One Month Later (P.S. Version)

Welcome back to my republished study abroad blog series! If you may or may not remember, I am bringing back my old blog posts from studying abroad in Japan with added content that I didn’t include the first time it was published. Since the last post, I had started my first full month studying abroad. It was exciting, and challenging at the same time trying to navigate my third year of college at a new school in a new country, but as Taylor Swift once said, “I watched it being again.” Let’s jump right into the PS version post. Take it away, 2018 version. (To recap, italics are original content, regular font is added content).

Konnichiwa! By the time I have finished writing this post, it would have been a month since arriving in Japan. A lot of things have happened so far, and it has been an interesting experience. This post will highlight the start of our homestay, reunions, and trip shenanigans. じゃあ、はじめましょ！（Let’s get started)!

Monday 9/03- This was the first day of our classes. This semester, I am taking four classes as part of my Japanese minor. They are: Japanese pre-intermediate, Japanese Studies I: Culture and Society, and Japanese Studies II: Politics and Economics. (Japanese studies II is a combined class of politics and economics. The politics class only lasted three weeks, and we just took our final exam last week.) Unlike the classes at Linfield, some of these classes have two or three sessions in one day with a break in between. For example, my Japanese class on Mondays and Fridays are from 10:45-12:15, 1:15-2:45, and 3:00-4:30. I am still trying to get used to the multiple sessions because it makes the day seem longer, and sometimes I get sleepy in class. However, we all take the same classes at the same time. And the nice thing is that the class is small, giving that individualized interaction with our professors. Our Japanese Culture Studies professor especially is very enthusiastic about the subject they are teaching.

More on the classes I took abroad, I did not choose these classes since they were required for my Japanese minor, and the credits went toward my overall degree. Other exchange universities in other countries might have the option for you to choose your classes, but that all depends on your major/minor, and the program requirements. As I mentioned in my last post, only one person ended up being in the advanced-level class while the rest of us were in the intermediate level. My Japanese classes were way different than the ones I took at my university. Obviously since I was in Japan where Japanese is the native language, you can’t use English AT ALL (technically, I couldn’t use English in my Japanese classes at my university back home either. Unless I asked if I could say a sentence in English or there was a day where the class was taught in English for grammar lessons). The class was a bit difficult at times and sometimes intimidating. The format was the same throughout the whole semester with one day being grammar and kanji, another day where we wrote an essay, and another where we had a vocabulary quiz. There were also days where we practiced for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, or JLPT. I will share more about that in a later post, but it is basically the Japanese version of the SAT where it tests on Japanese grammar, vocabulary, reading, and listening. We all had to take it at the end of the semester, but it did not go toward our overall grade.

The politics, economics, and culture classes were taught in English, so those weren’t as much of a problem. I really didn’t get much out of the politics class since it only lasted three weeks. However, our professor spoke perfect English and had great knowledge of the political aspect of Japan. It wasn’t really too difficult with the final exam even being open-book. As for my economics class, our professor spoke some Japanese during our lectures. I am not sure if they knew the class was supposed to be taught in English, but that really caught us off guard. Finally, our Japanese culture professor was interesting because they were originally from the US, but lived in Japan for many years. However, I did have issues with this professor because I noticed that they were playing favoritism towards the other students even though I didn’t do much in the class. This did evolve into a major problem that happened later on that I will talk about in another post.

When we started our classes, the rest of the university was still on summer break, so it was very quiet for the first few weeks. Once the students returned, it was very crowded at times especially in the cafeteria. Even the elevators got packed with lots of students, and you even have to wait in a line to catch one since that is the cultural norm in Japan (this also applies to the subways and trains). There were also a couple times our class schedule changed due to school starting, our politics class ending, and when we started English assistant teaching (I will also talk about that in another post). For instance, our Japanese classes stayed the same, but our Japanese culture classes moved to the mornings once a week, and had two sessions instead of one. We also had a lot of Japanese students and other international students join us for the second session of the culture class. However, most of them didn’t speak good English even though it was required for the class. Plus, it was repetitive since that session covered topics we already discussed prior to the schedule change. I will talk about the difficulties of taking classes while studying abroad in another post.

Saturday 9/08- We met our host families for the first time at the International Center. My host family includes a mother, father, and a high school daughter. They also have three small poodles which I have yet to meet. They were a really nice family, and we got to talk a little about our interests. Their daughter especially loves American music artists such as Taylor Swift and Sia.

