8/13/2019

Kids and Kaleidoscopes

Two weeks ago, an intern, Mark, gave me a kaleidoscope, and I’ve kept it with me since. Nearly every other day for school it’s been in my suitcase, but I decided to put it in my backpack to show my students today. Our usual morning meeting was moved, so I ended up taking a later bus to school. Lawrence, another fellow intern, and I caught the bus the moment we arrived at the stop. 

Lawrence sat in the front and I stood near the back. I pulled out my phone to check a text and hear  “American?” in the tiniest, Japanese voice ever. I see a little boy (around 7 years old) sitting next to two friends of his same age. He is grinning widely at me while his two friends are punching him and laughing. I point to myself and say, “Yes! Los Angeles.” They laugh and nod in earnest because they recognize city name. They continue to talk to me in the little English they do know (which is “hi” and “your name?”). I then felt a tap on my shoulder and turn to see a row of little girls sitting behind me (same age) and realize that the bus is filled with school kids. Their teachers are standing in the aisles in front of my seat, and I have a conversation in broken English with them, explaining that I am a Toshin teacher working with Japanese HS students to learn English. The boys continue to talk to me, and I play a few games with them (slap and high five- to their GREAT amusement).

 I then remember that I have the kaleidoscope! Taking it out of my bag, I show the boys how to use it. They immediately start jumping with joy and lose their minds. The confident boy who tapped me initially and asked “American?” is having a BALL. He tries to (very respectfully) to give it back to me after he’s done playing, and I tell him that I want him to have it. His face looks incredibly shocked and he profusely thanks me :) I tell him the one condition is that he must share, so he shows his friends and makes sure that I’m watching him share for the rest of the bus ride. Their school stop comes and the teachers thank me for the conversation, kaleidoscope, and kindness. They also apologized for the kids bothering me, and I assure them that I loved being around them. All the kids get off the bus while giving me high fives, and I wave from the window as the bus drives away. 

This 15 minute interaction left me smiling. It was so fleeting. At first, I had an inclination to take out Snapchat and take pics of these ADORABLE kids and their interest in me being American, but looking back I love that I simply got to enjoy the moment. It all seems like a fluke but thank god I happened to get on THAT bus and have the kaleidoscope on me. This high kept me going for the rest of the day, and I cannot help but smile when I think back on this simple yet magical moment with Japanese school children and a kaleidoscope. 

By Marisa Sashti, 2019 Intern

UCLA

I’m not a sports person. I’ve never been to a baseball game in America, and I’ve never even played a sport in school. But man, do I love baseball in Japan.

Whenever I work for the Global English Camp program, I attend at least one baseball game. In my opinion, baseball in Japan is nothing like baseball in America.

Keep in mind that this is my own perception. Everyone’s experience may be different. But after enjoying many, many, baseball games in Japan without having any interest in sports—to be honest, I hardly even know the rules of baseball—you may want to consider buying a ticket.

Why?

Players have theme songs.

Not only that, but everyone in the bleachers usually knows every word to these songs. There are even accompanying gestures and claps that you’re expected to remember. Live brass instrumentation play from everywhere at once. It’s like you’re living in a flash mob.

There’s props.

Sometimes. At least, for the Swallows —the best team ever—people lift special miniature umbrellas whenever a home run is scored. Of course, a special song plays here, too. Fans sing the words as they raise the umbrellas to the beat. If you don’t own an umbrella, those sitting by you often let you borrow one. They may even shove it in your hands! You have to celebrate! Which brings me into my last point.

The communal atmosphere.

Regardless of language barriers, chances are you’ll still end up high-fiving the people sitting by you. You’ll cheer, you’ll laugh, and you’ll cry.

Now, I’ve never been to a baseball game in America, but I’ve heard rumors. There are aggressive people, dirty bleaches, and lots of drinks. Yes, people still drink and get excited in Japan—but whereas that atmosphere is sometimes described as rowdy and gross in America, it’s more fun in Japan, and, in my opinion, more like a big hangout session with others rooting for the same team. 

Any negatives?

I’ve only attended baseball games with my friends, so going alone may be a different experience. Tickets can also be challenging to buy if you don’t speak Japanese, as those are purchased at convenience stores or the stadium itself. But if you want to herd a group of your friends and root for the Swallows in Tokyo this summer, I highly recommend it.

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Written by Paige Goetz, Director of Communications

Hiroshima, though only a bullet train or two away from the sprawling metropoles and bustling streets of Tokyo and Osaka, in other respects seems a world apart.

Of course, you still find the same chaotic side-streets stuffed with ramen counters. Japanese businessmen and schoolchildren head off in their droves, and popular shops like Don Quijote and Daiso make their appearances. Hiroshima is even home to Japan’s first pizza vending machine, complete with two flavours and offering dough crafted in Venice… supposedly.

Yet where these scenes create a vibrant buzz in most Japanese cities, the atmosphere in Hiroshima remains one of tranquillity and peace.

Perhaps this owes to the atomic bomb, dropped at 8:15 on 6 August 1945, as Hiroshima rebuilt itself looking for a future of peace. You can take a stroll along “Peace Boulevard”, follow the “Peace Promenade” where trees and flowers are in abundance, lining the riverbanks with paths of green. Or you can witness the Atomic Bomb dome and Peace flame, a testament to Hiroshima’s role as a leading city in the global movement for denuclearisation.

The leisurely pace of life on Hiroshima’s surrounding islands certainly doesn’t hurt either, where seeing fishermen while away the hours.

Yet by no means does this tranquility mean that Hiroshima is dull. Rich in history and culture, there is no shortage of things to do. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, treks around Miyajima Island and cycling the Shimanami-Kaido cycle route were some personal highlights of this beautiful region. If you get the chance to visit Hiroshima, you won’t be disappointed!

Written by Eddie, Global English Camp 2019 Leader, University of Oxford

Edited by Paige Goetz, Director of Communications