Tokyo and Kawasaki Day 3&4 | Joshua and Jay
Today is our third day in Japan! Jayneson and I (Joshua) woke up bright and early (lie) to greet the morning sun. For the first in a while, I, and a few other students agreed at breakfast we were closer to adjusting to the new time zone. Unfortunately, we did not have the luxury of a slow morning as we had to be down by breakfast at 7:15 am.
After a hearty breakfast, we were picked up by bus to make our way to the US Embassy here in Japan. Entering without our electronics, we were greeted with multiple security checkpoints and a shrine dedicated to President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Inside the building, we met with Robert Scully, a consultant for the US Department of Commerce, Harvey Beasley, a Deputy Visa Chief, and Sarah Belousov, an Education and Exchanges Officer. We had the valuable opportunity to talk about each professional's career in foreign affairs. Our questions ranged from Turkmenistan’s diplomatic challenges, the process of becoming a consultant for the US Department of Commerce, Japan’s declining population, corruption in foreign markets, Japan’s job market and the market implications, and many, many other interesting topics. Unfortunately, we do not have a photo to share as our phones were stripped from us. However, we do have a professional recreational drawing of the Q&A made by yours truly. Following our consultation, we scurried back into our buses and made our trip to Kawasaki High School.
JAY:
Here we are at Kawasaki High School! The first thing I noticed is that it's extremely big. Like university size big. Walking around a lot of us had instantly noticed the vast differences between this school and ours. The biggest one was how clean the school was compared to all of ours 😭. We also have experienced classes in Japan. For me, I had the luxury of taking an English class! In Japan, they learn English through a woman nicknamed KonMori. It was interesting having to be in a class where they learn basic English words whereas I already understand everything. It makes me wonder if the Japanese students who visit our school feel the same way. The next class was history (booooo). I didn’t really pay attention, but my bestie host buddy and I were just joking around all class, making it a worthwhile experience.
JOSHUA:
While Jay was messing around, I had the most interesting lecture about marriage rates and the different social variables surrounding it. The introduction to the lesson was a class discussion of each student’s ideal type of partner in a marriage. The teacher, Shibayama Sensei, then included multiple slides going through statistics on marriage. Like if smoking influenced divorce rates or people in sports are more likely to marry than those who do not. After taking AP Statistics, it was refreshing to see proper statistical analysis and it being used interestingly. Since the topic was interesting, all the students cackled and roared with discussion. Yet, I found it super interesting whenever the teacher spoke each student without fail became dead quiet. Questioning my Host Buddy, Hannah (sitting to my right), she said that classes aren’t usually like this but Shibayama specifically is very witty. From an educator’s perspective, it was very interesting to see a lot of respect as well as a lot of meaningful conversation. Overall, I found it super interesting and a fun listening exercise to practice my Japanese.
Afterward, all the 2nd year students went to the auditorium for a career guidance and syllabus lecture. It was comforting to see that regardless of country, students fall asleep to boring lectures. I too, almost succumbed to the comforts of sleep.
After the lecture and homeroom period were concluded, each student made their back to the main cafeteria to participate in activities organized by Ichigawa Glocal Club (IGC). They organized us to play an activity of Demons on Squares and blindfolded Samurai (my back still hurts Marc). I can confidently say on behalf of PAAC, that we were extremely grateful and had a great time getting to know each student. I will let you interpret how the games went from the videos below :)
Following the IGC activities, our homestay friends came to pick us up from the school. There I (Joshua) met Tadaaki. While going through a grueling 40-minute commute of neck-to-neck train rides, I was able to make it home to my homestay family. Though I was initially awkward at first, a homemade meal and a warm slow shower made me feel at ease right away. Especially since I saw a lot of parallels with my own family, I soon “Kanak-ed” - Carol Li 2024.
JAY HERE! I had a rather similar experience going to my house. A ruthless 20-minute walk to the station. Then multiple train rides to Kawasaki City. It was hot, sweaty, and tiring, but lowkey the views along the way made it worthwhile. When I first entered I was greeted by Keiko, and later by the rest of the family. I instantly felt at home, and the way they cared for me and treated me as if I were their son made my heart warm.
At the end of the day, although separated, the PAAC group still stays as strong as ever. As we make new experiences and build new relationships through our homestays, we will never forget who we are. We came here as global citizens, and we are the bridge that connects people all around the world. And the fact that we were chosen to do so should remind us all that no matter what happened or to happen on this trip, we still remain as one big family.
Okay that's the end, bye bye.
