It’s over. I’ve spent the last four weeks traveling and studying in Japan. I just flew back into Seattle yesterday. Now, I’m sitting on a couch in my living room. It’s over.
But, in so many ways, it’s not over. The people I’ve met, the relationships I’ve made, the experiences I’ve had, the memories that have been forever ingrained inside me have all had a deep impact on my life. An impact that will continue to shape me as a person. We’re no longer rushing through the train stations of Tokyo, desperately looking for Miki’s smiling face. We’re no longer complaining about the wooden blocks disguised as pillows at our dorms. We’re no longer making late-night runs to 7-11 to buy onigiri and frozen peach balls. But Week 4 has shown me that our time in Japan together will not be confined to these last four weeks of our lives.
The week began with our last class of the program. We studied and discussed the Chicano subculture within Japan. We talked about the fine line between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation, and on which side this subculture may land, while contrasting the phenomena to similar instances in the US. The rest of the day was then free for research and preparation of our final presentations. After getting some work done, a few of us decided to huddle up in a room and play card games.
On Tuesday, we traveled to the teamLab Borderless Digital Art Museum. This museum used technology to create an immersive art experience for its viewers. It came in stark contrast to all the other museums I have seen on this trip. While other museums had more traditional art that evoked emotion and was loaded with meaning, the teamLab exhibits were demonstrations of the power of technology that left me in awe. An interesting difference between the two styles was the role and actions of the audience. In other museums, people often wouldn’t take pictures, and if they did it would be of the art itself. However, at the Digital Art Museum, everybody was constantly taking photos of themselves or their friends with the art. I’m not sure if this was the intent of teamLab, but even so, I still see its merit as a form of art. It’s an external expression from its creators that makes people feel and act. That, to me, is art at its finest.
For dinner on that day, I went to an okonomiyaki restaurant with a few others. It was, in a way, a nice bookend to our first night as a group when we also had okonomiyaki. We then returned to the dorms and sat around the fish table in the lobby to continue working on our research. At least, that was the plan. I realized about an hour and a half in that I hadn’t even opened my laptop, as we had spent most of the time eating edamame crackers and Kit-Kats while discussing just about everything but our research.
Wednesday was then a day completely dedicated to presentation prep. It started with individual meetings with Julie and Kristi to help with our presentations. I then took the afternoon to do some last minute shopping in Shinjuku. I returned to the dorms where I met with my research group, and we crammed ourselves into one of our rooms to work on our presentation. The rest of the night and the early morning were spent crafting slides.
Thursday was presentation day. This was an extremely stressful day, but very rewarding in the end. I was extremely impressed by everyone’s work during the trip. People had done interviews with prominent people in their project’s field, sat down and talked with college students, conducted meticulous ethnographic research, and attended events that were connected to their topic. And all of this was done while in a completely foreign country. I had heard everybody’s topic before, but I was again amazed by the sheer diversity of all our research: from gender discrimination in the workplace, to food safety following the 3/11 disaster, to the evolution of packaging, to genderless fashion, and everything in between. I think it has to be said: we’re kind of awesome for that.
Following presentations, we went out for one last group dinner. Cards were given, tears were shed, gifts were exchanged, warm hugs were plentiful, appreciation for each other was spoken through shaky voices, and goodbyes were said. It would also be the last time on the trip that we saw Julie and Kristi, and the second to last time we saw Miki. I think I speak for all of us when I say that our three directors were absolutely amazing. The amount of effort that must have gone on behind the scenes to make this jam-packed trip go as smoothly as it did is unfathomable. Not to mention just how helpful and supportive they were to each and every one of us in times of need. We really can’t thank them enough for organizing this unforgettable and life-changing experience for us.
Like I said to start this reflection, this week has shown me that although it’s over, it’s not over. This trip has convinced me that this will not be the last time I go to Japan. Being able to experience this new culture has also made me more open-minded and will influence how I choose to live my life in the US. Additionally, the intensive studying of Japanese politics and national identity has made me a better global citizen. But perhaps what will stick with me the most about the program are the people that I've met and gotten to know. Everybody was so kindhearted, funny, genuine, intelligent, and empathetic. I honestly could not have asked for a better group to go on this adventure with. At the beginning of this final week, feelings of sadness in anticipation for the end were creeping in. However, little moments throughout the week like playing cards at night, talking at a fish table when we really should have been working, populating presentation slides with purple and yellow boxes at 2:00 in the morning, and belting karaoke during our last night together showed me that it’s not the end. These relationships and memories we’ve made will last far beyond July 19th. I can’t wait to see you all again.
Week 4 Gallery
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