Even though I lived in a dorm for most of my time abroad, I lived with a host family for about a month. Other study abroad programs have living situations where you either live with a host family or in a dorm the entire time. Again, that all depends on where you are studying abroad and the program itself. In this case, I got to experience both which was actually nice. Before coming to Japan, my host mother emailed me introducing herself and the rest of the family. They really loved my home-state which is where they had their honeymoon. Luckily, my host mother and father also spoke English and their daughter was learning English. Sometimes other host-families will speak either a little or no English at all, but that also depends on the host family and where you are studying abroad. When I met them for the first time, I gave them all leis I brought from my home airport. Where I am from, it is tradition to give leis to someone for a variety of occasions like meeting them for the first time, graduation, or as a way of saying farewell to them. They were really happy to meet me, and were very nice.

That night, our group went to a park with my floor leader and her friends to shoot off fireworks. It seemed a little bit intimidating because I never played with those sparklers before, and I was a bit hesitant at first. However, it became a bit of a downer after that because we used up the matches quickly so we couldn’t light up anymore fireworks. The next day, I didn’t do anything much because I couldn’t find anyone to go anyplace with me. Plus, I wasn’t confident enough to ride the trains by myself at the time. The only place I actually went to was the McDonalds in my area. If you haven’t been to a McDonalds in Japan, I recommend it because their menu selection is way better than what we have in the US. Staying on the subject, there wasn’t a lot of interesting places in the small town I stayed in. Not only there is the McDonalds, there is also a 7-11 which also has far more variety of food than in the US. Inside the local train station, there is a department store where you can buy school supplies, dorm essentials, and a grocery store. Down the street from my dorm is another convenience store called Create where it also had the same essentials like other convenience stores, but on a smaller scale. So yeah, there wasn’t much to do in the small town I lived in. Except for this festival that happened a couple months later where we volunteered at (I will share in another post). That is why I wanted to get out and explore the other parts of Japan, but again I didn’t have the confidence getting around by myself at the time.

Tuesday 9/11- Our politics class took a field trip to the Yokohama Prison. I was not allowed to take pictures of the prison, but I will tell you the experience. The prison facility was located in the middle of a suburban area with other public facilities such as an elementary school. Compared to a typical American prison, it was huge and spacious. Plus, it had a garden and sculptures inside. What this institution does is that they tried to help inmates reform by making them work many jobs such as cooking, woodworking, etc. There was even a gift shop next to the prison where you can buy items made by all the inmates in Japan. This has changed my whole perspective on the penal system as a whole. I thought that the prison was scary based on what I see in the media, but I felt a sense of peace and hope during the tour.

At the prison, there was some strict guidelines we had to follow by. For instance, we all had to walk in a straight line throughout the entire tour. We also had to keep quiet and not talk to any of the prisoners, and for some reason we all had to dress in a formal attire for the trip.

Prior to this, there were a lot more international students that came in from other countries like China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. I don’t think they were in the same program as us because they didn’t have “buddies.” However, some of them joined our classes once the rest of the students started school. At the party, the most nerve-wracking thing we all had to do was introduce ourselves in Japanese! This was the “let’s go around and introduce ourselves” scenario, but on a much higher level since we had to speak Japanese. To make matters worse, I had to do another nerve-wracking thing where I had to have a conversation with a random person during my Japanese class a few hours before that. Like why do we “new students” have to be humiliated during our first couple of weeks. Then again, that is what new student orientation typically is like where we have to sometimes do awkward things to meet people. I am mostly an introvert, so I am not one to socialize at parties like these; luckily, I was able to introduce myself without messing up despite my introverted state. After that our group, along with some of our “buddies” and friends, went to hang out at Aeon mall complex.

Saturday 9/15- It was my first time going to Tokyo! I went to Ueno Zoo and Asakusa with two former exchange students from AGU (Aoyama Gakuin University). Located in downtown Japan, Ueno Zoo is the oldest zoo in Japan. We got to see many animals including the popular Giant Panda exhibit. Since it is very popular and a baby panda was born recently, you can expect the lines to be pretty long. Unfortunately, all the pandas were sleeping, and I don’t think I saw the new baby panda. However, the gift shop was full of panda merchandise! Since I really like pandas, I would have bought almost all the merchandise if I had the ability. After our trip to the zoo, we went to Asakusa where we got to see the Sensoji Temple. The temple is one of the most famous in Japan. It is known for the Kaminarimon entrance gate which has a large red lantern. Since we went at night, it looked really pretty to see the entire temple illuminated. We also went through the oldest shopping street called Nakamise Dori with cute little shops that have snacks, and omiyage (souvenirs). After that, we went to a Japanese bar known as an Izakaya where I had my first alcoholic drink in my entire life (whoops, sorry!). In Japan, the legal age for drinking is 20, and I am already 20. I was a bit hesitant at first since I have never drunk before, but I had one of the weaker drinks and I was fine. I hope to get used to drinking in Japan, but won’t do as much because I have heard that over-drinking especially in a different country can cause you to do stupid things, and have severe consequences.

