Resume
Link Project
For my link project I decided to study Japanese ascetic and culture. To document my learning, I took pictures of all my travels throughout Japan. I completed my trip with about two thousand pictures so I had so select only a few. The pictures bellow are taste of the things that I experienced in Japan. I tried to capture my experience with pictures and I hope it will help educate people on Japanese culture.
Mentor Interview
Daily Journals
March 5/6, 2015
It is only my first night here and I am already in love with this country. Random strangers will go completely out of their way to help you. Even though I have only been here a few hours, I have already noticed a few cultural differences. The first being driving: the oppositely positioned steering wheel, paired with the left side of the road driving, is just overall highly jarring!
Another thing that is different here are the showers. I am not fully educated on them, but from my understanding, you shower outside of the tub using a hose and then sit in a very deep tub afterwards. This is used as a way to relax for the Japanese, but I see it in a different light; maybe it is because I do not find squeezing into a 2x2 box while undergoing the stimulation of drowning relaxing – but I just don’t enjoy it.
March 6/7, 2015
The radio in this country is so funny. It plays two different types of songs. The first of which is the soundtrack to Fifty Shades of Gray, and the second being songs that sound like they were remixed by Hello Kitty! They are very often playing songs in English and you rarely hear any Japanese songs playing in stores.
I went to the store today to get food. It is similar to American markets, but everything is much more fresh. People in Japan buy new food every three days, so their expiration dates are way too short. They also bag each individual item before bagging them all together.
March 7/8, 2015
All the food items in this country are made to look beautiful. They care very much about the aesthetics of food. Japan is also very cramped. They build “up” instead of “out” because of their lack of land. About 75% of Japan is mountains, so the population is forced to live in the other 25% of the country – mostly on the coasts. The roads here are incredibly small. In the neighborhoods, all the roads are one way streets, whose direction seems to be determined by the way you are going. They also do not wear seat belts which is surprising, seeing as they have so many car crashes.
Today, I went to a sushi bar with conveyor belts that delivered sushi around the tables. You grab what you want and count your plates to determine the price of the meal! This section of Japan (Fujisawa) is relatively similar to America, however, it’s the smaller things that are different. For instance, ice cream cones here are triangle and rather than a scoop, it is served as a pointed tower. Supermarkets have an area where people bag their own items.
March 8/9, 2015
The part of Fujisawa that I am staying in is known as a chill, relaxed surfing town. This was strange for me, because in no way does it seem like that for me. From the American perspective, this seems to be more of an uptight, conservative town. If this has the reputation of being “relaxed” I can’t imagine what the “not chill” parts of Japan are like!
While people here are polite, they are not very social and they keep to themselves. I was lucky enough to meet a boy my age and ask him some questions about the youth here. For starters, kids here do not really date, and if they do, it is very formal with little emotion. The interactions between boys and girls are very elementary; they sit at separate lunch tables and if a boy and a girl talk to each other, it is assumed that they like each other. Apparently, Japanese people usually start to date in college.
When I asked what kids do for fun, he said that there wasn’t much. Japan has no drugs besides the “hard” ones sold by Japanese gangs, so students don’t partake in those. The drinking age in Japan is 20, so only the kids who are really trying to rebel, drink for fun. In Japan, there are not many of those kids.
There are Chinese/Japanese/Korean girl and boy bands that are quiet popular here. EXO is one band that most teenage girls like. It is made up of about 10 very pretty, very similar looking 20ish year old boys. They are scouted (unlike most American bands) like baseball players; the bands are not friends, but handpicked for different talents. They are in a way, a larger Asian One Direction. The music is similar to America’s early 2000 pop. They also have an extremely hipster mixed with Wu-Tang “look” going on.
March 9/10, 2015
This city is extremely clean. You almost never see a piece of trash. This is peculiar, because I have yet to see a public trash can – there are literally none!
The food here is amazing! They will take you into a shack that a health inspector hasn’t seen in years, if ever – and you are served the most amazing meal of your life! Everything is so fresh and gourmet, however this does not include the deserts. Most deserts are very beautiful and enticing to look at, but taste actually like pasty bread! A common desert here is a ball of jelly like rice with a sweet red bean mix in the middle. It tastes like a sweaty burrito – it disgusting! It is probably the grossest thing I ever tasted. I made the mistake of lying about it – saying that I liked it and since then, I have received 3 more!
The people here are very kind. If I try to speak even a little Japanese to them, it goes a long way. They do not treat you like celebrities as they do in China, but everyone is still very helpful. It is also very safe here. If someone leaves a belonging anywhere, even a wallet, people just place it on top of something or give it to a worker. Bikes are left completely unlocked everywhere and no one touches them.
At 4:30 everyday, a minute long, creepy xylophone solo is played throughout the streets, all across the whole entire city. This is used to warn children that it will be dark soon and that they should go home. Overall, it is a very safe place.
March 10/11, 2015
Today, I took a tour of Tokyo. The whole city is truly wonderful. It’s full of skyscrapers for miles and there are so many restaurants and stores. People from all over the world are there. I met a very nice kid from Canada who was so fun to talk to – when you are in another country, you begin to miss the sound of English. Talking to him made me less homesick and it was nice to talk to someone who understood my references. It’s hard to be “you” when no one understands what you’re saying.
There are a lot of beautiful shrines in Tokyo that people go and pray at. We visited the home of the emperor, or his son, or someone important. It was hard for me to understand because of the tour guide’s poor English. We were able to tour the home though; it was only recently open to the public.
