- Posted: July 28, 2009, 2:39 pm
- Categories: Campus Life, Japan Life, TOPICS, Tokyo Life
- Tags: african american, black, black women, campus, culture, dancing, female, hip hop, history, japan, japan campus, japanese, japanese food, jigger, nihon, nihongo, racism, stereotypes, student, study, study abroad, temple university, tokyo, tuj, yakisoba
- No Comments »
I’ve been procrastinating on this post because this is probably the most difficult/uncomfortable thing that’s happened to me in Japan–well, race-related. Now that I think about it, it might very well be the most uncomfortable, race-related situation that has happened to me in my life. And instead of drawing it out, I want to get right into what happened.
It was the middle of May.
My old roommate Kira introduced my to my favorite place on earth, the bar I mentioned in my previous post. After I went there twice with Kira, the bar owner and his wife invited us and a few others to their house for an okonomiyaki party. As we stepped into their house, I noticed that the house looked a lot like their bar–full of American paraphernalia. All sorts of gadgets and toys lined their walls and shelves. Cans of Campbell’s soup, a box of Stove Top stuffing mix, figurines of the Budweiser toads, 1950’s Coco Cola bottles, a stuffed animal of Alf (the 1980’s television show), Tom and Jerry mugs, etc. If you name something American, I’m sure they have a replica of it in their house. And if not, it’s in their bar.
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- Posted: July 28, 2009, 2:39 pm
- Categories: Campus Life, Japan Life, TOPICS, Tokyo Life
- Tags: african american, black, black women, campus, culture, dancing, female, history, japan, japan campus, japanese, japanese food, jigger, learning japanese, nihon, nihongo, okonomiyaki, racism, student, study, study abroad, temple university, tokyo, tuj, yakisoba
- 1 Comment »
[This is Part 2. Click here for Part 1.]
Yes, I was uncomfortable beyond words.
I had a slew of different thoughts that kept hitting me at 1,000,000 MPH. The most important thoughts/questions were:
Why did he show ME that toy??
Doesn’t he understand where that toy comes from?
Doesn’t he understand the history behind toys like that?
Does he not know how many Black people have died to fight racist things like that?
More importantly, I wouldn’t even be here in Japan studying Communications and Japanese if it weren’t for my parents and grandparents who fought for their rights and the rights of their children.
But I couldn’t say any of that. Not only did I not know how to say that in Japanese, but I was completely speechless. What do you say to a toy like that in such a friendly environment?
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- Posted: July 20, 2009, 1:34 am
- Categories: Campus Life, Japan Life, TOPICS, Tokyo Life
- Tags: bar, beer, campus, culture, drinking, japan, japan campus, japanese, language, learning japanese, listening skills, nerima, nihon, nihongo, student, study, study abroad, temple university, tokyo, tuj
- 2 Comments »
Yes, I am studying Japanese
Yes, you read the title right.
In this post, I want to talk about going to a Japanese bar in order to study Japanese.
When I first came to TUJ, I met a student who was really great at speaking Japanese. I asked him how long he had been studying and he said, “a year and a half.”
Any student of Japanese knows that a year and a half is a fairly short amount of time to get a tight grasp on Japanese. Eager for tips, I asked him what has helped him the most in his journey to fluency, and he said going to his local bar.
I was so suprised! He said he didn’t even learn from taking a class.
After going to a bar myself, I have seen how helpful it can be. You’re able to hear different speeds of talking, different accents and intonations, and you’re forced to speak– even if you’re usually too nervous!
For two months, I have been going to a bar in my neighborhood every Friday night. I bring my notebook and pen, electronic Japanese-English dictionary, and of course, money to spend. The bar is great for learning Japanese.
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- Posted: July 19, 2009, 11:04 pm
- Categories: Japan Life, Tokyo Life
- Tags: culture, dining, food, japan, japan campus, japanese, japanese food, nerima, nihon, student, study abroad, temple university, tokyo, tuj, yakiniku
- No Comments »
My friends and I went to a yakiniku restaurant in Nerima-ku.
Hot coals at yakiniku
Beef and chicken sizzle on the piping hot grill
The last pieces 
Yakiniku is great on a Saturday night with friends before heading to a party!
- Posted: July 6, 2009, 9:07 am
- Categories: Campus Life, TOPICS, Tokyo Life
- Tags: campus, culture, japan, japan campus, japanese, japanese television, language, learning japanese, listening skills, nihon, nihongo, study, study abroad, temple university, tokyo, tuj
- No Comments »
In my last post, I explained how Rosetta Stone was the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my journey to fluency in Japanese.
Yes, that statement still stands.
However, since I have finished Level 1, and do not have enough money to buy Level 2, I will be Rosetta Stone-less for now. However, that doesn’t mean I should give up on Japanese, right?
Right. So, what am I doing to study now?
Anything and everything, to put it lightly.
Before I came to Japan, I looked for websites to help me learn Japanese. Most of the websites I went to all told me “surround yourself with Japanese. Listen to Japanese music, and watch Japanese TV.” If you’re like me, this advice doesn’t seem to be enough. I thought, “But, how is simply listening to music and watching TV going to help me?? I can’t understand what they’re saying!! It’s impossible to become fluent in Japanese simply by listening to Japanese!”
Well, I wasn’t necessarily wrong, but I have to admit, watching TV has helped me.
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- Posted: July 1, 2009, 10:19 am
- Categories: Campus Life, Tokyo Life
- Tags: campus, japan, japanese, language, learning japanese, nihon, nihongo, rosetta stone, student, study abroad, temple university, tuj
- 3 Comments »
日本語の勉強、頑張って！！[nihongo no benkyou, ganbatte!!] (Roughly translated as: Good luck with your study of Japanese!!)
