Halloween is one of my favorite holidays as there aren’t many quite like it; you get to dress in costumes and no one will think you’re crazy, get free candy, and enjoy little thrills of fear. Halloween has not always been big in Japan, but in the last decade it has become a huge hit due to the recent influence from Western culture. It is common now for there to be public Halloween parties, decorated streets and restaurants, and Tokyo Disney always has Halloween themed events in October. I am planning on definitely going to Tokyo Disney during its Halloween events and am very excited to do so. Tokyo Disney is about 40 minutes from the city of Tokyo and another 40 minutes from Kanda University. It is also advised that I take public transportation to get there because of overcrowded parking lots. Every year Tokyo Disney, for Halloween, has a “Spooky Boo!” Parade featuring many floats, performers, and of course features several classic disney characters. A unique feature about Tokyo Disney’s parade is that there is a ‘pose game’. Characters on the floats will make a pose and the audience will mimic the movement which sounds very fun! I intend on going to see the parade and possibly recording it for my family at home. Another thing that is really fueling my motivation to go to Tokyo Disney during my study abroad trip is the fact that my family is crazy for Disney. My older sister recently had a baby girl – making me an aunt! – and has showered her in Disney themed things since her first day home. Thus, I would like to get several souvenirs there for my family and especially for my niece. I also am very excited to try all the Halloween food and candy that Disney has to offer – especially because the typical food will be from a Japanese background. For instance, there will be Halloween spicy shrimp and pork buns, beef rice bowls, and scallop sandwiches. And of course I intend to go to Tokyo Disney to go to my favorite attractions: It’s a small world, Space Mountain, the Haunted Mansion, and Splash Mountain. I plan to go with another student who will be going to Japan at the same time as me and we should have a really good time. I am not sure if we would like to go there for multiple days or just one. There are several other places that I would like to see in Japan during my study abroad experience such as the Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto, history museums in Tokyo, the Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima, Takayama, and many delicious restaurants! There will be a lot more planning that I will do in the summer and I will be preparing my Japanese speaking skills for my trip. I want to make sure that I am able to balance my classes and traveling while I am there. I am grateful for this opportunity to both study and live in Japan through North Central College and I believe this trip will determine how I feel about potentially living in Japan later in life.

On March 11, 2011, Japan suffered both a magnitude 9 earthquake and severe tsunami which caused significant damage to both the physical and emotional states of its communities. The quake not only was “the largest ever observed in the history of Japan” but also lasted “150 anxiety-filled seconds, shifted the coast of Japan up to 5 m eastward, and lifted the sea floor by as much as 5 m over 15,000 km^2, an area comparable to the state of Connecticut”. I chose this event in history because of its recentness, and to express Japan’s frequent natural disasters and acknowledge that their culture is inevitably influenced by them. The earthquake “generated a tsunami 130 km off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture in the northeast Japan, which inundated over 400 km^2 of land. To put things into perspective, the tsunami wave grew as tall as an American 3-story house and surged over area slightly larger than the city of Las Vegas. The tsunami also reached the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and “breached the plant’s seawalls and disabled all back-up generators” resulting in the failure of cooling systems. The damage caused by the tsunami led to a hydrogen explosion that released 900 PBq of radioactive substances which contaminated the soil, waterways, and coastlines in the east and northeast areas of Japan. Both disasters combined resulted in over 15,500 dead, 2,500 missing, and 6,000 injured. The disasters completely destroyed 128,918 buildings, partially destroyed 268,964 buildings, and forced 330,000 people to live as long-term evacuees. When a strong enough earthquake occurs, it can induce soil liquefaction of the land which strips it of its usual solid structure. It was found that, due to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, “liquefaction occurred in 90 cities and towns in 9 prefectures in the Tohoku and Kanto regions, having affected almost 27 thousand houses”. Further findings were discovered as “many sand boils and ground settlements were observed. Underground facilities, such as manholes, emergency water tanks, and parking lots were uplifting, tapping water and sewerage systems”. The magnitude of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami were immense but it also shows how prepared the Japanese were for such an event. They take disaster preparedness seriously, unlike the United States, and this ultimately reflects their culture as this danger is part of everyday life for the Japanese.