The shrines, while being strong tourist attractions, are very old and are reminders of the beautiful ancient culture of Japan. I absolutely love it here!
March 11/12, 2015
Today I visited a Japanese middle school. In Japan, they do six years of elementary school, three years of junior high, and three years of high school. Students here are only required to go to school until the end of junior high, after that they can legally drop out.
When I visited the school, all of the kids were so cute. About 30 crowded around me asking me all sorts of questions and practicing their English. The girls would squeal whenever they found out that I was 17 years old. They loved how tall I was and they got very excited whenever I would talk to them.
On the outside, the schools looks like prisons, but on the inside, the schools are very clean. All the students leave their shoes in small cubbies in the front, and change into their “inside” shoes. The schools in Japan also make kids wear uniforms, including during gym class. The school I visited was fairly new and very nice.
The school was equipped with a pool, a tea ceremony room, two kitchens, a computer room, a gym, a field, and a jujutsu (martial arts) room.
When I visited, it was the last day of school and the 9th graders were prepping for graduation. Because some students do not return and the children are put on different high schools depending on their test scores, middle school graduation is a big deal. Kids don’t normally move around schools, so they have been with the same kids their whole life. The big change was very emotional for some of the students and many of them were crying.
In Japan, school ends in March and begins in April. They do have a summer vacation, but it is only for a month. They have many vacations and national holidays, but no 3 month vacations like in America.
They let me sit in on an English class. All the kids were very impressed with my English even though it is my first language. I am so glad that I got to meet them and the best day ever so far.
March 12/13, 2015
Today I took a Japanese pottery class. I was join by a 16 year old girl named Mika. The class was quiet and we learned how to make mugs and small plates. While we let the plates dry, Mika and I went to the Fujisawa station for lunch. She took me to a place called The First Kitchen, which is kind of like a Japanese McDonalds. They have burgers there, but most of them have eggs on them or strange sauces. The weirdest part about First Kitchen is that they sell flavored French fries there. I couldn’t read all of the options, but they had chicken, butter, butter and soy sauce, and many more.
Mika and I then visited the mall that is attached to the station. We bought a few disappointingly bland candies and then we went into the Japanese photo booths. These photo booths are special because they are marketed toward Japanese girls. Inside, they have a green screen and professional lighting system. The main selling point for these photo booths though is that they make you look “prettier;” which for the Japanese, means “whiter.” Not only do the booths change your skin color to a lighter shade, but it also changes your facial features.
In Japan there is a fascination with looking more “Western.” It’s quite sad actually, that looking Japanese is not seen as beautiful. The booth photoshops faces in ways to make girls whiter. This would be things like lightening the hair and skin, making the eyes bigger, lengthening the legs, and using lighting to make faces look less flat. Because I am not Asian, these effects make me look like a creepy, pale tree frog.
After it changes your face, you can add stamps and stickers on it that are all “highly basic girl” and all in English. It also gives you the option to change your lip and eye color and add lashes to make you look more feminine. It’s a fun experience, but the ideas are pretty distorted.
We finished up the day with visiting a park where they have a home that is a couple hundred years old that belonged to one of the city leaders. The house is more of a model because of how much had be replaced, but it was still wonderful to see a more traditional house. The park also had a community garden where locals could go and work in a rice field. The operation is almost year round and is open to the public. I enjoyed seeing both modern and ancient Japan. I was a very fun day for me.
March 13/14, 2015
Today I took a tour of Kamakura with Professor Vesey who is a Japanese Culture professor at a local university. He was very educated, so he makes an excellent tour guide. We visited many temple and shrines and I learned about the different kinds of Buddhism and Shintoism in Japan. We visited places like The Temple For the Kings of Hell, The Great Buddha, The Hasedera Temple, The Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, The Kenchoji Temple and many more.
The places, while being tourist traps, are incredibly beautiful. The areas we visited mainly focused on giving offerings and praying rather than meditation. There are many different versions of Buddhism and Shintoism, and each have very different views on life and death. The Shinto religion is very connected to the temples and for years was mixed with certain types of Buddhism.
Because of all the natural disasters, most of the buildings are not the originals. Lots of them were rebuilt, but even the replicas can easily be 300 years old, if not more. Another strange thing about the buildings and gates is that a lot of them aren’t in their original places. Because the buildings were not made originally with bolts and screws, they were strategically fitted to together like Lincoln Logs. Because of this, the buildings were easily taken apart and moved. Some things, such as gates, were given as gifts, while other buildings were moved to safer areas to save them from natural disasters such as tsunamis. One building I encountered had a backstory that it was stolen.
Most of this trip has been me viewing modern Japan, so it was nice to see an older, more historical part.
March 14/15, 2015
Today was a slower day for me here in Japan. I went to lunch with Eiko and Fumio’s family (my host family’s family) in Yokohama’s China Town. China Town is a very popular tourist spot for Japanese people. Because Japan is so close to China, it has REAL Chinese food, which is much different from the Chinese food Americans are familiar with. Real Chinese food has a lot less sauce and it is much less fatty. They also had things like poached yak stomach, which is not common in America.
After lunch we walked to the ocean and visited the Hikawa Maru, which is a famous cargo-passenger ship that was used to travel between Japan and America. The ship was made in 1930. During WWII it became a Navy hospital ship. Three separate times, it hit underwater mines, but did not sink. In 1960, it retired and is now a museum. People like it because it is a symbol of Japan’s competition with Europe and the United States.
