JENESYS '19: AN ENRICHED CULTURAL IMMERSION IN JAPAN
Konnichiwa...
Perhaps, there's always something new to learn out there! Becoming a cultural exchange participant challenged many of my student and personal paradigms. It allowed me to get out of my comfort zone, something I will always be grateful for. It made me see things from various perspectives and understand that being different is not necessarily better or worse, and that differences are worthy of respect and value.
Perhaps, there's always something new to learn out there! Becoming a cultural exchange participant challenged many of my student and personal paradigms. It allowed me to get out of my comfort zone, something I will always be grateful for. It made me see things from various perspectives and understand that being different is not necessarily better or worse, and that differences are worthy of respect and value.
Diversity is one of those things that makes the world go round. By being exposed to other cultures and sharing ours with others. Diversity builds global bridges! It contributes to making society significantly more aware, understanding and appreciative. As my admired supervisor Dr Apisalome Movono always says: “Nothing is significant if you don´t know it first.” This knowledge of others usually translates into appreciation and tolerance, a deeply felt need today.
“Nothing is significant if you don´t know it first” ~
Dr Apisalome Movono
In the following few lines below, I will try to carve into words about my experience in 'The Land of the Rising Sun: Japan', incorporating 'em with some colors; people I met from the beautiful Polynesian Islands of Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Palau, RMI and Micronesia; places we went; what we saw; things we did and the key people I met in Japan.
Shots! Meet our JENESYS 2019 Family....!!!
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Group 4
Theme: Trade, Investment and Tourism
Delegation: Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Palau, RMI (Marshal Islands) and FSM (Micronesia)
Places we went:
1. Ibaraki Prefecture: Tsukuba, Kashima, Mito, Sumida, Hitachi-Omiya, Ushiku, and Oarai
2. Tokyo: Chiba, Akihabara
Spending 8 days in Japan with these amazing Island folks, JENESYS 2019 was without a doubt a two-way enrichment opportunity. Not only did I teach my language and culture, I also learned a lot from them, especially in regard to teamwork and kindness. I built strong and lasting connections and found that to be one of my biggest accomplishments.
Things in Japan went as expected...
1. People are very polite. Everybody speaks softly, there is no angry yelling on the streets. Waiting for the subway, walking up the escalator, crossing the street: everything is very orderly; you never see people cut the line or cut you off on the road. It’s as though everyone is hyper-aware of their surroundings and try not to do anything that might inconvenience others.
2. The Japanese punctuality extends to daily life. When my group coordinator say we’d go out for dinner at 7pm, they really meant 7pm! In Fiji, 7pm usually meant you’d actually leave the house at 7:10pm or 7:15pm. Not in Japan. By 7:02pm, they were already waiting.
3. Vending machines are everywhere, on every other street corner. They all sell the same variety of tea and coffee drinks though, I haven’t seen anything weird.
Things that surprised me about Japan
1. People work a lot. The evening rush hour starts at about 5pm and lasts well into the night: even at 11pm, the trains are always packed from salarymen who just got off from work.
I don’t know how anyone can still be productive after working so much. Right now, I can’t really comment because I haven’t been inside of a Japanese corporation. It’s enough of a problem in Japan’s society that they have a word “karoshi”, meaning death from working too much.
I don’t know how anyone can still be productive after working so much. Right now, I can’t really comment because I haven’t been inside of a Japanese corporation. It’s enough of a problem in Japan’s society that they have a word “karoshi”, meaning death from working too much.
2. Streets are much quieter and less crowded than expected.
3. Tokyo is huge. Even with a system of super efficient trains going 100km/h, it still takes over two hours to get to attractions on the other side of the city. Two hours of commute time each way is common for the Japanese, if you work downtown and live in one of the outlying suburbs.
4. Tokyo's Night Life. Tokyo in fact, is home to one of the most diverse and fascinating nightlife scenes on the planet! They gave me a similar impression of the night life in New York. In such a massive metropolis, and with so many amazing options, trying to decide what to do can be overwhelming
4. Japanese food is a lot more than sushi. In Fiji, Japanese restaurants mostly focus on sushi and teriyaki, but sushi is not that common in Japan. Only maybe one in ten restaurants here serve sushi. The others serve all kinds of Japanese food I never knew existed!!!
