Before I did the 2016 Global English Camp program, I felt decently prepared for Japan. I watched all the JVloggers on Youtube, studied Japanese language for five semesters, and taught English to Japanese study abroad students for two years. When I arrived to Japan, most of Global English Camp’s training week segment on cultural norms felt more like a refresher — don’t walk and eat in public, don’t talk on the trains, don’t stick your chopsticks upright into rice—the usual. But now that I’ve been to Japan six times, I’ve noticed a few things that I’ve never read anywhere else.

some small things that aren’t covered during global english camp’s training week:

• The only peanut butter you can typically buy in Japanese grocery stores is Skippy brand. For some reason.

• Grocery stores usually have cheaper food prices compared to conbinis like 7 Eleven and Family Mart.

• Tech accessories in conbinis, I’ve found, are especially overpriced. My iPhone headphone adaptor that I pay $8 for in America was $25 at a conbini, and my iPhone charger was $30. Buy tech at Donkihote instead.

• Book Off, a used book and tech store, is a great place to buy new video games for a cheaper price. If you’re buying games for a console that isn’t region locked, then you can buy them in Japan without any problems. I got Fire Emblem: Three Houses for thirty bucks, and my friend got Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for forty.

• Often times, people wait for red walking signals to change green even if no cars are coming. If you walk through the red signal when the coast is clear, people may stare at you strangely.

• Although trains in Japan are quite easy to navigate once you understand the system, there are a few quirks foreigners still tend to screw up because of the language barrier. Sometimes, multiple trains, all going in the same direction on the same platform, will have different stops along the way. These trains may be separately marked as local, rapid, special rapid, or commuter rapid. Usually, different trains are marked with different colors. In the case of my platform, my slowest local train was yellow, my rapid train was orange, and my commuter rapid only accessible during rush hour was purple. Use Google Maps to double check if you’re stepping on the correct one.

• The bottoms of your feet may get ugly. In Japan, you walk everywhere. No matter how great your shoes are, you’ll build up some wild callouses and tough heels. After dealing with foot pain in Japan for a long time, I finally found two pairs of Doc Martens that no longer destroy me. It’s also a smart idea to own at least two pairs of shoes so that you can trade them on and off. This helps your feet become less damaged over time.

These are some small things I’ve noticed, though I’m sure there’s plenty more. Someday, I may do a round two.

Good luck out there!

Paige

—

Written by Paige Goetz, Director of Communications

Japan is famous for amazing heritage sites located throughout the country. I had the fortune of touring the Kanto region, specifically Tokyo and Yokohama, to view some of these peaceful locations.

In the Asakusa district, there is the Kaminarimon Gate (雷門) with two large statues of Buddhist deities. Their names are Fujin and Raijin. Through the gates, there is a shopping street, Nakamise-dori, that leads to a Buddhist temple called Sensoji Temple (浅草寺). Without going into too much historical detail, Sensoji Temple is considered Tokyo’s oldest: 645 AD. I travelled with a few local friends who told me that when you pray, you don’t need to clap your hands since it is a Buddhist temple. The shrine has a beautiful garden and a five-story pagoda.

During 730 AD, in Otemachi, Tokyo, the Kanda Myojin Shrine (神田明神) was built. The temple was moved in 1603 to its current location, close to Akihabara, and now sells talismans blessing electronics and technology. This shrine also hosts the Kanda Matsuri, one of the biggest festivals in Japan, every year. My friends and I enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere as we sat in the courtyard to take a break.

In between Shinjuku and Shibuya on the Yamanote Line is Harajuku Station. Located nearby is a forest in the middle of the city. Here you find Meiji Shrine (明治神宮) and Yoyogi Park (代々木公園). The torii gate is the entrance to the shrine grounds, and the tranquil forest surrounds everything from all sides, completely blocking out noise of the city. I found myself buying a couple charms as part of the Shinto shrine tradition reading: good health and good fortune. My friends and I sat at a bench to enjoy the view and drink water—the summer heat was strong that day.

The last temple I visited in Tokyo was Zojoji Temple (三縁山増上寺), right beside Tokyo Tower and encompassed by Shiba Park. This temple is a major tourist destination due to its proximity to Tokyo Tower. It is relatively close to Hamamatsucho Station and is another Buddhist Temple.

Of course, there are other small shrines and temples located throughout Tōkyō, but unfortunately I didn’t have time to visit them all. My next stop was Yokohama—the first harbour city originally used as the entrance to Japan by the rest of the world long ago. From there I travelled to the small but festive town of Kamakura to see the great Buddha statue, or Daibutsu (大仏). Although Daibutsu is not a Shrine or temple, it is still an important historical site and national treasure of Japan. The colossal bronze statue is a model of Amida-butsu, also known as the Amitābha Buddha. It is said to be almost 800 years old from temple records.

Not too far from the Daibutsu is Hokokuji Temple (報国寺). As I walked the pathway to this shrine, the scenery changed, and walls of bamboo soared up to the sky. The secluded atmosphere makes this shrine a wonderful place to relax and contemplate. I pulled out an old book to sketch some of the elegant scenery. Supposedly, there are over 2000 bamboo stalks that make up the forest.

The last place I visited was Tsurugaoka Hachimangu (鶴岡八幡宮) in Kamakura. Its origins stem from the Kamakura government and the samurai god, Hachiman. Upon entering the torii gate, a long pathway leads to a shrine maiden dancing stage. I actually visited this shrine a few times because of its unique beauty. However, be warned that it is always busy during the day. I recommend visiting in the late afternoon or early evening.

Written by Gillian Dickie, 2019 Global English Camp intern

Edited by Paige Goetz, Director of Communications

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