My volunteering at Fukakusa Kindergarten entails instructing basic English vocabulary of colors, animals, and children’s stories and playing with children during the asobi time. Will and I went there once a week, two hours each time.

I appreciate this volunteering, which provides me with a window into Japanese kindergartens and children’s rearing systems, which I could compare and contrast with the situations in China and America. It also serves as one of the few opportunities for me to be involved in the Japanese community directly by interacting with Japanese teachers and children, driving me to think about how education for children contributes to Japanese culture.

You are expected to be nervous and confused initially, but you will get through that period quickly because the teachers are amiable and helpful. They are very considerate and respectful. If you have any confusion or questions, direct communication is appreciated. The Japanese etiquette can be tricky to approach at first, but gradually, you will handle it well.

I volunteered at the Jidokan in Nishijin. I would highly recommend this activity if you enjoy working with children or you want to improve your casual Japanese speech. You simply show up and spend a few hours playing and working with the kids. The children are extremely energetic and fun to work with.

This semester, I volunteered at NPO Reframe, a place for kids who have problems at home, mental health issues, do not go to school, etc. At NPO Reframe, the kids often play outside, play video games, eat snacks, and more.

I spent my time watching over the kids and making sure everybody was safe, playing with them, cleaning the rooms in which the kids played in, etc. The picture I uploaded is a picture of me and 朝倉さん (Asakura-san,  the owner) standing in front of the entrance.

If I were to offer advice to incoming students, I would advise you to challenge yourself by starting easy and slowly building up overtime. For example, the first time I went to my CIP, I was quite anxious since I went alone; therefore, I challenged myself to simply show up that day. Next time, now that I had already shown up, I challenged myself to strike up a conversation with someone. And the time after that, I would strike up a conversation with two others, or simply try something else. Challenge yourself, build a ‘tolerance’ to that challenge, and keep trying new things. The things that were daunting at first will become easier, which will open up even more doors for you.

This semester I joined the English class at Ohara Gakuin as an assistant teacher. I went to Ohara every Monday and joined a variety of classes ranging from 1st grade to 9th grade. While the commute was long, it was quite pleasant because the mountain area that Ohara is in is so beautiful. I really enjoyed joining the classes and seeing how English is taught in Japan. You are not required to speak Japanese for this activity, and in fact are often discouraged because you are in an English class, so if you don’t want to have to speak in Japanese during your activity this may be a good option. I would also advise choosing this activity if you are interested in seeing how English class functions.

The CIP activity I chose to do this semester was volunteering at Bazaar Cafe. At the cafe, you will likely be washing dishes and spending your free time afterwards talking to to the other staff/volunteers.

During the first half of my time at Bazaar Cafe, I stayed in the backyard shed with the other staff/volunteers to eat snacks and have fun chats. The second half was mainly centered on washing dishes.

Although volunteering at Bazaar Cafe was a bit unsatisfying at times, I still enjoyed it overall. The memories I made in the shed are what I will remember when I think back to this CIP and it definitely lessened my dissatisfaction with the second half of my time there. If you’re looking for a more low commitment CIP and you’re interested in developing more day-to-day speaking skills, I would recommend Bazaar Cafe. However, my biggest piece of advice would be to volunteer in the last 1-2 hours before it closes on the day you choose to go. This is when the cafe is least busy and is when you can spend more time talking to the other staff/volunteers instead of doing dishes the entire time. If I had done that more often, I would have likely enjoyed this CIP throughout the semester rather than just the first half.