As I write this, I’ve got 10 days, 19 hours, and 24 minutes left until I
have to say goodbye to this country I’ve fallen in love with. I can’t believe
four months have passed before me in what only feels like the blink of an eye. Consequently,
I suppose this is a perfect time to begin the wrap-up of this wonderful package
of a semester with a summary.
One of the things so intrinsic to the Japanese
concept is its simultaneous management of the dichotomy betwixt living in the
21st century and its nostalgia for an era long gone. Once can find
this in many facets of daily life, but there are some traditions that are just
so… Japanese. To illustrate, the
pounding of mochi is something quite easily handled by machine, but it’s the smoothly
oiled, well-rehearsed pounding by a team of mochi purveyors that stop crowds
along the street.
One of the aspects of my study abroad experience in Japan I was most
interested in were the comparisons I could draw between living here and Shanghai,
China. To me, I was quite taken with the fast-paced lifestyle of the titan that
is Shanghai, but despite my fascination with this big-city enchantmet, Japan quite
unexpectedly presented me with the contemporaneous presence of a never-stopping
existence with one that has also survived the centuries. What a sight it is to
see hundreds of high school students filing by the 大仏 (daibutsu-
Big Buddha) of Nara in their school uniforms.
In so elegant a way, the Japanese find a beautiful harmony in the
coexistence of modern day and all its technological marvels, and that of the
simplicity of tradition. While I traveled to Tokyo, a friend let me in on the secret
of the most ethereal coffee shop I've had the pleasure of patronizing. Its
peculiarity stemmed from the fact that this was not a store, but rather the
gutted foyer of someone’s home outfitted with a coffee bar and single espresso
machine. Just outside this small room was a lush, Japanese garden, replete with
natural beauty and simple benches that existed alongside each other as if
nature wouldn’t have it any other way.
It is indeed hard to summarize all the experiences I’ve been afforded here by
the people I’ve met, the friends I’ve made, and the places I’ve been. Japan has
been nothing less than a treat most delectable and joy I hope to come to know
better in the future. Japan, you’ll
forever have the warmest of places in my heart.
