It’s 1am and the streets are lit-up in various shades of pink, blue and green. There are so many bright lights here in Shinjuku that the sky looks like cotton candy. If I hadn’t checked the time, I would have sworn it was only 5pm. Tokyo can be deceiving like that. For a culture known for being reserved and quiet, it is quite boisterous here in the streets at the moment.
I sit back and watch as teenagers dart back and forth among the various video game arcades. There are small groups of people flowing in and out of the karaoke bars. I spot a woman walking by with a baby stroller – inside sits a pair of Shiba Inu. The little dogs look like stuffed animals. There is a cast of hundreds, if not thousands, of people filling the streets tonight. Each dressed almost identical, very chic and purposeful. The men are all dressed in black pants, skinny ties and white shirts. The women are dressed in flowery dresses or sleek black pants with white blouses. There are so many people crowding the streets that when the traffic lights turn red, you easily get swept up in the movement of the crowds as they make their way to the other side. If you are not careful, you can easily get swallowed up and lost.
The energy tonight is electrifying.
It’s intoxicating.
As I sit and watch the crowds go by as I eat my double sugar waffle (waffles are the new donuts are the new cupcakes) and drink peach flavored soda, I think about my grandparents and wonder what they would have thought of Tokyo. My grandmother would likely have been dancing in the streets while my grandfather would be bobbing his head to the amateur singers who have lined up in the street to serenade the crowds with the hope of becoming the next J-Pop star. None of them will – but, what they lack in talent, they make up in enthusiasm and passion. My grandparents wouldn’t have cared. They loved music. They lived for music.
Growing up our radio was always turned on in the kitchen playing big band songs somewhere on the AM dial – I can’t remember the station but I remember that if anyone dared touch the radio dial, my grandfather would pounce like a panther at the poor soul who dared to disrupt the rhythm.
Tokyo has a rhythm. It’s not quite like New York City or Las Vegas – it’s something more vibrant. If New York City is punk music and Vegas is Lady Gaga and showgirls, Tokyo is like the soundtrack from a cartoon. A hyper, helium sounding song – very kawaii. It’s a refreshing song – unlike any other city I have visited.
I am always surprised when I come to Tokyo. I always remember Japan as this quiet, contemplative and reserved place. Yet, in the streets of Tokyo at night it is anything but those things. Each time I come here, I have to remind myself that Tokyo is the extroverted child of Japan. It is only when I start to travel into the countryside that I see the more traditional Japan.
I wonder what our students will make of Tokyo — of Japan.
Kris, Katy and I have been planning this trip for over a year and it has grown from a three-week program that hits Kyoto and Tokyo to one that spans six-weeks – all the way from Okinawa to Hiroshima to finally all the way up to the northern Island of Hokkaido. We will see all different types of landscapes, cities, towns, and villages. Yet, we still will only touch such a small portion of Japan.
Our students don’t know much about our itinerary except to fly into and out of Tokyo. We have kept the locations and events secret so that they can live in the moment, be mindful, and disconnect.
It will be quite a challenge for some of our students (and even for me) since we now live in a connected world where every moment is documented, photographed and uploaded for the world to see.
I have found in the last few years that people need to capture every moment in a photo than to just be in the moment. We live in the world of selfies, filters, and Instagram stories. If it is not shared, it doesn’t exist and FOMO (fear of missing out) is a huge driving force in our lives. I say “ours” because it is for me as well – to a lesser extent but still ever present. It’s one of the reasons I am excited for this study abroad program. I want to put down the phone and camera and get lost in all that is Japan.
We have structured this trip around opportunities for students to experience Yugen (those moments in life where what you are feeling transcends description). We hope students will find those moments that are too deep and powerful for words. I always do when I am in Japan – often 5-6 times a week.
If you are not familiar with our study abroad program, our goal is to try and help students become more culturally competent as well as to live in the moment. The students that are accepted are required to take our spring semester course on Intercultural Development. They learn about culture (their own and Japan) and ways to interact and bridge similarities and differences with other cultures.
Now that the spring semester course is finished, there is no more sitting at a desk listening to lectures by us in a classroom. The students’ new classroom is Japan. The places, the people, the moments. We believe that experiencing Japan is the best way to really discover its mystery and lure.
Hopefully, if we do our jobs right, our students will also discover more about themselves as well. To think about their Ikigai, or reason for being. We always tell students that when you travel to the other side of the planet, you can really start to explore the plus version of yourselves. By not being tethered to home, you can really grow and flourish.
We ask our students to try and minimize contact back home to help in this exploration. We know that might sound scary for you as a reader since our students are your children or grandchildren or even friends. But, if you allow them a little freedom to breathe, you will find they will come back home renewed and invigorated.
We are incredibly excited for this study abroad – our group of students are a terrific bunch of young scholars. Some are interested in helping others in life, some are budding scholars, future engineers, artists, some are history buffs – all are amazing young men and women!
We hope you will follow along on this blog as we make our way throughout Japan. Each blog entry will be written by one of the students and we will stuff the blogs full of photos so you can see what we see, experience what we experience — at least the moments that can be put into words!
Arigato.
Stewart Chang Alexander
Japan Lived Experience 2019 