taught by a proper instructor and train amongst other Japanese 生徒.
Although there have been countless awkward moments for me, whether due to my own lack of communication skills or due to making a mistake and dropping an arrow, my overall experience has been quite pleasant and I normally leave practice feeling somewhat accomplished. My teachers and fellow students have been very kind to me, and as the months flew by, I felt more and more welcome amongst them.
During my first few weeks at the 道場 back in September, a few foreign travelers came and went, practicing only a few days or weeks before leaving again. I remember 先生 talking about how even 4 months was not enough time to truly learn about 弓道, and I can say that after nearly 8, I still feel I have a long way to go until I can be called even “decent”.
Looking back, I believe there has been a very large difference between how teachers and other students treated those who stayed only a short time, and how I have come to be treated after being around for a much longer time. That is not to say that they treated anyone badly at any point in time, but that after 6 or so months there, I definitely began to feel a change. Despite having few conversations with others, I could sense that they had grown used to seeing me around, grown used to expecting me there. The times I did have conversations with people, they were always very nice and asked me about myself, and about how long I would be staying.
If I compare myself with some of the other students who had attended while I was there, I believe that my being there for a much longer time than the others, spoke of how serious I was about learning and practicing 弓道, as opposed to being there just for an experience in Japan. I got the impression that those who were only there a handful of weeks were really only doing it as a “one time” thing. せっかく日本に居るから. I and Jasmine who practiced with me last semester hope to continue 弓道 after returning to the states, and if possible coming back to Japan to practice again with a teacher. I am not too hopeful about finding a place to practice in the States as of now, but I will definitely keep my eyes peeled. I knew before I began here that I preferred 弓道 to Western archery, especially competitive archery. I had tried it for a year and a half and realized that the more spiritual and wholesome experience of 弓道 fit me better. I have found myself to be quite right in that respect. I am not the kind of person that enjoys sport and competition, but to me at least, 弓道 is something more.
I believe that it was my genuine desire to learn 弓道 as what it is and not as a sport, not as I learned Western archery in the past, that eventually helped change the way others looked at me. Even 先生 changed her attitude towards me bit by bit. Now I feel much more like part of the group of people there every Monday and Thursday. Unfortunately that only makes it harder to leave and I’m sure these last weeks will fly much too quickly for my liking.
When I first began searching for a study abroad program in Japan, I already knew that I would like to try kyudo. I did not really think that I already liked kyudo, I just have an intense interest in archery no matter its form. I was mostly interested in how kyudo and archery compared to each other. More so than any other type of archery, kyudo has a unique asymmetrical bow and accompanying form. I wondered how the equipment affected practice and how the people who practiced it viewed it. As a result, doing it as a CIP in which I had to go and speak with people in Japanese seemed perfect as it combined language and cultural learning with something I already had a interest in. Kawaguchi-sensei of the Budo Center seemed perfectly happy to take me on as a student, and I really appreciate her putting up with me and my terrible Japanese. Although the other teachers and older member of the dojo spoke with me from time to time and offered some advice, Kyudo is primarily about individual practice. While I am used to practicing archery completely alone, I was a little surprised by the fact that even as a beginner, the teacher does not really help after showing you the proper form. Unlike western archery, the focus on kyudo is on improving yourself rather than your aim and, rather ironically, proper form is actually more important than in western archery. In archery, if you hit the bulls-eye every time, your form is good regardless of how “proper” it is, but in kyudo, you improve yourself through proper form and as an added benefit your aim will also improve. Unfortunately, I had some trouble getting into actually practicing kyudo because everything from the equipment to the stance to the way the bow is held is completely, if subtly, different. I felt frustrated by the teacher’s lack of involvement with the students because I did not just have to learn kyudo, I had to unlearn archery. Perhaps if I was going to be in Japan for a full year or more, I would have gone to kyudo as often as possible and really got a feel for it. But I feel I bit off more than I could chew, trying to learn an art that takes a lifetime to master in one semester, two days a week. Despite those feelings though, I really enjoyed my time at the dojo. Although people who prefer competitive archery may not understand the spiritual element of kyudo, as someone who practices archery for the fun of it, I really felt a connection between western archery and kyudo. The form it takes may be different, but I feel people who truly enjoy archery whether it be western or kyudo, understand how important patience and diligence is in both archery and life. I hope people across the world can continue to forge connections when they are similar and learn from each other when they differ. I hope can give kyudo another try one day and can give it the time and care it deserves.
