“The woods call for Adele,” the other participants sitting on the bus bringing us to Takobana campsite joked, watching as I darted between seats to get the best angle of the most picturesque, almost unrealistic, view of the rolling hills surrounding us and the glistening sea water below the cliff. Green foliage coated the mountains and peaks, with dense bamboo forests blocking any light from entering. Rock formations jutted out from the water and waves crashed angrily against them before going back to sea. The lens of my phone was pressed up against the window to do the scenery justice. It was breathtaking, like a real-life painting now etched into my brain.

The program was unique in that it provided many opportunities to collaborate with the local Japanese college students attending Shimane University or Tokyo Gakugei University, the two universities we partnered with. Our first week consisted of visiting a variety of mainstream, special needs, and diverse schools with Shimane University students. I observed that cooperation and responsibility are taught from a very young age and can be demonstrated as Japanese school children are expected to deep clean their school every day, dish up their own lunch, and even travel to and from school without parent supervision. During our last weekend, we even prepared our own lesson plan with Tokyo Gakugei University students to teach English classes at Tsukoma High School, one of the most prestigious high schools in all of Japan. Although I didn’t speak Japanese and they spoke little English, we were able to communicate through games and jokes, things besides math that count as a universal language.

Besides visiting schools, I also learned a lot about the culture in Japan, particularly by visiting Shinto and Buddhist shrines and temples across Japan and getting introduced to new food. During the weekend, we took a ferry to Miyajima Island, famous for its Otorri gate and Itsukushima Shrine surrounded by water, bustling market selling fresh oysters and delectable momiji manju, and free-range deer (one even took a wad of cash straight out of my purse!). We then traveled to Kyoto, where we stayed at a Buddhist Temple and woke up early to attend a Buddhist ceremony before heading out to rent out traditional Yukatas to wear around the historic district and visit renowned Kiyomizudera Temple. The following day, we walked the Arashiyama bamboo forest and went hiking to get a glimpse of monkeys.

At first, I wasn’t planning on studying abroad in Japan. In fact, it would have made more sense to study in China or Taiwan to complete my Chinese minor or find a program specializing in Social Work, however I truly think that I made the right decision to join A Day in the Life of Japan. It encouraged me to do some individual and professional exploration and learn about and appreciate a community that I will be working with as a future Social Worker. Furthermore, I can confidently say that I wish to travel abroad again.

Name: Adele Berg-Peterson
Status: Junior
Major: Social Work
Hometown: Rockford, Michigan
Program: A Day in the Life of Japan