「KCJS 26 (2014-2015)」カテゴリーアーカイブ

Frances Chang: Kyodai Chorus Circle

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Music is a universal language that connects people even when there is a language barrier. Coming to Japan, I knew that I wanted to relate my Community Involvement Project to music. I have been singing ever since elementary school and have participated in school choruses, musicals, a cappella groups and other performance opportunities. Through those experiences, I have also made life long friends. Therefore, I was determined that by joining a musical singing community, I would be able to further connect with local Japanese University students.

From the CIPs of past KCJS students, I was able to contact the Kyoto University (Kyodai) Chorus Circle. Because Japanese students end their school year around mid-February, it was a little nerve wrecking to find a circle that was still active. Fortunately, I was one of the first few people who started their CIP the second week of the program.

The Kyodai Chorus Circle is located across the Kyoto University Main Campus, where others circles, such as dance groups and orchestras, also hold meetings and rehearsals. The chorus is a coed group, where there are about 25 men and 15 women. The group sings both English and Japanese classic songs. In addition, a typical rehearsal day consists of Songs of the Day, Warm Up, Sectional Rehearsal, Ensemble Rehearsal, and ends with another Songs of the Day. Members are free to choose whichever songs they like to sing for Songs of the Day. The Warm Up session consists of physical, breathing, and vocal warm ups. Rehearsals are 3 times a week: mixed voices, individual voices, and men only rehearsals. Each rehearsal lasts 3 hours. The Kyodai Chorus Circle continued to have rehearsals throughout Japanese students’ spring break, with only a three-weeks vacation at the end of February to the beginning of March.

Japanese Chorus Circle is definitely different from choirs or musical groups in America. Although no auditions were required to join the group, I was surprised how professional everyone was. Many people had basic knowledge and background on music. However, vocal ability ranged. Japanese chorus students were very serious about their circle, and they were focused and work very hard during rehearsals. The girls rarely goofed off or took any breaks, and no one talked when the conductor was conducting or teaching. With the amount of focus, time, and effort put into the rehearsals, the chorus sounded wonderful. Moreover, there was no apparent senpai and kohai division in the chorus. After each rehearsal, members would have dinner together at near by restaurants or the cafeteria. The group dynamic was harmonious and pleasant.

Towards the end of April, the Kyodai Chorus has an annual Spring concert, which is where they introduce their new members. If you would like to perform with the Chorus at the concerts, I would advice you to go to more than 1 rehearsal sessions per week. This circle will definitely improve your personal musical ability and help you make some friends. However, if you are looking for a more active social environment, perhaps, another circle would be a better fit.

 

John Lyons: Miconos Swimming Circle

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　　After another semester participating in the Miconos Swimming Circle at Kyoto University, I feel I have come away from the experience with a new understanding of Japanese college life that one cannot learn from class, and a group of friends that I sincerely hope I can keep in contact with. The members of Miconos were all incredibly nice, and accepting of me from the first time I entered the pool.

　　However that does not mean that my transition from an American Water Polo club to a Japanese Swimming circle was flawless. There were several steps along the way were I felt distanced from the other members of the circle, but at this point I feel that is not the case at all. For example, the lack of swimming that occurs at this swimming circle initially was an alienating aspect of the circle as my club at my home college is especially strict on ensuring all members participate at hundred percent. Yet, I eventually found myself adapting to the conditions of the circle, and even valuing engaging other members in conversation over swimming. Another aspect was reconciling that the President of the circle was in the same year as me. While in America, seniors usually occupy the roles as leaders within the club. But, the president’s kind nature, and friendliness helped me overcome this cultural difference. Although he is no longer the president, before the transition occurred, I had already resolved my discomfort with this difference and even started to no longer refer to him as 会長, but by his circle nickname, 岩ちゃん.

