「Activity」カテゴリーアーカイブ

Gavin Dutterer: Volunteering at Ohara Elementary and Junior High School

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At this CIP, I went to Ohara Elementary and Junior High School once a week, eating lunch with the students and helping out primarily in the English classes. I worked mostly with the 6th graders as they worked on their end-of-semester English presentation, offering advice and answering any questions they had. If you’re interested in this CIP, I’d recommend getting ready to get out of your shell, as a lot of the students are shy and it can be difficult to talk to them. However, it’s a great experience, and being able to help them and provide them with an international perspective they probably wouldn’t get to experience otherwise is extremely rewarding.

 

Alejandro Sosa Hernández: Calligraphy

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For my CIP, I took calligraphy lessons at the Shoukei Shoudo School. Once a week, the senseis would teach me how to write a new Kanji character until my skills developed enough for me to choose my own Kanjis. Learning how to do calligraphy was incredibly exciting and it was nice to have a dedicated creative outlet every week where I could practice my Japanese speaking and writing. It was perfect for me since I’ve always loved cursive writing, I think Kanji are beautiful, and I am quite the perfectionist. My advice to incoming students would be to not be afraid of asking for help! That’s what the senseis are there for.

Kimiko Reed: Shamisen

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My CIP this semester was learning shamisen at Greenwich House music school. Greenwich House is run by the Iwasaki family, and they teach as well as do performances with shamisen (similar to a guitar), koto (similar to a harp), and shakuhachi (similar to a flute).

Through practicing once a week at Greenwich House, I was able to learn more about traditional Japanese music and interact with a wide variety of people, which allowed me to practice both formal and informal Japanese. At the end of the semester, me and the other KCJS students who were learning instruments at Greenwich House had the opportunity to perform at a traditional Noh theater.

I made so many amazing memories during my time at Greenwich House, and I would highly recommend this CIP experience to incoming students. My advice to incoming KCJS students is to give yourself grace when it comes to making mistakes, both in terms of language speaking and in terms of doing your CIP activity itself.

Rachel Collins: Calligraphy

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This semester, I decided to attend Calligraphy lessons for my CIP activity. In these classes, my teacher would give me kanji, kana, and hiragana practice, and walk me through all of the details that go into creating a beautiful piece. I found the class to be incredibly rewarding, despite the challenge of writing in such a precise manner. My teacher helped me learn the importance of patience, and taking time to slow down to fully understand each step in the process. From her class, I’ve taken time to emphasize the importance of patience in every aspect of my study abroad experience.

Therefore, my advice to incoming students would be to slow down. It’s tempting to rush into the excitement of a new experience, eager to do everything perfectly, but the learning process requires time. No matter what you do, take the time to deeply understand what you’re learning, and you’ll see yourself improve even faster!

Christine Kang: Volunteer at Mitsuba Kindergarten

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I volunteered at Mitsuba Kindergarten, a local preschool in Kyoto, where I spent time each week interacting with children aged 3 to 6. My responsibilities included playing games, drawing, singing songs, helping with origami, assisting children with snack time and bathroom trips, and participating in their daily routines alongside the other teachers. I was essentially a “sensei” figure to the kids, helping out wherever needed while using the opportunity to practice and improve my Japanese.

The experience was both heartwarming and humbling. While the children were incredibly affectionate—often drawing me pictures, hugging me, or sitting in my lap—there were also moments when the language barrier made me feel unsure or overwhelmed. I struggled at first with basic vocabulary and knowing how to communicate in a way kids would understand, but over time I gained confidence by listening carefully, asking questions, and even laughing along with them when I made mistakes. I also learned a lot about Japanese culture, especially how structure and rule-following are emphasized even from such a young age.

I highly recommend Mitsuba Kindergarten to students who enjoy working with children and want to practice their Japanese in a natural and supportive environment. It helps to go in with an open mind, a playful spirit, and the willingness to learn—not just language, but how to communicate and connect without always having the right words.

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.

Daniel Kryzhanovsky: Dance

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While here in Kyoto, I did dance lessons at Fly Dance Studio near Teramachi. While here, I specifically focused on hip-hop dance lessons, slowly and surely improving my skills one class at a time. For those interested, they offer a variety of dance lessons other than hip-hop, like K-pop and jazz.

Although I wasn’t super good at it at first, I gradually improved and learned several dance moves and movements I wasn’t sure I could pull off, isolation in particular being one of the techniques that challenged me in a good way. I also met some cool people along the way who ended up chatting with me from time to time in between lessons.

If you want to do something that makes you feel a little intimidated or out of your comfort zone, don’t worry about those feelings and do what’s calling to you. You’ll end up regretting that decision–do whatever is calling to you and you’ll have the time of your life!

Sergianni Jennings: Volunteering at Mitsuba Kindergarten

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This semester for my CIP I volunteered at Mitsuba Kindergarten. As a volunteer, I was able to play with children and also act as an assistant to the teachers for any help they needed. I had a really great experience at my CIP this semester and was able to make a lot of memories with the kids. I especially enjoyed sitting down and drawing together with them and was touched by the amount of drawings they gave me throughout the semester.

The teachers were also incredibly kind and I always enjoyed talking with them during my volunteer hours. The kids also have a daily snack time and the teachers would often include me as I had not tried many of the Japanese snacks that they served!

I would recommend this CIP to anyone who loves playing with kids and being in a lively environment. I would also suggest to those who do this CIP to have confidence in your Japanese when speaking to the children or teachers as they are all kind!

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!