The time went fast to the last week of the program, we finished our final presentation at the last day of the program.
Our Final Presentation Day
We rushing to the end without much time to rethink about the program as a whole. And right now, I have backed to China and started to reminiscence the time we spent together in Japan. I started to miss the day when I first arrived at the NYC and Miki passed me my room key, the day I got lost in Tokyo’s complicated metro system, and the day I made a long argument about Japan's economic development in front of Waseda students. All the places I have been, all the people I've met, and all the knowledge I’ve learned now become part of me. This program is by far the most fulfilling and inspiring program I ever participated and I am so honored to have it as the official end of my time at UW.
I found similarities between Chinese and Japanese culture, also, my background as an international student receiving education in the U.S. enabled me to understand and contextualize Japan from a broader perspective. The program is arranged in a way that we do background readings, reflect on our thoughts and raise questions at first, and then we either have lectures or go excursions to renew, testify, or reconsolidate our thoughts. I experienced a clash between two styles of learning: from reading I know the histories and author’s own opinions; Through the excursion, I noticed something that hasn’t been mentioned in the readings and I constructed my opinions based on the information I gathered from both the reading and my observation. This trip also gives me a valuable chance to rethink about “what is bias” in a cultural study, and make me seriously reflect on my opinions about the evolution of China’s national identity: as a Chinese, what biases I have at the first place? A lot of questions are very complicated, especially questions that related to every aspect of a country, such as the construction of national identity. Japan’s experience, from my observation, bears a certain resemblance to China, as the latter is undergoing a hot debate about modernization wiped out China’s unique traditional cultural values and undermine the country’s competitiveness in the cultural industry. There are multiple layers of discussions, but both China and Japan are trying to maintain a balance between its traditional and modernized cultures and values. The flourish communications between cultures have blurred the traditional definition about who being the “influencer” and who being “acceptor.” For example, Zen Buddhism passed to the States and involved into a mindfulness practice as a practical cure for people who yearn for peace in the modern world. On the other hand, Japan’s vegan movement was influenced by western countries, and there is a revival of Buddhism cuisine culture in Japan as a product of combining the vegan movement and traditional religious culture. The program is more focused on the influence of other countries, especially western countries, on Japan, but I am looking forward to seeing how Japan is exporting its own cultures to other countries and I would treat this program as a start to explore more about Japan.
As I stated in my application for this program, I have a mixed feeling about Japan. Its imperial past has deeply hurt many Asian countries and its people, while its development strategy has influenced many Asian countries and its achievement is widely admired. A long time after WWII, Japan’s economic miracle has amazed the whole world and many Asian countries were actively learning from it. Now the program has ended, and I still have the mixed feeling about the country, but there is something changed. I have seen the drastic difference in narratives in Yushukan Museum and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, and I think it was not only me but also Japanese themselves, have mixed feelings about its past. I believe peace is the forever pursuit for all human beings, and the love for peace is universal regardless of nationalities. I think after my trip, my resentment about the past dissolved a bit because I heard the call for peace and seen the respect for those who lost their lives in the wars. I know my background cannot wipe out my anger about the past, and maybe it is a “bias” that I should pay attention to when observing other cultures. The trip has helped me to reshape my opinions about Japan to many extents, and although we all have our biases, we should be more open-minded and be aware of the predisposed perspective we bring into the picture.
Lastly, I want to say “thank you” to everyone in the program, especially to our program directors Kristi, Julie, and our on-site coordinator Miki, without their support, this program cannot be successful. They arranged the most unforgettable last dinner, every one of us received a card full of warm words from them, and this is the first time that I was so moved that my eyes were filled with tears. I also met one of the greatest group of people, they were smart, friendly, supportive and driven, I am so honored to be part of this group and share beautiful memories with them. This program is the best thing I can imagine what the last quarter should be. In an intense one month, I had so many chances to talk to Japan study experts, understand and experience the country from every dimension. Farewell for now, but I am sure, Japan will be a place that worth coming back in the future.
Our Final Celebration Dinner
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