　　While I feel I have mostly adapted to some aspects of Miconos that are certainly quite different than what I am used to, the end of one term and start of another brought forth various other difference from the college situation in America. As the end of the term drew near, I noticed that many of the upperclassman would forsake swimming for the entire practice period, but instead congratulations cards for the members of the circle who were graduating. Considering that I had been practicing with the club for five months at that point, but had yet to see any of these seniors participate in the practices, I did find this practice a bit strange. Furthermore, the graduating seniors had apparently created a similar card, but for the restaurant Tsumura which has housed the after practice meals of Miconos for at least five years. The reason I know this is because within the restaurant, the walls are littered with these cards from the Miconos members in previous years. This and the circle itself arbitrarily deciding that the ending of the 2014-2015 year and beginning of the 2015-2016 at the start of April, a week before the University`s actual new year begins are two aspects of this transitional period that differ quite a bit from my experiences in America.

　　Through my short time with Miconos, I have found that joining a circle that you have a profound interest in can really help you overcome the initial awkwardness distancing a foreigner with Japanese students. By taking advantage of these common points, and actively engaging the circle members one can easily find their place within the circle. There may be times were you feel like an outsider, or like you’re being ignored, don`t be shy and try to engage members in one on one settings rather in a larger group. You will find that in most cases the members want to converse with and be friends with you, just as much as you want to converse and be friends with them.

Andrew Proebstle: Calligraphy

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Through participating in the Community Involvement Project we are asked, as ethnographers, to take away from our experiences and be able to discuss an aspect of Japanese life. Studying calligraphy in a classroom with no more than four or five elementary school students at one time and one teacher made for easy observation, but it’s actually how my teacher went out of her way to deal with me that I find most interesting, and is what I want to briefly talk about without revealing too much of her personal information on the internet.

A calligraphy teacher for elementary students is someone who teaches basic techniques, and an elementary student practicing calligraphy tends to just want to get the lesson over with as quickly as possible. How then, should a foreigner interested in learning more advanced techniques be dealt with, if at all, was the predicament my teacher was faced with when I first came to her house and asked to be instructed. Fortunately for me she accepted, and even more fortunately she has worked her hardest to humor all of my unorthodox requests. She helped me write poetry, a Zen koan, and even ancient style calligraphy, all of which are things that she would not normally be teaching. For her, this meant going out of her way to prepare examples for me to practice copying that she’s not used to writing, let alone teaching to someone with barely even three years of Japanese language. Even though I made things difficult for her, she never once complained about it to me.

Her generosity goes beyond even that though. For starters, she gave me the brushes I’ve used for class every week as a present, free of charge. She never seems to mind if, for example, I’ve been struggling and it takes me until 9pm to complete my lesson, meaning that she has to wait longer to eat dinner. After a semester had passed and the New Year had come, she presented me with a lovely paperweight to use with the design of a sheep (the zodiac animal for this year), again all out of the goodness of her heart. The per month rate she charges me is more than fair, and makes it clear that she teaches for the joy of it, rather than to make a profit in spite of all the paper and ink that gets used up in a single day. It’s this character of my calligraphy teacher that not only stands out to me in an ethnographic way because of her dedication to teaching, but also has my sincerest gratitude for the kindness she’s shown me every week. It is to her that I owe all that I’ve been able to learn, and I’d like to continue practicing calligraphy after I return to America out of respect for her efforts.

Reid Tomihara: Kamigyo Middle School English Assistant

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For my CIP this semester, I chose to volunteer at Kamigyo middle school as an English teaching assistant.  Kamigyo Middle School is about five minutes away from Doshisha University.

Before I started going to Kamigyo middle school, I had no experience teaching or working with middle school students so I was quite nervous my first day there. When I first entered the classroom, I could tell that the students were very confused at who I was because I wasn’t a teacher and I looked Japanese.  I worked in the 7th grade English classes exclusively. The English teacher asked me to read questions to the kids, to dictate conversations from their textbook and to create an English game for the kids to play.  At first, the kids were very shy but as I went there more and more they became comfortable with me.  I made an effort to try and talk to the kids, which made my time there enjoyable.  Despite the fact that many of the students were too shy to speak up in English, they tried their best to when I talked to them.  At times I felt that my purpose at the school was to get the students excited about learning English instead of actually teaching them anything because whenever I was there the class would do some kind of game or activity.

