Musings of a Confused Man: Nihon No Aji

“Nihon no aji”

(A Taste of Japan)

Growing up in the era where Anime and Sanrio characters such as Hello Kitty have been prevalent in TV, magazines and comics, one would really wish to know more of these characters’ beginnings. In my teenage year, I fell in love and got to listen to the songs of Japan’s most prized singer, Utada Hikaru. In other words, I somehow hoped that someday I’ll be able to dig deeper to the culture of the Japanese people and be able to understand them as a nation.

Last February, I received a mail from the National Youth Commission stating that I was chosen as one of the delegates to the Kizuna (Bond) Project to be held in Japan on March 18-27. After reading the letter, I felt so fulfilled because after several months of waiting, I was finally sure that I’ll be able to go to Japan to fulfil one of my childhood dreams and most importantly, to be able to help their government with their endeavour to spread the absolute truth about Japan’s current situation.

Come 18^th of March, I never thought that I will be able to set my feet on what I once considered a dreamland – Japan. My trip going to the Land of the Rising Sun felt surreal until now. It was a journey full of first-times – riding on an airplane, walking on a pile of snow, watching snow fall from the sky and riding on a shinkansen(bullet train). But what really caught my attention is to witness the full-blooming of the cherry blossoms. From then on, I already knew why sakura captivated millions of people’s hearts – because aside from its unparalleled beauty, the collective view of these flowers is a sight to behold.

With my homestay family. :)

Photo session with friends.

Aside from the things mentioned above, one of the greatest and most compelling attributes of Japan is its people. The warm hospitality and kindness towards other people are some of the characteristics I personally liked about the Japanese people. In fact, in my ten days of stay in Japan, I never felt that I was a foreigner but they made me feel that I am welcome to their wonderful country. I am sure that these traits are also greatly appreciated by the numerous people from all around the world who visit the country every year. Furthermore, these characteristics are also two of the many reasons why people keep coming back to Japan.

Some of my Kizuna Delegates with our own little snowman.

It was agreat Japanese culture experience indeed!

LEARNINGS

In spite of the advanced technology and architectural design, the country still suffered a lot after the Great East Japan Earthquake which further brought two more tragedies – the spread of high levels of radiation in some parts of Fukushima and the tsunami that swept a huge part of the prefecture and took away thousands of lives.But what makes it more despairing is the spread ofFuhyoHigai(harmful rumors) which is detrimental to Japan’s tourism specifically that of the whole Fukushima prefecture and the surrounding areas as well.

The paramount abatement in Japan’s tourism has greatly affected the country’s economy and this has been accounted for the fact that a lot of wrong and inaccurate information are being passed on from one person to another regarding the safety in Fukushima after the tragedies have taken place. Furthermore, sensationalism in local and international media even portrayed the situation in an extremely negative way which persuaded many tourists to refrain from visiting Japan.

As a student ambassador, I realized the need to share my first-hand experiences in Japan to help in negating, if not all, most of the false information about the matter. It is of utmost importance for people to know that high level of radiation is contained only in a specific area near the coastal region of Fukushima. In fact, areas outside the 100km radius in Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant are considered to be safe from the ill effects of radiation. Also, specialized instruments are placed in key spots within the prefecture to monitor if the amount of radiation in those areas is within safe levels.

When we visited a strawberry farm in Minamiaizu in the Aizu region of Fukushima, I learned that in the said region, agricultural products such as fruits and vegetables undergo a series of food safety and quality tests to determine if those products are safe for consumption. During that day, the tests suggest that those products, aside from having high quality, contain minimal amount of radioactive particles. Thus, we were allowed to pick up as many strawberries as we can but under one condition: we must be able to eat those before leaving. In all fairness, the strawberries were so sweet and some really grow big. Having picked up and eaten many of it, I ended up having a light meal during lunch.

My story is one of the many stories about Japan that the world needs to know right now. This story is just a small part of the truth about the current situation in Fukushima that everyone deserves to know. Each one of us has the responsibility to share with each other only the absolute truth about what really happened in Japan during the Great East Japan Earthquake. And as a concerned individual, I respond to this call by sharing everything that I know regarding the matter. Furthermore, I am hopeful that one day, Japan will be able to fully recover about this great disaster and prove to the world that they are indeed worthy to be called the Land of the Rising Sun.