Japan Club Aids Culture Shock

Megan Mosquera/Contributing Writer

The Japan club is an interactive student organization that makes dedicating time to incoming students one of its main goals. Last week they held a table at the club fair to welcome new students and gain new members. Now they plan on holding multiple events to help the newcomers fit in and enjoy their involvement at FIU. The Ambassador of the club, Miguel Rischmaui, a junior in the Honors college double majoring in computer science and Asian studies with a Japanese track, spoke on behalf of the club and said that as an organization they “try to talk to people and make them feel comfortable” while learning first hand about Japan.

Planned future events consist of workshops such as Calligraphy Day. Calligraphy is the art of traditionally written language predominantly found in asian cultures. It is a skill that requires a lot of patience because each minor detail or stroke affects the final product. On that day, club leaders will “show students and teach them how calligraphy works in Japan and how you have to be very careful and patient with yourself.”   Another seminar includes Origami day.  They will show everyone how to do origami like the typical and iconic Japanese crane.

In addition to these occasions, they have previous study abroad members acting as speakers for new members.

“Most of our officers, if not all, have studied abroad in Japan. They’ve all been there, traveled around and they are all very excited about Japan. They like talking about their experiences to other people, so every semester we have a day where they volunteer and talk to the students to tell them what they did, like the things they saw and everything that was good about the experience. I think it’s a good way for students to know like, ‘is going to Japan something I want to do? Is it interesting or not?’ A lot of the time we have people who are here in America and they don’t want to study abroad because they don’t know what it is like and they are too scared to go out of the country. A lot of the time officers help motivate them to actually go out into the world and see other cultures.”

As a club full of out-of-state or out-of-the-country members, they understand the struggle of adapting to something new. Because of this they want to create companionship that will ensure happiness while gaining their academic success. They are making sure that their students feel at home by giving members a safe space within the club to share in their engagement with new surroundings and learn while being with their peers.

Photo courtesy of Japan Club on orgsync.com

“You are able to hang out with other members, go out with them…you can already start learning the culture little by little. I think that’s the best way, because you are comfortable and you’re in a friendly area with people you know,” said Rischmaui.

Another main goal of the club is to make students become involved in Japanese culture and invest time into learning its language, traditional wear, music, food and values. There is a very small percentage of Japanese students at FIU; this year there will only be two incoming exchange students from Japan, but this does not mean that they don’t have a supportive club where they can feel accepted.

Japan is a country with a rich history. This club was funded for people to learn and appreciate it through a forward-looking approach. People joining will come to understand the different nuances between different nations all while having fun with new people.

“What brings us together is the Japanese culture. Knowing about the language, what they do in Japan, all those activities. So in terms of bringing people together it’s actually a cool experience, how people from other worlds are actually interested in Japan and how everyone wants to know more.”