「KCJS Year」カテゴリーアーカイブ

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.

Jaime Guzman : Aikido

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For my CIP, I practiced aikido at aikidokyoto located a few blocks away from Senbon dori and Imadegawa. From learning how to fall and do shikko to having instructions taught to me in a strange blend of Japanese and English, the experience for me was a fun and interesting one. Although I’ve only been able to practice for a short amount of time, I felt like I’ve learned a lot from both of the sensei, and of course was always looking forward to eating McDonald’s after practice on Tuesday. But in all seriousness, I have very little regrets about my decision to try out aikido. The 45 minute walk to and from the dojo may have felt long some days and the lack of interaction between the other students and me outside of lessons were probably not ideal but that did not take away from my experience at all.

Taking aikido at an actual dojo, in Japan, made me get a better glimpse at what practicing martial arts in a more official setting, and not a college setting, is like. For example, when I did karate back at Amherst, we had to use the gymnasium and did not have an official dojo so we never had to do anything like bowing to the dojo when entering or getting on the mats. We also rarely had to sit in seiza, the only times were when we were late and had to wait for the sensei’s permission to join the class or during promotion, however at this aikido dojo we it felt as if half of our time was spent in this position. When we are waiting for the sensei to start class, when we are bowing to the sensei, when we are observing a new technique before practicing it ourselves, and even for when we do certain techniques, we are required to sit in seiza. At the beginning of the class, my foot would usually feel an unbearable pain but as the class goes on sitting in seiza became a little bit easier. Of course when I walk the 2 miles back to my apartment, I am still able to feel the pain in my ankles but after a certain amount of classes even that became enjoyable and part of the aikido experience.

One main thing I noticed in my aikido class is that when there is a new student that has only been there for about 2 months or so, they’d always pair them up with a much more experience senpai wearing a hakama. For the first few classes, I was rotated among the same senpai until they were certain that I could do the majority of the basic moves before having me actually allowing me to learn techniques. When I did practice techniques it was usually with the same people until recently and I noticed that each senpai have their own way of showing techniques. Some are a lot stricter and forceful while others go through it slowly and walk me through every move. It’s interesting practicing with different people because some of them are fluent in English, some are native French speaker who sometimes try to talk to me in English and Japanese and others only speak Japanese. However the chance to speak in Japanese for me is very limited because I rarely get to speak to anyone after class and when I have it was for asking how to get my gi or a receipt and the person I asked always responded in English.

I’m very grateful for my time at the dojo however I feel as if I have not really been able to fully integrate into the dojo community. I walk there, practice, and then walk like many other people do. On Thursday, there’s always another class following mine and on Tuesday, after we clean, everyone is quick to zoom out of there. I may not be able to talk much with anyone there but at least I’ve learned a lot about aikido and some vocabulary for the parts of the body that I never actually remembered before.

Tyler Bartels: English Assistant, Soccer Circle

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Going into English teaching I had the mindset of learning about the education system, interaction with teachers and students, and preparing for potentially participating in the JET Program (Japan Exchange Teaching). What I soon discovered was I learned much more about Japanese social interaction by interacting with the 7th graders, whose class I was an assistant in. Every week I would go for almost 2 hours and assist in either 1 or 2 classes, allowing me to build a rapport with the students.

I ran into to two types of experiences with the kids. First, the shy kids were hesitant to even look me in the eye. Second, the outgoing kids had no boundaries when asking me questions. I was fascinated that these two extremes existed within the classroom. I had always assumed the Japanese school system was strict and disciplined, leading me to believe that the children I would encounter would fit that image. I found that the teachers and children actually joked around and in talking with the teacher discovered her genuine affinity for the classes. She would describe one class as the “bad boys,” another as having the “shy girls,” and in one case even joked at one girl being as loud as the boys. The point being, I was sorely mistaken on what the schooling system. That being said I was in a public school and can’t speak for the private school system. Regardless, I enjoyed my time with the kids and got a good laugh when they wanted to know if I had kissed my girlfriend before or not.

My second CIP was a Kyodai soccer circle. When I came to Japan the one thing I new for certain that I wanted to do, was play sports with the Japanese. I knew the language barrier would be an issue when trying to forge friendships with other Japanese students. Team sports offer another language with which to communicate, that is almost universal. Whether or not I was able to communicate well in Japanese, after each game we played there was a general atmosphere of closeness. What I found even more fascinating was attending a practice in which the freshmen were present. These freshmen had yet to even attend a day of school, but there ambition to meet new people, and openness to foreigners was shocking as well. Upon finishing practice the freshmen asked me to go to the hot baths after with them, we proceeded to all grab dinner after, and then walked part way home after the last bus had already gone. I can’t say this is the same for other circles, but the most outgoing and open people I have met in Japan have been in these sports circles, whether it be one of 3 soccer circles or 2 basketball circles I’m in.

Katherine Nachbar: Niko Niko Tomato

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For my CIP, I have been volunteering at にこにこトマト where I interact and play with children that are patients at Kyodai Hospital. There are different activities almost every day of the week for them. So, for example, one day will be music themed where the children get drums and bells and play along to music, while on a another day, they will paint boxes.

