「Private or Group Lesson (Non-Sports)」カテゴリーアーカイブ

Dake LaSala: Weaving

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This semester I got the chance to learn to weave under 河崎先生. After learning to weave, I spent many hours a week working on projects. I had a lot of artistic freedom, so it would be great for people who want to create something in their own vision while receiving assistance! I had so much fun. I would recommend that those doing this CIP be explicit with the amount of time they are willing to invest from the beginning. Many weeks I was at weaving for 12 hours. I was okay with that, but it could be hard if you weren’t meaning to be doing your CIP for that much time. I will say you do have to invest a significant amount of time if you actually want to finish projects.

Annika Crawford: 茶道 Tea Ceremony

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For my CIP, I learned tea ceremony with the wonderful Fujimura sensei. Every week, we met at a quaint tea house in Takagamine, a mountainside town, accessible from the nearest bus stop by a 25 minute walk over a creek and through a bamboo forest, which always helped quiet my mind and get me in the mood.

During my practice, I learned how to serve tea, but more than that, the culture of hospitality and reverence to the present moment that belies the tradition. While this might sound intimidating, Fujimura sensei, with her patient warmth and bubbly talkativeness, never made it feel that way. Like a true tea master, she always made me feel at home; serving me delicious homemade Wagashi, and taking care to take me on special trips based on my interests, such as cherry blossom viewing in kimono, and visits to Raku ceramics museums.

If you are curious about Kyoto’s traditional culture and beliefs, or just want to meet an amazing and fascinating woman, I can’t recommend this CIP enough. If you are concerned your Japanese level will hold you back, I can confirm I took this CIP with the lowest level of Japanese, and while it was super difficult at times, Fujimura sensei and I built a beautiful relationship and discovered new ways to communicate. Not only do I hope to continuing serving tea to others when I return to America, but I carry with me a deeper understanding of how to tap into peace, confidence, and selflessness wherever I am, that equips me well for the future.

 

Stella Tsogtjargal: Shamisen

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For my CIP, I decided to learn shamisen! I haven’t played a musical instrument since middle school and I think classical Japanese music is really beautiful, so I really loved learning shamisen, which is kind of like a guitar.

Two other KCJS students were at our lessons, and it was really nice to have people there that weren’t just the students/teachers at the studio. Everyone at the studio was very kind, and we’d often all get dinner after the lesson.

The final performance was very special. It was the first time I had worn a kimono, and everyone from the studio was very encouraging. I’m happy with how everything turned out!

If you’re interested in engaging with Japanese culture through music, I couldn’t recommend shamisen, koto, or shakuhachi more!

Kylie Gillen: Wasai

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For my CIP activity, I did Wasai (和裁) which involves the traditional Japanese art of hand-sewing garments including a Haori (羽織), which was what I ended up making. 

The environment of the particular Wasai classroom I went to, Kyoto Japanese Dressmaking School Rokkaku Omiyacho (京都和裁教室六角大宮町), was conducted in an old, Japanese-style house with traditional sewing notions, providing an authentic, comprehensive experience. I had the opportunity to participate in the course alongside Japanese students of all ages. 

Although it can be intimidating, please try to speak in Japanese whenever you can! Most times, it will turn out better than you think 🙂

Eva Sasaki: Wasai

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For my CIP, I chose Kyoto Wasai Classroom with fellow classmate Kylie. We chose to make haori and were given the freedom to choose our fabrics. Over the course of 9 weeks, we hand sewed our own haori with the help from 2 senseis. Making my own Japanese clothing item from scratch was very difficult, but the final product is something I will always cherish. If any future students are interested in doing Wasai as their CIP, I suggest researching a new place that has worked with study abroad students before. I also think it would be beneficial to have some background in sewing as I found it to be not super beginner friendly.

Ayub Nur: Shamisen

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This fall, my CIP was learning the shamisen. The Shamisen is a traditional Japanese stringed instrument: it’s almost built like a banjo and you’ll quite often see it in the hands of a Geisha.

I was lucky enough to learn under Iwasaki Chieko-sensei and Iwasaki Yumi-sensei, who are both in the attached video. Though I just as much have to thank the many others at the company who taught me too. By the time I was ready to perform, it felt much more like I joined a family than just a music group.

My greatest piece of advice that I can offer is, if you’re interested in playing traditional Japanese music, do so with Iwasaki-sensei and tell everyone I said hi. Jokes aside, the learning curve of always speaking a new language is harsh and I’m grateful that I could lean on playing music all throughout the semester. More than just that, I’m glad that I had a final performance that I was building up towards to make sure that I came to practice whether I was feeling able or not. Coming in every week is what truly made my Japanese and music better. The genuine best advice I can offer is, studying abroad is draining so have a project that you can feel your progress in to keep your spirits high.

Robert Xing: Kyudo

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For my CIP this semester, I chose to take lessons in Kyudo, the traditional martial art of archery. I had practices at the Kyoto City Budo Center once or twice a week, and I was instructed by Furuya-sensei, a very kind teacher who has taught KCJS students in the past as well. I have actually been interested in Kyudo for a long time, and I’ve done archery before at a club at my home university, but as Kyudo is a very different kind of activity, I wanted to really learn it from the ground up while I had the rare chance to here in Kyoto. Kyudo is different from regular archery primarily in its objective. Rather than focusing on the particular result of hitting a target accurately, Kyudo emphasizes the form of the process itself, from stepping into the range to drawing the bow and everything in between. The idea is that the shooter focuses not on hitting the target, but completes every defined movement naturally and beautifully with an empty mind, and thus the arrow will always strike its target as a byproduct of one’s consistent efforts. I had an incredible time learning this difficult but rewarding art, and I would encourage anyone even remotely interested to give it a shot. A piece of advice I would give to beginners would be to not go into it with any expectations of yourself, as regardless of your previous experience with archery or other martial arts, you will almost certainly have to learn everything from the ground up, as there are just so many minute details about Kyudo. But should you be willing to fail over and over again until your body has remembered every specific movement and posture, I can guarantee that the feeling of gratification you’ll get when you finally hit the target is like no other.