Panda At Ueno Zoo

Sensoji Temple at Asakusa

Yeah, so back then I had a weird obsession with pandas which is why I wanted to go to Ueno Zoo. I also wanted to see my other Japanese friends that went to my university, but the other people in our group ended up getting invited as well even though I was the one who asked them first. I mean it worked out because I had someone to do something with during the weekend. As for drinking for the first time, no one forced me to drink if I didn’t want to which is the right thing to do. No one should have to force you to drink without your consent. Also, I still agree with what I said back then about over-drinking abroad. Some of the drinks in different countries might have more alcohol than what we have in the US. Their drinking laws might also be different such as the age limit. In this case, Japan’s was 20 while the US stands at 21. There may even be stricter consequences if you violate the drinking laws. Back to our night drinking, we went to not one but two bars for some reason so it was kind of wild. Good thing it was a three-day weekend that time.

Saturday 9/22-Sunday 9/23- This was the weekend where our Japanese culture studies professor took us on a study tour to Kamakura and Hakone. On Saturday we went to Kamakura, a city just south of Tokyo known for its many temples and Shinto shrines. We went to three temples/shrines that day. The first temple was Zeniarai Benten Shrine. This shrine is popular for people to wash their money which means the money in the shrine’s spring will double. I washed a US dollar bill along with a 5 yen coin. The next temple was called Hase Temple. This temple was known for many things. There is a wooden Buddhist statue called the “Eleven-headed Kannon” and it is one of the largest in Japan. There are also many jizo statues located around the temple and a jizo-do hall with hundreds of these statues of the Jizo God. It was dedicated to children who have passed away, the unborn, and miscarriages. Lastly, there was a cave called the Benten Cave where the goddess Benten is worshipped. Sixteen followers of the goddess are also engraved as well. There were many other great things at the temple as well. The last temple was the Kotokuin, famous for the Great Buddha that stands on the grounds. The statue is also known for surviving a mass tsunami where it used to be inside a temple hall, but the hall got destroyed. After the visit to all the shrines, we went to Odawara and had dinner and stayed overnight at a guesthouse on the KGU Odawara campus. The next day, we left for Hakone known for its onsen. Unfortunately, we did not have time to go in onsen because our study tour was during the three-day weekend of the autumnal equinox. Therefore, it was very crowded. However, we did other great things. First, we went to the open-air museum where there were many art sculptures including those by Picasso. I actually got” lost in the art”, and because of that I missed the opportunity to go in the foot bath with the others. However, I got to admit that if there was a place to get lost, it would have to be here. After that, we had lunch at the Gyoza Center nearby. Lastly, we went to Mt. Owakudani to see the sulphur pits and Lake Ashinoko in Togendai. We actually rode the gondolas to get to the places. This was an interesting weekend despite me getting a sore leg from all that walking, but we got to bond with our professor over jovial conversations.

Zeniarai Benten Shrine

Washing money at shrine

Jizo Statues

Kamakura Big Buddha

I wasn’t really looking forward to this trip because of my professor’s favoritism personality. When we first arrived in Kamakura, it was a bit crazy as we all took a taxi to get to our destination. Honestly, I don’t like riding taxis in Japan because they are expensive, and it might be difficult to tell the driver where you are going if your Japanese language skills aren’t great. It was also crowded in the taxi as there were like 3-4 of us in there. When we got to our destination, it was a lot of walking from here on out which is why my legs were sore the next day. At the Zeniarai Benten Shrine, the one thing I didn’t mention was that prior to washing our money, we also had to light incense and a candle stick as part of the ritual. I will skip ahead to when we were on our way to Odawara on the train. In Japan, it’s normal during rush hour for the trains to be packed with people. Sometimes you may have to stand up especially when you need to give up your seat to an elderly or pregnant person. I think I remember falling down during the train mainly because it was bumpy and it was getting crowded. As for where we were staying overnight, the campus was very isolated since it is mainly used for a research facility. Therefore, you don’t see as many people, and the outside had hardly any lighting. The other downside was that there was hardly any wifi, so I couldn’t do anything but just sit in my room. I will also share that I went out of my room a couple times, and I accidently came upon my professor’s room instead of my room. I don’t know why I did that, but maybe it was due to the close proximity between my room and my professor’s. Luckily, they never woke up and caught me; otherwise, it would have been more awkward.

