「Activity」カテゴリーアーカイブ

Gordon Petty: Bati-Holic Taiko Lessons

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For my CIP I joined a Wadaiko class taught by a group called Bati-Holic.  Prior to this semester I had never done Taiko before, or indeed practiced any sort of drumming.  I was nervous that I wouldn’t have enough experience, or that I wouldn’t understand enough Japanese, to be able to participate.  Luckily both of these fears were unfounded.  Most people in this class were complete beginners to Taiko, and in addition to the fact that my sensei spoke a smattering of English, there were several other foreigners in the class and learning Japanese as well.

It quickly became apparent that these classes were mean to be fairly casual.  The class consisted of mostly women in their 20s or early 30s, though there were a few other men.  Many people would come for only one month and then stop; in fact by the time December came around I was one of only four or so students who had been there for over 3 months.  As such it was difficult at times to keep track of the people I met, and I forgot names often.  Still, I feel like I became fairly close with those other long-term students.

Because of the casual nature of the group I did not experience much of the senpai-kohai relationships that many other KCJS students have mentioned in regards to their CIP.  In fact I hardly ever heard keigo at all.   My teacher, 黒坂先生, asked us to call him by his nickname Kuro.  It seemed to me that most people, especially the senpai students, seemed very comfortable talking to Kuro and often used short-forms and casual speech.  Furthermore, he was addressed almost always as Kuro-san, not Kuro-sensei.  This was surprising at first, as it clearly went against my expectations of the structure of a Japanese club or class, but it also made for a very comfortable and relaxed atmosphere.

I was happy to find that, perhaps because of this relaxed attitude, everyone was very open to having me, a foreigner and a beginner, as a member of the group.  The first few lessons I was approached with the standard “Where are you from?” “Why are you in Japan?” “Your Japanese is very good!” that I have come to expect when meeting a new Japanese person.  However after a while, perhaps when I became a familiar face, conversations became a bit more personal, regarding subjects such as what I was studying in school, what I had done over the weekend, as well as the songs that we were playing in class.  Of course, this being only my third year studying Japanese, there were many conversations that I simply couldn’t participate it.  In many ways I still felt like an outsider, but I think this is the result more of the language barrier, and certainly not because of any rejection or exclusion from the group itself.

In the end I am a bit upset that I am leaving this winter and won’t be able to continue taking Taiko.  It feels as though I am finally starting to make some connections and form some friendships in my class, and it will be tough to leave those behind.  I am very glad to have had this opportunity to meet and talk with members of the Japanese community outside of Doshisha.  And of course, I have now fallen in love with Taiko, and plan on studying it further when I return home.

Miles Bothwell: Tea ceremony

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After four months and seven or so lessons worth of Tea Ceremony, the only thing I am confident in is how unknowledgeable I really am about the subject.  You could study book after book, which I have, about the ethereal concepts and practices behind Chanoyu. However, only until you spend truly countless hours learning the seemingly-trivial, elementary techniques like how to enter and exit the tea room, fold your tea cup cloth, and even just how to stand up, do you realize that there is nothing trivial in anything you do in Tea Ceremony.

That being said, I couldn’t be happier that I chose to do Tea Ceremony for my CIP.  Besides giving me the opportunity finally do hands-on learning of a traditional art I’ve been interested for a long time now, it has opened me up to a amazing community, giving me insight into how and through whom Tea Ceremony survives in the modern era; a question for which has and will take a long time to find an adequate answer.

Within the community, I was surprised to learn that most of the students are in fact  only up to ten years older than me.  But, with the exception my fellow classmate HB, everyone is clearly years ahead of me in experience.  On the one hand, this has been exceptionally convenient because no matter who I direct my questions toward, they have always been able to at least answer my questions. Whether I’ve been able to understand their answers is a whole other matter. On the other hand, because the discrepancy between our skill and knowledge levels is so great, that discrepancy veils to me how far I have come and how far I have to go in my training before being able to conduct a tea ceremony.  So, I try not to think too much about it and let my own idea of my experience speak for itself.

For two reasons, one of the more memorable moments I will have from this time was when we went as a school group with our teacher to have Tea Ceremony at Doshisha conducted by the on-campus student circle.  First and foremost, it was the first time I participated in a more formal Tea Ceremony setting, as opposed to a classroom setting.  Secondly, and more importantly, sitting there alongside my teacher, facing the Doshisha students, made me realize that I’ve now become a part of this Urasenke school community just as all my other Japanese classmates have.  It was a surreal moment to say the least.