I visited the US Embassy often -- there has been many great American Ambassadors -- perhaps the most iconic was Edwin Reischauer -- goes back to 1960. He was unusual in that he was born and raised in Japan as a child and learned Japanese -- his parents were American missionaries. Another great Ambassador was Mike Mansfield, who was noted to make coffee personally for visitors! If you saw the Americam Embassy from afar, you would "see" the motif of "Stripes" lines (like the American flag) along the building. There has been -- and always -- a very heavy police precense in front of the Embassy -- the Japanese government is responsible for security. Based on the Vienna Convention, the embassy of any foreign country is NOT the territory (land) of the host country -- when you walk into the US Embassy, you are in US territory. Before, the ambassador was killed by the host country -- to make a point (like not liking the other's King). But it got too much that no appointed ambassador would go to another country, as you could imagine. Recently I was in the Japan Consulate-General on Nuuanu Avenue -- and I could not take photograph except in the lobby area -- just as a precaution that a terrorist could "study" the rooms via photos for a future attack (so the mobile phones -- with cameras -- are held up front, as you all did). Regarding the visit to the Kawasaki school -- one of the great differences (and interesting one) between Japanese and American schools is the school lunch. Even 5th graders are organized to assist in preparing the school lunch (for all classmates) and lunch is eaten at each "home room". Everybody must clean up the school, as well. What is unusual is that school lunch recipes are often copied by families (who calls a school for a recipe here in Hawaii?) -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL5mKE4e4uU If you watch the video, you would be amazed that there are no napkins or utensils are provided by the school -- each student must remember to bring them (see the "recycling" -- even the pears/fruits come from the school tree/garden -- the point is that the lunch "process" is an Learning Experience for students). The Japanese school "clubs" are very important -- much personal interaction and learning are done in clubs (interestingly, when Japanese visit American schools they are amazed by the huge use of computers -- there is far less computer-assisted teaching). When students apply to college -- they have to take the college "entrance exam" one by one -- there is no ACT or SAT. And it is very difficult to "flunk out" of college once you are admitted. And again, you join a college "club" (one Japanese friend still goes out -- at age 70 -- with friends of is "Yacht Club" -- on chartered yachts! Another friend was in the Golf Club!).
ReplyDeletePer year I publish about 3 Op-Ed essays (and the topics come to me out of nowhere -- I saw an interview on the UH President search and I just began to research it via the Web and came up with a few facts -- some readers said it was really interesting but all I did was to put facts together in a readable, fun format!) and sometimes an interview on Hawaii Public Radio (on radio) -- this is my newest one -- https://www.civilbeat.org/2024/06/the-history-and-challenge-of-searching-for-a-uh-president/ You can see the influence of Japan and APAC on UH leadership -- UH President Gregg Sinclair taught English before World War I (yes, that's like 1910 - 1912!) in Japan and maintained a great interest in Japanese language and culture (even doing some translatons). Imagine how he felt when he was at UH Manoa when the Pearl Harbor attack began in 1941 (just as he was being appointed President). After the Pacific War Sinclair (yes, the big library at UH Manoa is named after him) began to organize speakers and meetings about Japan and re-connecting with the former enemy -- this took years -- and then he launched the Oriental Institute (to give it a "house") -- and this was the beginning of reconciliation, learnings, and then the East-West Center would be established at UH, as well. Also, you are surrounded by what is Japanese "Customer Service" -- I mentioned Kikubari -- and if anybody is interested -- see https://www.hawaiibusiness.com/japanese-customer-service-model-kikubari-hawaii-service-industry/
ReplyDeleteAbout dialects: you will be heading soon towards Kansai (Kyoto - Osaka - Kobe - Nara) and you will begin to notice the different Japanese speaking patterns after Nagoya. There is "Standard Japanese" -- whenever you watch NHK News -- listen carefully to the clear pitch and intonation, and measured speech speed. see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW1kj38VZ2c "Tokyo-ben" or Tokyo dialect is NOT "Standard Japanese" (Hyojungo) -- Tokyo-ben (interestingly, even Yokohama, very close to Tokyo, has a dialect) tends to be faster (like a New Yorker) and spat out roughly, but not in sing-song intonation like Kansai-dialect. Kyoto-ben, especially among women, is very soft and lighter in cadence. See -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8Wl9rD3ly0 If you listen to a Kyoto coffee shop conversation, it's similar to eavesdrop on two Jackson, Mississippi residents -- very different. On the other hand, the most extreme Kobe-ben (again Kansai) has been unfortunately been hyjacked by Yakuza (Japanese Mafia -- the word "Ya - Ku - Za" is 8 - 9 - 3 -- the worst losing combination in gambling, so connotates "losers" of society) -- and so shows up often in Yakuza movies. My uncle and father spoke some Kumamoto dialect -- not Kansai, but has some Kansai nuances. In the far north, especially in regions like Akita, Aomori (where I was born), Miyagi -- the "Tohoku" dialect reigns -- and once I spoke to an older man for directions in Hachinohe City -- and what he responded with -- I still have no idea what he said -- I think it was Japanese! My Tokyo-raised wife still demands "subtitles" when there is a Tohoku person speaking (my Hokkaido relatives speak a variation of Tohoku-ben with peculiar Hokkaido words -- but younger Sapporo natives speak "Hyojungo" Standard Japanese). One prefecture is well-known for impenetrable dialect -- Kagoshima (next to Kumamoto). But speakers of "real" Satsuma-ben or Kagoshima dialect has declined -- NHK Japanese is taking over! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kagoshima_dialect
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