「Circle (Sports)」カテゴリーアーカイブ

ジェームス・ロス：京都大学のウェイトトレーニングクラブ

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僕のCIPは京都大学のウェイトトレーニングクラブです。一月前クラブに入りました。僕はたくさんウェイトトレーニングの経験がありますが、京都大学のクラブはオリンピックスタイルをします。僕はオリンピックスタイルをしたことがありませんから、たくさん習います。例えば、ロースナッチとかクリーンアンドジャークスポリッとジャークというエクササイズを全然したことがありません。

他の京大ウェイトトレーニングクラブメンバーは有馬先生とミハイルさんと同志社大学と京大の学生です。合計で七人ぐらいいます。普通の練習では四人ぐらいいます。有馬先生はそのクラブのコーチです。有馬先生はたくさんウェイトトレーニングの経験がありますから、ウェイトトレーニングがすごく上手です。ミハイルさんはドイツから来た同支社の留学生です。ミハイルさんはドイツではよくウェイトトレーニングをしましたから、ミハイルさんも上手です。ミハイルさんはたくさん教えてくれますから、本当のコーチだと思います。

実は、日本に来る前に僕はラグビーをしたかったので、CIPでラグビーチームを調べました。同志社にもラグビーチームがありますが、本当に強いチームですから、多分僕はできないと思いました。それから、他のスポーツをさがしました。たくさんしてみたかったんだけど、全部は無理でした。ウェイトトレーニングを見た時、大変だと思いましたが、練習に行ってみました。

その練習はとても楽しかったです。実は、有馬先生とクラブの人はとても親切な人ですから、とてもいい経験でした。次の日は体が痛かったのに次の練習に行きました。今、一週間に二回行きます。毎回力が上がるので、本当にいいCIPだと思います。

キム・ハミン：英語ボランティア、バレーボール

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私は色々な活動をしています。まず、１０月から上京中学校で英語ボランティアを始めました。今、英語スピーチ大会の為に練習をしている優秀な二人の学生達を手伝っています。学生が朗読するのを聞きながら、発音とか言い方が間違った時、その問題点を書いておいて、練習が終わってから学生に指摘しています。勿論間違いばかり指摘するのは厳しいので、その前に学生の長所も褒めています。そうすれば学生も自信が付いて、もっと努力するようになると思うのです。この学生達とは英語の指導ばかりしているのではなくて、単なるお喋りをしながら時間を過ごすこともあります。

もう一つ、京都大学のJusticeというバレーボール部にも入っています。このサークルは毎週２回あるいは３回試合を行っています。みんなは自由な時間に来て、バレーボールをしながら楽しくストレスを解消しています。初心者も歓迎し、丁寧にバレーボールの仕方も教えてくれる優しいチームです。このサークルは楽しいことは楽しいのですが、私は実は少し満足してない点があります。普段はあまり他のメンバーと話す機会がないのです。もしかして私が外国人だから私と話さないのかという気もします。私だけ同志社大の学生だし、それに外国人なので、他のメンバーに話し掛けるのは思ったより難しいです。今はその壁を越えるのが目標です。でも私の低い日本語の能力で本当に出来るのでしょうか？

Yejing Gu: Social Dance & Calligraphy

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Luckily, I have two CIPs, Kyoto University’s Amateur Dance Circle and Kyoto University’s Calligraphy Circle, and I love both of them.

I participated in the Kyoto University’s Amateur Dance Circle for the first half of the semester. This Amateur Dance Circle focuses on social dances, which I had no previous experiences of. Although I learned Chinese dance when I was young and I took dance lessons in college, it was difficult for me to remember step sequences in a fairly short time and dance on high heels. Taking the challenge, I practiced at home by learning basic steps on YouTube and I think I did much better later on. The best thing about this Amateur Dance Circle was that it provided a wonderful way to socialize with local Japanese students. While practicing in pairs, I got to know almost every member in the circle. After dancing, I usually stayed for lunch and talked to them about dances, Kyoto University, tourist attractions, and etc. I think lives of Kyoto University’s students are very enjoyable because they have such interesting circles.

