My Total Japan Experience

2010 was a great year. Heck, it was the best year of my life. PERIOD.

I felt blessed by God for the wonderful opportunity He has given me.

An opportunity of a lifetime.

This is my story.

It all started when that letter came. I got the scholarship. And I was to be on an exchange to Japan for 2 weeks. The feeling of excitement and at the same time,the fear of not being accepted were the two main things on my mind. But I was assured that the 56 of us, including myself, would do just fine.

The clock was ticking. As fate would have made it, the 56 of us were reunited again, during the JENESYS Pre-Departure Camp. Catching up was brief, but what’s more important were the ever long advices from the chaperons and the volunteers. After all the formalities were settled, by the time we’d known it, we were on the next flight to Osaka.

The ASEAN Mix team!

4th December 2010. We've made it! All the months of waiting, all the interviews that we had gone through, were all paid off during that precise moment we landed at Kansai International Airport. That first breath of Japan air really blew us away, as it was the first time most of us had tasted cold air! And the friendliness of the Japanese volunteers were of course, top class. Orientation got the most of us, after the gruesome 6 ½ hours flight. But we were content, and made it throughout the day. The night was well spent with room mates from various nations, mine being friends from Cambodia, Laos and Brunei!

The ASEAN Mix group were treated to a tour to Kinkakuji, The Golden Pavilion Temple. It was one of the many UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kyoto, as Kyoto was THE cultural capital of Japan. The golden structure of the temple really caught my eyes, not to mention the reflecting pond which surrounds it! Having Udon at Arashiyama, a popular site for hanging out and relaxing in Kyoto, complements the day all together!

Hiroshima City was the next stop for all 660 participants of the JENESYS Programme. The first taste of Okonomiyaki, the Japanese style pancake kick started the journey perfectly! The ride on the Shinkansen, the Japanese bullet train, was an enjoyable one. Riding on a maximum speed of 320 km/h, the journey from Kyoto to Hiroshima took no less than an hour and a half. The morning started with a visit to the Genbaku Dome, commonly known as the A-Bomb Dome, the only building which survived the atomic blast. I learnt that the 6^th of August, 1945 was a day of great sadness and were really attached in the hearts of the Japanese people. The visits to the Children’s Peace Monument, dedicated to Sadako Sasaki and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum really opened my mind on what was world peace and the obligations we had as the future generation in preserving it. The afternoon was filled up with the ASEAN Mix event, where I got the chance in representing Malaysia in a panel discussion themed “Asia and Us in 10 years time”. It was a proud moment for me, and I felt honoured representing my country in the world stage, no matter how small it was. Booths were set up, in conjunction with the event, and we did our part as young ambassadors; welcoming the Japanese students and also friends of different nationalites to our booth, giving out samples of traditional foods and also postcards, brochures and such. The night was well spent in the presence of the Mayor of Hiroshima, Mr. Tadatoshi Akiba, and a dinner was held in his honour. The mayor gave a mind-blowing speech on peace, and it drives us more in our effort in promoting peace in the world.

We parted ways the next day as we were heading to our respective chapters and host families. I considered myself lucky to be placed in Kyoto, and was the only Malaysian there. The first encounter with my Liasion Person, Junya-san, was rather an awkward one, as I presumed he was my host father! But the issue was finally resolved when I got to meet my host mother, Miku-san. The family welcomed me with open arms, taking me to various places, namely temples such as the Kiyomizu-dera Temple and the Byodoin Temple, both of which are certified UNESCO World Heritage Sites. But above all, the family had given me the chance to experience the ordinary life of a Japanese; riding subways, being punctual, and the ways of the Japanese. Though communation was a problem, but it didn’t stopped me from learning to the fullest what was to be taught and presented to me. The Lonely Planet guidebook really did me good during my period of stay in Kyoto! The 6 days with them capped off real nicely with a Christmas Dinner hosted by AFS Kyoto Chapter at a posh restaurant in downtown Kyoto. The next day however, was a sad one, as we parted ways. Nonetheless I assured my host family that this was not the final goodbye, and I will definitely return to Kyoto in the future.

All 660 of us were reunited once again in Tokyo, all of which had different experiences to share. The JENESYS Festival saw the performances of various countries, and as usual, the Malaysians would give a loud cheer when the Malaysians were performing. The evening was rapped up beautifully, with the singing of the theme song, “Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana”, in unision with the members of the programme from 13 different countries. But soon after, the time had come for us to say our final goodbyes. It wasn’t easy, some even cried. Nonetheless, we were excited to get back home, telling our ever wonderful experiences to family and friends back home.

MH 089 from Tokyo Narita to Kuala Lumpur was a real challenge for us. Some, excited to get back home, while the most of us, recalling back the good times we had in Japan. The weather got the most out of us, after being so used to the cold and windy Japan air. After the formalities of the Post Return Camp were settled, the most difficult part had befall among us, which was saying goodbye to our friends, partners and room mates for the past 2 weeks. It was very difficult, but we were assured that we were just a few hours drive away, and also a plane ride away.

The relationships that I had with my friends were greater than ever. New relationships were formed, and existing ones were strengthen. But above all, I had come to a consensus that the AFS saying, “No right or wrong one, just different lah” was true all along. Thank you Japan, for this wonderful experience, and thank you AFS, for being the platform in which all these were made possible. Big shoutout and thanks to all AFS staff and volunteers, especially to Abang Marvien, for the stress rendered and also to Suyin and Kak Suraya for the advices given. The moments spent in the Land of the Rising Sun would be treasured forever, and to spend it with wonderful people like you makes it even better.

P/S: Photos are on Facebook.