Assignment Takeaway #3
Studying abroad can bring many different emotions to arise as an unknown place becomes home for a period of time. At first, it seemed daunting when learning and experiencing a different culture. However, as weeks pass the student becomes acclimated to their way of life at TUJ in Tokyo, Japan. From the students blog I was able to learn that in Japanese culture social behaviors are more geared towards collectivism rather than individualism like our culture. For example, in one blog posts another student tells her about housing agencies placing same ethnicities together in Tokyo and putting foreigners together. This to me may seem like indirect and collective control as they are trying to focus on the harmony by generalizing where the different ethnic groups are going to be placed.
This assignment was relevant to me as it allowed me to not only sneak a peak into what a study abroad is like, but to also see what a different countries culture is like outside of the media portrayals. The visual representations along with the student perspective from their blog posts has given me a greater interest in visiting Japan. For example, “Sakura” or cherry blossom season was aesthetically beautiful as it is a tradition which is referred to as hanami. From the lanterns hung around the city of Meguro, the people in boats on the canal going between the sakura trees, and the families lounging around picnicking enticed me into wanting to experience their cultural traditions as well.
