A Summer of Chance: A Summer in Kyoto → Florist to Tourist (Kinda)

                While I am no stranger to the Japanese language, the city of Kyoto and the Kyoto Institute of Culture and Language (KICL) was my first time in Japan! I studied Japanese for three years in university, earning a minor. I was so motivated to use that combined with my major to be able to live and work in Japan for a few years. But, after graduating, I lost sight of everything completely. With a lot going on at home, the burnout after graduation, the dreaded job market, and generally not having any idea where to start, left me stuck for several months. I got a job in the meantime, because I might as well earn some cash while sitting on my…yeah, and I got absorbed in that job. Back at square one, but at least now with a paycheck. While this job–a florist–is not at all related to anything that I had originally planned, it did somehow lead me to Japan and subsequently KICL! The first chance appears~

                 Florist is a bit nicer than the truth–I work in a floral department of a grocery store. Next door, in the produce department, I met two important people to this story. The first was a man around my age who had very similar goals and interests as myself, except he actually goes and does things while I tend to sit around and think myself out of them instead. It was through him that I discovered KICL. He had actually applied for the year-long program and was set to move out in March (7 months after I met him). I had no idea programs like this existed and that they were so accessible. But, I wasn’t sure I could do a year-long program (there were still many things to sort out at home and visas take a while and really this was not something I was prepared to think about, but it caught my interest). I found the summer program, but was still unsure. Juggling plane tickets and time off work seemed quite daunting for a short time compared to a lot of money spent. That’s where the second person comes into play!

                 Also in that same department was a Japanese-American partner that I met. She was super kind and it was great to be able to practice my Japanese with both of them as I had missed being able to speak it almost every day in college–casually, I am still not that advanced! Through her, I met her husband, who happened to be very affiliated in Japanese-American cultural exchange, economic, and business programs. The first time I met him, he gave me a homemade bento box and asked me (and my other coworker) if I was free for a week or two in August to go to Japan to be a camp counselor. Well, now two events lined up, so how could I not go for it? What another great chance~

                 So, I applied. After stagnating for a year and a half after graduation, I was going to take a leave from work, ship myself off to Japan to relearn Japanese, and participate in two summer camps after the summer course. Quite the jump after staying still for so long, but one of the best decisions I ever made. 

A 14 hour plane ride from Houston, TX to Narita, train from the airport to Tokyo Station, shinkansen to Kyoto Station, subway (not pictured), and eventual walking because I was not going to bring my luggage on a city bus and it was too much public transportation for my scared-just-landed brain.

           Now, even though I studied Japanese for a few years, and subsequently some of the culture as well, I was actually quite nervous about coming for three main reasons.

            The most obvious is a fear of being disrespectful. Learning different politeness levels, importance of gift-giving, and the many cultures and customs (in restaurants, stores, shrines, temples, etc.) that are very different from my Texan laid-back attitude was quite intimidating. Even with research, knowing where I might slip up gets me anxious and I blank. I even admitted in class, when talking about the “sightseeing in Kyoto” activity, that I had not yet visited any temples or shrines because I was afraid to do something wrong.

I eventually did make it to a couple temples and castles (admittedly not by myself): Nijojo, Seimei Jinja, and Fushimi Inari among others~

            The second reason is the crowded image of Japan. In my mind, Kyoto is also a big bustling city and I know that summer is peak tourism due to the many festivals. So, I was nervous about crowds. I am severely not a city person, so I was worried. But very pleasantly surprised that it was nothing like I imagined (though transportation will always be a frightful image in my mind, even after experiencing it).

Every walk around Kyoto, whether to class, activities, or exploring, was so peaceful and beautiful. But crazy hot!

 

           Thirdly, is public transportation. I’m not quite a stranger to a public bus or even city tram, but I had never experienced anything as crowded because no one uses them in “carlandia” (Texas). While I had used a bus a number of times I could count on both hands and even had to use a public tram to get to and from work at one point (it still made me nervous then), I was completely unprepared for trains and subways. I definitely had a bit of a struggle and a panic attack here or there while trying to desperately navigate the subway with no sense of direction and signal that only worked when it wanted to. (Seriously, I don’t think I could ever have confidence in the subway…I shudder to remember some experiences) Though, honestly, buses are fantastic. I love them. Anything that uses a rail, terrifies me to this day.

