Sep 2006

After seeing Japan through Kobe, Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima I felt able to make an assessment on just how different we Americans are from the Japanese people. We were told before we left the ship that Japan is by far the safest country we will travel too and also one of the safest places in the world to travel in general. No where else can you fall asleep on a train without a single worry crossing your mind that someone will steal your belongings. If you drop something, you can be sure a little Japanese person will immediately chase you down and give you whatever it is—even money! And I didn’t say “little Japanese person” as an insult. It’s simply the truth- they are tiny! The biggest shoe size I could find was a size 8. Finding a fast food place was a disaster because a meal to them is not to be eaten on the run. It’s actually insulting to them to see someone eating or drinking in public. This means, when we Americans did, it was a production to find an outdoor garbage can. There were so many subtle differences in culture in Japan as compared to the US. They drive like the English do. It’s basically impossible to see someone outside their home in anything other than proper attire. All the women wear high heels all day long, especially the young girls. They don’t have bars or churches on every corner. In fact, the woman at our home stay told us that most people in Japan aren’t religious! Also, you have to be 20 years old to drink in Japan. You have to be 18, if I remember correctly, to drive a car. The most important difference between our cultures was without a doubt, the kindness of Japanese people. On three occasions, when we were lost, we had people physically walk with us to show us where to go- regardless of how out of the way it was for them. When you ask for directions, they don’t point to a map and tell you, they say “I show you” and they take you there. They ask for nothing in return. At one point, a young kid told us Americans helped me so now I will help you. In no other country would people do that. Being the foreigner in another country, lost and needing just one person’s kindness has definitely made me feel that going home I will be a lot more sensitive to those in that situation.
Overall, I loved Japan, mostly for its people. It was a lot different than I imagined it to be but then again, I have these ridiculously primitive ideas of what other countries should look like. I hope with everything I’ve learned, I will be able to show my friends and family what an amazing experience it is to be submerged in a culture so different from your own. Being in a world that I could not communicate with most people (English isn’t all that prominent there) forced me to break through to people in ways other than simply language. You really connect with people when you work on trying to find ways to communicate other than speaking. It is a beautiful thing.
I think it’s going to be strange to go home and to explain why I feel so connected to other countries and other people. The other thing I realized today is that traveling humanizes the world. Before, you just think oh a country is a country full of just bodies. But when you go there, you meet the people, you learn the culture, that now when I hear Japan in the news I will stop and think about the couple who invited me into their home, the children on the bus, the strangers who took me under their wing and showed me directions. It’s an amazing feeling, feeling connected to something other than America.

On the 12th we docked in Kobe, Japan. Before we could leave the ship they sent on ambassadors to share with us a welcome and some features of their culture. The most touching aspect of the presentation was when a gentleman asked us to accept his apologies for what happened on September 11th. Hearing this, I was quite stunned. As an American I know I was affected by the tragedy, however, as a non-new Yorker, its almost as if I wasn’t given the right to feel anything. On the way to skydiving in Hawaii I heard a girl behind me say “It may have been an attack on America, but it was an attack on my home!” This immediately made me feel like as simply an American, I didn’t have the right to be changed by the experience. Hearing those words out of the man from Kobe’s mouth, I felt what other countries feel: the American side of the tragedy. It wasn’t just NYC after all, it was DC and PA too. It was an attack on an American monument that was so essential in not only the NY skyline, but in the American society. With all of these thoughts in the back of my mind, I got off the ship and was immersed in Japanese culture. The train system was scary at first because the language difference. Thankfully most street names and ticket stations are written in English as well as Japanese. After a few hours on the bullet train we got to Hiroshima. I traveled with Jenn, Jess, Sam, Emily, Kate, James, Bobby, Jen and Jane. We got to Hiroshima only a half hour before the museum closed so our visit was rather rushed. The weather was also not very conducive to outdoor activities as it was raining all day long. So Hiroshima is different than anything I expected. Im reading a book called “Hiroshima” by John Hersey for my Psychology class so I was prepared to see the museum. Between the book and the museum I was shocked to see how much of the bombing Americans did not know about. As a kid I learned only that they bombed Pearl Harbor and we bombed them twice which ended the war. In the book, I read about true stories of the people who were involved. The things that happened as a result of the bomb were nauseating. One story in particular was of a woman badly burned who reached up to take the hand of a pastor trying to help. Upon grabbing her hand, the womans skin completely pulled off “like a glove.” People who didn’t die immediately died after as a result of extreme burns, radiation or leukemia in the months and years after. For those who survived unharmed, they spent the rest of their lives fearing having children because they were told their genes were ruined. After reading all of this, I wasn’t surprised by what I saw in the museum. What I was surprised by was how much Americans don’t know about the effects of the bombs. One display showed a model of the city before the bomb and then what it looked like after. Miles of the city were obliterated. We also saw the A-bomb dome which was the only building left after the bomb was dropped that still survives today. In the museum they also had on display outfits, a lunchbox, a tricycle and the worst one, a fingertip with the nail still attached. All of this was so hard to see knowing that my country caused it. I know that we were thinking strategically when it happened. But I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed as I walked around the museum being constantly exposed to images and words that were withheld from me until that point. I left the museum feeling ashamed at my education. I felt weak for being part of a nation that is so set on not appearing weak that we cannot admit our mistakes. It’s sad that we teach our children the facts about the war and glorify the American response yet never once are we exposed to the Japanese story. It made me very angry. All these feelings brought me back to the issue surrounding September 11th. Hiroshima was not only a tradegy for Japan, it was a tragedy for humankind.
On my last day in Japan, I returned to Kobe for a homevisit. The husband and wife sat Jenn and I down at their table to talk. They gave us Japanese desserts which weren’t particularly good (anything with the word bean in it should not be a dessert). We talked about many things but the words that will remain with me were those that were said about Hiroshima. Jenn and I asked how Japanese people feel about Bush and Americans. The husband said they respect America and love Americans. They know that most of their protection comes from America (we wrote their constitution—they aren’t allowed to have an army and their location makes them very vulnerable) so he said even if they didn’t like Bush, they wouldn’t say it. He said he knew we were American students because we ask a lot of questions which is apparently something Japanese students don’t do. He then asked how we felt about Hiroshima. We told him much of what I said above and he was very pleased. He said that Japanese people feel very strongly about it and make sure all of their children visit the monument. It seems to be such an important part of their history. He also said they are not angry anymore, rather, they wish to be the example for why war is a bad thing. He also said that the Japanese wish nuclear bombs were not a threat (especially since they are so close to Korea which has bombs that will reach Japan in 10 minutes). It was sad to see how much of Japanese life is shaped by the events around Hiroshima. Speaking with the man and going to the museum helped me form some new thoughts about America, 9/11 and Hiroshima itself. These experiences, the museum and the homestay, were undoubtedly two experiences that will change my life.