Learning Japanese is… ugh, there’s too many words I want to use. Difficult, fun, challenging, tricky, rewarding, empowering–to name a few.
There are countless websites, podcasts, and textbooks dedicated to a student’s advancement in Japanese, but I haven’t found THE outlet that makes me feel like I am actually getting closer to mastering the language. The outlet that makes me say, “SCORE!! I AM LEARNING!” …I’m trying a variety of methods right now but only one has filled me with satisfaction and glee.
First off, I’ve been studying Japanese for a total of 8 months.
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- Posted: June 26, 2009, 11:05 am
- Categories: Campus Life, Japan Life, TOPICS, Tokyo Life
- Tags: african american, black, culture, female, hip hop, japan, japan campus, japanese, nihon, R & B, racism, study abroad, temple university, tokyo, tuj
- 12 Comments »
As an African-American female living in Tokyo, I am reminded everyday just how unique my life truly is. Ordinary, mundane things (such as walking to class, sitting in class, riding the train) all remind me of the obvious: there aren’t many Black women in Japan. Whenever I do see a Black woman here, I always wonder what her life is like and if she likes Japan as much as I do. What made her come here? Where’s she from, and what does her family/friends think of her being here? Is she learning Japanese too?
But the questions never get answered because we never get a chance to speak to each other. It’s either a slight nod of acknowledgment, or barely any acknowledgment at all. This doesn’t bother me, but I do find it a little puzzling because Black men here almost always speak with other Black men. There’s like an unspoken code between the two strangers. There’s either a nod, or a handshake, or the two might even stop and have a brief conversation. It amazes me every time I see it.
But anyway, before coming to Tokyo, I didn’t know what to expect and I had a lot of questions swimming through my head about being Black in Japan. As it turns out, many Black females interested in Japan ask themselves similar questions. The three main ones being:
1) Is there racism in Tokyo?
2) Do Japanese men like Black women?
3) What am I going to do with my hair while I’m there?
The last one sounds quite comical, but when I did research online about Black women in Tokyo, the forums and short comments on blogs always had some form of this question. I could explain how hair and the Black woman share a connection culturally… but it would take me all day to explain. And the purpose of this post isn’t about that, now is it? 
Now, where were we? Ah yes, racism in Tokyo.
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- Posted: June 25, 2009, 9:25 am
- Categories: Campus Life, TOPICS, Tokyo Life
- Tags: japan, japan campus, japanese, nihon, study abroad, temple university, tokyo, tuj
- No Comments »
Why did you come to Japan? Why are you in Japan?
People always ask me these questions. My professors, friends, family members, other students at TUJ, salarymen and women on the subway, fellow gaijin at parties, my landlord, the owner of the bar in my neighborhood–you name it. And even though I’ve heard this question a thousand and one times, I still can’t seem to come up with one, good answer. The longer I stay, the more complicated it gets.
My curiosity about Japan began in my freshman year of college at Temple University Main Campus in Philadelphia. I’ve always had my sights set on the study abroad program but out of all the places that were offered, Japan was the destination that attracted me the most. Maybe it was the mysteriousness. Maybe it was the order.
But at the time, I didn’t put much thought on those particular aspects. The only reason I had at that time was, “It’s not Europe.” I’ve always had this insatiable appetite to experience something different and “off the beaten path,” and I felt like Tokyo would be the place for me.
So in case you’re wondering: No, I’m not a big fan of manga or anime. I barely play videogames anymore. I only have a few J-Pop/J-Rock artists on my ipod, and I’m not a tech buff (who knows, maybe these things will change the longer I stay here).
I came to Japan without any real expectations of the country. Boarding the plane bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I only wanted to see another part of the world, and learn from the experiences I was bound to have. I’m happy to say Japan has not let me down; I have indeed learned a lot about myself as well as Japanese culture in the short amount of time I’ve been here: 6 months.
The funny thing is, I was only supposed to be here for 4 months. After exploring, living, and breathing Tokyo for 4 months, I realized my time here wasn’t up yet. It just didn’t seem right to leave a place as vibrant as Japan only after 4 months! There was so much to see, so much to do, and so much I wanted to do again. So, I made the impulsive (and well thought-out) decision to stay for good…or at least until I graduate.
My initial reason for coming to Tokyo was to experience something new and exciting… however my reason for staying is a little more complicated.
Why am I staying in the Land of the Rising Sun? My surface reasons are simple:
1) It’s fun!
2) I love learning Japanese
3) I love Japanese food
4) I love Japanese culture
However, my real reason is deeper than that, and it’s hard explain to people, especially through a computer.
When it comes down to it, living in Japan is great because there’s always something to do/think about. However, Japan has attached to it challenges that can be exhausting and extremely frustrating. I’m not fluent in Japanese, the train system still manages to confuse me, I hate crowded trains, and sometimes I do get homesick. Even the little things such as not being able to eat certain foods that are readily available at home can seem like a big issue here. Of course there are more challenges I face on any given day, but oddly enough, these are the exact reasons why I love living in Tokyo. These challenges, I feel, make me a broader, stronger person. And when I get frustrated, all I have to do is remember: I’M IN JAPAN!! One of the safest, strangest, most intriguing places in the world
I have experienced so many things thus far– some great, and some not-so-great. But I know one thing: coming to Japan has got to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
I’m so excited to see how this journey unfolds… and can’t wait to share it with you!
Shinjuku, my favorite urban place in Tokyo