Japan: Then and Now37 years ago, Kathy Masaoka studied in Japan. Her son’s EAP experience in Japan shows her how things have changed, and some things that haven’t
by Kathy Masaoka Kobe,
Japan 1968 Tokyo, Japan 2004 I remind myself that this is his journey, not mine. It is hard not to want to share some lessons and advice. My year in Japan on EAP was a year that changed my life and answered some questions. It was an important year for young people all over; student strikes in Japan, the U.S., and elsewhere, while I was on a personal journey to find my identity. I did not find it in Japan but I did learn a lot about the culture of my grandparents and the fact that I was neither American nor Japanese. Thankfully, those student strikes led to changes on the campuses and brought ethnic studies classes where I did learn that I was a part of a new identity, Asian American. You would think my son would not have the need to seek his identity but he does not see things the same way I do. He does not think that Japanese-American is a real identity and he calls himself Japanese. So, in some ways, the desire to go back to roots and figure it out for yourself does not change. Even though he can e-mail and call home very easily, he is too busy running around Tokyo to tell us about his experience. I try to hold back on giving too much advice but I cannot keep quiet. I tell him to travel, to speak Japanese whenever he can, to not just stay with English speakers although it is more comfortable, and to keep a record of his experiences. They will never come again. |
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am
anxiously awaiting the first phone call from home at my relatives’
place in Kobe where I am staying during
the winter break. I have been studying at the International
Christian University in Mitaka, Japan, since September and
the holiday season is making me feel quite homesick. The
phone call comes but my mother, father, and sister all have
the Hong
Kong flu and can speak only for a few minutes. I am disappointed
and worried. They have crawled out of bed to make the call.
It is probably early morning for them since Japan time is
17 hours ahead of Los Angeles.
y son is eating lunch, not particularly
concerned about the phone call from his parents in Los Angeles.
We call and he asks us to call him back after he has finished
eating. He calls us an hour later. Calling cards, computers,
and cell phones have made this phone experience totally different
from that call from home 37 years ago. 
