"What do you like Japanese culture?"
I have to say, the JET Program sets high expectations for newbies coming in. Our predecessors are often very enthusiastic about the job, the culture and the location, so they tend to get very involved in the community. This is great, of course, for everyone involved; it's a true cultural exchange. However, it puts a lot of pressure on the successor to have that level of engagement with the local culture.
I am often asked the question by Japanese people, "What do you like Japanese culture?" Never mind the grammatical incorrectness, the point is clear. I usually say Japanese food and Japanese calligraphy, which garners impressed or knowing "ohh"s from the asker. I honestly don't know how else to answer! I'm not really into anime, and I'm not good at sports; I'm not good at seiza (sitting on your knees) either, so I can't do tea ceremony. But I am genuinely interested in learning how to cook (though not exclusively Japanese food), and calligraphy has been an interest of mine since I first tried it in Nagoya around 2014.
It occurred to me though, that Japanese people must be very proud of their culture, to ask this question of foreigners. In America, you would never hear someone ask, "What American culture are you interested in?" If you did, the respondent would probably say something about the culture's freedom or its eclectic mix of other cultures. Or maybe American football and burgers. But we just don't have the lineup of traditions that Japan does. The ones I can think of off the top of my head are:
But I do think that part of my engagement with the community has and will come in the form of meeting local people and being welcomed into their homes. That's the way I have previously gained a lot of cultural insight, on my travels to Southeast Asia in particular, and I think it's my preferred method of cultural integration!
Already, my calligraphy teacher has invited me to stay with her family several times, and I even got to participate in the three-day Gion festival in Nakatsu's neighboring town of Buzen with the family. My teacher's daughter now goes to one of my high schools, and it's nice having a good friendship with her.
I also partook in a five-day homestay in Amagi, Fukuoka prefecture, over Golden Week. I stayed with a young family of five in their beautiful home (seriously, marble flooring in the living/kitchen area!! Not linoleum or wood!), got to play with the three little daughters, and had a lot of conversations to practice my Japanese. The family was so kind and prepared so much for my stay - a barbecue, a day trip to Dazaifu and a Children's Day party with the kids, to name a few. I learned a lot of childhood vocabulary, and also came to realize just how slowly I read in Japanese, when the littlest child asked me to read to her!
I have been wondering how I can maintain the relationship with my Amagi host family, since they live relatively far away and I won't have much opportunity to see them anymore. But there are still so many chances to meet and get to know more Japanese families, and to have exchanges with them. I hope the example I set for my successor, whenever he or she ends up replacing me, is not intimidating, but rather one of attainable familiarity with the people around the community!
Here are some pictures of the Amagi family's girls with their cousin, against the backdrop of the truly inaka (countryside) town in Fukuoka prefecture.
I am often asked the question by Japanese people, "What do you like Japanese culture?" Never mind the grammatical incorrectness, the point is clear. I usually say Japanese food and Japanese calligraphy, which garners impressed or knowing "ohh"s from the asker. I honestly don't know how else to answer! I'm not really into anime, and I'm not good at sports; I'm not good at seiza (sitting on your knees) either, so I can't do tea ceremony. But I am genuinely interested in learning how to cook (though not exclusively Japanese food), and calligraphy has been an interest of mine since I first tried it in Nagoya around 2014.
It occurred to me though, that Japanese people must be very proud of their culture, to ask this question of foreigners. In America, you would never hear someone ask, "What American culture are you interested in?" If you did, the respondent would probably say something about the culture's freedom or its eclectic mix of other cultures. Or maybe American football and burgers. But we just don't have the lineup of traditions that Japan does. The ones I can think of off the top of my head are:
- Sports: sumo, judo, karate, kyudo (archery), kendo (fencing) etc.
- Tea ceremony
- Calligraphy
- Japanese dance
- Origami
- Anime and manga
- Karuta (poem card game)
But I do think that part of my engagement with the community has and will come in the form of meeting local people and being welcomed into their homes. That's the way I have previously gained a lot of cultural insight, on my travels to Southeast Asia in particular, and I think it's my preferred method of cultural integration!
Already, my calligraphy teacher has invited me to stay with her family several times, and I even got to participate in the three-day Gion festival in Nakatsu's neighboring town of Buzen with the family. My teacher's daughter now goes to one of my high schools, and it's nice having a good friendship with her.
I also partook in a five-day homestay in Amagi, Fukuoka prefecture, over Golden Week. I stayed with a young family of five in their beautiful home (seriously, marble flooring in the living/kitchen area!! Not linoleum or wood!), got to play with the three little daughters, and had a lot of conversations to practice my Japanese. The family was so kind and prepared so much for my stay - a barbecue, a day trip to Dazaifu and a Children's Day party with the kids, to name a few. I learned a lot of childhood vocabulary, and also came to realize just how slowly I read in Japanese, when the littlest child asked me to read to her!
I have been wondering how I can maintain the relationship with my Amagi host family, since they live relatively far away and I won't have much opportunity to see them anymore. But there are still so many chances to meet and get to know more Japanese families, and to have exchanges with them. I hope the example I set for my successor, whenever he or she ends up replacing me, is not intimidating, but rather one of attainable familiarity with the people around the community!
Here are some pictures of the Amagi family's girls with their cousin, against the backdrop of the truly inaka (countryside) town in Fukuoka prefecture.
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