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.

From September 2015, I have been participated in the production of a bi-monthly informational journal called Life in Kyoto under kokoka Kyoto International Community House. I volunteered for the Japanese version, English version, and Chinese version. The production cycle is eight weeks long, and themes of articles are decided based on the season of the year and aimed to help foreigners know Kyoto better and navigate their lives in Japan.

For the Japanese meeting, there are about twenty people, and the age of participants range from undergraduate students to senior men in their sixties. Because of the nature of the production, this volunteer experience involves a lot of talking about tiny details, from grammar to choice of words, which I appreciate the most, since it gives the chance to experience how Japanese people actually talk and collaborate, and I can ask any question I want no matter how trivial it seems. As for the English meeting, number of participants can range from three people to ten people. We correct grammar and making sentences easier to understand. Since English is my second language and Japanese is my third language, this volunteer experience really helps me with improving both languages’ skills.

Aside from learning language, this CIP gave me an opportunity to look into Japanese society and be an “in-group” member of kokoka. Specifically, during the volunteer orientation at the beginning of 2016, I was in charge of introducing Life in Kyoto to people who are interested in participating as volunteers. In addition, when they do come to meetings, I was the one to introduce the over-all flow of meeting, explain details of translations, and encourage further participation.

Also, after I am identified as in-group member through consistent participation of both English and Japanese meetings and trying to talk with other members after meetings, other Japanese volunteers started to talk with in casual form and Kansaiben instead of honorific style of speech. Last semester, when I have difficulties pronouncing certain words, which obviously show others that I am a foreigner, other Japanese volunteers would try to continue the conversation with very simple Japanese or English and talk very slowly. In contrast, it changed this semester; even during conversations with new Japanese volunteers, when I sometimes fail on Keigo, they would continue the conversation with normal Japanese. This level of trust and acknowledgement in my Japanese language level really moves me. At last, once you are in-group member, people will naturally take care of you various ways. For instance, I was considering changing my major from Psychology to Classical Japanese at the beginning of this semester, and after one of employees at kokoka heard about this, she introduced me two people from Kyoto University who might help me figure out studying Classical Japanese in Japan.

From my experience, I learned that consistent participation and interaction with other members are the key to be accepted as a member of the group. So, I want to encourage future participants of CIP in general to talk with Japanese people before, during, and after each activity. It could start with talking about the weather, asking for recommended restaurants in Kyoto, confirming names, asking about their universities, and complaining how stressful school work is. Please do not feel devastated if you make mistakes in Keigo or pronunciation. After all, Japanese is not our first language, so as a international student, you will always be forgiven, but do not use that as an excuse to communicate in English only. If you keep trying, at some point, your Japanese could be good enough to talk fluently with Japanese natives. For future students who are considering taking Life in Kyoto as their CIP, I would recommend go to at least one Japanese meeting and one Eglish meeting, and check with your KCJS senseis to know more about the long meeting hours, and if you language level suits.

“What makes a work of art Rinpa?”

Throughout my first semester at KCJS, this has been a question I have worked hard to answer.

When I first applied to KCJS, I did so primarily because KCJS offered the CIP component. Currently I am an East Asian Studies Major at Bryn Mawr College with a concentration in Japanese Art History, and at the time I applied it was my hope that getting into KCJS would bring me one foot closer to getting an internship at a Japanese art museum. Luckily, through the help of my artisans class professor, Monica Bethe, who had a contact at the Kyoto National Museum (京都国立博物館 Kyoto Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan), I was able to land my dream internship and work together with a crew of people to help visitors understand what special characteristics Rinpa art contains.

Almost every Wednesday at 12:30PM, I’d finish my lunch and then ride the 100 raku bus to the museum, or Kyohaku (京博) as it is commonly referred to by staff and peers alike. Once there, I would check in with the guard at the Western Gate before preceding to meet my CIP contact, who would let me know what type of job I would be working for the day. Some days, I was assigned basic training, such as learning the layout of the museum or studying the Rinpa art movement in Japanese and English. Other days, I got to participate in more hands-on activities, such as attending a class on how to teach Rinpa to elementary school students, or helping visitors make a fan inspired by Rinpa Design. Rinpa (or the “Aesthetics of the Capital” as the exhibition states) is made up of four main principles: 1) 繰り返す (kurikaesu) – Repetition　2)はみ出す (hamidasu) – Running off the Page　3)余白をとる (yohaku o toru) – Leaving an empty space (usually in the middle of the artwork, though it is not always limited to this) and 4)ジグザグ (Ziguzagu) – Creating an uneven pattern (so when repeating an object, making sure the object is not always at the same height level). Together, these four principles create a sense of movement in each Rinpa piece, and it has been my job this semester to faithfully teach children and adults alike how to recognize and explain these principles.

