Kake-Kyashi Project

Cassidy Kerr, KAKEHASHI Project 2018(19) Participant - A Blog About Sharing my Experience in Japan! ~Building a Bridge Between Japan and the US~

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Hokkaido University Museum, Hokkaido University, Sapporo (pt.2)

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Hokkaido University Museum, Hokkaido University, Sapporo (pt.1)

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Hokkaido University Museum

The Hokkaido University Museum is a beautiful hub of knowledge found on the Sapporo campus of Hokkaido University. The museum houses thousands of specimens and over 130 years worth of scientific research and history. It began as a natural history museum and now manages important scientific discoveries and academic resources. The museum shares much of its knowledge with its visitors and now hosts not only exhibits but also educational activities as well. 

It was so cool to be able to see in such detail the nature and history of Hokkaido over time, as well as the innovations and technological advances Hokkaido University has created throughout it’s history. 

This museum has an unending wealth of knowledge and it is completely free for the public to visit and enjoy. I highly recommend visiting Hokkaido University Museum if you find yourself in Sapporo. You’re sure to learn something new! Be on the look out for some photos from this museum!

If you’d like to learn more about the Hokkaido University Museum, click here to visit their website!      

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Hokkaido University Lunch!

While visiting Hokkaido University, we got the chance to eat in their cafeteria and have lunch with some of the students! Getting to see the cafeteria was interesting, I found the layout very smart! There were separate lines for each different type of main dish (curry, bowls, ramen, etc.) and then there were many side dishes to choose from in sliding-door windows. The cafeteria had many long tables and chairs where the students could eat together, and their clean up system consisted of separated trash and a dish washing conveyor (which I thought was pretty cool).

I was happy to see that Hokkaido University had a great variety of foods for their students, with generous servings and at great prices too.

We had a great time eating and talking with the students, and afterward we all went to the Hokkaido University Museum together!

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Hokkaido University, Sapporo

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Hokkaido University

After arriving in Sapporo, our group was taken to visit Hokkaido University. Hokkaido University is a member of the Imperial Universities in Japan and is considered to be one of Japan’s top universities. It was founded by William S. Clark in 1876 and was originally called Sapporo Agricultural College.

The parts of the campus we visited were beautiful and had lots of trees. The students we met were all very friendly and they were majoring in all different kinds of fields. Interestingly, some of the students I met there had previously attended another college that my own university does study abroad with! Many of us made friends with the students, including myself! 

On the Sapporo campus, the university has a museum, which we also had the pleasure of visiting. Look out for my posts about it!

If you’d like to learn more about Hokkaido University, click here to visit their website!

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Sapporo Snow 💙

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Edo-Tokyo Museum, Tokyo Japan (pt.2)

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Edo-Tokyo Museum, Tokyo Japan (pt.1)

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On our way to Narita International Airport to leave for Hokkaido!

And what is that in the last pic...? Mt.Fuji!! We were surprised by Fuji for a split second while on the highway.

I was looking out the window and blinked for a few seconds when I saw it. "Is that...? Is that FUJI...?" I thought, flabbergasted. I was actually seeing it. I whipped out my phone and managed to get a pic of it before we lost sight of it! Some people on our bus didn't see it before it was gone. I was very lucky!

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Akihabara, Japan (pt.2)

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Akihabara, Japan (pt.1)

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Making okonomiyaki with my host family

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Hokkaido

Hokkaido is the northernmost of Japan's four main islands. It is populated by over 5 million people and is home to the indigenous people of Japan, the Ainu (stay tuned for a post about the Ainu!).

We stayed in a beautiful hotel as well as spent time with host families in Sapporo, Hokkaido, the fifth largest city in Japan! While in Sapporo, we visited Hokkaido University, its museum, and Hokkaido Museum. My host family was kind enough to take my housemate and I to the Sapporo Beer Museum and the Historical Village of Hokkaido as well. My time in Sapporo was definitely a great learning experience - be sure to read my posts about each of these places!!

