Reflection
I still remember how a few days before I left America I thought maybe I was making a mistake. Did I really think that I could handle a 13 hour flight, halfway around the world, to a country where I could hardly speak the language? Despite wanting to go to Japan since middle school, I was suddenly overwhelmed and scared that I was in over my head. Thank goodness I got over that. After being back in America for a few months now, all I can think about is how and when I can go back to Japan. The experiences I had, places I went, classes I took, and people I met were all absolutely incredible. I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. On one hand, the classes I had the opportunity to take were awesome for my Asian Studies major. At Berea we don’t have the best selection of classes in the department. It’s hard sometimes finding classes that I both enjoy and are available each semester. However, while in Japan, I was able to attend classes relevant to my interests and have them count towards my major. For one thing, I was able to continue my study of the Japanese language with a professor actually from Japan. The class helped greatly in practicing and furthering my knowledge of the Japanese language to utilize while I lived in Japan. I also managed to get a class I needed as a core class for my major: religion in Japan. Instead of having to take a religions of China class my senior year, I was able to take this class that went much more in depth in Japanese religions. I was surprised and very interested that the religions are not strictly Buddhism and Shinto, but there are also multiple new religions that have taken a hold in Japan. My Japanese pop culture and media class allowed me to take a leisure activity of mine (reading manga and watching anime), and view it with an academic eye. And finally, a class I definitely didn’t expect to have: Koto. Not only was it an opportunity to participate in a music class for the first time since I left the Berea Wind Ensemble, but it gave me the opportunity to learn about traditional Japanese culture and music. Plus, it gave me the chance to take a class with a professor that only spoke Japanese. However, great learning opportunities were not just within the classroom. Culturally speaking, I learned a lot through all the travel I did. One thing I was always impressed with was how polite everyone was. Bowing was one thing I had to get used to (and I still sometimes do it without thinking in America). When entering or leaving a restaurant or store, you would be welcomed and thanked with a bow. I was also always very impressed with public workers who, most of the time, would try their best to speak English for me. It made train travel and asking for help a lot less scary when they were all so kind and accommodating. Japan is a wonderful place for English speakers. One thing I keep telling people is that, on my way back from Japan, there were more English signs in the Tokyo airport then there were in the Chicago airport. Traveling, of course, was the most amazing thing about being in Japan. In just over 130 days I was able to experience and see so much. And it was all thanks to Berea and Kansai Gaidai. I couldn’t have done all that I did without the financial help from Berea and my university abroad. It would have been impossible for me to afford meals and other necessities and travel out of pocket. However, I was lucky that through the scholarships I received and the budget I made while abroad, I was able to make the most out of my money and see many incredible things. I was also lucky that KGU was in an excellent location, right between Kyoto (the old capital) and Osaka (the 2nd largest city in Japan). I got to see temples and shrines, castles, festivals, museums, gardens, beaches, towers, etc. I was able to take plane trips to Tokyo and Okinawa. And I was able to indulge in simply fun things like amusement parks, shopping, and eating out. I still can’t believe all the different foods I got to try and that I actually liked (despite my usual pickiness). I even ate sushi, despite always believing that I hated raw fish. Japan also had a lot of “firsts” for me. It was my first plane ride over 2 hours long. I went on my first taxi, first public bus, and first train ride. I had never been on an island before Japan. I went to a Disney park for the first time in Tokyo. I spoke in Japanese to an actual Japanese person. I slept in a capsule hotel, had real ramen, pet a deer, played the koto, participated in tea ceremony, tried sake and plum wine, saw a Takarazuka performance, went cherry blossom viewing, bought a kimono, and so much more. I branched out and did so many things that I would have once thought I’d be too anxious to try. And there’s still so much that I want to go back and do! I still need to visit the other three main islands. I want to see the Sapporo snow festival. I want to visit Hiroshima peace memorial. I want to go to bunny island. I want to climb Mount Fuji. And this just means that I’ll need to start saving again. I also had the great opportunity of making friends in Japan. Of course I had the friends already with me from Berea. I don’t think I would have been able to find the courage to go half the places I went without Trisha by my side. Plus, having Jacy, Dylan, and Hannah to talk to and see in class also made transitioning into KGU and Japan a lot easier. Especially since we could rely on each other if any of us needed help, advice, or just recommendations where to go. However, I also met a lot of other students in Japan, both local and international. I had a really solid group in my koto class that I was able to talk to and even hang out with on the weekends sometimes. One of the girls, Emily, was a great resource since she had already been at KGU the previous semester. I also talked a lot with other people in my various class like Patrick, Ana, and Breanna. And, when the local students arrived on campus, I had many opportunities to meet and talk to them as well. I still remember fondly the trio of local freshman that would meet me on Fridays sometimes to talk or grab snacks at the convenience store. I still have everyone’s Line accounts and I hope we can continue to communicate in the future. Overall, everything I experienced in Japan, is not anything I will soon forget. Even now, with everything starting up again at Berea College, I will think back on my adventures and start planning in my head how I’ll get back. I want to continue my study of the Japanese language until I’m fluent. I’m also definitely very motivated to finish my Asian Studies and English majors so that I can graduate. Because I know once I’ve graduated, I’ll be that much closer to going back abroad.
-August Nye
(First post)