Another component of my CIP has simply been getting to know my peers. With the exception of my fellow college student interns, whom I spend the majority of my time working with, I also work with several adult volunteers and staff members. Because everyone comes from a different background and social standing, learning when to use 敬語 (keigo – Japanese polite language) and です/ます (desu/masu style – still polite, but a much less formal style of Japanese) has been a challenge. I also was able to attend one weekly staff meeting, which ended with everyone discussing the day’s events: what happened, how many people came to the exhibit, what troublesome things occurred, what positive things occurred, what was bothering us, what we were thankful for, etc. One person also brought traditional 和菓子 (Wagashi – aJapanese-style sweet) with them to the meeting, and everyone sat down to eat the snack together. In this regard, I have picked up and learned more about the Japanese work force than I initially expected.

The semester has not been an easy one. As I am treated the same as any other college intern at my CIP worksite, my schedule relies more on when my CIP contacts need me rather than the other way around. Thus, in order to meet my requirements this semester, I have also taken on several smaller volunteer positions in order to have enough credit, such as helping middle school students learn English, working at a tourist office, joining the photography circle, making nabe, etc. Overall, each experience has been a rewarding one, but my favorite experience so far has definitely been the Kyohaku. In the future, my CIP contact Yamakawa-san has promised to let me join in on more hands-on excavation sites (such as one in Osaka where I will be able to handle the rare objects directly), and to let me sit in on more academic lectures and meetings. Although I am sad this semester is coming to an end, I cannot wait to continue building my different CIP relationships next semester in the Spring.

For fall semester 2015, I participated in the production of a bi-monthly informational journal called Life in Kyoto under Kokoka Kyoto International Community House. I volunteered for the Japanese version, English version, and Chinese version. The production cycle is eight weeks long, and themes of articles are decided based on the season of the year and aimed to help foreigners know Kyoto better and navigate their lives in Japan. 

For the Japanese meeting, there are about twenty people, and the age of participants range from undergraduate students to senior men in their sixties. Because of the nature of the production, this volunteer experience involve a lot of talking about tiny details, from grammar to choice of words, which I appreciate the most, since it gives the chance to experience how Japanese people actually talk and collaborate, and I can ask any question I want no matter how trivial it seems. As for the English meeting, number of participants can range from ten people to three people. We correct grammar and making sentences easier to understand. Since English is my second language and Japanese is my third language, this volunteer experience really helps me with improving both languages’ skills. 

During the production of December-January edition, I was lucky enough that other members in the group trust me and assign me and Nicole the task of writing an article about new year celebrations in Japan and America. We wrote the article in English and Japanese together, and I can never forget after I read out our article aloud during the meeting, there was like twenty seconds of silence. Then one of the senior men said that it is better for a Japanese person to go over our draft before we talk about the draft as a group.

Through volunteering at LIK, I learnt a lot about Japanese culture. Before coming to Japan, I had the idea that Japanese, like Chinese, are collectivist and they have amazing traditional culture. Spending three months in Kyoto, I gradually realized how shallow my understanding was. To begin with, being collectivists means that uniting as a group is crucial, yet the way Japanese perceives one individual is very interesting. One’s gender, age, and occupation can determine how one talks and is talked to. At LIK meetings, such sophisticated system of utilizing language is very evident, since people of various gender, age, and occupation are present. Even though most of my American friends here hold a not so positive view about this “classifying” system, I really appreciate how much control that I can have over the language to show respect, distance, and/or intimacy.

I want to tell potential participants of LIK a few things. First, Japanese meetings and English meetings do take a lot of time, approximately 12 to 16 hours per month, and it could be more if you work on the Chinese version as well, but knowledge gained from reading into the lines and comparing one work with the other is definitely worth it. Also, you can learn how to interact with people from different age groups from undergraduate students to salary men, from housewives to retired men in LIK, which is something most other CIP cannot provide you. Lastly, no matter what CIP you choose to do, it is actually very beneficial if you take the full advantage of being a foreigner, which allows you to ask whatever questions you want, and eventually helps you navigate in Japanese society more and more swiftly.