Yokohama is the second biggest city in Japan, right after Tokyo. It sports a big skyscraper skyline that also includes a very big Ferris wheel. There was also a marathon that was supposed to be similar to the New York marathon, but it was not very popular with crowds as the NYM is.
Physical exercise, such as running or hiking does not seem to be very popular here. You rarely see people out for a jog, and when you do, they are always wearing the same weird running outfit. Apparently, to look like runners, everyone wears a long sleeved Under Amour shirt with a normal shirt over it and long Under Amour pants with shorts over them. It’s very strange.
March 15/16, 2015
Since I have been here, I have had my train stopped because of two accidents. Both times it was only a short wait before we started moving again. I asked Professor Vesey how the trains could be considered safe if they kept crashing. He explained to me that the trains rarely crash. If people say there is an “accident” it usually means two things: either a person fell off the platform or someone jumped in front of the train. The casual way he told me this was quite jarring. Apparently, it is not uncommon for people to commit suicide by jumping in front of the trains.
I asked if they had help for the conductors who had to watch people take their own lives right in front of them. Instead of counseling, they have the conductors put on a new uniform; after that, everything is “okay” again. It’s as if with the new uniform comes a new mind. I found this very strange and depressing.
Today was a very slow day of travel. We met Eiko and Fumio’s grandson, Yusuke and their good friend, Kingy. We drove to Hakone, which is about a two hour drive from Fujisawa City. We visited a visitor center for a short amount of time and learned about the volcanoes around the area. While some volcanoes are not active, there are many there that are active – Mt. Fuji included.
Because of the volcanoes, there are many spas and natural hot springs in that area. Kingy is a member of the golf club there, so he was able to get us rooms at their hotel. This was very nice for me because it was the first time on this trip that I had internet. Being able to talk to my friends was a nice treat for me, though it was disappointing to find out that Netflix has not come to this part of the world.
March 16/17, 2015
Before leaving Hakone, we took a gondola tour of the base of the volcanoes. On the ride, there was a beautiful view of Mt. Fuji. When you reach the top, you were able to get out and walk to some of the places where steam was coming out of the ground. There are famous black hard-boiled eggs that we ate, that are supposed to give you blessings of a long, happy life. I also tried egg-flavored ice cream, which to my surprise, tasted quite good.
We drove back from Hakone and on the way we stopped for lunch where I had my first disappointing meal of the trip. So far, I’ve tried to be culinarily adventurous on this trip. I’ve not turned down trying any food that was offered, and for the most part, I have enjoyed everything. This restaurant though served tiny little whole fish and shrimp that were about an inch long. Even though I tried them, the texture and taste were quite subpar.
After lunch, we visited a museum of art in Atami Shizuoka. Most of the art ranged from about 1500 – 200 years old and featured Japanese cherry trees. It was great to see how the cherry blossoms have affected Japan for centuries.
March 17/18, 2015
Today was a very fun day. Eiko took me to a friend’s house who had a traditional tatami tea room. I was dressed in a traditional kimono and experienced a Japanese tea ceremony.
Tea ceremonies here are very sacred act. They are used to welcome guest and establish trust between people. In the early days, accepting the food and tea was a sign that you trusted the host not to poison you. Almost all girls used to learn how to perform a tea ceremony, but now most girls are never taught it. It takes about a year to learn, with lessons weekly.
In the lessons, you learn the proper way to pour, serve and even bring out the supplies. All the movements are very precise and flowy. Everything is set up so that one movement just slides into the next. A tea ceremony is supposed to be simplistic, so only things that are necessary to make tea are present. The pots and objects are always arranged in a simplistic and aesthetically pleasing way. There is a 1x1 foot square in the floor that opens up and inside is a small fireplace. A pot is set on the fire and that is where the water is boiled.
The ceremony itself was quiet beautiful, but interesting for me. During the ceremony, I was served the infamous red bean sweet that I absolutely hate. Normally, the red bean sweet had been served in a coating of mocchi, a sticky rice covering. This time, however, the outside was made up of something that tasted like a combination of flour mixed with a small amount of powdered sugar. Because it was a ceremony, I was not able to refuse the offering. To save myself from this horrible taste, I was trying to chug green tea after every bite, as to not taste it. At one point, I put down my tea cup and Eiko asked if I was finished. Even though I specifically said that I was still drinking it, Eiko removed my cup and I was forced to choke down the rest of the cake by itself. The tea ceremony was beautiful, but it was hard to focus on it while I repressing the urge to puke.
The whole ceremony was very traditional, including the dress of the hostess and me. Kimonos are very intricate and heavy. There are two different kimonos, depending on whether you are married or single. The kimonos for single women are much more “Show Boaty” and intricate. The sleeves are longer (to the floor) and the waistband is higher. They are also heavier because of more layers and the back tie is a grander design. The kimonos for married women are much lighter because the older women cannot carry the heavy clothing. The sleeves are only about a foot long, the waistband is around the stomach and the back tie is simple and light.
Wearing a kimono gives you the sensation of being swaddled by a log. They are very tight and heavy and are very difficult to move in. The socks are ankle high and white. They are buttoned by clasps and they have a slit between the big toe and the small toe. Shoes are not worn inside, but weaved flip flops are worn when walking outside.
Wearing kimonos used to be common, but now they are only worn on special occasions like graduations and weddings. Most girls have lost the ability to put on a kimono alone, so they require help from a professional kimono master. Luckily, my host grandmother Eiko is a professional kimono master. So, I was able to have this wonderful and rare experience.