Jason Gonzalez: Kyokushin Karate

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(Edited image as I could not post a photo of the dojo itself)

Kyokushin Karate is a full-body contact sport (advanced training/real matches will involve you getting hit) pioneered by Masutatsu Oyama, which focuses on how gracefully your movements flow into one another but also on the power of your strikes. Moves include punches and kicks, along with blocks/deflects, prioritizing a strong body and sharp mind rather than utilizing evasive tactics.

The sensei was understanding given that it was my first time doing karate and it took me a few weeks (1 practice a week) to learn the basics, and I found that the dojo is considered a sacred but welcoming place with students from all walks of life gathered for the purpose of learning. I chose this activity to supplement my workout routine and to challenge myself in a　completely new environment (karate in Japan) which normally requires you to pay close attention and listen to the instructor to do techniques correctly, but now I had to learn new Japanese phrases as well to follow along.

I have several pieces of advice, the first being to practice what you learned on your own time, even for just a bit. Returning to the dojo can be the hardest part as you don’t want to make the same mistakes as before, so practice the basics on your own time to iron out the form and be ready for the upcoming lesson. Here’s a useful link for the basics: (https://youtu.be/2_PRuRqbSLo?feature=shared)
REMEMBER, stretch first. Secondly, learn how to tie your dogi properly, it’s a sign of how prepared you really are, and it prevents your dogi from interfering with your movement. Thirdly, remember that the only way you will improve is to keep trying. You cannot give up midway as that not only stops your progress but, if you are practicing with other students, you will end up getting in their way. I only went to practice once a week, so it took me about 3 to 4 weeks to get most of the basics down. If it takes time for you to learn, don’t worry. Lastly, you should know what is expected. From my experience the positions can be a bit strenuous if you’re not flexible or not used to moving in a controlled motion and then holding a certain position for some time. For example, stretching at one point includes leg splits (no need to go all the way), and for many of the strikes you have to place your feet inward with one foot slightly in front. I’ve been running so I was not out of breath, but it would be a good idea to work on your body condition and balance. I did not know before starting that beginner lessons were more or less just practicing form and strikes, while the sparring lessons were their own class. If you want to spar, I recommend fixing your form first. When you decide to attend the sparring class, be ready to spend a decent amount on required assist/protection, and to get hit. Most lessons that would pertain to you occur in the afternoon, mine was around 8pm. If you can dedicate time, effort, and passion to learn this martial art, I recommend doing so.

 

Jessica Sun: Sadou

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My CIP activity was sadou (茶道) at Wabichakai, taught by Fujimura-sensei. Sadou is basically the Japanese traditional etiquette of preparing, making, serving, and consuming matcha.

I was interested in sadou because I didn’t know much about anything related to the history or culture of tea in Japan. I also was looking for something that was very traditional and hard to learn outside of Japan, or even Kyoto. Therefore, I think this was a great choice because I think the experience definitely embodied a very traditional and Kyoto-style environment. You will observe and learn how to fold the handkerchief properly, clean and prepare the materials, whisk the matcha, and drink the matcha. There are also other elements, such as meditation and eating wagashi (Japanese confectionery).

Overall, I would recommend this CIP if you are interested in a very traditional and culture/history/religion heavy topic. The lessons do consist a lot of the sensei just talking, so I do recommend it more for those with higher listening proficiency. Also, because of how much time the sensei spends explaining the background or anecdotal stories, the time to actually do the activity hands-on is less, which led to slow progression, in my opinion. However, I still enjoyed the experience, and I bought the whisk, handkerchief, and other materials, so I think it’s something I will definitely continue to do on my own when I go back to the US. Overall, I think it was really unique and not something I could’ve done elsewhere!

Chisom Akpom: Pottery Studio

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During my time in Kyoto, I was able to participate in a local pottery studio for my CIP. They welcomed me even though I had no prior experience, and more than simply treating me with kindness, truly let me become a part of their family.

My teacher had a step-by-step plan for me to follow in order to advance in my pottery skills as a total beginner. In my few lessons there, I learned how to make a vase and a mug and designed them how I found fit. Not only did the lessons allow me to get a hang of the fundamentals, but I had total creative freedom and was supported by everyone around me to pursue anything that interested me that day. Although I started off shy and nervous, their warm nature made it easy for me to feel comfortable and eventually join in on their fun. Through the laughter and many jokes, I was able to not only better my intercultural competence, but learn from them how to live a better life.

To get the most of your experience, find ways you can connect with the people around you. If they mention something interesting, ask them about it. If you don’t understand their Japanese, be honest. While some CIPs don’t have much room for you to bond with the members, pottery made it easy because of the classroom’s nature: everyone sits around the same table with snacks and a drink, and speaks while they work. The more you speak, the closer you get, so make an effort to engage even if it scares you at first.