Buy/cook a food from your culture (ideally more than one), tell us what is in it, how it is made, when it is eaten, and any history you can find, and, of course, report/review your reaction (use at least 5 separate sources and hyperlink them in your blog) (you might be able to use your destination-specific handbook as one source!) The food that I chose to create was onigiri. They are rice balls, often wrapped in nori (seaweed sheets), and often times, “a small amoutn of another ingredient is placed in the center of the rice ball, msot commonly an umeboshi (pickled plum), some tsukudani (delicacies simmered in soy sauce), small pieces of salted salmon, or bonito flakes flavored with soy sauce.  I chose this food because they are so unique to Japan, much like sushi; for example, you see designs on clothing or bags with little onigiri. (You can see this bag from Amazon for example). It also has some interesting history as “in the 17th century, samurai consumed onigiri as battlefield-ready meals. 11th century Japanese writings casually mention rice ball consumption as a picnicking item”. Putting the history and uniqueness aside, I was also motivated to cook onigiri because of its great nutritional benefits (fish is so good for you!) and its portability because I do commute and have to bring my lunch. So, the recipe called for short grain Japanese rice, salt, mayonnaise, tuna, Sriracha sauce, rice vinegar, and green onions. I replaced the tuna with salmon and took out the mayonnaise all together. Also, I only happened to have Jasmine rice at home so that is what I used. I also did not want to make the onigiri balls as large as they suggested so I made them with less rice and more filling. I prepared the rice as normal and prepared the filling mixture while it cooked. The hard part ensued when having to shape the rice. The recipe I was following advised that I wet my hands with cold water and sprinkle the salt on my hands so that the rice did not stick to my hands; it also stressed that the rice should still be warm to work with. I had a bit of trouble with shaping the rice balls as the rice did stick to my hands despite the water and it was hard to trust that the rice would stay in place without packing it tightly – the recipe warned not to add too much pressure. After about a half hour of fidgeting with the rice balls, I ended up with a bit deformed – but functional – onigiri. It seemed like a great idea for lunches on the go and I was so excited to try one. I wrapped them all in the seaweed paper and gave one a try. Even with making the rice balls smaller than traditional sizes, it took a long time to eat because of the amount of rice. I look forward to cooking this meal again, and hopefully one day I can learn how to cook another one of my favorite Japanese dishes, Ramen.

I looked up and found the musicians with the highest gross value in Japan and discovered that one of the biggest is actually a rock band. That is very unexpected for me probably because pop and rap is so popular in the United States that I expected to see the similar situation in Japan. That is probably because of my cultural bias lens, which is an interesting element to experience consciously. I am, however, pleasantly surprised by it because heavy metal and rock are my favorite types of music so to know that it is very popular in Japan excites me. Maybe it is possible I could find more current Japan rock bands to actually attend concerts during my study abroad duration. I would have never even considered that to be an option but it seems like it would be a great experience. B’z, one of the biggest artists in Japan, I found actually did a show with America’s Aerosmith (who are a big band as well) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvsvSl8WL-U). Also, I thought that the B’z band was a bit out-of-date given I could only find videos made in 2010-2013 so I decided to look more into top selling songs in Japan. Through a different website, https://www.billboard.com/charts/japan-hot-100, that a boy-band is number one on the song charts in Japan. This is more like what I was expecting but the music is still vastly different than typical American pop music. It is softer, has more focus on vocals rather than different sound effects, and does not have a prevalent chorus. The number one song, King&Prince, for example is very mystical sounding and the music video is strikingly similar to the style of the BackStreet Boys (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHnYd9LOCo4). The second song on the top Japanese music charts is Kyun and it is actually another group of singers but female (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzuLe89upbQ). This is noticeably different than American music given that popular American artists usually sing solo rather than in a group. It may be due to a cultural difference of Americans believe to gain power from their individuality and Japan’s belief that power comes from numbers. I found, among the top songs, a group called BlackPink and it seems to be very similar to American music styles and is vastly different than the top trending songs. The women are singing individually and there is a lot more emphasis on the background music and beat where most the other songs were mainly focused on exclusively vocals, feature a chorus, and there is a generous amount of English in the song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S24-y0Ij3Y). Overall, it seems that there is a decent mix of English usage and Japanese usage in top trending songs in Japan which verifies my prior reading and understanding that Japan is decently influenced by American culture. I will be continuing to find music from Japan’s top charts to learn more about the music that I like personally and possibly do research on any concerts that are happening that I may be able to attend.

