This semester I took one on one shamisen lessons once a week from Kurahashi-Sensei. Throughout the semester, I learned a lot of different techniques and a completely new style of reading music. At the end, I was able to play a duet with my sensei on the koto, which was really rewarding.

Despite having some previous experience with other instruments, it was my first time learning a string instrument. I’m glad I got to go through learning a new instrument over again, while picking up little bits of Japanese culture along the way through the friendly conversational environment with Kurahashi-Sensei and her family. 

If I had to give advice it would be to feel free to try something new. I remember that I was super nervous about learning a new instrument in a foreign language, but I’m really glad I went through with it. Lessons with my sensei made for an amazing opportunity to learn a lot about Japanese music, and discover another side of Japanese culture that I hadn’t seen before.

At Fly Dance Studio, you have the opportunity to learn dance from a diverse range of instructors. Whether you’re interested in hip-hop, k-pop, jazz, house, or any other style, there’s a class for you. To get started, create an account with them and choose between paying per class or purchasing a pass that allows you to attend multiple classes freely.

If you’re a beginner dancer looking to learn choreography, Fly Dance Studio is the perfect place to learn. The instructors are incredibly friendly and welcoming, and most importantly, they really invest in your learning. Dancing at Fly Dance Studio was a blast as the environment was super fun and encouraging. It seriously reignited my love for dance.

Chika’s 初めてのHip-Hop Class!

Fly Dance Studio is a dance studio located in Sanjo where you can attend a variety of classes ranging from beginner to advanced in styles ranging from k-pop to hip hop to breaking, locking, freestyle, jazz, and more. 

Although this CIP would definitely require more effort on your part to make friends and connect with classmates and teachers, it is an especially great opportunity for experienced dancers to experience the dance scene in Japan firsthand! 

I definitely recommend picking a CIP that has both components of something familiar and unfamiliar. For me, dancing k-pop was somewhat familiar, and attending class and dancing hip-hop were wholly unfamiliar to me. Whenever I was struggling with aspects of the unfamiliar like the classes going too fast or the teachers being scary, I was able to fall back on the k-pop class and my enjoyment of that choreography and that music, and that experience helped me to persevere past the others. 

My biggest piece of advice is to try and make friends with the people at your CIP! Although it was extremely difficult for me in the moment for factors such as most of my classmates being middle schoolers and already in extremely tight knit groups coming to class and there being very limited space in the studio for talking in between classes, in hindsight, I could have definitely attempted to bond with the classmates I kept seeing over and over at the same classes. For this CIP in particular, foreigners are not an unusual sight at the dance studio, so it is definitely a little bit more of a safer space to attempt and speak to Japanese people you’ve never met before. Additionally, the dance scene as a whole appears to be somewhat casual and pretty social, so it definitely felt more approachable or acceptable to try and start a conversation than it might be in other more formal settings. The studio itself is also surrounded by a ton of trendy shops and a movie theater, so it’s a great place to hang out before and/or after class as well!

For my CIP this semester, I took tea ceremony lessons. When I came to Japan for the first time in 2018, I had the opportunity to go to a rural high school’s tea ceremony club. Admittedly, I didn’t really like matcha at the time, so I was having a hard time drinking it then. However, between then and the start of this last semester, I’ve come to love matcha, so deciding to take tea ceremony lessons was a no-brainer for me. Our first day was more of a demonstration and less of a lesson. It was still winter at that point, so the more suburban/semi-rural area that we traveled to for the demo was even more beautiful because of the snow on the ground. The windy streets surrounded by trees and mountains were like nothing I had ever seen. When we finally found the ryokan we would have classes in, we met Fujimura Sensei. She was wearing a kimono, which fit right in with the general traditional vibe of the small tatami room where our classes would be held.  

I was extremely nervous at that point. Everything in the room was so perfect, intentional, and unfamiliar to me, and I was afraid that I was somehow going to break something. Since this was very early into the semester, this had become a very common feeling since arriving in Japan: being generally uncomfortable. As Fujimura Sensei was doing the demonstration, I was so impressed by not only the intricacy of the ritual but how graceful and sure she was in each of her movements. I was a little intimidated at first, thinking there was no way I would be able to come close to that level. Even so, Fujimura Sensei was extremely kind, and I would later find out, just as patient and encouraging. Our lessons were completely in Japanese, and when I would struggle with the language, she would use hand movements to help me understand. Also, Connie Situ and Geetanjali Gandhe, the two other KCJS students who were taking the lessons with me, were beyond helpful when it came to helping me understand some of the Japanese instructions. Through their help and Sensei’s teaching style and overall friendliness, I was able to let go of the need to be perfect, and this made me so much more confident and, ultimately, have a lot more fun. This is something I want to carry with me after the end of the program because it can open more doors for me because I am less afraid of failure and am more comfortable with being uncomfortable. 

My CIP was also special because Fujimura Sensei went out of her way to teach us about the cultural history of Kyoto and Japan at large. To celebrate White Day, she prepared a multiple-course meal for us and explained the meaning and traditions behind each dish. It was delicious and I was really happy to participate in this holiday for the first time. Later in the semester during sakura season, we did an ochakai, or formal tea ceremony, at Heian Jingu, and later drove out to the countryside to do our own tea ceremony. It was such a beautiful experience, and I’m grateful to Fujimura Sensei for putting it all together. This semester was definitely full of awkward moments and small failures, but because of that, I feel like I am a more confident person than I was at the start.