Volunteering with NicoNico Tomato in the pediatrics department at Kyoto University Hospital has been a great experience thus far, both in the context of Japanese culture, as well as volunteer work.\u00a0 Although we do different things every week and I never know what to expect, the other volunteers are all very warm and welcoming, and so working with them at Nico Toma [what we call NicoNico Tomato] is a relaxing way to spend an afternoon.<\/p>\n
Nico Toma makes a huge effort to brighten up the pediatrics department in the little ways it can, from seasonal decorations to holiday cards, to posting photos of the children to arts and craft activities – it\u2019s a very craft-focused group overall.<\/p>\n
In the midst of coloring and cutting paper alongside the other Japanese volunteers, volunteering at Nico Toma has also been an interesting and rewarding cultural experience.\u00a0 From sharing in afternoon tea-time to just observing how hard everybody works, Nico Toma has a relaxing atmosphere to just casually interact with Japanese people.<\/p>\n
As far as cultural observations, the energy and detail Nico Toma volunteers put into their many crafts is very impressive.\u00a0 At times it can be frustrating to adhere to how meticulous they are about minute details, but I also appreciate their efforts to always do the best job possible, in whatever it is they are doing.<\/p>\n
However, something that has been made clearer to me by working at Nico Toma is the Japanese\u2019s love for plastic wrapping and presentation.\u00a0 For a special bazaar event, Nico Toma set up a small market-type event for children at the hospital and their parents to buy toys and other small gifts.\u00a0 As we prepared for it the previous week, I noticed how much plastic is used.\u00a0 Any accessory or small item was packaged in a clear plastic.\u00a0 While I recognize that presentation is important, many of the goods wrapped would be fine unwrapped.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t inherently bad, but I thought the level of plastic usage was a bit ironic given Japan\u2019s mentality to reduce waste.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, Nico Toma has been a very fun experience.\u00a0 I always look forward to volunteering every week, and although a lot of the volunteer work is helping with crafts and other events for the hospital, there are opportunities to interact with the children as well.\u00a0 From helping the children with an afternoon calligraphy activity to chatting with the other weekly volunteers while gluing and cutting construction paper, I\u2019ve found Nico Toma to be a great community of volunteers who are committed to doing what they can to brighten up the hospital.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Volunteering with NicoNico Tomato in the pediatrics department at Kyoto University Hospital has been a great e … \u7d9a\u304d\u3092\u8aad\u3080