I had an interesting CIP experience this semester. Though I did write about
\nvolunteering for Kamigyo History House in my Japanese blog post, since then I have
\nhad the opportunity to participate in a variety of clubs and Japanese culture classes
\nthat allowed me to observe Japanese society from different angles. I participated
\nin aikido and Japanese dance classes offered by Kyoto Prefectural International
\nCenter, and I have been to both Go Circle and Medical English Speaking Society at
\nKyoto University. If I were to compare my experience this semester to that of last
\nsemester, I think I found it much more enjoyable to explore various social groups
\nrather than participating in the same one over and over again. Of course, there
\nis beauty in building relationships and becoming a part of a group by frequently
\nreturning to the same circle or class but with my year-long stay in Japan quickly
\nreaching its end, I thought it would also be a good idea to try out cultural activities I
\nwould otherwise never get to do in the States or anywhere else.<\/p>\n
While interacting with the older and the younger generations of Japanese people, I
\nwas able to observe something quite interesting. The Japanese dance teacher, in her
\nsixties, proudly said during our conversation that she had never been left Japanese
\nterritory \u2013 with the exception of her trip to Hawaii. On the other hand, when I
\nwent to Kyoto University\u2019s English Speaking Society, all of the circle members had
\ntravelled outside Japan extensively \u2013 from Asia, the United States to Europe and
\nAustralia. Of course, I am not trying to imply that no older generation Japanese ever
\ntravels outside Japan nor that all younger generation Japanese travel luxuriously
\noutside Japan. However, even when I was volunteering at Kamigyo History House, I
\nmet a volunteer that would proudly say that she had spent her entire life in Kyoto,
\nand that though she has travelled throughout Japan, she has never travelled nor
\nwanted to travel to a foreign country. Back then, which was last semester, I thought
\nit was pretty shocking but thought it could be a simple exception. But as I have
\ncome across someone that proudly admits such a fact, I wonder if this trend or
\ncharacteristic is more than just exceptions. I find this all the more striking because
\nin Korea or even in Mexico, the ability to travel abroad can be considered as a
\nsymbol of wealth in a way and I think can say with some confidence that Koreans or
\nMexicans would seldom admit their lack of foreign experience, much less with the
\npride the two Japanese ladies clearly showed. I have wondered why this would be
\nso and I think in a way this reiterates the point I made in my previous post as well.
\nThe older generation Japanese, like those visiting Kamigyo History House, seems
\nto have an incredible sense of pride in Japanese culture and in their being Japanese
\nexpressed in the form of their love for Japan, for learning about Japanese history.
\nCertainly circumstantial differences exist and travelling abroad doesn’t mean not
\nloving Japan, but I thought this particular generation gap was rather interesting
\nand hope to talk to more people and learn more during the remainder of my stay in
\nJapan!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I had an interesting CIP experience this semester. Though I did write about volunteering for Kamigyo History H … \u7d9a\u304d\u3092\u8aad\u3080