The only semi-peaceful experience with “public transportation,”

and getting back was another story entirely TT

            Even with all these fears, I decided to erase all expectations and show up to class. No plan, no direction, and just hope I can catch a current to ride on. And I did!

I actually showed up on the wrong day! Deeply embarrassing, but at least I knew where to go and how to get there the following day.

            So, the first day of class begins. Foreign country and a ton of strangers I have never met before. As someone very introverted and honestly a bit adverse at going out (I hate spending money), I was worried I was going to end up alone and attending class only. I　studied abroad in college, and while I got along with everyone fine, I was always the odd one out. It was also a very different culture, one I was not too fond of. There were groups within the groups and I was in none of them. Even in college, I had friends and different friend groups, but was never invited to any of the group activities. I was really worried it would be the case again here.

            It was not! The friends I made during this course are some I will treasure for a long time! Even if we might not meet again (though I hope we will, and I have a feeling we will), they made the experience a million times more enjoyable!

             I think the most important thing to keep in mind is that even though some students may have a different or higher level of Japanese, maybe they are a seasoned Japan traveler, maybe they even have been in this program before, everyone is just as worried and excited about making friends, even if for a short period. Making the first move is always so scary, but even if you don’t, someone will. Pay attention to that. Even if you are worried or shy, follow along! Perhaps you have an okay time, that’s fine. But it’s better to experience and say “not for me” than to question what if endlessly and regret not going. All deep talk for me to say, “Go out to eat with your new classmates!” Everyone I met was deeply kind and always so accommodating! Because we all just want to enjoy our time together.

               Not only do you have many wonderful opportunities to partake in school-led activities to explore Japanese culture, but since the classes end most of the time around noon, you have so much free time to explore after! Though, it depends a bit on the class maybe! I was in class 5, so there was no homework! WOOHOO! But, we did have kanji quizzes almost every day, so there was still a lot of studying to be done. As well as preparation for the final presentation! But, if you manage your time reasonably well (I am an ultimate procrastinator and I survived), you will always have plenty of time to explore. Being able to grab a bite with classmates after class and find some place to explore together is such a convenient opportunity!

I was fortunate to win the lottery and participate in the Taiko activity, tatami making, Yuzen-style tote bag (not pictured), and social gathering! It was very fun to partake in the cultural activities and meet other classes and some university students! The crafty activities make lovely omiyage (souvenirs). I encourage you to participate in as much as you can!

                 I am grateful for the experiences I had at KICL with the lovely cohort of classmates and the many kind and helpful teachers. Being able to learn Japanese in Japan and having many opportunities to explore different cultural activities is such a privileged experience I am fortunate to have been able to indulge in. Even though it was short, every moment felt meaningful. While the content was perhaps not quite the challenge I was looking for, it was still the right amount to push me to do well and I certainly was not perfect. I was quite rusty, it had been about two years since I last learned. Whether or not I will participate in the final level of the summer course, I do not know yet ($$unu). But I am hopeful that my experience does not end there and I can continue learning Japanese and making these memorable experiences. Who knows, maybe I will end up fulfilling my dream to live and work in Japan for a few years. Regardless, I think this was undoubtedly one of my favorite experiences and hopefully the trigger for me to get off my…yeah and start doing the things I actually want to do!

My lovely friends and classmates! I often went on excursions with a group of three other friends after class and on weekends sometimes. We nicknamed ourselves “the friends in search of ramen” because after the first day, we lingered around and asked about getting lunch together. We didn’t get ramen that day, but that was the beginning of our friendship group! I am so grateful.

            I hope you enjoy it too! Spend a summer, or more, in Kyoto! It’s a wonderful experience and chances like that don’t always come often. Seize it while you can.