Report by Anne Drossart
My Japanese Dream
By Anne Drossart
(Participant of The 30th Study Tour of Japan for European Youth 2008)* Click image to enlarge
In the twelve years since I first became interested in Japan, my enthusiasm for the country has never diminished. Japanese culture (literature, language, theatre, traditions, music, cuisine, etc.) has always held the highest fascination for me. During my translation studies, I was able to maintain my passion by taking Japanese language and culture classes. After having successfully finished my studies, I started a new course of university studies in political sciences and international affairs and chose to take a contemporary Japanese society class, which simply mesmerized me. Indeed, until then, I only knew of Japan’s cultural aspects, but this course gave me a better understanding of modern Japan by focusing on its history, political system, institutions and foreign and economic policies. The only thing that I dreamt of then was to see with my own eyes all the things I had read about in books only, and to gain first-hand experience of both traditional and modern day Japan. That is why I jumped on the occasion and applied for the Study Tour when I heard about it.
The Study Tour is a ten-day group study tour of Japan for young Europeans, which aims, in the short term, to increase the participant’s interest in Japan through experiences on many aspects of Japan. In the longer term, it is hoped that the applicants’ deeper understanding of Japan gained during the tour will contribute to strengthening future ties between Japan and European countries.
This Study Tour indeed was the very best way to make my dream come true, because it combined all aspects of Japanese life: economic, politic, historical, cultural, and human. So, imagine my joy and excitement when I learned I had the honour to be selected as the Belgian participant of this year!
On October 20th 2008, I left Brussels, via Frankfurt, for Tokyo. There, I met the 28 other participants, coming from all over Europe. We were all very excited and just could not believe we really were in Tokyo! First shock: I had a wonderful view over the Tokyo Tower from my hotel window! In the evening, we were invited to a welcome reception where I had the great honour to meet and have a very interesting discussion with the Belgian Ambassador in Japan.
The next day, we had a very informative lecture on Japan-European relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we visited the gardens of the Imperial Palace and the Diet (or Parliament). In the afternoon, we attended a wonderful kabuki show. It was an amazing experience, not only to witness the incredible performance of the actors and admire the ornate costumes, but also just to be part of the audience, enjoying a bento like the rest of the audience and hearing the spectators cheering.
The day after, we were back at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a very interesting lecture on Japanese politics. We spent the rest of the day at Hitotsubashi University, where we first had lunch with a very tasty ramen. Then we were split into three groups of discussion, according to the theme we had chosen. Mine was “Recognition of States in International law”. We listened to two fascinating lectures by Japanese students and had a very interesting exchange of views with them afterwards. To end our visit, a group of students presented us a loud and stunning cheering show. I had never seen anything like that!
The next day was another day of contrast. Indeed, after a visit to the Nippon Keidanren (or Japan Business Federation), where we attended an interesting lecture about economics, we experienced one of the most traditional sides of Japanese culture: the Tea Ceremony. That day, it was raining and the soothing sound of the rain contributed to create a quiet atmosphere in the wooden pavilion. I had the pleasure to act as the honour guest and drink first, which was a unique experience. We also visited the Kitajima-Shibori factory. What a surprise!
I thought that all Japanese factories were huge and that all the work was done by automated machines, sometimes guided by workers. I discovered a medium-sized, familial-looking company where the workers acted like craftsmen and where each piece seemed to be unique. Some of us ended the day in a trendy restaurant in Shinjuku, where we enjoyed delicious sushi and plum-flavoured sake.
There were still big surprises in store for our last day in Tokyo. We dived into Japanese cutting-edge technology with an astonishing visit to the Panasonic Center in Odaiba. We then had a free afternoon which I used to visit the Asakusa Shrine and the Meiji Temple and marvel at the temporary chrysanthemum exhibitions.
In the evening, we attended a breathtaking drums performance by the Nagisa Taiko group. We even tried the drums ourselves, which was a great experience! The party afterwards was fantastic: very friendly and adorable people, good discussions, delicious food and drinks (it was the first time I tasted Japanese wine) and interesting workshops (origami and tea ceremony).
The next day, we left for Hiroshima, where we were welcomed for two half days by a host family. Mine was really friendly. We took the ferry to visit the Miyajima sanctuary, one of Japan’s most scenic spots. In the evening, we had a traditional meal all together and talked a lot about our respective countries and ways of life.
The next day, my host sister let me try on her fabulous kimono. They also made me taste the local speciality, the okonomiyaki, a delicious pan-fried batter cake, and we finally had a walk around the castle. Then, back with the group, we visited the Peace Memorial Museum that explains, on a very sober way, what happened on August 6th 1945. We then listened to the moving story of an A-Bomb survivor, which depressed us all a lot, but thanks to which we really could measure the nightmare that the Hiroshima people went through on those days. Hiroshima left us with a strange, mingled, impression. We were all thinking about the past, and the ghost of the mushroom-shaped nuclear cloud was in all our minds. Various memorials line the entire city, constantly reminding us of what had happened. But, at the same time, we discovered a very lively and modern city, full of trendy shops and restaurants.
We then travelled by Shinkansen (high-speed train) to reach Kyoto. During our stay in the former capital, we visited many famous places: the impressive Nijo-jo, the official residence of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, the enthralling Golden Pavilion or Kinkaku-ji that I had always longed to see, and the fascinating Kiyomizu-dera, erected on a platform over a precipice and offering a breathtaking panoramic view over the city.
In Kyoto, we stayed in a ryokan, or Japanese traditional inn, where we truly could experience the Japanese customs: wearing yukata (robe) and sleeping on a futon (bedding) directly on the tatami (straw mat).
Our next destination was Nara where we visited two important temples: the Horyu-ji, where a very friendly volunteer guide showed us around, giving us very detailed explanations, and the Todai-ji, where we were deeply impressed by the 15-meter-tall image of the great Buddha.
We then headed for our final destination: Osaka, the second biggest city next to Tokyo in Japan. We spent our last evening together in a traditional restaurant, reminiscing about all the great experiences we had during our wonderful adventure.
I was very eager to discover Japan and everything I saw and experienced thanks to the Study Tour in that enchanting land was far beyond my wildest dreams. I visited all the places I had wanted to see for such a long time, and they were even more beautiful in reality than in my books.
But, above all, the Study Tour gave me the opportunity to experience the Japanese way of life and to actually meet Japanese people. I discovered very friendly and welcoming people, always eager to help and very curious of our cultures and customs. This really contrasted with the entrenched false ideas and stereotypes that a lot of people in Belgium and Europe have about Japanese people. In this way, this Study Tour certainly helped fighting the narrow clichés and simplistic generalisations.
Back in Belgium, I made an account of my stay in Japan, shared all the good memories and showed my 1600 photographs to my acquaintances, who were all deeply impressed. I definitely will continue in the future to share my own enthusiasm for Japan. I am persuaded it will help other people to cultivate an interest in Japan that can grow in the future, which will in turn increase mutual knowledge and understanding between Belgian and Japanese peoples.
