Each year the Watakate Circle (volunteer group) goes on a trip to Chiba, or more precisely a little beach town called Iwai. Iwai is an hour and a half from Chiba, 2 and a half hours from Sophia, and nearly 3 and a half from my station. The overnight trip is a welcome party of sorts for the freshman and new members to the club.
Last Saturday before we left, we all met in front of Sophia's north gate and at 10 o'clock in the morning had a toast. Its amazing how you can drink on the sidewalks like it is nothing. They brought suitcases of beer, flavored-alcohol (kinda like mike's), sake, sochu, and a variety of soft drinks, tea, etc. They offered everyone alcohol, but there was no pressure to drink it for the people who opted not to. I was just wondering if the police would say anything if they happened to see the freshman drinking.
The train ride was pretty long, but basically everyone was talking the whole way over. I kept thinking how different it was then it would have been in the US. I always imagine group roadtrips where everyone has their own iPod, book, or whatever, talking briefly every once in a while. It was completely opposite here. Whether it was one-on-one or in larger groups, the WHOLE trip everyone was interacting. No one pulled out homework, their music, or anything.
When we transfered at Chiba, we boarded one of the crappiest, oldest trains I have seen here yet. I guess they save all the nice, new trains for central Tokyo :) We just kept riding further and further out to the country.
I absolutely love the countryside in Japan. Normally I am a city girl, but I love the country here more. I like Tokyo, but the further out you get, the more you feel like you are actually in Japan. It is just gorgeous. The tiled roofs, rice patties, open spaces. The lifestyle even a few hours from Tokyo shifts considerably. It is always nice to get away.
Its been so long since the trip...but I'll try to recap the highlights.
Ryokan/Minshuku- I don't know exactly what the place we stayed at would be considered. I guess a minshuku, because we did like rent out all their facilities, two guest houses with a main dinning hall, and an ofuro. It was really old-fashioned. There was a genkan, tatami mats, futons, low tables and everything. Meals were also provided for us. They were very elaborate and soo good. Like five different plates of small portions of food for each person. I love Japanese styled breakfasts!
I found it interesting that when we first arrived, one of student coordinators officially introduced the woman who owned/ran the houses. She said a few words of thanks and together we said "yoroshiku onegaishimasu" (please take care of us). And when we left again the student leader had an official sayonara thank you for her with all of us there to show our apreciation. Apparently the group stays at this place every year, because the woman said "rai nen ni" (see you next year).
I was surprised how human aspect and relationship was brought in. I think that most college kids in the US don't put a face on the people behind the scenes, at hotels for example. We tend to not feel that bad, even if we leave the place trashed. However, here there is great respect shown for those people who would otherwise be overlooked back home. Even that night when we were drinking, if something spilled, the students would go to great lengths to clean it up as much as they could. Before we totally left, we swept up the main all and vacuumed.
BEACH- The area was absolutely gorgeous! There were a lot of hills around the beach and it was just totally green. It kinda seemed to have vegetation like Hawaii. Lol, with the hills, water, and greenery for some reason it always makes me think of the footage from Jurassic Park :)
The beach was only a 5 minute from the place we were staying. The weather was really crappy until the day we left. It was really overcast and cold. Not a good day to go swimming in the ocean. But everyone walked out and the guys were all swimming. I found it interesting how at different times all the girls were hanging out together and all the guys were doing something different. We were both on the same beach, it was just like the sexes were totally separated doing different things. Idk why that was. Interesting.
Later we were split into teams through jenken and played a version of dodgeball. I can't remember what it was called, but there was only one ball. We drew out a square in the sand. The catch was that there are people from the opposite team that are right outside the square on your side that can get you out. Someone brought a rope too. Lol so afterwards we did tug of war on the beach. Oh and buried two of the guys in the sand.
Freshman initiation- I am considered a freshman. With the hiearchy here, being at the bottom is not necessarily the best thing. Apparently every year the freshman perform a skit for the senpai. One of the guys wrote out a pretty involved script and we met and practiced 3 or 4 lunch periods before we left. I had one line in Japanese. I'm not even exactly sure what it was that I said...lol. Basically it was kinda a funny skit that was based off Cinderella, but had Pokemon in it?! Idk, I can't remember.
Before that though, while we were on the beach, we were each dragged out to the ocean carried in and dropped into the water. Haha. They were really nice about it, but it kinda seemed mandatory...I can now see how some hazing and initiation strengthens relationships. All of us freshman girls were drenched and freezing after.
Ofuro- I have heard a variety of reactions to the idea of essentially taking a bath with friends, or perhaps people you don't even know. Westerners tend to think that it is taboo. Most people, men and women, from the US especially, cannot imagine stripping down showering in front of people, then entering a communal bath. I think this is especially the case for foreign girls/young women.
I was hesitant at first too. It really wasn't a question of whether or not I would do it though. I felt like I had to. Plus after getting dunked in the ocean, all the girls were saying how good it feels to get in the ofuro after swimming. Like one of my friends always told me, nothing is awkward unless you make it awkward. Might as well.
It is crazy how differently people are socialized. For the Japanese girls, this sort of thing was totally normal. They had no inhibitions, talked the whole time they were cleaning, and even threw water on each other as a joke.
I am so glad I did do it though. Haha its like one of those things, you'll never get that much out of anything unless you're up for some risks. Willing to put yourself out there to be embarrassed, shocked, perhaps even humiliated. But you'll never know if you can fly unless you jump off the cliff. I can't help but thinking I want to go to an onsen now. I would love to have an ofuro in the comfort of my own home. Western modesty meets Japanese comforts, lol.