It is a pity that during the latter half of the semester, the practice’s time for the Amateur Dance Circle shrank from three hours to only one hour, which is even less than my commute time. Instead, I joined the Kyoto University’s Calligraphy Circle. The practice in the Calligraphy Circle is very flexible, for I can write whatever I want for however long. I learned Chinese calligraphy before, so I was very interested in their differences. One thing I noticed is that Chinese usually write calligraphy on a table while standing or sitting on a chair, whereas Japanese write calligraphy on a low table or on the ground while doing seiza, which is challenging for me. My legs were usually numbed after the practice. But I appreciate that experience because now I can do seiza for much longer. Calligraphy is probably not an ideal CIP because calligraphy requires the person to be quiet, which makes it hard to socialize. However, it’s not a problem for Kyoto University’s Calligraphy Circle, because they have another activity room for meetings. I usually stay in that room before and after the practice. Circle members always took the initiative to talk to me when I came into the room and invited me to join them. Maybe because I am a junior and most of them are freshmen and sophomores, they use the polite speech form to me. I was confused which form I should use until I met a senior who talked to me in the short form. The experience of this kind of Japanese upperclassmen-underclassmen relationship is interesting and useful.

Based on my CIPs’ experiences, my advice for future KCJS students would be, your CIP should be something you are good at, and it should be easy to socialize.

Good Luck and Have Fun!

照崎ケビン：ストリートダンスサークル

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私のCIPはストリートダンスでした。毎週、水曜日と土曜日に京都大学に行って、ダンスを練習していました。サークルの中で、ヒップホップとかポップとかブレークダンスなど色々なスタイルがあります。私はヒップホップとポップをします。練習は楽かったですが、難しかったです。皆はだいたい四年間ほどストリートダンスをしていますから、上手なんです。
ポップのスタイルを全然したことがなかったので、先輩に初歩を教えてもらいました。練習場所に着いた皆におはようと言っていつもウォームアップをして初歩をします。何回も初歩をします。かがみがありませんから、上手に出来ているかどうか分かりませんです。時々、先輩が手伝ってくれました。練習していない時、先輩と他の部員に話す機会があります。だいたい、皆英語が下手なので、日本語の話す練習にもなります。
残念ながらストリートダンスのサークルは一ヶ月の休みに入ります。日本の大学は春休みなんです。それで、他のCIPを探さなくてはいけません。もうCIPではなくなりますが、ストリートダンスは楽しかったです。

イェジン・コ：社交ダンスと書道

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私のCIPは京大アマチュアダンスクラブという社交ダンスクラブです。クラブの部員は、ほとんど京都大学の学生で、二十人ぐらいいます。先生も京大の学生で、各練習で二つのダンスを教えます。例えば、ワルツ、タンゴ、クイックステップ、ルンバ、チャチャチャ、サンバなどです。練習は、毎週土曜日十時から十一時までです。みんな大学生からダンスを始めた人ばかりだと聞いたけど、本当にプロみたいです。みんなは、とてもやさしくて、色々なことを教えてもらって、お世話になっています。そして、みんな仲が良くて、一緒に練習の後にご飯を食べに行き、話し合います。

二つ目のCIPは、京都大学書道部です。書道部は百人以上いて、毎週水曜日に活動があって、毎月に一回で講師の先生が教えます。書道部の部室は、紙や墨、書道関係の本、冷蔵庫まであります。みんな自分で自由に書きます。春休みと夏休みには２泊３日程度で合宿に行きます。そして、毎年初夏と秋季の2回の学外展を行っています。みんなは、書道が上手だし、とてもやさしいし、アットホームな雰囲気のサークルです。

Joseph Lachman: Kyoto University Graduate Student Tennis Circle

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Kyoto University Graduate Student Tennis Circle

The Kyoto University graduate student’s tennis circle has been an interesting experience so far for me. Recently, it has become more difficult to hold practices due to poor weather, cold, and busy schedules. Despite some of these minor setbacks, I have still enjoyed enriching cultural experiences as a member of the group.

