This semester, I concentrated my efforts into volunteering at WakJapan, an organization designed to introduce people to traditional Japanese experiences and crafts, such as trying on kimono, participating in tea ceremonies, folding origami, etc. Although I started working there last semester (in order to make up for the days the museum could not call on me), this semester was when everything finally started to click.
In any workplace environment, things tend to go smoother if you know your coworkers beyond the surface level. Last semester, having only started working for WakJapan late in the year, I hardly knew anyone but my main CIP contact. However, this semester that changed. Starting from when I got back from Winter Break in January, WakJapan helped me participate in Japan’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony (a huge ceremony here that celebrates everyone who has turned twenty in the last year) by providing me with a formal kimono, muffler, hair ornaments, shoes, and a purse that one of my coworkers had used on her coming-of-age day, which I got to keep as present. Going to the Coming-of-Age Ceremony was really nerve-wracking, as no one else from KCJS could go, but WakJapan supported me throughout the whole endeavor, making it a memorable and fun experience. After that, I grew closer to my coworkers, and we started doing things like going out to eat lunch together, chatting in the office, and exchanging amusing stories while on break. Of course, I still had a job to do – as did everyone else – and my days have certainly been busy filing papers, translating from Japanese to English (and back again), preparing sessions for customers, and helping people put on kimono and fixing their hair – just to name a few. But throughout everything I did, the most memorable part of my time at WakJapan has been the bonds I have formed. I didn’t expect this to be more than a job, but surprisingly my CIP this semester has turned out to be one of my favorite things about studying abroad in Kyoto.