With this semester coming to an end, I’ve decided that even if I choose a new CIP for next semester, I have enjoyed my classes so much that I will be continue to take them regardless.  All I can hope for is that I will learn as much next semester as I have this one.

 

James Ross: Kyoto University Weight Training

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For my Community Involvement Project, I joined the Kyoto University Weightlifting team. It has been a fantastic experience, and one of the highlights of my semester abroad in Japan. When I first planned on joining a weightlifting team, I thought it would be some kind of group where I would go and work out for an hour or so a week whilst awkwardly trying to communicate with my Japanese contemporaries. Upon attending my first practice, I quickly realized these preconceptions to be quite untrue.

First of all, it was not a place to just “work out for an hour or so a week”. Practice generally lasted 2 ½ to 3 hours, and I usually went twice per week. Before coming to Japan, I had little experience with Olympic Style Weightlifting, in fact, I had no experience at all, save for a small overlap in exercises with some of my previous weight lifting endeavors. At the beginning, the coach, Arima-sensei, seemed like a very helpful and knowledgeable coach. Now at the end, (even with a vast array of athletic experience and many good coaches) he seems like one of the best athletic teachers I have ever had. He is more knowledgeable about his field than any other coach I have ever worked with, and was very adept at explaining various difficult concepts and techniques necessary to become a successful weightlifter. Also, this being a small group, I was able to receive much more one-on-one guidance than I ever would have in a training session for an organized sports team. Since entering college, I have found it very difficult to maintain a consistent workout schedule, and found myself losing a vast majority of the athletic ability I had built up over many years of athletics throughout my childhood and high school. Under Arima-sensei’s tutelage, and support from my team members, I was able to come close to (and even surpass) some of my accomplishments from high school four years ago.

As for “awkwardly communicating in Japanese”, I can’t say that communication was always effortless and harmonious, but the other team members were very patient with my less than 上手 Japanese ability. With the exception of another study abroad student from Germany, none of my teammates spoke (or were confident enough to speak) English with me. This provided me an excellent opportunity to use the language, without the option of using English as a crutch. A lot of the new vocabulary I learned was very specialized and perhaps not all that useful (names of exercises and the like), but often the team would go to dinner after practice or spend time chatting about nonsense between sets. This was a great opportunity to talk in Japanese with students who grew up in a culture vastly different from mine, but share the same interests.

I think I accomplished many of my goals with my CIP. Before coming to Japan, I had intended to play rugby, and when that didn’t workout (no pun intended), I was a little disappointed, but I was determined to find another sports activity. I was excited when I discovered weight lifting, but I was a little nervous. As far as I know, no other KCJS student had joined their club, so I didn’t know how receptive they would be to a study abroad student from Doshisha. But, I was able to contact them myself and started practicing without any problems. Even before arriving in Japan, I was nervous about contacting my CIP, but I think the whole initial contact process went quite well. I was also glad to have joined a community outside of my English speaking friends and my comfort zone at Doshisha.

Amelia Loew: English Conversation Partner-Kyoto Bunkyou High School

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For my CIP, I decide that I would teach English.  While interacting with children is not my strong suit, I wanted experience with high schoolers as I was considering applying for the JET program.  I also thought it would be a good way to step out of my comfort zone.
I ended up acting as a tutor for some students learning english at the Kyoto Bunkyou High School.  A few times a week I would go to the school and meet with a couple of high schoolers.  Since the school was only a short subway ride out of the way it was very convenient for me.  At first the students were a bit shy, but they slowly warmed up to me.  Still I found that I ended up doing a lot of the talking; my throat was pretty sore by the end of the hour.  I quickly learned that the best way to get through to the students was to ask open-ended questions.  Once I go to know them, they were really sweet.  Upon hearing that I liked matcha deserts, one of them bought me a special macha-chocolate cookie and a little stuffed manekineko (lucky cat) as an omiyage.

Once, I ended up speaking to an entire class of students who would soon be going to Australia.  Though I had initially anticipated that my job would be something like this, I wasn’t prepared that time and ended up simply awkwardly asking questions up in front of the board.  I really wished I had prepared some sort of lesson plan for that time, and changed my mindset to deal with students who’s english was a bit weaker than I was used to.

However, as the semester went on, I found that the school had a lot more breaks and times when the students were too busy to have conversation with me.  I would definitely recommend having a back-up plan for your CIP.  Even if it seems to be going well at first, things can change.