March 18/19, 2015
Today, we traveled to Kyoto where I will be staying for two nights and three days. Fujisawa is about 2 ½ hours train ride from Kyoto, so the day was pretty slow. We did go to Nara on our way there. Nara is home to Todai ji or “The Great Buddha.” The Great Buddha is 16 meters tall and made of bronze. The statue was made in the 8th century – the Nara period.
Near the shrine is the home to hundreds of deer. People have made the animals a tourist attraction, so even though they are wild, you can hand feed them deer crackers that are purchasable in nearby booths. The deer, while extremely demanding and rude, are very cute and I enjoyed petting them.
Today was a very busy day for me. I visited many places in Kyoto. The first place, Nazenji, was beautiful. It is the headquarters of the Renzai Zen lineage and had very pretty gardens. We then visited Chion in (Buddhist Pure Land lineage) which was built in the 1100s. After that, we visited Tofuku ji which is another Renzai temple and has beautiful landscaping. I also visited the Golden Pavilion which is covered in gold leaf and is reported to have Buddha’s relics in it. It was converted into a temple in 1397 and is designated as a World Cultural Heritage Site. The To ji is another temple in the Shingon sect of Buddhism.
Finally, we visited Fusimi inari Shrine. At Fusimi inari, Michelle Obama was giving a speech, so it was very crowded. It’s also the most popular shrine in Kyoto for tourists.
March 20/21, 2015
Today was a very slow day because we were traveling back from Kyoto. Before we left, we were able to visit the biggest Buddhist school in Kyoto that is the head of the Shinto sect of Buddhism. Coming back, we took the bullet train, known in Japan as Shinkanzen. The Japanese people are very proud of this train – the train travels at 200 miles per hour and yet, in the past 50 years that it has been running, it has not had a single accident. It’s also incredibly timely; trains arrive on the second!
March 21/22, 2015
Since today is the spring equinox, shrines are very popular. During the fall and spring equinoxes it is believed that ancestors come back and visit Earth. Many people go to temples and graves to talk and pray to their ancestors. It’s a very powerful time for the Japanese people because they get to contact their past loved one.
March 22/23, 2015
Today, I visited Tokyo with Professor Vesey. Because I have visited some many shrines and temples, we visited the more modern parts of Japan that are popular to kids. We saw Shinjuku Harajiku, Shibuya and Takeshita Street. Shibuya was extremely crowded and stimulating – it is a large shopping area that stretches out for blocks. It has a very famous intersection that hundreds of people gather at. When the light changes, all the cars stop and all the pedestrians go at once. Every few minutes, hundreds of people are crossing the street and it becomes incredibly crowded.
We also went shopping at Takeshita Street, which while being poorly named, is incredibly fun. This street is full of new pop culture and fashion. There are tons of stores full of retro go-go boots, bedazzled crop tops and graffiti sweat shirts. There are also crepe stands literally on every block – all with the same food! The people here were younger (college or high school students) who had a more hipster, grungy look to them. There was a lot more bleached hair and cuffed jeans there. I have been looking at a lot of ancient parts of Japan, so it was very fun to see the younger, more modern side of Japan.
March 23/24, 2015
My internship is coming to an end, so my days are not very full lately. Today, I went shopping in Fujisawa City for small gifts. I had some amazing sushi from a small shop which mainly consisted of salmon, tuna, squid, sea urchin, eel, scallops, caviar and octopus.
I looked through delis and other small shops to find gifts for everyone at home. Although they have some strange foods here, it’s nothing like China. They have things like “squid kabobs” in the candy section or crackers made from whole octopus, but that is about as far as it goes. The strangest thing that I ate here was a whole quail (with head), cut in half and barbequed.
Today, I also experienced a small earthquake. It was very small; I barely even noticed it. These are apparently quite common. Ones that are a bit bigger than the one today, occur every month.
March 24/25, 2015
Today is my last full day in Japan. I will be leaving tomorrow at 6pm. Because the airport is so far away from Fujisawa, we travel to Narita Airport today to avoid any transportation issues. The train ride from Fujisawa to Narita is about 2 hours. We are staying at the ANA Hotel where they do an excellent job of making you feel like you are not in a foreign country. We had amazing sushi and tempura for dinner.
I am so sad to be leaving. I’ve really enjoyed this trip.
March 25/26, 2015
Today, is my last day in Japan and I am so sad. Over the past 3 weeks that I’ve spent here I have truly grown to love this country. It is so clean and safe here and the people are so nice, and not to mention, the food is to die for! I am so glad that I had this opportunity to come here and study the rich culture of Japan.
I’m getting very nostalgic over the great times I have had here and the wonderful people that I met. This was definitely an experience that I will cherish forever. I wish I had a longer trip, because there is still so much that I haven’t seen. I will definitely consider living here when I grow up.
I am so grateful for all the opportunities I had here and for the people who helped me go on this adventure. I learned so much and I gained a new respect for Japan. I cannot explain how glad that I am for this experience. It prepared me for my future and gave me knowledge about my world. I cannot wait to come back here and continue exploring – it is truly a wonderful country!
It is only my first night here and I am already in love with this country. Random strangers will go completely out of their way to help you. Even though I have only been here a few hours, I have already noticed a few cultural differences. The first being driving: the oppositely positioned steering wheel, paired with the left side of the road driving, is just overall highly jarring!