The kids were shy initially, but once you started talking to them, they became animated and talkative. One time, I asked a little girl if she could play piano, and she started playing “Let it Go” from memory, over and over again. Her friends joined in and we all sang along. We also played hand clapping games. They showed me a game that seemed complicated at first, but it turned out it was a hand clapping game to the tune of “Yankee Doodle.” My friend, Kate, who also volunteers there, told me that this was a popular game in America as well. I discovered that the games young children play and the things they do for fun in Japan are very similar to what I did growing up.

I have enjoyed volunteering at にこにこトマト. Everyone has been very warm and welcoming. I found that it was a great place not only for the children to make friends with the other children in the hospital, but also for the parents to form a support system. Not only did the children seem to be close, but the parents seemed to have formed bonds as well. It was gratifying to see such a caring community.

 

ウィル・フィッツェル：KLEXON

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CIPのために、京都にある英会話サークルに入ることを選びました。今まで、ミーティングに一回だけ行きましたけど、すごく楽しかったと思います。サークルは「KLEXON」と呼ばれています。四条駅の近い「ウィングス京都」というビルでは、毎週の火曜日にミーティングが行われています。また参加する機会を楽しみにしています。

初めてのミーティングの前に、期待するのか分かりませんでした。まず、一人一人の英会話交流を行いました。そのことのために、決まった話すトピックは「子供の時」でした。とりあえず、このトピックについて話しましたけど、みんなは他のことについても話しました。子供の時以外に、春休みの予定や日本での経験などの色々なトピックについて話しました。一人一人の会話の後で、みんなは色々なグループに分けられました。このために、決まったトピックもありましたけど、この時は「寝ている間の夢」でした。私のグループの人は、もちろん、普通の夢について話しましたけど、私の夢はものすごくて変でした。でも、グループはこの夢が面白かったと思いました。

このミーティングはすごく楽しかったと思います。さすがに、英語だけ話すという事実のおかげで、本当の性格が表れやすいと思います。将来、たぶんKLEXON の友達ができるでしょう。

ジェニファー・ワン：バンド

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私のCIPはバンド活動である。サムずさんと他二人の日本人と一緒に毎週一時間練習をしようとしている。練習の場所はStudio２４６という大宮駅の近くにあるスタジオである。サムずさんがボーカリストで、まこさんがドラムをたたいて、しょうこさんがベースを弾いて、私がキーボードを弾いている。みんな女性だから、バンドの名前はガールバンドパワー（GBP)　にするかもしれない。コンサートは4月17日にStudio246の舞台でするつもりで、これから詳細を決める。コンサートのために今みんな一緒に新しい曲を作っている。その曲以外は、サムずさんが作った曲を二つ、日本の曲を一つ、アメリカの曲を1つ演奏したいと思う。コンサートのさらしを今作っているところだ。

私は12年間のピアノの経験があって、オーケストラでビオラを弾くこともある。とはいえ、初めてのバンド活動で緊張している。でも、いいコンサートができるように頑張っている！

ムリヨ・エリザベス：パンダ園で遊ぼう！

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今学期、鞍馬口駅の近くのパンダ園という特殊な幼稚園でボランティアをしています。パンダ園では心臓病で苦しんでいる子供たちが遊んだり勉強したりしています。毎週、火曜日と金曜日に先生とボランティアをしている人が会って子供たちと共に色々な活動をします。私は火曜日に授業があるので金曜日にだけ行けます。パンダ園は私の参加している葵教会の中で行われるのでもう半年ぐらいパンダ園のスタッフを知っています。なのでパンダ園の子供たちもよく知っているだけに子供たちは私にもう慣れています。すぐに遊べます。しかし子供たちは病気なのでボランティアの人が特に気をつけなければなりません。走れないので子供たちに本を読んだり絵を描いたりしてあげます。時々状況があんまり分からない子供が走りたがりますけど私は子供の安全の責任があります。可愛い子供の要望を断ることは結構難しいです。でも確かに子供を手伝うことはすごくすばらしいことです。子供とかスタッフからもたくさん教えてもらいました。もうちょっと良い人になればいいっていうことを感じます。四月まで頑張ります。

 

ケイト・モンコヴィッチ： 京都文教中学高校英語アシスタント

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私は京都文教中学高校で英語アシスタントをしています。アジアで英語を教えた経験があるので、英語を教えることを選びました。しかし、このCIPは、教えることじゃなくて、ランゲージ・エクスチェンジパートナーのようのことです。毎週の金曜日、京都文教中学高校に行って、竹内先生の学生と英語で話します。

竹内先生の学生は、去年オーストラリアで７か月留学しました。だから、学生の英語が上手です。たいてい、一人の女生徒と話して、アメリカの生活、日本文化、カルチャーショックなどについて話します。

私は英語アシスタントだから、英語をよく使います。これからもっと日本語を使いたいです。 でも、日本語をあまり使わなくても、いい経験になると思います。