The 2012 Japan-East Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS) Programme
My Experience of a Lifetime in Japan
by
Tan Ann Chen
(UTAR Chemical Engineering degree student)
I am glad to have participated in the Japan-East Network
of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS)
programme in March 2012 which is a project is advanced
by the Japanese government from the standpoint
of providing a sound foundation for strong solidarity within
Asia through large-scale youth exchange. The exchange
youths, mainly from EAS member countries (ASEAN,
Australia, China, India, Republic of Korea and New
Zealand), would be invited to for a visit to Japan.
It has been the best experience in my life. We first
attended the orientation in Kuala Lumpur before leaving
for Japan. In Tokyo, we had a lecture on the Overview of
Great East Japan Earthquake and Recovery.
Our main activities were carried out in Oshima Island of Miyagi Prefecture in Tohoku area. We
departed from Tokyo Station and took the Shinkansen bullet train to Ichinoseki Station followed
by the bus to Kesennuma and lastly by ferry to Oshima. For a better understanding, "o" means
big and "shima" means island in Japanese. So “Oshima” basically means "big island".
We stayed in Kameyama-so for 4 nights which was a first and meaningful cultural experience
for me. Kameyama-so is a traditional Japanese inn and it features the tatami room, hofuro
bathroom and beautiful garden. I wore the Japanese kimono, ate traditional Japanese food, and
slept on futon spread on the tatami-matted floor. It was surprisingly comfortable.
View of Oshima Island after the recent Tsunami attack
Apart from the traditional stay, we visited the Tsunami affected areas in the island. We carried
out volunteer activities such as cleaning the Tanaka-hama beach, making flowerbeds nearby
the Oshima Kesennuma Tourism Association as well as visiting the elders in daycare centres.
In order to deepen our knowledge of the tsunami impact, we took a cruise ship around Oshima
Island and our tour guide explained the details. I was very impressed that the tour guide was
already in her 60's and was touched by her story that she lost 5 relatives in the 311 Tsunami.
Despite the loss, she is courageous enough to stand up and carry on with volunteer work as a
tour guide to explain the impact of the Tsunami and the recovery of the aftermath. I observed
that they are still in recovery stage but they have already sorted out the debris into categories
and this surprised me very much to see how organized they are. Some of the residential areas
have recovered while the other residents have to stay in temporary houses.
There was an exchange in cooking food
with the local Japanese whereby the guys
helped the Japanese wives to cook
Japanese food and the girls cooked
Malaysian food such as herbal eggs and
„nasi lemak‟.
We managed to experience the making of
the fisherman glass floats which are used by
the local people in catching Tuna fish. In
return for all of these great activities, 39 of us
did 4 different performances such as the Silat
martial art, traditional dances, traditional
songs and the „Dikirbarat‟. We enjoyed
performing and were happy to see the
Japanese enjoying the performances as well. Cultural exchanges like these certainly enhanced
the relationship between the Japanese and us Malaysians.
In Tokyo, I visited the remarkable icon which is the 333-meter high Tokyo Tower and the
famous Imperial Palace. In addition, we visited Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS). We
networked with their students especially those pursuing foreign languages such as Bahasa
Malaysia.
The students introduced us to their campus facilities, structure and university culture. We had
dinner with them after that. Another important event in this program was the lecture on "Look
East 30 and Beyond" by Dr. Yoshimura Mako, Professor of Hosei University, Japan. In this
lecture, we learnt the importance of the Look East Policy which was initiated by our ex-Prime
Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr Mahathir.
Lastly, we attended a workshop to share the findings and our experience of the programme and
our group did a presentation. I was honored to make the presentation in the presence of
representatives from the Japan International Cooperation Centre (JICE) and the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA).
I am very impressed with their discipline, culture and attitude which drive them towards
successful developments in Japan. I have gained a lot of first-hand experiences which I will
remember and learn to emulate the good habits in my daily life. It is entirely different when you
see the real Japan with your own eyes rather than hear the news in the media.
Perhaps some people out there are still worried about their safety and health and would think
twice about visiting Japan, but from what I see, it is safe to visit Japan after all. I would definitely
go back again to visit the acquaintances I met
during this programme including those amazing
and beautiful places.
Volunteer activity – making flowerbeds.
Silat performance
Group photo with Tokyo University of Foreign Studies‟ (TUFS) students