Matthew Albrecht : English conversation circle

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Half-way through this semester I made the scary decision to completely switch my CIP, from the Kyoto University frisbee circle Breeze, to Klexon, an English conversation circle at Doshisha. I know many people are thinking the same thing I was worried about when I joined — why spend the little time you have in Japan speaking English instead of practicing Japanese? And it’s true, almost all of the weekly meetings are done in English, but it’s also a group of amazingly friendly people and in my few weeks there I’ve made more Japanese friends than the other two months combined. After the meeting every week, most of the people there go out to a upstanding refreshment establishment nearby for a completely non-judgment-inhibiting drink of litchi juice or two, which is a great way to get to know the people better and finally practice your Japanese! There have also been two dinner parties at the leader’s apartment so far this semester, of which I was only able to attend one, but the leader made amazing Japanese food for us and it was a great opportunity to talk to everyone and have some fun.

Although it could have something to do with having come of age in Japan and not America, it seems to me that litchi juice is a lot more central to Japan’s social life than what I see in America. Maybe because Doshisha doesn’t have on-campus housing and apartments in Kyoto tend to be tiny to hang out in, almost all social events are out in the city and involve litchi juice in some way or another. Litchi juice seems to break down a lot of the social barriers that require people to be reserved and distant, and polite speech gets less and less frequent throughout the night, although even nights with litchi juice aren’t free of the kohai-sempai relationships so important in Japan. Whether in English or Japanese, the Japanese members without fail try to discern how old and what year the person they’re talking to is in school so that they know who is in the position of authority. Unfortunately, finding out that I’m both a Junior and recently turned 20, the age of a Japanese Freshman or so, doesn’t make my role any more clear. This emphasis on age sounds especially funny in English when you hear a bunch of people who just met asking each other how old they are, a rather infrequent occurrence in America.

If you’re willing to make the effort to do more than the weekly meetings, Klexon really can be a great way to both practice Japanese and make friends. I only wish I had joined earlier in the semester, as it feels like I just started right as the semester’s drawing to a close.

Jier Yang: Igo Class

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I still remember my first Igo class vividly. It was a hot afternoon and I was sweating because of the heat and nervousness. My teacher taught me the names of all the Igo equipment and told me the size of the Igo board. “It is 19 by 19, remember it.” My teacher told me, and then he pulled out a smaller board said:” This one is 9 by 9, and we will start with this.” I was a little disappointed because I thought the 9X9 board was totally something made for kids. I had to comfort myself with the thought that maybe I could use the regular one after a few classes. I was so wrong.

Nearly three months have passed since then and I have not touched the regular board a single time. Since I showed no special talent in Igo at all, both my teacher and I are quite certain that I won’t have the chance to play on that board before I go home in winter.

When I wrote my first blog, I thought playing Igo was like doing math. I thought it was all about trying to get as much territory on the board as possible by carefully calculating which spot would gain more blocks. However, now I start to realize that even though winning is good, the goal of Igo is not simply about increasing territory. When an expert plays Igo with a beginner, the beginner gets to place several stones on the board before the game starts in order to compensate for the difference between their abilities. Both the expert and the beginner can enjoy the challenge and no one can be sure about the result of the game. I think people like Igo because they can learn how to overcome problems, not because they like defeating others.

My teacher told me that the most important thing for me is to have fun, because I don’t want to become a professional player. For professionals or people who are really in to Igo, playing Igo is like walking on a endless road. They are constantly facing new difficulties but they are willing to continue the journey. When they play Igo with another player, they are helping each other to go further on that road. A good game in Igo is not the game where a player conquers the entire board. On the contrary, people seem to like the games that almost come out even. When a player is losing by one block or two blocks, people who are watching will claim it is a good game because both players are challenging themselves.

I think there are still so many things about Igo that I need to learn and I want to continue my journey with Igo after I go home.

 

Roddy Curtis: Kyoto University Golf Circle

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For my CIP ethnography, I joined the Kyoto University Golf Circle, and observed the seniority relationship between the “sempai” and “kouhai.” The reason I decided to do so is because I am interested in Japanese culture placing importance on the concept of “respect your elders” and how it plays a role in the student hierarchy and corporate world. I observed student conduct/behavior and speech patterns towards their sempai during practice on the golfing range and on the golf course (golf competition against Doshisha University Golf Circle). These were the two main locations to observe the behavioral and speech patterns of the kohai members towards their sempais, as well as the importance placed on their school year in making decisions. I thought that university students do not follow this cultural precedent. Do university students of this generation still place importance and follow the sempai-kouhai relationship?