Another thing that is different here are the showers. I am not fully educated on them, but from my understanding, you shower outside of the tub using a hose and then sit in a very deep tub afterwards. This is used as a way to relax for the Japanese, but I see it in a different light; maybe it is because I do not find squeezing into a 2x2 box while undergoing the stimulation of drowning relaxing – but I just don’t enjoy it.
March 6/7, 2015
The radio in this country is so funny. It plays two different types of songs. The first of which is the soundtrack to Fifty Shades of Gray, and the second being songs that sound like they were remixed by Hello Kitty! They are very often playing songs in English and you rarely hear any Japanese songs playing in stores.
I went to the store today to get food. It is similar to American markets, but everything is much more fresh. People in Japan buy new food every three days, so their expiration dates are way too short. They also bag each individual item before bagging them all together.
March 7/8, 2015
All the food items in this country are made to look beautiful. They care very much about the aesthetics of food. Japan is also very cramped. They build “up” instead of “out” because of their lack of land. About 75% of Japan is mountains, so the population is forced to live in the other 25% of the country – mostly on the coasts. The roads here are incredibly small. In the neighborhoods, all the roads are one way streets, whose direction seems to be determined by the way you are going. They also do not wear seat belts which is surprising, seeing as they have so many car crashes.
Today, I went to a sushi bar with conveyor belts that delivered sushi around the tables. You grab what you want and count your plates to determine the price of the meal! This section of Japan (Fujisawa) is relatively similar to America, however, it’s the smaller things that are different. For instance, ice cream cones here are triangle and rather than a scoop, it is served as a pointed tower. Supermarkets have an area where people bag their own items.
March 8/9, 2015
The part of Fujisawa that I am staying in is known as a chill, relaxed surfing town. This was strange for me, because in no way does it seem like that for me. From the American perspective, this seems to be more of an uptight, conservative town. If this has the reputation of being “relaxed” I can’t imagine what the “not chill” parts of Japan are like!
While people here are polite, they are not very social and they keep to themselves. I was lucky enough to meet a boy my age and ask him some questions about the youth here. For starters, kids here do not really date, and if they do, it is very formal with little emotion. The interactions between boys and girls are very elementary; they sit at separate lunch tables and if a boy and a girl talk to each other, it is assumed that they like each other. Apparently, Japanese people usually start to date in college.
When I asked what kids do for fun, he said that there wasn’t much. Japan has no drugs besides the “hard” ones sold by Japanese gangs, so students don’t partake in those. The drinking age in Japan is 20, so only the kids who are really trying to rebel, drink for fun. In Japan, there are not many of those kids.
There are Chinese/Japanese/Korean girl and boy bands that are quiet popular here. EXO is one band that most teenage girls like. It is made up of about 10 very pretty, very similar looking 20ish year old boys. They are scouted (unlike most American bands) like baseball players; the bands are not friends, but handpicked for different talents. They are in a way, a larger Asian One Direction. The music is similar to America’s early 2000 pop. They also have an extremely hipster mixed with Wu-Tang “look” going on.
March 9/10, 2015
This city is extremely clean. You almost never see a piece of trash. This is peculiar, because I have yet to see a public trash can – there are literally none!
The food here is amazing! They will take you into a shack that a health inspector hasn’t seen in years, if ever – and you are served the most amazing meal of your life! Everything is so fresh and gourmet, however this does not include the deserts. Most deserts are very beautiful and enticing to look at, but taste actually like pasty bread! A common desert here is a ball of jelly like rice with a sweet red bean mix in the middle. It tastes like a sweaty burrito – it disgusting! It is probably the grossest thing I ever tasted. I made the mistake of lying about it – saying that I liked it and since then, I have received 3 more!
The people here are very kind. If I try to speak even a little Japanese to them, it goes a long way. They do not treat you like celebrities as they do in China, but everyone is still very helpful. It is also very safe here. If someone leaves a belonging anywhere, even a wallet, people just place it on top of something or give it to a worker. Bikes are left completely unlocked everywhere and no one touches them.
At 4:30 everyday, a minute long, creepy xylophone solo is played throughout the streets, all across the whole entire city. This is used to warn children that it will be dark soon and that they should go home. Overall, it is a very safe place.
March 10/11, 2015
Today, I took a tour of Tokyo. The whole city is truly wonderful. It’s full of skyscrapers for miles and there are so many restaurants and stores. People from all over the world are there. I met a very nice kid from Canada who was so fun to talk to – when you are in another country, you begin to miss the sound of English. Talking to him made me less homesick and it was nice to talk to someone who understood my references. It’s hard to be “you” when no one understands what you’re saying.
There are a lot of beautiful shrines in Tokyo that people go and pray at. We visited the home of the emperor, or his son, or someone important. It was hard for me to understand because of the tour guide’s poor English. We were able to tour the home though; it was only recently open to the public.
The shrines, while being strong tourist attractions, are very old and are reminders of the beautiful ancient culture of Japan. I absolutely love it here!
March 11/12, 2015
Today I visited a Japanese middle school. In Japan, they do six years of elementary school, three years of junior high, and three years of high school. Students here are only required to go to school until the end of junior high, after that they can legally drop out.
When I visited the school, all of the kids were so cute. About 30 crowded around me asking me all sorts of questions and practicing their English. The girls would squeal whenever they found out that I was 17 years old. They loved how tall I was and they got very excited whenever I would talk to them.
On the outside, the schools looks like prisons, but on the inside, the schools are very clean. All the students leave their shoes in small cubbies in the front, and change into their “inside” shoes. The schools in Japan also make kids wear uniforms, including during gym class. The school I visited was fairly new and very nice.