We were there in January and the snow was everywhere; it was beautiful! The snow was piled up and looked pillowy soft. Seeing the snow in Hokkaido was the first time I'd ever seen snow in my life, and I can't think of a better way I could've experienced that! I am very grateful.

If you'd like to learn more about Hokkaido, click here!

If you'd like to learn more about Sapporo, click here!

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Japanese Food

I absolutely love food, so I wanted to make sure I had some posts that talked about just that! All the food I ate during my time in Japan was absolutely delicious! I was genuinely surprised to discover there was not one thing I didn't like! Be on the lookout for food pictures on this blog!

Here are some foods I got to enjoy in Japan that I highly recommend you try:

Taiyaki - Fish-shaped cake typically filled with red bean paste. The one I got in Akihabara was filled with green tea cream.

Okonomiyaki - A savory pancake, cooked with all kinds of different toppings like fish, meat, cheese, etc. My host family and I made Okonomiyaki for dinner together. It was delicious, and fun to do!

Shabu-Shabu - A hot pot dish where thinly sliced meat and veggies are swished in hot water to cook and eaten with dipping sauces. Another fun dish to eat with others!

Obento - Obento are meals made up of small portions of a variety of foods. Our hotel had bento waiting for us when we arrived in tokyo and they were great!

Karaage - Japanese fried chicken. I had karaage a few times while in Japan, each time it was crispy and yummy!

Katsudon - A rice bowl topped with a fried pork cutlet. I had a katsudon curry dish at Hokkaido University that was delicious and inexpensive despite its large quantity!

Hijiki Salad - A simple salad made with a wild type of nutritious seaweed. Don't knock it before you try it…!

Onigiri - Rice balls wrapped in seaweed. Often served with various fillings - my favorite was the tuna and mayo filled!

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Ofuro Etiquette and Reality

Before going to stay with my host family, I have to admit I was very nervous. Meeting a whole family, speaking only in Japanese, and wanting to make a good impression were all worries floating around in my mind. I was also hesitant about the ofuro, or bath.

During all my Japanese studies and whatnot, I was always taught that in a Japanese household, there are rules about who takes a bath when, and what to do and not to do when taking a Japanese bath (Like showering before soaking in the clean tub, etc.). I'd learned that the guests of the house were always to be the first to use the bath, and the same water in the tub is used for every member following.

I'd never used an ofuro before coming to my host family's house, so I was dreading going first, having to bathe and soak, and doing something wrong in their home.

Needless to say, I couldn't have been more relieved when the youngest brother of my host family happily stood up after dinner and announced he'd be taking a bath…!

My preconceptions about these weirdly strict ways in which people in a Japanese home conduct the order of bath-taking were erased! Both evenings family members took baths whenever they felt like it and each time I went to take a shower, the tub was empty. I figured I didn't even have to soak in the bath if I didn't want to.

My experience eased my nerves and taught me to be more careful about the things I learn about Japanese culture - while etiquette is always present in some way, sometimes there are small differences depending on the family or people.

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Host Family Experience: Students and School

Spending time with my lovely host family opened my eyes a bit to the lives of Japanese students. I was lucky enough to have 3 host siblings, two little brothers in elementary school and one little sister in middle school.

My host siblings were on their winter breaks from school while I was with them. I learned a bit about what school breaks are like for them through a discussion we had while eating breakfast: Both my host brothers had tons of homework and projects to do during break, along with soccer practice. My host mother sighed during the discussion, saying that it didn't seem like much of a “break” for them, considering the work.

Even without discussion, I could tell school breaks were very busy for some Japanese students just by how busy my host sister was while I was there. She was so busy in fact, I only saw her twice during the day and a half I was with my host family - the first time was the night we arrived at the home and were introduced to the family and the second around 8:30 at night, after the rest of us had finished dinner, when she got home from practice.

Not only did she have soccer practice like my host brothers did, she also had school band practice from early in the morning till late in the evening! And then a recital the day after. Every morning she was gone by the time the rest of us woke up! I commend her for working so hard despite it being winter break for her. I only wish I had gotten to spend more time with her!

In any case, I was very surprised by how busy they were with regard to school activities despite it being winter break!