This opportunity allowed me to get a glimpse of the Japanese middle school culture that I would have never been able to see.  One thing that stuck out to me was the time in between classes.  There was always a five to 10 minute break between classes where the students were allowed to do whatever they wanted. Unlike in America the students did not change classrooms for different subjects, instead during the break teachers rotated between classes or returned to the teacher’s room. During the break many students would go to the teachers room and ask for a certain teacher.  When they did they always made sure to use keigo or honorific Japanese.  However, during class the students spoke primarily in casual Japanese to the teacher.

In the classroom there was a huge contrast between students.  In each class there were always one or two kids who were very vocal and on the other hand there were some who never spoke at all or raised their hand.  At first I thought the kids didn’t know the answer but in fact many of the quiet ones often had the correct answer written down.  This is not limited to Japanese middle school students, many Japanese refuse to speak English because they do not have the confidence in their English ability but in fact, they can understand and speak quite well.

In conclusion, learning another language especially one that is so different from your own is not easy.  But getting kids excited to learn a different language and to see the benefits that it holds can go a long way.  I highly recommend volunteering at a Japanese school as an English assistant because the kids are so lively and it allows you to see a part of Japan that few tourists get to see.

Dean Nguyen: Niko Niko Tomato

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This semester, I’ve had the pleasure of volunteering at a children’s ward located in Kyoto University’s Hospital. The group I volunteered with, ニコニコトマト, is dedicated to giving children admitted into the hospital an enjoyable experience during their stay, through means of various activities including games, story-telling, and making arts and crafts. By participating in this volunteer group, I had the chance to experience what it was like to be a member of a “community” here, and it was a nice change of pace from learning in a classroom. Along with volunteering, I was able to observe and gain a better understanding of the Japanese community as well.

One of the first things I noticed and found interesting when I started was how easy it was to volunteer. The first day I arrived, I was immediately greeted by other volunteers and was asked to help out right away. It wasn’t until after the fact that they realized that I was the student from Doshisha University coming that day to volunteer. My first thought after that experience was that this would probably never happen in the United States, where there would be a sign in system of some sort at least. Still, ニコニコトマト is a special case even in Japan, as a fellow volunteer stated, to her, it was the only known volunteer group to have such a relaxed system. Nonetheless, I can’t help but wonder if it’s because of the predisposed notion that Japanese society is so safe that volunteering seems to be much easier to do than back home.

Another interesting thing I noticed was how close the community seemed to be in a hospital setting. All of the children, volunteer staff, doctors, nurses, and parents all seemed to have close relationships with one another, and I feel I wouldn’t typically see this in a hospital back in the United States. Parents gossiped with each other and with volunteer staff members, the children played with each other, and from time to time the doctors and nurses would join in for activities as well. Sometimes, if a parent had to discuss things over with their child’s doctor, another parent, volunteer, or nurse would watch over their child in their place for the time being. Everyone has an understanding on what everyone else is going through, so it’s a really nice support system that they have. To me, this trust and reliance on others in this “community” seems to possible because of the Japanese society’s emphasis on group harmony.

And finally, I was able to get a sense on how Japanese society views foreigners. My first thought, before even volunteering, was that the children would be scared of foreigners, and it would be an issue with my CIP. However, I was gladly mistaken. At first glance, children don’t even recognize that I am a foreigner because of my Asian descent, but even after they do, their opinion of me only gets better! Some of the children there are currently learning English, and as soon as they find out I’m from America, they get really interested and try practicing what they’ve learned on me. There was a time when one of the girls started playing Frozen’s “Let It Go” (one of my favorites!) on the piano, so I decided to sing along in English, and she, along with the other children there, couldn’t help but smile, laugh, and enjoy my performance. Parents also seem to be happily surprised when they find out I’m from America. To them, it seems so fascinating that I came to Japan, and they always ask tons of questions about my home and my opinions on Japan.

Now that my time volunteering is coming to an end, I can’t help but feel grateful and glad that I was able to donate my time with such a wonderful organization. Not only was I able to immerse myself in their community, they made me feel welcome every visit, and were always happy to have me around. Through my experiences, some views I had of Japan prior to coming have changed, and some have been reinforced, but one thing I know for sure is that I’m glad I had the opportunity to experience Japan’s community firsthand, and I’ll look forward to any future opportunities to join another one!