BBQ- The second day, before returning to Tokyo, the upperclassmen cooked a barbeque for us. It was one of the most delicious meals I have eaten yet. They had salad, yakisoba, and various grilled meats with vegetables. Absolutely unbelievable. Since it was supposed to be for the freshman, they wouldn't even let us help set up or clean up after.
Drinking- Of course, one of the main parts of the trip was drinking that night. It started off with the results of a survey within the circle that some of the underclassmen had done earlier. It's kinda like the "most likely to..." that you would find in high school year books. Instead it was like who is the best embodiment of ______. Categories ranged from most otaku, best father/mother, person who seems like they are a child, person who seems older than their age, most like a cat, person who can drink the most/who can drink the least, silly categories like that. Everyone was laughing the whole time and the person who got the most votes had to go in front of everyone and drink a cup. Usually it was alcohol, but they could drink tea or something else if they preferred.
The fridge in the room was totally packed with all the alcohol. I found it funny how drinking customs applied to the college students too. Before filling their own glasses, they would always ask people around them what they wanted to drink. It wasn't till after that they would refill their own glass. Everyone was talking, sitting around, and drinking for most of the night.
I went to sleep at 2:30 am, but I heard people were up all night. Some people fell asleep after we ate breakfast. One of the girls said that the older people got, the longer they were kinda expected to stay up. Her freshman year she went to sleep at 1 am, last year was up till 4 and this year stayed up all night. People were sleeping everywhere and some were even passed out the whole day and missed the bbq. Haha, one upperclassman got up and his face and feet were totally drawn on. Somehow, before we left, he got most all of the ink off, except from his neck. It was the most I have ever seen anyone marked up!
Japanese- Only four exchange students (including myself) went on the trip. All together there are only 6 of us in the circle. So pretty much everything is always in Japanese. There are a few members who can speak English fluently and others who can speak a little bit. But nearly the whole weekend was Japanese exclusive.
It really is the best practice. My Japanese isn't that great still. But after the weekend, I could see substantial improvements. It is crazy how when you are exposed to it for a long period of time, like 2 days straight, you will get used to it. I couldn't understand everything, or even most of what was said. But you can catch onto popular phrases, pronunciation, even start thinking to yourself "how do I say this in Japanese." It comes more naturally when you need to use it, when you are practicing, even when you are messing up.
I am so lucky they were so patient. It seems like that is the kind of people they are. But I did feel bad for the people who had to hear me stumble along. One girl specifically (nicknamed Sam) talked with me the whole way to Iwai. Just me and her. It was painful for me imagine her listening to my bad Japanese. But she would help me out with grammar when it needed to be fixed, feed me words i didn't know. It was the best practice I've had yet.
Meeting People- The nicest part of the whole experience was getting the chance to meet the students who I don't otherwise know outside from our Saturday activities. While we are working with the kids at Meguro, it is hard to really get to know each person individually. These have to seriously be some of the nicest people I have met in my life. I really do not know many people who willingly dedicate every Saturday throughout the school year to a cause like this. There are a good number of seniors and they have been doing this for years. It really amazes me.
All the club members are so nice. Even through the language barrier, they always made a conscious effort to include me and the other exchange students. On the train rides, I never sat alone. There was always someone to talk to. They were always so happy, so encouraging. Lol their efforts make me want to be a better person. It is amazing how a group like this will just totally change your whole outlook. There is no way you can loose faith in people or humanity when you meet people like this.
Senpai-Kohai- Before the trip, I never really understood or accepted the senpai-kohai relationship. It seemed so unfair. I always thought the upperclassmen resented me, or at least didn't like me, because I always forgot to speak keego to them. But this weekend changed my whole perspective on it.
Senpai always seemed like the people who delegate tasks because they don't want to do it themselves. This not totally the case. They are more or less like leaders, guiders. They have the experience and have earned the respect of the kohai through all the years of their work and dedication. The kohai recognize that they can learn from the senpai. In some ways it becomes somewhat of an apprenticeship. They try to learn as much as they can from their superior, someone that's assumed to have more knowledge of the subject.
The kohai do what is asked of them. And in turn the senpai take the kohai under their wings. In some ways they are watched after by the senpai. It is almost like a big brother role. While we were waiting for our train back home, Sam bought an ice cream for me. Her excuse? I am your senpai. I saw other upperclassmen buying for other freshman too. In a way we are taken care of by the people above us. And thus they earn our respect.
I have noticed that senpai tend to associate more closely with other senpai. And kohai stick with kohai. I don't know exactly why this occurs, but I imagine it has something to do with people they can most closely relate to. Shared experiences. Something like that.
Loquat- Its funny, I didn't know what this was called in English until this very moment when I looked it up. Here it is know as "biwa." Apparently it is grown in Iwai and I bought a bag of them at a fruit stand near the Iwai train station. A really yummy fruit. Hard to explain though, very tender inside, it doesn't have a strong flavor, but it is sweet. Well, kinda. In some ways it has somewhat of an apple flavor, but then again not.
I bought them so I could bring back a piece of my weekend for my friends in Tokyo. What a great way to spend a couple of days.
(I apologize, these are not my pictures! I still have yet to buy a cord to connect my camera to my computer and my phone died so I could not take pictures with it. For now these images will have to do. I'll work on getting more pictures up later!)
Sounds like a great time!
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