Semester at Sea Blog

Konichiwa! Karaoke will never be the same. I had never done karaoke in public before, and the last time I ever did it was about thirteen years ago. But, Japan had a lot more than singing and good fun to share with me.
My favorite experience in Japan was my homestay. I stayed with a family that had two daughters. They got along really well; a lot better than I remember getting along with my sister at that age. Momoka was 10 years old and Misuzu was 6. They were very adorable and excited to host me. Noriko, the mother, was very welcoming. Although she spoke little English, was a pleasure to get to know and made my time with her family an unforgettable experience. Her husband, Jyunya, speaking even less English, was very humorous and also enjoys karaoke. He was fun. While I was with them, we made a delicious strawberry desert, shared pictures, and stories about our cultures. There was also a big welcome party for me and two other homestay guests from the ship who were staying at homes nearby. I had a great time at the party trying new foods, drinks, and getting to know more about their intricate culture. There were so many people at the party; it was really a great time. Part of the Japanese culture that I experienced it was “bath time.” Although my experience was not as traumatic as some others that I heard about, their bath routine is quite different from ours. It was relaxing though, outside of worrying if I was doing something wrong or offensive. The next day, my host family took me around some sites in Kyoto. Doing that, I was able to enjoy tea in a traditional garden. The gardens in Japan are so beautiful… you just have to see them to know. I found them very peaceful as well. I also was able to see the infamous Cherry Blossoms. They were so pretty that I couldn’t stop taking pictures of them. They smelled good too! For lunch, my host family took me to a sushi restaurant… the kind with the conveyor belt. Knowing I was not a fan of seafood, including sushi, they encouraged me to try a few things as they secretly ordered my noodles. It wasn’t bad, but sushi isn’t something you can say “it tastes like chicken” about. During desert, Misuzu lost a tooth! She was very excited, as was I. I don’t think that the tooth fairy is part of Japanese culture, thought. I had a difficult time trying to ask about that one with the language barrier. I had a wonderful time meeting my host family. It was a pleasure of mine to share a little of my culture with them, while learning about theirs. I was also proud to be their first homestay child. Their family and friends were very welcoming and made me feel like a privileged guest in their home. I would be more than happy to visit them again.
The rest of my time in Japan was spent in Kobe where I was intrigued with the idea of giving yet again. I realized that it was the culture of the Japanese, and perhaps Asia in general, to give of themselves no matter what the cost to them. I was deeply impressed by the giving of a particular taxi driver. After I left Japan, I thought about him and this reoccurring value. Here is what I concluded: It is an aspect of American culture to be individualistic and for us to think about ourselves. Japan, or Asia perhaps, puts the idea of the group first. In America, we raise children to think they can dream anything, do anything, and be anything they want. We encourage each one another to put our own happiness above others and seek out success for ourselves. Japan doesn’t work like that and because they don’t, they have produced some of the most hospitable, giving, and genuine people I have ever met. I am truly an American girl. I feel now, that I have spent enough time being concerned for my own well-being. I have worked, earned, and provided things for myself because I felt like I had to. I did things that I wanted to because I wanted to do them and didn’t give a second thought as to how those things made my family feel. I do not feel wrong for doing those things. At the time and presently, I have justified it with my own happiness. However, I can see now that it is because I am American and I don’t quite know how to feel about that. When I compare this part of me to this aspect Japanese culture, I see myself as a little selfish. I have tried to justify it as a reflection of the culture that raised me, but I will no longer think about myself within in the limits of American ways. As I try to be more giving and a little less focused on my own needs, I am learning. I have traveled the world. I am a daughter of this world.