Chang Liu: Table Tennis Circle

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During the spring semester of KCJS 2015, I joined the table tennis circle of Doshisha University. It proved to be a great experience as I had the opportunity to improve my table tennis skills, interact with Japanese students and learn more about their life and culture.

I chose table tennis circle for my Community Involvement Project because I was always interested in table tennis and I didn’t have the opportunity to practice in the States. Since spring semester is a not a good time for KCJS students to join University circles (KCJS spring semester overlaps with the 2-month long spring break in universities in Japan), I didn’t expect to be able to join the table tennis circle at Doshisha. I initially contacted some table tennis clubs outside school but none of them worked with my schedule. Finally, a Japanese friend of mine told me that she heard that the Doshisha table tennis circle still held weekly trainings in February and March. I quickly contacted the circle and joined their training.

The skill level at the circle was professional. The circle held 3-4 training sessions a week, with each session lasting for 3 hours. The training was conducted in the form of rotational one-on-one matches. Around 80% of the members are male. Yet, it would be presumptuous to assume that girls are any weaker than guys—when they are wielding a racket playing against you across the table, you should expect nothing less from a female opponent. Girls in the table tennis circle do not subscribe to the gender stereotype, and the relationship among members in the circle can be best described as “camaraderie”.

People were very friendly in the circle. Some might be perceived as shy at first but once I talked to them, after a joke or two, they would soon treat me as a close friend. I happened to become a very good friend with the captain, as we both shared a passion for cycling and table tennis. He would conduct individual sessions with me to improve my skills. Aside from training, we would always talk about a good array of topics: his part-time job, hometown near Kyoto, favorite food… his girlfriends…and other stuff… of course. Other members would always label him as a “bad boy” (I guess it’s equivalent to the English word Playboy). True enough, he was often absent from trainings due to “various” reasons, which only further raises my respect for him, as he demonstrates a value that is outrageously worth emulating among “salarymen” in Japan nowadays—if you know what I mean. Nevertheless, I am sure he will be a good salaryman in the future given his outstanding leadership skills—particularly in planning nomikai (drinking parties), an important skill that is now apparently one of my biggest takeaways from my CIP.

 

Kate Monkovic: Kyoto Bunkyo English Assistant

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For my CIP this past semester I volunteered at Kyoto Bunkyo School as an English assistant. While initially I thought I would be helping in the classroom as an assistant teacher, my actual job was to meet with high school students after school and help them practice their English speaking skills. The two high school girls that I met with had both studied abroad in Australia for seven months, so their English speaking was better than I expected. We talked mostly about Japanese schools, their study abroad experience in Australia, boys, and life in America. The students were very eager to teach me about their life as students in Japan. I learned that private schools in Japan have many strict rules that students must follow. For example, students are not allowed to dye their hair and girls with long hair must wear their hair tied back. Students are also not allowed to use their cellphones at any time, even after school. In terms of the way school is structured, unlike American students, Japanese students stay in the same classroom for all their classes with the same group of peers. As a result, the students were very close to their classmates and there was a sense of class bonding that one doesn’t see in America.

At first I was disappointed that I wasn’t teaching, but talking to Japanese high school students was a very fulfilling experience. I really enjoyed the opportunity to talk to and learn from Japanese students, while at the same time teaching them about America in an informal setting. After this experience I definitely feel that I have gained a better understanding of Japanese schools and student life.

 

 

 

 

Emily Thurston: Kyuudo

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For my CIP, I chose to do Kyuudo, or Japanese Archery. I had no experience with archery before, so I was certainly expecting a challenge. However, Kyuudo is so distinct from other forms of archery that I did not feel disadvantaged compared to those who had archery experience.

Practicing archery allowed me to get a glimpse of Japan’s hierarchical dojo community. I was expecting it to be somehow more rigid in structure, but my first lesson illustrated quite the opposite. The other KCJS students and I were mostly left to practice on our own, with occasional feedback. Moreover, the sensei even left when to end of the lesson up to us. We practiced for an extra half and hour waiting for her to signal the end of the lesson until we finally realized that it was our duty to do so.