今学期も弓道をしている。先学期も十二月に私とヘンスリーさんが弓道着を買って、その服を着て、一週間練習した。ヘンスリーさんは帰ったので、私は「これから一人で練習するかな」と思っていた。今学期はノナハンさんが弓道レッスンを始めたんだけど、私達の授業は全然違うから別々に行く。だから、今毎週一人で練習する。練習を始めてもう五、六ヶ月たつから道場に居る先生と生徒は私の事をもう知っている。先学期より他の人と話している。色々な事を気が付いた。時々先生に挨拶しようと思って待っている時に先生は他の生徒と話して、色々な事を教えていて、私と関係ない事かもしれないけど、私も聞いて学べると思う。いつも先生が話している時に耳を澄ます。最近、他のイベントもあった。二月十三日は川口先生の誕生日をだったので、練習している時に他の生徒が私に一緒に川口先生の誕生日を祝おうと言って、先生の生徒達と他の先生も小さい部屋に入って、ケーキやクッキーを食べて先生の誕生日を祝った。面白くて本当に楽しかった。私と他の新しい生徒以外の皆は長い間一緒に弓道をしているかもしれない。その時私はあんまり話さなかったけど、皆の話を良く聞いて、敬語の使い方に気が付いた。この場合には年齢がい一番大切だともう。先生と話す時はもちろん、先輩と話す時も「ですます」を使った。生徒達はほとんど大学生や友達みたいだけど、年齢の差があるから、その時は丁寧な言葉を使う。KCJSを終わりは近づいてくるから早く上手になりたい。後二ヶ月しかないから。
私はアーチェリーが大好きなので、日本の文化についてを学び始めた時、弓道に興味を持つようになった。アメリカでも弓道をしてみたかったが、伝統的な日本のスポーツだからあまりなくて、わざわざ探してみたが、できる場所が見つからなかった。ＫＣＪＳに入ってすぐ弓道の場所を見つけた。運よく弓道をし始めたばかりの学生がまだいて、その学生が武道センターの川口先生に紹介してくれた。武道センターというのは色々な武道ができる所だ。例えば弓道を始め、剣道、合気道などのスポーツもできる。
毎週の月曜日と木曜日に練習する。月曜日にはモラレスさんと一緒に武道センターまで歩いて、木曜日にはバスで行く。月曜日にいる人と木曜日にいる人は違うから、皆の名前を覚えることは難しい。アーチェリーに比べると違うことがいろいろあった。弓も仕方も全く違う。始めは見ることだけで学んだが、三、四回後で弓と矢を使い始めた。川口先生と先輩たちはあまり話さないが、時々手の内とか引き方などを正して下さる。毎度平穏でいい気持ちがする。本当に楽しくて面白い。
I have been interested in archery from childhood, but until college, I never had the chance to experience it. However, once having experienced archery as a competitive sport, I realized that wasn’t even close to what I really wanted. I was never interested in sports, in competition or prizes. Although a lot of the motions and key points in 弓道 are parallel to those in the archery I practiced in the United States, being here, in this environment and practicing something fundamentally different, leaves me with a much more satisfied feeling after every hour I spend at the dojo, compared to the 2 hour practices I had back at my home institution which often simply gave me something more to feel stressed about. When I was a competitive archer, hitting the center of the target was the most important aspect, and everything that was done to improve your form was solely for that reason. Counting up points for scores and then comparing yourself to others always left me feeling like I was in the wrong place.
In 弓道 importance lies more in focusing and centering yourself. We are still learning and so most of our time is simply physical practice, but the feeling of the dojo itself and the environment created by the people there makes all the difference. The other day Jasmine and I had the privilege of watching our sensei and a few of our senpai shoot, and the formality and gracefulness of it simply reminded me of why I wanted to do this in the first place. Simple things like properly greeting our sensei make all the difference to me. The ambient in the dojo isn’t extremely formal, and I often hear my sensei chatting with some of her older students in a quite informal way. However when it comes to 弓道 itself, there is a formality which gives it weight, which separates it from any kind of sport. I watch others shoot in awe and respect because their every move seems perfectly calculated and the end result is quite beautiful. I have always felt the need to learn that kind of self-discipline, and so I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity not only to learn 弓道 but to learn it while being in Japan.