Hey! Shanelle here for the last time! I\u2019m finally back in the U.S., and I must say, this study abroad experience has been one of the most fulfilling experiences I\u2019ve ever had in my life! I went into this hoping to get first-hand knowledge of Japanese culture and its people, and that\u2019s exactly what happened! In everywhere I went and in every person I talked to, I collected small puzzle pieces of knowledge about Japan. Now, back home, I have put all of these puzzle pieces together to form a picture of what Japan truly is \u2013 its people, its landscape, and culture.<\/p>\n
Before going to Japan, I, like most people, didn\u2019t know too much about it. The only thing I knew was that Tokyo was its bustling, crowded capital, and they are well-known for their production of anime. However, after living in Japan for several months, I have realized that Japan is a much more unique and interesting place than just those two elements suggest. In terms of cities, there\u2019s Osaka \u2013 a vibrant area filled with nightlife, food, and a city-atmosphere \u2013 there\u2019s Kyoto \u2013 a traditional city that captures the spirit of old Japan \u2013 and there\u2019s Kobe \u2013 a port city that has a stunning scenic view and is famous for its beef. I lived in the area in which these three cities were located, and I\u2019m so glad for that! Due to this, I was able to witness the diversity of Japan firsthand; my narrow view of what Japan was has expanded tremendously! Japan isn\u2019t just some country that is the same everywhere you go; its cities are as different as day and night, but that\u2019s what makes it so interesting!<\/p>\n
Just like the cities diverged from my imagination, Japan\u2019s culture consists of far more than just anime. Japan\u2019s population, while overwhelmingly Japanese, does not all share the same interests. Through one of my classes at Kansai Gaidai University, I learned that there is a wide variety of subcultures that are prevalent within certain Japanese circles. Lolita \u2013 a type of fashion influenced by the Rococo era \u2013 gyaru \u2013 a stylistic appeal characteristic of big eyes, heavy makeup, and flashy nails \u2013 and visual kei \u2013 more of a fashion statement than a genre of music that is known for its androgynous stylistic charm. These contradicting subcultures help to create the Japanese culture we know today.<\/p>\n
All of these different aspects of Japan and Japanese culture may not be the first things we think of when we think of Japan, but they do exist, and they are significant pieces that help to form the puzzle that we know of as Japan. Therefore, I think they are not to be ignored. I\u2019m grateful that I decided to go to Japan and was able to learn about these various aspects of this country! I hope one day you too visit and experience these things yourself! They\u2019ll make you think of, not just Japan, but the rest of the world, in a whole new light!<\/p>\n
I love Japan! \u65e5\u672c\u304c\u5927\u597d\u304d\u3067\u3059!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hey! Shanelle here for the last time! I\u2019m finally back in the U.S., and I must say, this study abroad experience has been one of the most fulfilling experiences I\u2019ve ever had in my life! I went into this hoping to get first-hand knowledge of Japanese culture and its people, and that\u2019s exactly what happened!…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":510,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kansai"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/510"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10482"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10482\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14163,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10482\/revisions\/14163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rollins.edu\/letters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}