During my participation in the Kyodai Golf Circle, I quickly learned that the sempai had a lot of power. Most of the decisions were made by the sempai, and the kouhai respectfully abided by these decisions. For example, the seniors would decide the restaurants they wanted to go to after practice. The underclassmen would get to vote on which restaurant they preferred to go to; however, the initial decision is made by the upperclassmen. This was interesting because instead of everyone having an equal say, they are limited to what the seniors wanted to eat. I also learned that the golf circle placed heavy emphasis on school year. During practices at the golfing range and at the Doshisha University golf competition, the president of the golf circle and the senior members decided the groups instead of letting the members choose their own groups. Also, they divided the golf groups based on school year and not golf ability. I am at a novice-intermediate level of golf, but because I am a junior, I was placed with another junior who was a much better golf player.

Speech patterns also play a very important role in Japanese seniority, as younger members are required to speak in politer form to their elders. I expected the kouhai to speak completely in polite form to their sempais; however, they spoke in casual form with only a hint of polite form. When I lived in Japan and went to a Japanese tennis club, it was necessary for me to use polite form at all times towards my coaches and sempai. In this golf circle, it seemed as though the larger the age gap was between the members, the more polite form they used. This was seen when a graduate from Kyoto University and former member of the golf circle came to visit. All members of the group used keigo towards him, which I recognized as a sign of respect.

From this analysis of the prevalence of respect for seniority in the Kyoto University Golf Circle, I can conclude that it is still strong in Japanese culture today.  I was able to closely observe behavior and speech patterns in this microcosm of Japanese university students in my age group, and was able to conclude that they follow the cultural precedent of respecting your elders.

Reid Hildebrand: Impact Hub Kyoto

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At the beginning of this semester, I knew my hobbies and I knew my interest in Japan, but I had no idea how they might intersect. I had lots of ideas: perhaps a regular photography blog or maybe a travelogue video or two to illustrate my time in the Far East. However, the CIP program soon seemed like a great outlet for creativity. I weighed my options and found one of two that I liked – initially, the Doshisha student television circle seemed promising (because I do student television at Wesleyan) but I had no idea if they’d let some foreign stranger jump into their production. The presentation for Impact Hub flicked a switch: it was exactly what I was looking for.

There, I would have a chance to use my creative skills and also have a tangible result that is not just self-satisfying but serves a somewhat larger purpose. The photographs I take and videos I create are used as promotional outreach to reach wider target audiences. I get to hone my skills and build my portfolio while also meeting a great group of like-minded people, more of whom walk through the doors at each event.

Initially, I was once again a foreign stranger with worth to prove. Impact Hub already got photography done casually on the side by some of their employees, but I felt like a devoted photo/video person could do them some good. It took a couple weeks to find my niche there: I attended two events to do photo and take some video. At my Wednesday afternoon sessions at Impact Hub I was careful to protect my work from prying eyes – in hindsight that absolutely reinforced the skepticism but I wanted the result to be a surprise. In early October, at the first intern presentation session, I showed the pictures I had taken and the event recap video I had made. The reactions were instantaneous and enthusiastic; my worth had been proven. Afterwards I was soon given much more slack to work at my own pace with my own method. A mutual trust had been established between myself and my superiors and co-workers at Impact Hub.

Now, the goals have extended beyond event photography and short documentary-style video. My last video was a short spurt of live-action animation set to classic American bebop, and a two-month project that I’ve been working on is slowly coming to fruition. The latter is a very cross-cultural project, which in itself epitomizes what Impact Hub is all about. A 60-second long animated promotional video describing what happens and what one can do at Impact Hub isn’t too much of a burden to take on, but to make it bilingual is something that I can safely say I’ve never done before. The translation into Japanese was a challenge twofold: firstly, the meaning needs to stay approximately the same, with connotations and conversational tone in mind. Secondly, the video has a very distinct flow and rhythm – things that occasionally need to be tweaked when switching the tongue from English to Japanese. Overall, I’m very pleased with how it has turned out – last week I received some excellent feedback, and soon I will settle down to knock it out and hopefully create something that they can use for a long time ahead. If I can leave a legacy somewhere in Kyoto, using my creative skills to make a difference is something I’m definitely proud of.

