Community Involvement
Introduction
Serving as an ambassador of goodwill on the JET Program was a fulfilling experience and am very thankful for the opportunity. While the program is not perfect, I spent most of my time in Japan treated with kindness and generosity and I credit this outcome due to my involvement in the community. Getting involved with the Japanese community was my ultimate goal which I set prior to boarding the plane in Atlanta back in July 2004. Having a taste of Japan in the early 1990s as a member of the US Navy in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa, I regretted not having a better chance to interact with the Japanese while in the Navy. Throughout my time on JET, I discovered that by having a positive attitude, optimistic approach and good intentions coupled by the willingness to simply try anything at least once that the strange and unfamiliar went by without even knowing it. Because of these things, getting along with your Japanese host while serving as a guest on the JET Program can be done without putting forth much effort.
Volunteering
As an American who was treated well at the elementary and junior high schools that I visited, I had the urge to give back to the place that was making my dream come true. I found ways to pay it forward by volunteering my services of English conversation (Eikaiwa). Every Wednesday, the city would host free Japanese lessons based on your ability. Afterwards, members of the community who were interested in English conversation or other languages would come forward for a foreign language lesson. Since there were people from China, Philippines and the Middle East also learning Japanese, they would teach their mother tongue to the Japanese who were interested.
Also, there was a local independent operator of an English conversation lounge who always appreciated a native English speaker who was punctual and would not cancel at the last minute for her Sunday morning lessons therefore; I managed to assist this person on a monthly basis. While I enjoyed having the opportunity to volunteer my free time, I had to ensure that there were boundaries for my time so that I could have time for myself.
Getting involved with the culture
One thing that seemed to repeat itself, thus the main reason to establish boundaries when I would volunteer is being invited afterwards for lunch or other social outings by the adult students. I managed to have one of the ladies that I led at the conversation lounge who practiced the art of tea ceremony (sadou). She managed to secure space at the nearby culture center which had Japanese style (washiki) rooms and gave me a one-on-one lesson. Prior to my return to the US, the same lady invited me to attend a kimono session where I was able to take pictures of the members of her group wearing their winter kimonos at their annual luncheon.
Getting involved with the social scene
Another thing that I seemed to struggle with were the fans (picture the old footage of the Beatles getting off the plane upon their arrival in the US) that I would make at my weekly encounters at the local university where I studied Japanese and from the people I would lead at the English conversation groups. To my surprise, during my first year, I witnessed a group of children going Trick or Treating being led by their foreign day care leader which planted the seed of something that I was able to do my third year. Give the Japanese an authentic Halloween party. In true Japanese fashion, a group of Japanese office ladies from English conversation lessons on Sundays, myself and a few other foreigners had a group session where we arranged for a costume party at a Japanese-style pub (izakaya).
Find a focus of Japanese culture
Japan and its uniqueness is the birthplace of many things. What better place to learn judo, aikido, karate, Japanese calligraphy (shodo) tea ceremony (sadou) or flower arranging (ikebana) than the place where they were invented.
Most importantly, study Japanese! By studying Japanese, you are taking burden off of your contracting agency and schools since you will be accelerating the time when you will be semi self-sufficient. You will need to know Japanese to operate the washing machine, air conditioner, wall heater, TV and even to take a hot shower. The best way to learn a language is by immersion, so here’s your chance. I studied Japanese at a local university two towns away from where I lived and while the commute required two transfers and took about an hour one way, I was glad that I did it. The structure was necessary for achieving my goal of passing level III of the Japanese proficiency exam in December 2006.
Americana in Japan
Lastly, there are ways to introduce America to your Japanese host while living in Japan. For example, at most major train stations throughout Japan, there were at least one international grocery store. This was where I would take my Japanese friends to shop for the evening’s food and beverages. Outside of Japan’s major cities is the American club store, Costco Wholesale. The same rules apply with entry for members only. This is where I would take my favorite JTE to shop for English books, teaching supplies and more importantly, clothes in US sizes and styles which intrigued my Japanese friends.
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