Transcending language and culture: Arts Abroad in Japan

By Sofia Santiago

Nine days, four cities, countless cultural exchanges and lasting memories.

Over spring break, the Office of International Education offered students a study abroad course, Arts Abroad: Performing Arts in Japan. 

The itinerary was created by Yoshinori Tanokura, associate professor of set design and theater. Originally from Japan himself, Tanokura planned the experience to include a diverse range of performances and structured hours with free periods for personal exploration.

The schedule included a musical in Osaka, a stop to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, a visit to the Great ‘floating’ Torii Gate of Miyajima Island, a Noh theater workshop in Kyoto, an afternoon in Super Nintendo World, a Kabuki performance in Tokyo and a cultural exchange with students of Josai University.

The balance of traditional Japanese aesthetics and Western influences in the events was created intentionally by Tanokura to contrast the two and show how they co-exist. 

This is the fourth time the trip has taken place, and it was the first time that Hiroshima was featured as a stop on the itinerary, which Tanokura added after receiving feedback from students.

“Academically, there are different purposes for each student, because we had psych students, business students and AEIM students. Even though the main purpose is to learn about the Performing Arts in Japan, I hope the students gained or learned something useful for their own measures,” he said. 

Tanokura designed the class to prioritize personal learning, since not all students who attended are majoring in the arts. This was done through mandatory daily journal entries during the trip and a final reflection after the trip.

“I hope they learned about themselves. As [they are] an American in a foreign country, I want them to think about where they stand in this world, and when they come back here, I want them to realize good things about this country as well,” Tanokura said.

Liam Sjolander, a sophomore computer science major, had an interest in the trip since hearing about it at the start of the semester and was one of the students who was able to go thanks to the James P. Bush scholarship offered by OIE.

“I felt very zen during the trip. There were a lot of moments where you can get overwhelmed if you let it, because we took the trains and in the cities it’s very busy, … but it was nice to have that experience of knowing I can have control of how I’m feeling even in this situation,” said Sjolander.

 This marked his first time out of the U.S., and Sjolander highlighted the importance of the scholarship in being able to attend. 

“I feel very lucky and grateful for [the scholarship], because I genuinely never thought I’d be able to do something like this right now,” Sjolander said.

One of the highlights of the trip for Sjolander was the ferry ride to Miyajima Island and being able to see the famous red Torii Gate that gets submerged by the tide and appears to float.

Ryann Reich, a junior acting major, echoed this opinion, describing an encounter with a respectful deer on the hiking trails of the mountains on the island. 

She shared how they had opportunities for theater majors to immerse themselves in what the theater scene is like in Japan.

“We went to see a musical on the first night called ‘Ghost and the Lady,’” Reich explained. The musical was based on a novel about a ghost who protects Florence Nightingale, and was entirely composed and sung in Japanese.

Reich continued, “It was super cool. And it just really shows that art really does transcend languages, because I had a blast at the musical regardless.”