The school was equipped with a pool, a tea ceremony room, two kitchens, a computer room, a gym, a field, and a jujutsu (martial arts) room.
When I visited, it was the last day of school and the 9th graders were prepping for graduation. Because some students do not return and the children are put on different high schools depending on their test scores, middle school graduation is a big deal. Kids don’t normally move around schools, so they have been with the same kids their whole life. The big change was very emotional for some of the students and many of them were crying.
In Japan, school ends in March and begins in April. They do have a summer vacation, but it is only for a month. They have many vacations and national holidays, but no 3 month vacations like in America.
They let me sit in on an English class. All the kids were very impressed with my English even though it is my first language. I am so glad that I got to meet them and the best day ever so far.
March 12/13, 2015
Today I took a Japanese pottery class. I was join by a 16 year old girl named Mika. The class was quiet and we learned how to make mugs and small plates. While we let the plates dry, Mika and I went to the Fujisawa station for lunch. She took me to a place called The First Kitchen, which is kind of like a Japanese McDonalds. They have burgers there, but most of them have eggs on them or strange sauces. The weirdest part about First Kitchen is that they sell flavored French fries there. I couldn’t read all of the options, but they had chicken, butter, butter and soy sauce, and many more.
Mika and I then visited the mall that is attached to the station. We bought a few disappointingly bland candies and then we went into the Japanese photo booths. These photo booths are special because they are marketed toward Japanese girls. Inside, they have a green screen and professional lighting system. The main selling point for these photo booths though is that they make you look “prettier;” which for the Japanese, means “whiter.” Not only do the booths change your skin color to a lighter shade, but it also changes your facial features.
In Japan there is a fascination with looking more “Western.” It’s quite sad actually, that looking Japanese is not seen as beautiful. The booth photoshops faces in ways to make girls whiter. This would be things like lightening the hair and skin, making the eyes bigger, lengthening the legs, and using lighting to make faces look less flat. Because I am not Asian, these effects make me look like a creepy, pale tree frog.
After it changes your face, you can add stamps and stickers on it that are all “highly basic girl” and all in English. It also gives you the option to change your lip and eye color and add lashes to make you look more feminine. It’s a fun experience, but the ideas are pretty distorted.
We finished up the day with visiting a park where they have a home that is a couple hundred years old that belonged to one of the city leaders. The house is more of a model because of how much had be replaced, but it was still wonderful to see a more traditional house. The park also had a community garden where locals could go and work in a rice field. The operation is almost year round and is open to the public. I enjoyed seeing both modern and ancient Japan. I was a very fun day for me.
March 13/14, 2015
Today I took a tour of Kamakura with Professor Vesey who is a Japanese Culture professor at a local university. He was very educated, so he makes an excellent tour guide. We visited many temple and shrines and I learned about the different kinds of Buddhism and Shintoism in Japan. We visited places like The Temple For the Kings of Hell, The Great Buddha, The Hasedera Temple, The Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, The Kenchoji Temple and many more.
The places, while being tourist traps, are incredibly beautiful. The areas we visited mainly focused on giving offerings and praying rather than meditation. There are many different versions of Buddhism and Shintoism, and each have very different views on life and death. The Shinto religion is very connected to the temples and for years was mixed with certain types of Buddhism.
Because of all the natural disasters, most of the buildings are not the originals. Lots of them were rebuilt, but even the replicas can easily be 300 years old, if not more. Another strange thing about the buildings and gates is that a lot of them aren’t in their original places. Because the buildings were not made originally with bolts and screws, they were strategically fitted to together like Lincoln Logs. Because of this, the buildings were easily taken apart and moved. Some things, such as gates, were given as gifts, while other buildings were moved to safer areas to save them from natural disasters such as tsunamis. One building I encountered had a backstory that it was stolen.
Most of this trip has been me viewing modern Japan, so it was nice to see an older, more historical part.
March 14/15, 2015
Today was a slower day for me here in Japan. I went to lunch with Eiko and Fumio’s family (my host family’s family) in Yokohama’s China Town. China Town is a very popular tourist spot for Japanese people. Because Japan is so close to China, it has REAL Chinese food, which is much different from the Chinese food Americans are familiar with. Real Chinese food has a lot less sauce and it is much less fatty. They also had things like poached yak stomach, which is not common in America.
After lunch we walked to the ocean and visited the Hikawa Maru, which is a famous cargo-passenger ship that was used to travel between Japan and America. The ship was made in 1930. During WWII it became a Navy hospital ship. Three separate times, it hit underwater mines, but did not sink. In 1960, it retired and is now a museum. People like it because it is a symbol of Japan’s competition with Europe and the United States.
Yokohama is the second biggest city in Japan, right after Tokyo. It sports a big skyscraper skyline that also includes a very big Ferris wheel. There was also a marathon that was supposed to be similar to the New York marathon, but it was not very popular with crowds as the NYM is.
Physical exercise, such as running or hiking does not seem to be very popular here. You rarely see people out for a jog, and when you do, they are always wearing the same weird running outfit. Apparently, to look like runners, everyone wears a long sleeved Under Amour shirt with a normal shirt over it and long Under Amour pants with shorts over them. It’s very strange.
