We have been in Japan for more than five months, we have met the New Year here, and I am close to the end of the first semester. So much has happened in the past five months. Despite our continued struggles to learn Japanese, we have learned so very much in general. I have been interviewing SILS students, have my own students in my course, and have much contact with the Japan Study students, who have come to Japan from US Midwest private colleges. In addition, I work closely with a Japanese colleague, Michiyo, and have had some conversations with other SILS faculty members and with Resident Directors from other US colleges/Waseda partnerships. All of these people have helped me learn a great deal about Japan and Japanese. Essentializing notions such as “Japanese are conformists,” have been severely challenged. As my understanding of Japanese education, both in policies and practice, has grown, so has my understanding of why being a professor in Japan is such a comfortable experience, especially when teaching a course on social justice and education. Japanese society is complex, and the educational policies and practices are exceptionally interesting and complex. I have learned so much from students and colleagues here, and this type of learning is what makes life so very interesting and worthwhile.
Learning the Japanese language is a different story. I can tell that my Japanese has improved (and David’s has improved even more than mine), but the improvement has been slow and taken so much work. We both study Japanese several hours a week, but for me, I can summarize my experience that I seem to spend many more hours “forgetting” Japanese than I spend learning it. I am resigned to the fact that I am not going to be close to fluent in even basic Japanese at the end of our year here, but at least I will know a lot more than I knew previously.
Another great aspect of life in Tokyo for me has been my increasing desire to act on my interests in Japanese designs, handiwork, and fabrics. Although my Japanese is limited, I can read pictures and have experience sewing, so I have convinced myself that I will be able to create or be inspired to create similar designs for clothing, quilts, and art based on pictures I am gathering while here. I am also planning to acquire fabrics that will be difficult to find in the US that I can use to create some unique items. Since I was very young, I have been drawn to fabrics and amazing handiwork designs in patterns. Many aspects of the Japanese sense of beauty resonate with my soul. This has supported an ever-increasing sense of inner peace for me even while I live in one of the most populated cities in the world. It has also been a source of confidence in my own creative abilities. Perhaps I am fooling myself as I am immersed in this “foreign” experience, and it will be a temporary confidence in creativity. However, I presently am finding it immensely satisfying.