A first-person account written by Yekaterina "Katia" Kontar, senior communication major. Photos courtesy of Kontar.

Eventually it happens to all of us. We discover a person or a place that ruins the ideas and stereotypes we faithfully follow throughout life and creates new ones by showing the world in a totally different light. This is what happened to the participants of the 2007 UF-Kake group, of which I was lucky to be a member.

The Kake Education Institution hosts a group of UF students and faculty in Japan each summer. UF returns the favor of the Japanese institutions with the Kake Ambassador Program, when Japanese representatives visit Findlay.

At 6 p.m. Monday, July 23, a plane with six tired-but-glowing-with-happiness students and a professor from The University of Findlay landed in Toledo Express Airport. The group just arrived from a three-and-a-half week stay in Japan where they survived a culture shock, lost a few pounds, made new friends and gained experience and knowledge they could not even imagine they would.

The group received certificates of completion for participating in the Kake program.

After a semester of Japanese language and culture classes, the UF group consisting of Jennifer Fox, Katia Kontar (myself), Laura Maurer, Holly Siebeneck, Michael Strahm, Erin Taylor and Dr. Chris Ward flew to the “land of the rising sun.”

Our first destination was Okayama City, the capital and the biggest city in the Okayama prefecture. We stayed in a dormitory called Mitsu International House, which differs from dormitories American students are used to. One or two people occupied a room equipped with a part-time working air-conditioning and a Japanese style bathroom that, at first glance, looked just like any other bathroom with a sink, bathtub and toilet.

However, upon further investigation, we realized that it was not as obvious as it looked. The bathtubs were rather narrow, but very deep. I am only a little more than five feet tall, so I could not really stretch in it, but still was able to take a nice long bath. I had to sit rather than lie in the tub, which was filled with water up to my neck.

The toilet was even more of a shocker. We were lucky to get one of those famous luxury Japanese toilets that do almost anything but sing to you. It had a control panel attached to the wall. We could do anything, including warm the seat to the perfect temperature, if we only knew how to read the instructions, which were all in Japanese. Of course, we could not resist pushing a few buttons just to see what happened. As a result, water splashed all over the place, and the seat was as hot as a piece of charcoal. However, after a few trials we realized how to work Japanese toilets, along with other appliances, and overcame the first stage of a cultural shock.

The Mitsu house consists of two small cozy one-story buildings with a little cafeteria where we ate breakfast. During the first three or four days, breakfast was eggs, toast with butter and jam, juice and freshly-roasted coffee. We also used forks and knifes. However, the silverware was eventually replaced with chopsticks, and the menu changed. One morning, without any warning, we were served a traditional Japanese breakfast of misu soup with tofu, rice and salmon. It was very tasty, but it was awkward eating such a big and nutritious meal for breakfast instead of lunch or dinner.

Food was the primarily cultural shock for many people. While I was fond of everything from sushi to udon (wheat pasta made in thick strips) and soba (noodles made from buckwheat flour), others craved a traditional American burger or at least a piece of plain white bread.

“Japanese food – I can eat it,” said Maurer, a second-year Japanese major. “There are some things that I cannot eat, like nato (fermented soy beans), but overall, it is pretty good.” Fortunately, McDonald’s and bakeries were almost everywhere.

“I was able to eat Japanese food for the first four days, but then I just wanted something different,” said Siebeneck, a recent graduate with a sociology degree.

I truly enjoyed Japanese cuisine. In fact, that is what I have been missing the most since we came back. I particularly miss rice balls with salmon that Laura and I were buying every morning in a convenience store across the street from our hotel. I also miss the pre-sweetened and pre-milked coffee beverages sold in vending machines. Every day in Tokyo, our breakfast consisted of a rice ball and a carton of cold coffee.

Katia Kontar and Jennifer Fox with other students at the Tanabata Street Festival in Nobeoka City

But what all of the Kake participants will miss the most are the people we met throughout the trip. We made a lot of friends with Brazilian and Japanese students and faculty during those three weeks. We visited many universities and vocational schools during our stay where we met Japanese students who either already have gone to Findlay or will come to Findlay this August as part of the Kake exchange program.

Our new friends told us a lot about Japan as well as about themselves and their student lives. They also took us around Nobeoka city during the Tanabata Street Festival, which is one of the biggest holidays in Japan during the summer. Every year on July 7, people write their wishes on tanzaku (colorful thin strips of paper) and hang them on bamboo branches along with other decorations. The streets were crowded with people strolling around in national costumes, playing traditional games and eating a variety of treats right off the grill.

Katia Kontar and Erin Taylor in Hiroshima

We also met several Findlay graduates who now work and live in Japan. Zach Pina ’06, who now works for Kake, accompanied us during our travels to places such as Hiroshima and Miyajima Island, places that left long-lasting impressions on all of us. When we arrived in Hiroshima, we were surprised by the amount of American tourists we spotted there.

We were lucky to spend several hours there, but we easily could have stayed there the entire day. After going through the Hiroshima Peace Museum and Park, the UF group felt deeply affected by all of the images and artifacts that survived the atomic bomb explosion. We also were touched by the warm welcome we received from the Japanese tour guides and visitors. They did not seem to be aggressive, but rather excited and grateful to see young Americans visiting Hiroshima.

The UF-Kake group at Miyajima Island

The Miyajima Island was one of the most relaxing and joyful destinations we went to. I called it a “deer island,” since those creatures with antlers were freely wandering the city streets. We were able to pet and feed them. However, we had to run away several times when they were going after our ice cream.

The Miyajima Island is famous for the Itsukushima shrine that appears to float in the water when the tide is high. The shrine itself was dedicated to the three goddesses of the sea: Ichikishima, Tagori and Tagitsu, who are believed to live in the shrine’s sanctum. We spent half a day in Miyajima, where we had Okonomiyaki, a famous dish of that region that reminded us of a mixture between pancakes and pizza.

We traveled around Japan for two weeks. When we returned to Okayama, we had visited many historical places and sights. We traveled to the Japanese former capital, Kyoto, where we spent two days sightseeing. We visited the garden of the imperial palace that many Americans are familiar with from the movie “Lost in Translation.” We spent the last two days in Okayama meeting Kake officials during a garden party, which is held once a year. We also received diplomas as an indication of a successful completion of the Kake program.

Tokyo was our last destination. We spent four unforgettable days there, during which we visited all of the city districts along with primary museums and historic sights. We also indulged in Tokyo nightlife. The city was everything we imagined it to be. The streets were crowded, up to the point where we were not able to walk without constantly bumping into other tourists. The museums were exciting and had English guides. And last, but not the least, shopping was unbelievable.

Overall, I was really impressed by Japan and its people, culture and customs. Being a part of the Kake exchange program was definitely the biggest adventure in my life. It has been only two weeks since I came back from Japan, but I already miss it and wish I could go back.