Culture & Education

They’re just going to laugh at me I thought – ‘Who’s the Prime Minister of Japan?’; ‘If you went to see kabuki, what would you be watching?’; ‘Why are you even here Joseph, you don’t have a notion about Japan!’. I was at Belfast Central station waiting to take the train down to Dublin and in my mind this was exactly how my JET interview was going to unfold. I’d recently graduated with a degree in French and Politics and the voice inside my head was right, I really didn’t know a thing about Japan. The truth is though that the JET Programme isn’t necessarily just for people who have had a lifelong interest in all things Japanese; it’s for those who are willing to share the best of Irish culture in return for a unique insight into the culture of this beautiful, enchanting archipelago.
 

If you’re reading this you’re probably about to graduate or have done so within the last few years. Time to face ‘the real world’ they all say, begin a career, settle down - your best days are over. I didn’t want that though, I was 22 years old and I’d barely seen the world, that couldn’t be it, over. So I applied for JET and so began the most amazing experience I could ever have wished for. Well, after the first few days…
 

I arrived in a sweltering Fukuoka in July 2010. I still didn’t know how to pronounce Fukuoka properly or even say, ‘Hi, my name is Joe’ in Japanese. I was quickly informed by a friend that watching me use chopsticks was like watching a horse use a biro. I recall my first solo mission being a trip to the supermarket to get some food. Once inside I felt like I was in a Tesco on Mars. I did two laps of the shop, looked in my basket and realised I had picked up bananas, Coco Pops and Tabasco sauce – the only items I recognised amongst the aisles of fish heads, glass noodles and tofu. I came prepared for culture shock but suddenly I felt like I was being hit by lightening. If there was a time I was going to give up and go home then this was it, but I swallowed the lump in my throat and set about integrating myself into my new surroundings.
 

Five years on and the man with the empty basket seems like a distant stranger. The Japanese are incredibly hospitable people and as soon as you find the confidence to utter your first words of their language, you’ll immediately make new friends who won’t forget your name or your efforts. Today I’m a proficient Japanese speaker, enjoy a great social life and can look back on many fantastic memories, from days spent on stunningly beautiful islands like Yakushima, Miyajima and Ishigakijma (look them up!), to wild nights out in Tokyo, Fukuoka and Osaka that ended as the sun came up. I’ve had some unforgettable experiences elsewhere in Asia too, having visited China and Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, The Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand. I often think of what I would have missed out on had I listened to that doubting voice at the train station. Whatever your academic and personal background, if you’re willing to be a cultural ambassador for Ireland then your own unique experience and memories are waiting to be made here in Japan. Don't let that opportunity pass you by.