5. Temples and shrines are everywhere. You will run into a shrine every few blocks in the city, and Oarai is full of them. Architecturally they’re quite similar, but temples (tera) are for Buddhism and shrines (jinja) are for the Shinto religion.
Wait! We did things...
Homestay with the Kikuchi family…
My home-stay family consisted of two elderly couple, namely Mr Hideyaki and Mrs Chihoko and their only son Mr Hideki Kikuchi. Mr Kikuchi was a chemistry and biology teacher at Hitachi-Omiya High School while Mrs Kikuchi is a Tea Making Mistress. She normally does Japanese style tea making ceremony. The best part is, my home-stay buddy and I got a chance to observe and perform the tea ceremony for ourselves too! Mr Hideki Kikuchi was a graduate from the Australian National University. They were really welcoming, lively and a lovely family. 
Apart from that, we also had our steaming bath in a tub full of Mikan (a type of orange somewhere between lemon and orange!) with lime aroma. Home-stay was a really great way to throw myself into the Japanese environment. I got to do a lot of cool things, met some awesome people, and made friends for life. I know that I’ll never forget the family or the experience. I was really overwhelmed! It was just amazing!Hands on with a Katana and Kimono...
Samurai, the infamous warriors of Japan, are well known to have been masters of the mighty Katana sword. During the feudal era, powerful families and the shogun (military warlords) ruled Japan, flexing their might by employing both the Samurai and their legendary weapon to achieve and maintain their dominion. Less than an hour from Narita, hidden amongst the urban jungle. But hey, I had an in depth experience with this famous blade for myself!
I had a chance to participate in the one-day Furisode kimono experience with a kimono studio in Shinmachi, a quaint Tokyo neighborhood with a traditional feel, and many temples and shrines that remind visitors of old Tokyo. The Japanese kimono is perhaps the most exquisite national traditional dress on earth and a real treat to try on.
All about Zen Gardens...
In Zen Buddhism, art practices, like Zen gardens, play a central role in their method of meditation and understanding. The Zen gardens we currently see today began to make an appearance in Japan around the 11th century outside of Buddhist temples. The purpose of the gardens were to provide the monks with a “place to walk and contemplate Buddha’s teachings.” The design of the garden was supposed to promote a feeling of peace and harmony in a space. It has been said that a special group of monks, called “Ishi-tate so" (stone-setting priest) would travel around Japan to set up these gardens, drawing inspiration from “Sung paintings that featured gray, white, and black ink.” By the time the 13th century rolled around, Zen gardens were heavily integrated in Japanese life and culture.
What inspired me?
Okay so, allow me to schedule my inspiration list right here! Two of my favourite places that inspired me the most. Lilly Singh said it and I would like her to say it again...in her beautiful words:
Okay so, allow me to schedule my inspiration list right here! Two of my favourite places that inspired me the most. Lilly Singh said it and I would like her to say it again...in her beautiful words:
"Inspiration is the fuel for your hustle. It runs through our inner engine and gives us the drive from our starting point to the accomplishment of our goals" ~ Lilly Singh
Why did they inspire me?
Good question! Well, first of all, as a student majoring in Accounting, Nippon Steel Corp serves me as a reminder on how the corporate world normally works. Initially, as I entered the humongous and giant jungle of steel, I kept thinking 'who owns such a place?' 'how did they start?'...my mind became a cloud of a million questions. Secondly, as an aspiring business tycoon (Wow! I love to call myself this), Nippon inspired me, ideas kept flowing...shares, shareholders, investments, risks, slumps, shutdowns and whatnot... But whatever it is, there's always a beginning, the humble beginning. If you also dream big like me, here's one piece of advice I have for you...'when you dream, dream big, but when you start accomplishing your goals, make sure to take small steps' and rightly so, big success comes with taking small steps and big risk.
Arigato-Gozaimashita!....