March 15/16, 2015
Since I have been here, I have had my train stopped because of two accidents. Both times it was only a short wait before we started moving again. I asked Professor Vesey how the trains could be considered safe if they kept crashing. He explained to me that the trains rarely crash. If people say there is an “accident” it usually means two things: either a person fell off the platform or someone jumped in front of the train. The casual way he told me this was quite jarring. Apparently, it is not uncommon for people to commit suicide by jumping in front of the trains.
I asked if they had help for the conductors who had to watch people take their own lives right in front of them. Instead of counseling, they have the conductors put on a new uniform; after that, everything is “okay” again. It’s as if with the new uniform comes a new mind. I found this very strange and depressing.
Today was a very slow day of travel. We met Eiko and Fumio’s grandson, Yusuke and their good friend, Kingy. We drove to Hakone, which is about a two hour drive from Fujisawa City. We visited a visitor center for a short amount of time and learned about the volcanoes around the area. While some volcanoes are not active, there are many there that are active – Mt. Fuji included.
Because of the volcanoes, there are many spas and natural hot springs in that area. Kingy is a member of the golf club there, so he was able to get us rooms at their hotel. This was very nice for me because it was the first time on this trip that I had internet. Being able to talk to my friends was a nice treat for me, though it was disappointing to find out that Netflix has not come to this part of the world.
March 16/17, 2015
Before leaving Hakone, we took a gondola tour of the base of the volcanoes. On the ride, there was a beautiful view of Mt. Fuji. When you reach the top, you were able to get out and walk to some of the places where steam was coming out of the ground. There are famous black hard-boiled eggs that we ate, that are supposed to give you blessings of a long, happy life. I also tried egg-flavored ice cream, which to my surprise, tasted quite good.
We drove back from Hakone and on the way we stopped for lunch where I had my first disappointing meal of the trip. So far, I’ve tried to be culinarily adventurous on this trip. I’ve not turned down trying any food that was offered, and for the most part, I have enjoyed everything. This restaurant though served tiny little whole fish and shrimp that were about an inch long. Even though I tried them, the texture and taste were quite subpar.
After lunch, we visited a museum of art in Atami Shizuoka. Most of the art ranged from about 1500 – 200 years old and featured Japanese cherry trees. It was great to see how the cherry blossoms have affected Japan for centuries.
March 17/18, 2015
Today was a very fun day. Eiko took me to a friend’s house who had a traditional tatami tea room. I was dressed in a traditional kimono and experienced a Japanese tea ceremony.
Tea ceremonies here are very sacred act. They are used to welcome guest and establish trust between people. In the early days, accepting the food and tea was a sign that you trusted the host not to poison you. Almost all girls used to learn how to perform a tea ceremony, but now most girls are never taught it. It takes about a year to learn, with lessons weekly.
In the lessons, you learn the proper way to pour, serve and even bring out the supplies. All the movements are very precise and flowy. Everything is set up so that one movement just slides into the next. A tea ceremony is supposed to be simplistic, so only things that are necessary to make tea are present. The pots and objects are always arranged in a simplistic and aesthetically pleasing way. There is a 1x1 foot square in the floor that opens up and inside is a small fireplace. A pot is set on the fire and that is where the water is boiled.
The ceremony itself was quiet beautiful, but interesting for me. During the ceremony, I was served the infamous red bean sweet that I absolutely hate. Normally, the red bean sweet had been served in a coating of mocchi, a sticky rice covering. This time, however, the outside was made up of something that tasted like a combination of flour mixed with a small amount of powdered sugar. Because it was a ceremony, I was not able to refuse the offering. To save myself from this horrible taste, I was trying to chug green tea after every bite, as to not taste it. At one point, I put down my tea cup and Eiko asked if I was finished. Even though I specifically said that I was still drinking it, Eiko removed my cup and I was forced to choke down the rest of the cake by itself. The tea ceremony was beautiful, but it was hard to focus on it while I repressing the urge to puke.
The whole ceremony was very traditional, including the dress of the hostess and me. Kimonos are very intricate and heavy. There are two different kimonos, depending on whether you are married or single. The kimonos for single women are much more “Show Boaty” and intricate. The sleeves are longer (to the floor) and the waistband is higher. They are also heavier because of more layers and the back tie is a grander design. The kimonos for married women are much lighter because the older women cannot carry the heavy clothing. The sleeves are only about a foot long, the waistband is around the stomach and the back tie is simple and light.
Wearing a kimono gives you the sensation of being swaddled by a log. They are very tight and heavy and are very difficult to move in. The socks are ankle high and white. They are buttoned by clasps and they have a slit between the big toe and the small toe. Shoes are not worn inside, but weaved flip flops are worn when walking outside.
Wearing kimonos used to be common, but now they are only worn on special occasions like graduations and weddings. Most girls have lost the ability to put on a kimono alone, so they require help from a professional kimono master. Luckily, my host grandmother Eiko is a professional kimono master. So, I was able to have this wonderful and rare experience.
March 18/19, 2015
Today, we traveled to Kyoto where I will be staying for two nights and three days. Fujisawa is about 2 ½ hours train ride from Kyoto, so the day was pretty slow. We did go to Nara on our way there. Nara is home to Todai ji or “The Great Buddha.” The Great Buddha is 16 meters tall and made of bronze. The statue was made in the 8th century – the Nara period.
Near the shrine is the home to hundreds of deer. People have made the animals a tourist attraction, so even though they are wild, you can hand feed them deer crackers that are purchasable in nearby booths. The deer, while extremely demanding and rude, are very cute and I enjoyed petting them.
