October 10th, 2023
Arrival
This post is coming a little bit late, about a month and a half after arrival, due in part to me being pretty busy lately. I feel as though I have never stopped moving, and simultaneously I do feel that time is slipping away from me at an alarming rate. There’s so much more I want to do, and that’s one thing I want to focus on more throughout the rest of my time here.
Akita
Honestly, I didn’t really know this prior to coming here, but Akita is an incredibly interesting place, even by the standards of Japan. For those who aren’t aware, Japan is currently suffering through an aging population and a declining population crisis at the same time. As is to be expected, rural communities are affected by this more than, say, Tokyo.
Akita is one of the–if not the absolute–most highly affected prefecture out of all 47. The thing that makes this especially tragic is that Akita has many unique cultural items and customs that are being threatened by these losses.
These unique cultural aspects are one of my favorite things about Akita. I’ve already had chances to experience some of these things first hand and I am incredibly grateful for that.
Classes, Clubs and Activities
Right now, I am taking 4 classes, along with an extra practice course for Japanese language. The courses are as follows:
- Upper Elementary Japanese 2 + Practice (Language)
- Eurasia Foundation Endowed Chair: A Series of Discussions on the Possibility of “Asian Community” in Akita (Discussions based on guest presenters’ lectures about rural Japan’s connections with the rest of Asia)
- Personhood and the Self: Anthropological Perspectives (Personhood in relation to our current world, in which many people exist in two different cultures)
- Japan’s Constitution and Law (This one is pretty self explanatory)
I am in two clubs, Kyudo which is a kind of archery, and 日本語ハウス or “Japanese Language House”, which holds regular events and meetings to encourage the education of the Japanese language for domestic students, and practicing Japanese language for foreign students.
I also do volunteering for the Foreign Language Conversation Partner (FLCP) Program, in which people who want to practice their English sign up for half hour slots for me. Early next month I will also be going to a local school to do a presentation in English about the US to some local high schoolers who are interesting in improving their English as well.
Culture Shock
This might be a little bit of a boring answer, but I don’t feel like I experienced much culture shock upon arrival. I do think that I may experience some reverse culture shock on my return to the US in March, but frankly when I arrived I didn’t feel particularly blindsided by anything.
I have been very fortunate that things have worked out well so far, even if there have been some small hiccups.
I think I did plenty of research to the point that I have never felt overwhelmed or out of my depth.
Conclusion
So far, I am really enjoying my time here. My classes are fun and interesting, I’ve met some really cool people from all over the world, and my Japanese is improving very fast. In just a few days (as of writing this) I will be going on a solo weekend trip to nearby Sendai city, and I am very excited to do my first bit of solo traveling.