My STEP signature project involved traveling to Japan to study Public Health over a three-week period. During my project period, I participated in several activities including going to the Fukushima reactor that had a meltdown, going to a safety station to learn precautions and proper handling of equipment for fires, earthquakes, and other natural disasters, and studied several diseases including Minamata and Itai-Itai disease.

My understanding of the world changed dramatically throughout the course of this trip. While in Japan, I was participating in an extremely homogenous society, and yet the treatment of our group was nothing but generous and kind. I was able to see the dramatic impact that diseases have had on several Japanese cities and was extremely fortunate to be able to hear personal stories from several that had been personally affected by these illnesses and disasters. By the end of my trip to Japan, I not only had a much larger appreciation for foreign culture, but also grew to appreciate how two different people from completely different parts of the world can connect and grow a close friendship.

The transformation of my viewpoint on foreign cultures and peoples came as a result of the personal stories that I was able to hear from those devastated from these disasters. Up until my trip to Japan, I have always had a large respect for and appreciation of foreign cultures, however, although disasters and events are written about and discussed in a lecture hall and in textbooks, students are expected to quickly move on to discuss other important topics. When going to Japan I was given the opportunity to learn about these events, and dive deeper into the cause, effect, and international consequences of these incidents. I was no longer reading about Itai-Itai disease, I was listening to an elderly woman sadly recollect the pain and trauma that it caused her and her family. I did not simply look at pictures of Hiroshima but visited a museum and discussed the second by second breakdown of the explosion with a survivor. These were not events that have come and gone, they were occurrences that broke and hurt others. I was witness to their pain, and through that was able to truly see the significance and power of these events that shaped so many lives.

My transformation of my viewpoint cannot be explained without first discussing a building known as the atomic dome or the Hiroshima Peace Memorial as it is now known as. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial was the only building left standing after the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. It is a testament not only to the devastation of nuclear warfare, but the irreversible effect the bomb had on many lives. Gone was the old Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, now where it stood was a wiry mess of steel and concrete that represented to many the terrors of that bomb. But after much debate among the people, the structure stands, and is today a UNESCO world heritage site. This building stands as a solemn reminder as to the cost of nuclear warfare, but also as a beacon of hope, that we may remember Hiroshima and not repeat so grave a mistake again. That building to me stands as a key figurehead in the transformation of my viewpoint.

My transformation from viewing events through a passive lens to a more active one was also in part to the assistants who accompanied us. Throughout the duration of the trip we had several University of Tokyo students go with us to museums and events. This helped me understand through the viewpoint of a Japanese student, the importance and gravitas of several key events. Without the students accompanying us, I would be left witnessing stories but being unable to delve even deeper into the emotion and power of them. Being with and conversing with the Japanese students gifted me with the chance to understand how serious the bombing was, how potent the Itai-Itai and Minamata diseases were, how devastating the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami was. This was not dead history on a textbook, this had become living, breathing history that could be repeated if not remembered. Something that I will forever strive to do, that is the least I can owe to those affected by these disasters.

This transformation has become extremely valuable for me, as my experience in Japan will help shape and meld my future decisions and goals indefinitely, sometimes without me even realizing it. By experiencing these stories and learning about Public Health in Japan in an active, dynamic environment, I have been given valuable knowledge in the continuation of my career in Public Health. I will strive to be actively participating in and helping the communities I serve in an active light, finding the problem and learning about the problem are important, but to talk to the people it affects and to build a relationship with the people you serve is just as important. I hope to graduate with a bachelor’s in public health in 2020, from there I will pursue graduate school, and perhaps one day a Ph.D. My professional goals are still set on one day having a Ph.D or going to Medical School. But I am more open now than I have ever been to the possibility of a third option that I have not yet considered. Perhaps I could combine my love for medicine and science with my love for Public Health and working with the communities I serve. Whatever the case, I will always be a Buckeye, and the experience I have had in Japan will lead me forward, one step at a time.