Zeynep Doga Arican: HUB Kyoto

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My experience of interning at HUB Kyoto was a unique one since I had the chance to work in a welcoming environment in which new ideas are valued and encouraged. The best part of my CIP was to be able to have conversations with the HUB people with various occupations at the HUB events or during regular weekly meetings. It was really interesting to experience the alternative side of Kyoto.

At the beginning of the term, I was working as a project assistant and researching about the HUB projects from all around the world and writing reports on them. The main idea was to find a project that would suit HUB Kyoto’s needs and aspirations. After writing reports and presenting them to the HUB people for three weeks, I realized I was not making any real contributions to HUB Kyoto, since my project reports were not stimulating any further action. That is the reason why I decided to change my role in HUB Kyoto, and instead of writing reports on other people’s projects, I decided to come up with a project proposal and work on it. When I proposed my project plan, they were surprised and happy to see me taking a step forward by myself.

My project was basically an event in which high school students sell food and drinks to raise some money that could either be used for other HUB projects or be donated. My main goal was to create an event that would encourage young people in social entrepreneurship and get them interested in making money through simple events. The idea was appreciated a lot by HUB Kyoto and Eri-san, one of the members, introduced me to another member who is working as a high school teacher. Having a conversation with a young high school teacher was very interesting since I had a chance to listen to Japanese high school students’ aspirations and life styles. Yamashita-san, the high school teacher, was also very encouraging about the project and he was willing to work with me one on one to make the event better. However, after having a meeting to schedule the time for the event, we realized that it would be really difficult to find a time that would both fit the high school’s and KCJS’s schedules. In addition, only one month was left and no preparation had been done, which would require me to do a lot of preparation by myself while also dealing with the schoolwork. Because of this reasons, we decided to cancel the project. HUB people were sorry that I would not be able to carry the project out after having been preparing for it for almost three weeks. However, I was told that my project proposals were suitable to HUB Kyoto and they would be implemented in the future. Even though it was a little disappointing not to be able to carry out my own project myself, I was really glad to hear I could make an actual contribution to HUB Kyoto.

All in all, thanks to HUB Kyoto, I was able to see the world of social entrepreneurship in Japan and have a conversation with people coming from very different backgrounds, with various occupations and interests in life. The fact that they were very willing to listen me talking about the economic and social world in my home country, made me feel a lot closer to them, not to mention a lot welcomed and included. I felt very lucky to be given the chance to listen to their point of views in certain global issues. It was very interesting to listen them talking about Japan’s stance on global problems and the social conflicts modern Japanese people go though. At HUB, I always felt like a part of the group and the family, which encouraged me to learn more about the Japanese culture. When I compared the conversations I had with my host mom and the HUB people, I can see how different generations perceive national and global issues in different ways. Even though 4 months was a very short period for this particular type of CIP, working at HUB was an important component of my study abroad experience and I am very glad I chose doing it.

 

Emily Scoble: Taiko at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine

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This semester I participated in a taiko group, Japanese drumming, based at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine.  While a little apprehensive, the group definitely welcomed me, as well as the two other KCJS students that participated along with me this semester.

Although I had participated in my college’s taiko group and had a little experience in playing taiko, I was unsure at first as to how this group would differ in comparison.  The group members, who range from middle school students to adults, made us feel welcome and a part of the group, although there were definitely awkward moments where I was not sure what to say or how best to help.  While we would play together and interact during practice or performances, the group would always make an effort to include us in dinners or other events after performances.  It was strange, at first, to not have many group members in the college age-range, but it was a good experience to leave the university atmosphere and have the chance to interact with people of different ages.   It was also interesting to observe the differences in language between different group members, such as the children who always used casual form, and the very formal interactions that occurred between the group and the people working at the shrine.

While the time spent playing on the drums and interacting with the group members was worthwhile, the lack of a consistent practice schedule, coupled with a large number of performances, meant that I did not get to participate as fully as I would have liked.  Because the other members already had a good grasp of the songs, there were multi-week gaps between practices so it was harder to learn songs and become part of the group.  In addition, even though we were able to perform a song in a few performances, I did not feel very confident; I would have greatly benefited from more practice.   Still, it was nice to feel included and interact with the members of the group and audience and have the unique experience of entering the shrine before each performance.  The group still has one more performance and a year-end party, so I am looking forward to having another opportunity to perform and talk with the members.