In response to the activity in MSA I will organize the following attributes to being universal, culture, or personal. Eating with chopsticks is cultural, women walking five steps behind men is cultural, walking rather than the riding the bus is personal, feeling sorry after accidentally stepping on someone’s foot is universal, respecting your elders is cultural, making a slurping sound when eating soup or noodles is cultural, wearing warmer clothes when it is cold is universal, being depressed after the death of a loved one is universal, sleeping with a light on is personal, shaking hands with someone you first meet is cultural. In relation to my answers, the text suggests the same answers to those I answered with. Challenges I may come across in Japan are cultural differences that I did not think of to take into account and small details of everyday life that are normal to Japanese but foreign to me. For instance, I need to do cultural research, as the text suggests, from native people, literature, film, and newspapers. Some information that I seek to find is how to appropriately approach strangers (in order to strike up as many Japanese conversations as I can) and how restaurant etiquette. One of the biggest things I desire to do in Japan is eat great food; with that being said, I need to know the regular procedures in those settings because they most likely differ than American restaurants. I have heard, for example, that waiters and waitresses will not constantly ask the customers if they need anything in order to give privacy and time to enjoy the food. They also need to be flagged down for service which is seen decently rude in American culture. Another important thing is how tea is served, I have experienced times where they give the entire tea kettle and cups – it took me by surprise and I would like to be prepared for times like that. Another cultural aspect I need to personally research is how business is carried out and typical arrangements of stores. I also would like to do a lot of shopping during my study abroad duration and in order to be comfortable doing so, I should know information like common form of pay (it is usually by credit card in the United States for example), how the store attendants react towards customers, and the workings of farmers markets as well. I would like to explore as much as I can and I like to cook my own food so I believe it would be a valuable experience to get local produce rather than relying on convenience stores during my stay in Japan. As a side note, I believe one of the challenges I need to personally tackle is my use of chopsticks. I have gotten better with them over the years but I am still not where I would like to be – I would rather avoid the situation of being ‘that American that needs to use a fork’. I want to be completely immersed in Japanese culture and customs while I am there.