We all woke up early in the morning as we pulled into our first port, Honolulu Hawai'i! When we walked up to the deck, the first thing we saw was everyone on their cell phones. It was so nice to finally get to talk to someone and see land after I think 10 days at sea? We were up for sunrise which was beautiful. Its pretty much indescribable to pull into a port at sunrise.

It took forever to get off the ship. They didn't dismiss in any order so everyone just rushed the stairwell to try and get off. We only had the better part of a day to see Hawaii and it was clear that no one wanted to waste a single minute. We finally got off and had a few hours to kill before the van came to pick us up to go skydiving so Kate Sam and I walked ot the shore to see the beach. Honolulu is a lot like any american city. The beaches are unbelievable! The water is turquoise and the sand is white and there are mountains everywhere and it is just beautiful. The whole atmosphere is just relaxing. We sent some postcards home, bought some souveniers and then walked up and down the beach for a while. Then we caught a cab back with some old guy with a dent in his hair who sang us hawaiian songs..one particularly nice one about marijuana and how everyone should be able to smoke it freely because its God's gift. Thankfully Sam caught most of the trip on video.

We met up with a group of kids and caught a van to Pacific SKydiving on the North Shore. We ended up having to wait a good 5 hours to jump because they had booked almost 100 sas kids to jump that day with only 5 professionals on hand to jump us. So we ate hot dogs and watched other peoples videos and even played some asshole in the sun on the lawn. Finally, 3 planes to go Sam and I and this kid Dave got to go up. They put you in your harness and take you out to the plane on this golf cart. You get out and they run through real quickly what you should do and then you climb in this tiny plane with your videographer and your tandem guy. You sit on these 2 metal beams and they harness you up. You fly up and its beautiful and then terrifying when you realize your about to fling yourself out of this plane. Its even worse when you find you are sitting closest ot the door and therefore have to go first!! My guy, George, inches us up towards the door and grabs onto the doorway. As soon as I look out, I feel like I have my head out a car window going 120 miles per hour. I started to scream "Oh my GOooo..." and then he jumped!! We went falling outta this plane into the sky and you couldnt distinguish up from down and there was so much wind you couldnt even breathe let alone control your face when you realize the videographer is in front of you with a camera waiting for you to smile! You do your best and youre just falling and faling and spinning around and you cant see anything but clouds and sky...strangely enough thought you dont feel the rollercoaster drop or anything. Then he pulls the shoot and you get yanked up in the air so high so fast you definately feel like you are going to lose a leg to the harness! Then before you know it, the extreme loudness of the falling is gone and its silent. Absoutely SILENT. You look down and you are suspended above the ocean and the island and it is one of the most beautiful things. just kept saying "OMG" cuz it was literally the most beautiful place!

You float around up there for awhile...we got to see a rainbow and a breathtaking sunset! It's like I was hanging in the middle of a painting! Then you start to spin down and you land in a field next to the building we took off from and its just thrilling. I was so giddy and so happy! It was definately one of the best things I got to do and what better way to start out my trip than to fling myself out of an airplane at 14,000 feet!?