At every temple, there is a purification fountain where you rinse your hands and mouth upon entering

The next day we headed out to Hakone. I was actually glad we didn’t go to an onsen because of a few reasons. One, it would have been awkward seeing each other naked depending if we were going to a public one. Also, it was “that time of the month” (ladies you know this) for me, and I was hesitant on telling the staff members or my professor about it. I did bring pads, but I didn’t know if it would’ve been safe going into an onsen. When we came back from our trip, my professor made us take a taxi all because of my sore legs. If you are wondering, I was okay. I’ve had sore legs before, and at least I got my exercise in. Overall, it was called a study trip, but it didn’t really feel like a study trip even though it was a lot of sightseeing, eating, and some drinking in between. We were supposed to use this trip to find out one aspect of Japan which was covered on our midterm. I chose family which wasn’t a great choice since I hardly saw any of that on the trip. However, I did pass my midterm, so it wasn’t all too bad.

Hakone Art Museum

Owakudani Sulphur Pits

Lake Ashinoko in Togendai

Saturday 9/29- Sunday 9/30- This past weekend my homestay officially started. The first thing we did was see my host sister’s gospel concert in the newly renovated Kannai Hall. My host sister is part of the Yokohama Community Singers aka, “1000 Peoples Gospel.” They were joined by another choir called “The Soulmatics.” They sang all kinds of gospel songs including English songs; overall the atmosphere of the concert was energetic. The next day, I went to my host sister’s school festival at Kamakura Jogakuin junior and senior high school. It was an all-girls high school and it is very different from my all-girls high school. I got to meet some of the students and participate in cultural events such as tea ceremony, and even went through a Beethoven haunted house! I wish I could have participated in more activities but the rest of the day was canceled due to typhoon. But, I had a lot of fun bonding with my host family during the first couple of days and I am looking forward to the rest of my homestay. I even got to meet their three dogs.

When I first arrived at my host family’s house, it was hectic. One of their dogs ran up to greet me, but they ended up running out of the house. I knew I should’ve closed the door behind me, but the dog was all excited and trying to jump on me. Luckily, they were able to find it. Two of the host family’s dogs were really hyper and jumped on me, which isn’t good behavior for dogs when guests are coming over. Don’t worry, I did warm up to them and they were really cute. Their other dog acted like an a**hole to me especially when I tried to pet it while it was sleeping. I ended up taking my host sister’s room to sleep/study while she slept with the rest of my family in a nearby room. The bed was really comfy, and I am grateful that she was able to give up my room for me during that time. Everywhere I went with my host family during that weekend, I felt like a celebrity when my host mom was introducing me to a lot of people, and they seemed really friendly.

When I went through the haunted house at the school festival with my host mother, I actually held her hand like a scared little girl because I don’t like scary things, and that really scared the heck out of me considering it was put together by high schoolers. After the event was over, my host mother and I ate lunch while taking shelter inside a temple since it started to rain. From there we had a nice intimate moment with each other as we talked about different things. That night I had my first home-cooked meal with my host family (we did ate-out the day before). My host mother made my favorite food spaghetti, but this is where it got interesting. Prior to studying abroad in Japan, I had to fill out a host family application form, and it said to list our favorite/least favorite foods. I put spaghetti, but I didn’t tell my host family I don’t like a lot of vegetables. Therefore, there ended up being carrots in my spaghetti. I told my host mother the truth, and she was very understanding. However, I didn’t want to be rude and ended up eating it anyway which didn’t turn out to be that bad. My good advice for living with a host family: make sure you communicate clearly what foods you like/don’t like so there aren’t any surprises. Not only it will be easier for you, but it will also make it easier for your host family when they make meals. Also, don’t be afraid to try anything that either your host family makes, or anything you come across while traveling abroad.

So far, I have been in Japan for a month and time is really going by fast. I ask myself: Have you been making the most of your time? Yes. Do you think you can push yourself and try to do more? I hope so! To be honest, 90 days in a semester abroad does not seem like a lot of time, so I have to do as much as I can and take every opportunity!

Even though I said yes when making the most of my time, I honestly didn’t think I wasn’t doing enough to go out and travel to different parts of the country. It was all because I couldn’t find anyone to go with me, and I wasn’t brave enough to go by myself (yet)! I was only lucky to still do activities mostly because of the school and my host family. There was also pressure because of the short time I was going to be in Japan, and I didn’t want to be embarrassed for not doing anything exciting while I was there. Nonetheless, I was still determined to make the most of my time. Be sure to look out for my next study abroad blog post which was honestly my most vulnerable one yet.