Japan’s economy in 1945, due to WWII, was severely crippled but has gradually regained its stability over time (http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/timelines/japan_modern_timeline.htm). It makes sense that the Japanese economy would not be as strong after losing WWII as wars are extremely expensive – especially on a global scale as it was. Even after such a devastating blow to their economy, Japan was steadily able to get itself back onto its feet. It is actually projected in 2019-2023 that Japan will be in the top 10 countries for having the largest GDP(http://statisticstimes.com/economy/projected-world-gdp-ranking.php). GDP stands for stands for “gross domestic product”; it is often used by economic analysts to measure the health of an economy (https://0-www-imf-org.library.svsu.edu/external/pubs/ft/fandd/basics/gdp.htm). So, Japan is economically excelling in modern times despite the relatively recent hardship it had in the past 100 years. In addition to WWII crippling the economy, Japan is known to have a multitude of natural disasters that end in costly repairs as well as funds spent to prepare for such disasters. The types of disasters that frequent Japan are mostly typhoons, tsunamis, and earthquakes. Experiencing small earthquakes is one of the regular aspects of life for the Japanese as because “Japan is located along the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, which is the most active earthquake belt in the world” (https://www.livescience.com/54434-why-so-many-earthquakes-strike-japan.html). For instance, its economy not only survived but thrived after experiencing the devastating Tohoku earthquake in 2011 which was the most powerful earthquake in Japanese history (https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/mrcbg/files/mrcbg_fwp_2012-15_Porter_Doyukai.pdf). The Tohoku earthquake in 2011 was followed by a tsunami and led to a nuclear power plant explosion as well. All the damage that occurred was immensely expensive and was very recent – less than 15 years ago! Not to mention the massive amount of funding that the Japanese put into ‘disaster preparedness’; they integrate proper procedures in the event of various disasters in school, build accordingly, have shelters ready to go, invest in several back-up generators for buildings, and educate employees on procedures to follow in the event of a disaster (
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/tag/disaster-preparedness/). Japan’s economy has had several hardships in the past and constantly strains against the elements of nature. In spite of this, Japan’s economy has been able to retain its stability. Its success, however, is still ranked lower than that of the United States. Their currency, yen, is worth less than the American dollar. The 1 yen is worth $0.0090 of a US dollar (https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h10/hist/dat00_ja.htm). It is not uncommon to see common clothes costing about ¥1,000 which seems staggering to an American but this amount actually only equates to about $9.00 (https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1000&From=JPY&To=USD). This will be an aspect that I will personally have to adjust to and do mental conversions to get a good grasp on if something is expensive or not while I am abroad.

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Week 2 Journal Entry:

Before studying abroad in Japan, I should reflect on myself and what I want to gain from my experience abroad. I should also evaluate myself to predict and prepare for obstacles I may encounter. As an exercise, I will list about eight words that describe me: introverted, humble, quiet, passionate, organized, hardworking, observant, cautious, and kind. If I had to pick just one or two words, I would choose passionate and observant to describe me. Once I have something that I really like, such as a video-game or project, I usually grow very attached and passionate about it. I also chose observant because I tend to be very aware of the details in my environment, other people, their moods, and behaviors; I believe it is a big part of me. I did not have trouble thinking of eight words to describe myself mostly likely because my personality encompasses a lot of polar-opposite traits. For instance, I know I am introverted, but I am also ready to put myself into new situations so I can get the most out of life. I am also cautious, but I love the thrill of a good roller coaster or exploring a hiking path much less traveled. I would even describe myself as ‘undefined’ as I feel I am still growing as a person and it’s hard to pinpoint exactly who I am. I actually hope for some of my traits to develop and change during my time abroad. I would like to become more outgoing and confident, and I believe this is a perfect opportunity for this. I look forward to exploring new places, experiencing a vastly different culture, and talking with natives. I really would like to make new friends in Japan and learn more about Japanese culture. I feel like I am ready for the leap into a new environment, but I am sure it will come with obstacles and I will need to adequately prepare. I feel like this class will help substantially but I should also evaluate myself and what I can do to relieve myself of stress. So far, I know that I am most relaxed when I am alone but I do find comfort in talking to close friends. I consider myself lucky to have the friends I do and I am fortunate to be studying abroad at the same time as one of my friends.  In relation to Japanese culture, which will become my host-culture once I start my program, I feel like my personality coincides well. From what I have gathered so far about Japanese culture, it is centered around respect, tradition, and etiquette. I do not act impulsively and consider myself humble – two attributes that seem to mesh well with Japan society. I hope to go to Japan multiple times in my life, so hopefully this study abroad experience will not be my last venture to the country. I am actually interested in the JET program, where one teaches English in Japan. I would consider it to be one of my life’s aspirations as I feel that living in a foreign country for a duration would be valuable in shaping me as a person and bring substantial meaning to my life.