Today was a very busy day for me. I visited many places in Kyoto. The first place, Nazenji, was beautiful. It is the headquarters of the Renzai Zen lineage and had very pretty gardens. We then visited Chion in (Buddhist Pure Land lineage) which was built in the 1100s. After that, we visited Tofuku ji which is another Renzai temple and has beautiful landscaping. I also visited the Golden Pavilion which is covered in gold leaf and is reported to have Buddha’s relics in it. It was converted into a temple in 1397 and is designated as a World Cultural Heritage Site. The To ji is another temple in the Shingon sect of Buddhism.
Finally, we visited Fusimi inari Shrine. At Fusimi inari, Michelle Obama was giving a speech, so it was very crowded. It’s also the most popular shrine in Kyoto for tourists.
March 20/21, 2015
Today was a very slow day because we were traveling back from Kyoto. Before we left, we were able to visit the biggest Buddhist school in Kyoto that is the head of the Shinto sect of Buddhism. Coming back, we took the bullet train, known in Japan as Shinkanzen. The Japanese people are very proud of this train – the train travels at 200 miles per hour and yet, in the past 50 years that it has been running, it has not had a single accident. It’s also incredibly timely; trains arrive on the second!
March 21/22, 2015
Since today is the spring equinox, shrines are very popular. During the fall and spring equinoxes it is believed that ancestors come back and visit Earth. Many people go to temples and graves to talk and pray to their ancestors. It’s a very powerful time for the Japanese people because they get to contact their past loved one.
March 22/23, 2015
Today, I visited Tokyo with Professor Vesey. Because I have visited some many shrines and temples, we visited the more modern parts of Japan that are popular to kids. We saw Shinjuku Harajiku, Shibuya and Takeshita Street. Shibuya was extremely crowded and stimulating – it is a large shopping area that stretches out for blocks. It has a very famous intersection that hundreds of people gather at. When the light changes, all the cars stop and all the pedestrians go at once. Every few minutes, hundreds of people are crossing the street and it becomes incredibly crowded.
We also went shopping at Takeshita Street, which while being poorly named, is incredibly fun. This street is full of new pop culture and fashion. There are tons of stores full of retro go-go boots, bedazzled crop tops and graffiti sweat shirts. There are also crepe stands literally on every block – all with the same food! The people here were younger (college or high school students) who had a more hipster, grungy look to them. There was a lot more bleached hair and cuffed jeans there. I have been looking at a lot of ancient parts of Japan, so it was very fun to see the younger, more modern side of Japan.
March 23/24, 2015
My internship is coming to an end, so my days are not very full lately. Today, I went shopping in Fujisawa City for small gifts. I had some amazing sushi from a small shop which mainly consisted of salmon, tuna, squid, sea urchin, eel, scallops, caviar and octopus.
I looked through delis and other small shops to find gifts for everyone at home. Although they have some strange foods here, it’s nothing like China. They have things like “squid kabobs” in the candy section or crackers made from whole octopus, but that is about as far as it goes. The strangest thing that I ate here was a whole quail (with head), cut in half and barbequed.
Today, I also experienced a small earthquake. It was very small; I barely even noticed it. These are apparently quite common. Ones that are a bit bigger than the one today, occur every month.
March 24/25, 2015
Today is my last full day in Japan. I will be leaving tomorrow at 6pm. Because the airport is so far away from Fujisawa, we travel to Narita Airport today to avoid any transportation issues. The train ride from Fujisawa to Narita is about 2 hours. We are staying at the ANA Hotel where they do an excellent job of making you feel like you are not in a foreign country. We had amazing sushi and tempura for dinner.
I am so sad to be leaving. I’ve really enjoyed this trip.
March 25/26, 2015
Today, is my last day in Japan and I am so sad. Over the past 3 weeks that I’ve spent here I have truly grown to love this country. It is so clean and safe here and the people are so nice, and not to mention, the food is to die for! I am so glad that I had this opportunity to come here and study the rich culture of Japan.
I’m getting very nostalgic over the great times I have had here and the wonderful people that I met. This was definitely an experience that I will cherish forever. I wish I had a longer trip, because there is still so much that I haven’t seen. I will definitely consider living here when I grow up.
I am so grateful for all the opportunities I had here and for the people who helped me go on this adventure. I learned so much and I gained a new respect for Japan. I cannot explain how glad that I am for this experience. It prepared me for my future and gave me knowledge about my world. I cannot wait to come back here and continue exploring – it is truly a wonderful country!
Project Proposal
For my internship I am interested in studying Japanese aesthetics and culture, in Japan. My internship will be spread across Japan in areas such as Fugisawa City, Kyoto, Tokyo and others. I am particularly interested in photography, art, music, and advertisement. Because I am not working with a company, I am going to have a host family that will teach me about Japanese culture. My mentor will be Eiko Tamamorro. Eiko is a 77 year old woman who is a Japanese tea master, and a retired teacher. I will be staying with her and her husband Fumio Tamamorro. My goals for this project would be to educate myself about other cultures, and gain new experiences. My project will be documenting my learning through photography, and teaching others about my learning. I hope to gain education about my world with this visit. To make this internship easier, I will have to learn some basic conversational Japanese. Setting up my travel to Japan will be difficult. Traveling alone, especially to another country is always a stressful task. Fear of traveling to another country might be an issue, but if it arises, I will have to remind myself that this trip is a blessing, and the fear should never stop me from doing anything. I am extremely excited for my internship. I can still not believe that I have received this chance to travel the world. I cannot wait for my trip and I could not feel better about it.