Our trip to Japan 2019 was made possible by the Kakehashi scholarship awarded to us. We had the utmost privilege of experience a culture so unique and distinct from our own. Upon discovery of different parts of the country, we learned that Japan can be simple in certain aspects yet bears an intricacy that is beyond comprehension, and that in itself is what gives the experience we had the integrity it deserves. You’re never too far from the city, with bustling streets, lively locals, and delectable food. The countryside is accessible through immaculate bullet train systems that seem to take you through unique dimensions at unfathomable speed. Though I save in-depth details of our trip from this blurb, I leave that up to you to experience for yourself, as words aren’t nearly enough to formulate a response. -Iri Paniagua
The Kakehashi Project was an amazing experience. Not only did we get to experience Japan as tourists and students, but as scholars as well. While we were in Japan, we were able to receive lectures by Hideo Kimura, a top professor of the subject, and a member of the history team at the Tokugawa Art Museum. We learned a great deal about the history of Japan and how that affects the present world there. For example, the Japanese government isolated the island from the 17th to 19th century, allowing nobody to leave, and nearly nobody to enter. This isolation was called sakoku (??) and it is a major reason that the current population of Japan is 98% of Japanese ethnicity. There are two main religions in Japan, Shintoism and Buddhism, both with 70% of the population practicing them. This is possible because of the immense religious harmony between these two religions. Also, because Japan is on a fairly small island, many natural resources have been (or are about to be) depleted. Due to this, 60% of the natural resources used in Japan are imported from other countries.
While visiting the Tokugawa Art Museum, we also learned a lot. That museum is the 3rd oldest private museum in all of Japan. The 9th generation of the Tokugawa family (in around 1900) opened the museum because of the dynamic earthquakes and world depression. It showcases art from the Edo period which started in 1603 and ended 265 years later. It lasted for such a long time because the government adopted federalism as its main policy and secluded themselves from the world. The art from this period is breathtakingly beautiful. -Sadie Keesbury
The Kakehashi project gave us this opportunity hoping that it would promote a mutual connection between Japan and America. Their objective was to advocate a global understanding of Japan. During this trip we were able to get a closer look into Japan’s history, traditions, economy, society, etc. We were given the chance to dive deeper into Japan’s roots and to see how Japan became the country it is today. The homestay in Taiki town located in the Mie prefecture gave us a firsthand experience into how Japanese people lived their daily lives. The homestay was the most interesting part of our trip. We got to try authentic Japanese food and to help the family make it. We were able to make a lot of friends from the Japanese people to other American students who went. This trip showed us that we knew more Japanese than we thought. You can only go if you take Japanese, so take Japanese. -Hieu Le
