Spring Break
Exploring Japan up close
Ya-an Chan
Issue date: 9/4/08 Section: News
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"The first thing that came into my mind was, 'Did the U.S. really do this?'" said David Tacmo, a junior graphic design major. "In my heart, I just felt like I had to respect the people who suffered a lot from the bombing. It was a feeling of remorse from everyone."
On a trip to explore the Japanese culture, participants of the SJSU faculty-led study abroad program arrived in Japan on May 30 where they would live for four weeks in Uji City, a city on the southern outskirts of Kyoto.
For many students, it was their first time visiting Japan.
"Before going on the trip, I really did not know what to expect," said Julie Hock, a junior advertising major. "I thought I might end up eating a lot of sushi and seeing a bunch of similar-looking places."
Instead, the students' experiences mirrored what Japanese Professor Keach Inaba had initially envisioned for them.
"I wanted the students to get to the heart of Japanese culture," Inaba said, "including not only Japanese traditional performing arts … but also Japanese pop culture."
According to SJSU's Study Abroad Web site, the four-week program focused on Kyoto and provided students with an overview of Japanese culture, history and society.
In addition to the lectures on Japanese history and traditional performing arts, students spent a lot of their time out in eight cities witnessing Japanese culture and history imprinted on the country's architecture.
The Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima Island was Nancy Thai's favorite site.
"It was nice seeing how this little island had its own culture developed," said the senior illustration major.
Miyajima Island, with an area of less than 12 square miles, has long been viewed as a holy island of Shintoism, Japan's primary religion, and a focal point for people's beliefs, according to the Miyajima Tourist Association Web site.
While at the island, students also walked through the shrine's famous Torii Gate located on the Seto Inland Sea, as the low tide allowed them to pass through the red 16- meter-high gate.
But what Kevin Frame, a senior computer science major, and Staci Helms, a senior international business major, said they learned the most from was living with the host families.
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