First of all, I am the only foreigner in this tennis group, and furthermore, I am the only undergraduate student, making me the youngest by several years. As a result, the first source of confusion that surfaced was with regard to formality. In terms of tennis experience, I am relatively advanced compared to most of the group members, but of course, I am younger than all of them, and a new member of the group. I was unsure how to address people at first, and it was difficult enough trying to remember a large number of new names. However, the group seems to adhere to a rule of addressing people by their last names, although I seemed to be the one exception to that rule, since I requested that they call me Joseph.

The group seems to have a healthy mixture of skill levels, although I wish the more experienced players would show up more often. The composition of the group changes significantly each week. I attended one dinner party for the group as well, and to be honest, I didn’t recognize the group at first, seeing so many new faces.

I would definitely recommend a tennis group for exchange students of all levels. The sport is not based too heavily on verbal communication, so it’s possible to enjoy the practices without a lot of unusual vocabulary, and there’s time between rallies and after practice to socialize with the other members. Also, tennis is one of the sports in Japan where a very large proportion of the terms are borrowed from English. “ナイスラリー、Nice rally” and “ナイスショットnice shot” can be heard countless times throughout practices. The phrase in Japanese you will probably hear more than anything else is, “すみません、excuse me/sorry.” If you hit a good shot that your partner had trouble getting back, you apologize. If you miss a shot because your partner hit it well, you apologize. In other words, no matter what your skill level and relationship to your partner, you apologize. It can be excessive at times, but overall the cordiality is nice, slightly amusing, and still preferable to rudeness.

After nearly a full semester as part of this group, I am for the most part a regular member of the group, and treated as such. One incident that gave good evidence for this was a conversation with some of the other members about hockey in Japan versus America. I was asked about teams in America, and if there was a team in Seattle. I mentioned that we have a minor team, the Everett Silvertips. The “Everett Silvertips” is a terribly awkward phrase to say in katakana Japanese, so I left it as is when I mentioned it. The others looked slightly stunned for a moment, explaining to me that they occasionally forgot that I’m a native English speaker, since I hardly ever used English during practices.

It seems that tennis can be an enjoyable extracurricular activity, regardless of Japanese skill level. If you’re looking for immersion into Japanese culture, I might recommend choosing something more traditional. In retrospect, I think it might have been more valuable to use my Taiko drumming class as my CIP, English tutoring, or volunteer work with disabled Japanese youth. However, it is still both interesting and useful to gain a new perspective on an activity one has only viewed from an American perspective, and see how it has been adopted and tailored for Japanese society, including ways in which it reflects aspects of Japanese culture, while still retaining foreign aspects as well. Since I will be continuing at KCJS for the spring semester, I plan to look into other potential CIP activities, but will most likely still continue practicing with the tennis circle.

Merrick Williams: Hiking and 交流会

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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.

Austen Samkange: Kyodai Kendo

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            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

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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.

 

Yaya Campbell: Volleyball Circle

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I really enjoyed my CIP during my time here in Japan. If the goal of having a CIP was to interact with Japanese people, then I definitely had a positive version of that. One of my favorite things about the volleyball circle that I joined is that the members range from beginners to advanced, so there is a lot of fun but not overly-serious competition. In this circle, everyone seemed to simply enjoy a few games of volleyball.

I do wish that I got to spend more time with them outside of practice. I did go to dinner with them once and it was really nice. It was funny because they all had bicycles so I had to ride on the back of someone’s bike. At first I tried with one of the other girls but she couldn’t balance very well so I had to ride on the back of one of the guy’s bike. It made for awkward conversation but it was an interesting and unique experience. I remember thinking to myself “haha, I don’t think very many people get that experience here”.

I also noticed that even in different countries and languages, people tend to act in a similar manner. For example, when we were at dinner, we were talking about music and when I mentioned Taylor Swift, they both squealed in a girlish way, no different than what I hear in America. The same goes for when we are playing volleyball. The environment felt very similar to what I am used to, very cheerful and having a good time. One of the most noticeable differences though was that we would say things like “onegaishimasu” and “arigatougozaimasu” before and after each game. Overall, I really enjoyed being able to play volleyball and meet other Japanese students.