Author: Chenyeng Vang | Major: English | Semester: Summer 224

Me and Yibing at the statue of Momotaro

I studied abroad in Japan for two weeks, starting directly after the end of the spring semester, and we travelled through various parts of the country. I chose to study abroad in Japan because of how much I have already been involved with it, both academically and personally. Academically, I have been learning the language for around four years now, I joined the Japanese Student Association on campus, and I recently completed my minor in Japanese. Personally, I have enjoyed Japanese media since I was a child—from popular Japanese cartoons like Pokémon to lesser-known comics like Yona of the Dawn, my life is intertwined deeply with Japan.

During the program, we learned about both American influences on Japan and Japanese influences on America, tracing the history of Japan through multiple lenses. It makes sense, then, that I am not the only one enthralled with Japan, and that essentially every other person who decided to partake in this program also had prior connections to Japan. Though I subconsciously learned about Japanese culture through my consumption of Japanese media, experiencing Japan firsthand was a different story.

My research focused mainly on Japanese convenience stores, which originated in America but took on a different life in Japan, now known as konbinis. Though the concepts were of the same origin, Japanese konbinis flourished differently due to the environment of the different countries, with the prevalence of public transportation in Japan compared to cars in America, as well as considering the difference in general lifestyles. However, I also learned how the Japanese marketed their toys, media, and food to Americans so they could recover their economy and their image after World War II, which was the most interesting part of the program to me, as I briefly mentioned earlier.

One moment that stood out to me was walking through the Okunoin cemetery, full of tombstones and stone lanterns overgrown with moss and grass and surrounded by old, tall trees, to finally arrive at the mausoleum of Kuukai. There, I witnessed a man praying alongside a framed photo of a woman. This moment struck me so deeply because I felt I was finally able to understand the cultural importance of upkeeping nature and respecting the dead in Japan. Though the tombstones were overgrown with nature, they were well-kept and clean. People did not mind the long walk to the mausoleum, nor the long walk to the shrines—it was a part of their religious and cultural experience, like a pilgrimage.

I also used public transportation for the first time, and though it was a different and difficult experience at first, I came to appreciate it and heavily rely on it. While it is strange to me that Japanese children take the trains and subways by themselves to school on the daily, it must be strange to the Japanese that a lot of American teenagers have their own cars and drive themselves, as well. I was quite stressed at times while navigating, but I enjoyed the convenience, the low cost, and the accessibility of the public transportation in Japan. Riding the bullet train for the first time made me motion sick, but it was fascinating to see how toilets worked on such trains and how fast we were moving.

This program to Japan was actually my first experience abroad, ever. I flew on a plane for the first time, I booked a hotel by myself, I rode a train by myself, and I traveled. Though the program was faculty-led, making it easier to adjust to the culture and getting around, I would advise other students travelling to Japan to refrain from making a strict itinerary. As long as you have a place to stay and money to spend, just randomly exploring will probably result in your best experience, and it is good to have flexibility in a foreign place where a lot of things could go wrong. It is important to give yourself time and patience to make mistakes, and it is important to be respectful, just like you would anywhere else.