Anime and video games have become a significant part of my life. Like many others, when watching anime, I dreamed of one day going to Japan. I envisioned myself as a Japanese schoolgirl with magical powers and a talking cat.
As I watched influencers on social media talking about their trips to Japan, I would cry to my mom about how much I wished to go to Japan. My mom caved in finally and suggested I go to Japan with Texas State University because of a summer study abroad program where I could go to Japan.
Finally, my dream of becoming a magical girl will come true! I emailed the director of the program, Professor of Instruction Gilbert D. Martinez, hoping to join the program despite not being a mass communciation major and having no prior experience with journalism. Surprisingly, he said, “Yes”! I really looked forward to spending time making new friends and exploring Japan and its culture. I was excited to experience Japanese 7-Eleven, Family Mart and Lawson! I was excited to buy a suitcase full of anime and video game merchandise to take back home and gloat to my friends. When Professor Martinez gave me the OK, I jumped out of my bed and showed my mom the approval email message!
After a painful 11-hour flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo, not including the extra layover in Phoenix, we got off the plane already foaming at the mouth, wanting to explore and take in the view but, no time for that yet! First, we needed to exchange our money, pick up our checked luggage and take a charted bus to the hotel. I was completely fascinated by Japan itself and I honestly must have looked like a complete tourist by taking a video of my view inside the bus. I guess I probably couldn’t expect to blend in even though I have a lot of knowledge about Japanese culture from social media and a shirt that says “Tokyo.” I genuinely thought that if I knew some culture of Japan, I wouldn’t be a complete tourist fool. But I was wrong, and I had many awkward interactions as a tourist. The first meal I got in Japan was a vegetable ramen and somehow it tasted like the best thing I had ever eaten.
Since this was an actual class, we were required to do some things and the itinerary was packed! But even though we were required to attend, I was extremely glad to have the experiences! The many temples and shrines we went to felt so sacred, and my favorite was Kiyomizu-dera Temple. I personally knew the history behind Kiyomizu-dera which is that if you jump off the temple balcony and if you don’t end up dying, your wish will be granted. It just goes to show what people are willing to do to get their wish granted! Of course, jumping off isn’t allowed anymore, but I found that part of Japanese history interesting. Instead of jumping off buildings, there’s a little shrine area with three streams of water that represent different meanings: longer life, love and success in academics. If you drink from one of them, it’s believed that you will be granted that wish. But you only get one of those wishes, so don’t get greedy.
Another place we went to was called Tsukiji Outer Market, and I really enjoyed it. I loved being able to walk around and try out different kinds of Japanese street food. The food was the best and so delicious! It was also the first time I ever ate wagyū steak. I heard it’s high-quality meat, but I didn’t realize how high-quality it was going to be, especially because it was just a skewer. But I loved it so much, I ate three wagyū skewers from different places, and each time I savored the taste. I, for one, am not an adventure-type eater. I usually like sitting at home and eating spaghetti for dinner. I went out of my comfort zone, and I am glad I did because I just really enjoyed the street food of Japan.
There were times when the professors and tour guides got tired of babysitting us all day and they decided to let these young adults roam freely. My favorite activity was just being able to shop around freely. I bought so many plushies. I had so many that I ended up showing off my plushies to some Japanese high school girls. There is nothing like bringing home many souvenirs to help remember your trip to Japan. My poor wallet was screaming to give me a break, but I didn’t listen! You’re only in Japan once! During our free time, my favorite moments were just sitting down with my friends and eating some Japanese dish, mostly ramen with melon soda. I enjoyed talking about what all of our experiences were like in Japan.
What is the life lesson I learned from being in Japan? There were a few things, actually, that I learned. No matter how prepared you think you are to explore a new country, you actually don’t know what you’re truly going into. And this is completely fine. Even if I ate the egg spread that you were supposed to spread on the toast, or accidentally sat literally in front of a sign that says “DO NOT SIT HERE” in English, or even sat on your new suitcase toppled over on it in a popular shopping district, nothing will prepare you for the silly, awkward moments in a different country.
I also learned that even though I am not an adventurous eater, there are many foods in Japan that I tried and actually ended up liking. Before the trip to Japan, I was nervous about what I would eat. I knew I liked rice and meat. But now I can proudly say I love wagyū beef, melon soda and Katsu Sando (Japanese sandwich with breaded pork).
Another small thing I learned was Japanese vending machines have different drinks. I thought at first that they would have the same drinks and the only difference would be whether they were hot or cold drinks. I was wrong. You can get water bottles at ANY vending machines, but if you want a specific drink like Sprite or Calpico, you’d have to find a specific vending machine. This made me a little sad because I am a Sprite lover but, because of Japan, I became a Coca-Cola lover.
Coming into this program, I knew that it would be a bit of a challenge for me since I’m not a mass communication major. I knew literally nothing. I had to force myself to learn new skills like editing videos, writing good captions, and learning how to write in AP style. I figured that my professors, Gilbert D. Martinez and Jon Zmikly, would have extremely low expectations for me. I’m not saying that I wouldn’t do the work and goof off and not care about my work, but I always thought my work looked like a grandma did it. Not at all knowing how to work CapCut, a video editing app, it was not until my final reel that I learned I could add music. I thought I had to add music on Instagram. Professor Zmikly kept asking me about the music and I told him I’d just add the music on Instagram because I didn’t know how to add music on CapCut. But when I worked with Angie Vasquez, the program’s graduate assistant who helped us, she told me that my work was pretty good! Every time I was in the group, I would mention that I wasn’t a mass communication major which always surprised the group because they explained that they completely forgot since it felt like I belonged. That made me really happy to hear.
Now that it’s the end of the program, it feels as though I didn’t do enough. By that, I mean I absolutely want to go back to Japan and explore more! This trip was just a taste of Japan. I felt like I was given just a drop of water in a desert and I am wanting more! This whole trip made me excited to go back to Japan!
I am extremely thankful to this program and the director for letting me join even though I’m not a mass communication major. I feel like I learned so much about Japan and even learned the importance of media. I would always stay away from the news because I felt scared hearing about something horrible that was happening, but the news is supposed to inform people of the news and what’s going on.
My major is human development and family science, which studies the development of people over a lifetime. I’m still new to my major but maybe after being exposed to mass communication, maybe I will figure out a way to use media to help advocate for families. I’m still undecided in my exact direction, but I do know that I have gained some background skills in media that could potentially help in my career.
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