Food in Japan has a long history of different foods. As an island nation, Japan is rich with seafood and various species of fish, as well as several different dishes incorporating a variety of local vegetable ingredients such as the lotus root, enoki mushrooms, and mountain yam. While foods like rice and noodles are typically used as a base for dishes, often times soups and broths are also incorporated into meals such as ramen, miso soups, and hot pot. During my stay in Japan I have enjoyed a myriad of food dishes that I will attach in this post, and while seafood and rice is indeed a popular staple here in the nation of the rising sun, there are various local specialties that I will also detail throughout this blog.

One of the most unique specialties of Japan is Adzuki or red bean paste. Adzuki is also commonly referred to as Anko and can be found in many different confectioneries throughout Japan. In addition to being used as a spread on foods such as toast, it is also utilized as a stuffing for many pastries and bread items. I thoroughly enjoyed it as the texture although similar to a bean dish in America incorporates more sugar and is sweet rather than a flavorful hearty side dish such as baked beans. I am attaching an example of a fried dessert stuffed with Adzuki in picture 5.

Another unique specialty of Japan is the “Bento” culture, or a single portion take out or home cooked meal that often holds rice or noodles, fish, chicken, and pork, and pickled vegetables. The Bento culture of Japan can be most accurately compared to the lunchbox seen in elementary and middle school cafeterias, and while both are contained in a box of some kind, bento is considered an art form, with various foods presented in different wrappings and presentations to accentuate the food inside. I personally found the bento to be very interesting, and after trying several delicious varieties, can only hope that America will incorporate something similar in the future. An example of bento can be seen on picture 4.

If one is to discuss the food of Japan, they cannot do so without mentioning ramen, which has been a staple of Japanese cuisine for years. Ramen is typically a noodle dish served in a meat or fish-based broth that is often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and is commonly topped with sliced pork, dried seaweed, menma (a Japanese condiment made from lacto-fermented bamboo shoots), and scallions. Ramen is typically made with wheat noodles, and it is said that the origins of ramen can be traced to Chinese immigrants in the late 19th or early 20th century at Yokohama Chinatown. An example or Ramen can be seen in picture 3, served with sliced salmon sashimi.

Another popular Japanese dish is Okonomiyaki, which the name of is derived from the work “okonomi”, meaning “how you like” or “what you like”, and “yaki”, meaning “cooked”. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savory pancake containing a variety of different ingredients including cabbage, pork, tempura scraps, and topped with a variety of condiments including Japanese mayonnaise, okonomiyaki sauce, dried seaweed, and dried bonito flakes, which is a type of fish. The Okonomiyaki that I had can be seen on picture 6.

Lastly, I will discuss hot pot and traditional rice bowls, both of which have served as a large foundation for East Asian cooking. Hot pot is a traditionally Chinese cooking method, prepared with a pot of soup stock at the dining table that is simmering, while several ingredients are placed into the pot and are cooked, including thinly sliced meat, leaf vegetables such as cabbage, mushrooms, wontons, egg dumplings, tofu, and seafood. The hot pot can be seen in picture 2. Finally, rice bowls are the foundation for many types of cuisine in Eastern Asian cooking, and Japan utilized the grain in almost every meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, similar to how Americans utilize bread. The rice bowl seen in picture 1 is topped with a variety of fresh seafood including eel, salmon roe, tempura shrimp, sliced sashimi, tamago egg ( sweet egg), and several vegetables such as cucumber. This dish was incredibly delicious and was only 10 dollars. The amount of delicious and affordable seafood in Japan is easily one of the best parts about, as well as a key component of its culture.

In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed the food in Japan. As previously stated, the sheer amount of cheap and delicious seafood is incredibly vast. If you are alright with taking small culinary risks when eating in Japan, you will not be disappointed, and I have discovered a love of many festival foods and local favorites that I will continue to remember and hopefully return to one day. A large part of any culture is its food, and as for Japans, I am very happy.

*In order of pictures from top left to top right, middle left to middle right, and bottom left to bottom right.  1.” Overflowing Seafood Bowl” made with rice and seafood, 2. Hotpot, 3. Ramen with Udon noodles and shrimp tempura, 4. A bento box with rice, vegetables, chicken, and octopus, 5. An example of Adzuki red bean paste used in a dessert, these types of desserts are often fried and served on a stick, 6. Okonomiyaki, which is a sort of savory pancake and is often eaten with mayonnaise and a tangy, slightly sweet sauce.