Practicing kyuudo was a very rewarding experience. I learned a lot about proper patterns of speech when addressing one’s sensei. I noticed that even women who seemed to be around the same age as the sensei spoke to her in keigo, indicating that she was their superior within the dojo. Although I did not get to know anyone in the dojo very well, the other members were very welcoming and always greeting us warmly. This atmosphere, as well as the actual act of practicing kyuudo are very unique to Japan, and thus this experience has become an important aspect of my time here.

 

Peaky Yuter: Go

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Mid semester I decided that I wanted to add a new activity to my already long list of extracurriculars, Go. For those of you unfamiliar Go is a turn-based game in which players place black and white stones trying to capture as much territory of the board as possible. Entering the “Go Salon” was an experience. Imagine my surprise when what first comes into view is some 20 Go boards laid out on tables crowding a medium sized room. Sitting at these tables is sea of greying hair. In short, everyone else is old. And when I say old, I precisely mean at a minimum of 40 years greater I am. Sensei starts me out on a smaller 9×9 board playing the Ishitori game. This is a game where each opponent is trying to capture at least one stone from the other. My first opponent is Tanaka-san who is quite the lovable Obaasan on the outside, but hidden behind the mask is a shrewd and cunning player. Another interesting detail is that everyone who comes is female. Either because most men are working on a Monday from 1-5 pm or another reason, the group I consistently play is female. In all honesty, interacting with the various Obaasan who come is somewhat difficult. They speak with rather strong Kansai-ben and seem to be content playing silently except for a comment about the weather every now and then. After about the 4th time coming I finally became an actual Go player—playing on a 19×19 not the small 9×9—and decide to join the Saturday group for a change. The demographic is much different, having men making up a third of the group and including ones whom were not much older than I was. The men were also generally talkative which added a welcome change. With the younger men, who were just learning the game, surprisingly I was treated with similar regard to that of a Senpai showing them the results. As a general point, the younger members of the group were all extremely polite. With the older men, after going beyond the weather pleasantries, we talked about the job outlook in japan and my future plans in relation to Japan. Every Monday—and sometimes Saturday—I enter an arena where, regardless of age, only the best survive. Overall this is perhaps the best “Go”-ing away present I could have hoped for!

Phoebe Horgan: Kyudo

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For my CIP I chose to practice kyūdō, or Japanese archery, twice a week for an hour. I chose it mostly because of my previous experience with archery in the US. I practiced and competed in archery all throughout high school, but once I got to college I didn’t get the chance to keep up with it, and ended up dropping it completely. In my CIP, I wanted to try something uniquely Japanese, but also building off of my personal interests, so I ended up with kyūdō.

I was really interested in learning the differences between kyūdō and archery, as there are many. You draw back with your thumb, not your fingers, and wear this massive stiff glove on the hand you use to draw back the bowstring. You place the arrow on the outside of the bow, not the side closest to you. But overall the objectives of kyūdō and archery are very different. In archery, the goal is to hit the target dead center with precision and accuracy, so you can make the same shot over and over again. Every adjustment you make, and every time you change your form is just to better your score. But in kyūdō, the emphasis seems to be more on the act of shooting itself, and less on the results. There’s a formality to it that you find in martial arts and not so much in sports. Just a couple of months isn’t really enough to learn a great deal about practicing kyūdō, but I am thankful that I had the opportunity to try it.

Even so, I ended up quitting it a few weeks before the end of the semester, due to time constraints and stuff. Anyway, apparently it’s really important to Japanese people to have a proper formal farewell and apology if you ever decide to stop doing something, so the three of us who had continued doing kyūdō all had to go and explain our reasons for quitting and thank sensei profusely for all that she had taught us so far and for taking the time to teach us. Although to be frank, the teaching style for Japanese martial arts is very hands-off, so it didn’t particularly seem to take sensei much time at all. Still, it felt marginally better to have that closure than to just stop showing up, so I guess that’s a good thing.