Name: Niki Asa

Type of Project: Study Abroad; Japan: Public Health Perspectives

I studied abroad in Japan for two and a half weeks to learn about the public health system in Japan and get exposed to the Japanese culture. We went to different areas including a university, hospital, areas affected by natural disasters, and coastal regions affected by poor water quality. Along with that, we traveled to shrines, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, castles, and cities that gave us a look into Japanese history and culture.

My STEP project helped me change my perspective on the world because of all the different culture experienced. In Japan, each city is a completely different place and has its own eating etiquette, food, and city lifestyle. It was eye opening to see a country that is run completely different because Americans are so used to things being done their way. In my experience, people in America think that the way we run our country is the right way and the only way it should be done. In Japan, the country ran very differently and there were different expectations from the citizens living there. It is neither better or worse than America, just different. Along with that, it was sometimes difficult being somewhere where people don’t always speak English. Most of the people we encountered knew a few phrases of English or where very patient with us while we tried to communicate using body language. It meant a lot to have the Japanese try to speak English and to help when they could because people in America might not do that. People who speak English expect other to know English too, and will get frustrated when someone doesn’t. Most of the people on the trip didn’t speak any Japanese, and it was ignorant of us to go there expecting everyone to tailor to our needs of speaking English.

In Japan, we went to different areas that were destroyed by earthquakes and tsunamis. In America, I heard about the horrible natural disasters, but I didn’t realize the extent of the damage until I saw it in person. Along with that, we visited coastal areas where citizens became sick because of water contamination, and many died or became disabled. I did not hear anything about these incidents in America. There are many different horrible things happening in different countries throughout the world that I do not know about. I don’t like knowing that people are sick or dying, and I will never hear about it. This experience changed my perception of health in the World, and even in the United States. I always think of my country of being happy and healthy, but I’m sure that there are incidents and devastating outcomes that affect the people in my country.

During the first 10 days in Japan we stayed in Tokyo. In Tokyo, we visited the University of Tokyo and got to spend time with the teachers and the students at the University. It was interesting to converse with them because there was a big language barrier through difference of language and difference of culture. We played games such as charades, where the language was not as important. Also, we played telephone, where we all tried pronouncing difficult English words and Japanese words. It was eye opening to talk to the students about their culture and to realize that they are not much different than college students in America. This was information that you do not get from reading about Japan online, only a person to person conversation can give you the same experience. The cultures and expectations in America and Japan are so different, yet the college students are very similar. We all enjoy our line of work but complain about the homework, and we all enjoy music, singing, and going out with our friends. It was comforting to have something to relate to when I feel like I’m in a place that’s so different and I don’t belong.

Another experience that fulfilled my transformation was visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. There were articles, visuals, and real-life artifacts that described the destruction, aftermath, and diplomatic negotiations of the atomic bomb. I had an uneasy feeling being in the museum knowing that my country caused so much destruction, caused so much pain, and killed so many people. One section that sticks out in my mind was an art gallery where children who survived the bomb drew pictures and wrote a blurb on how they remember the day the bomb hit. The descriptions were devastating, and the children saw people dying and struggling to survive. A woman who survived the atomic bomb, but lost her mom and sister, told us about what she experienced that day and how it impacted her life. The most significant thing from this trip was that the woman said that she does not blame the United States for what happened because she knows that Japan played a role in this war as well. She wanted to use the bomb as a learning experience, so it will not happen to anyone else.

We also traveled to Sendia and visited Okawa elementary school which was destroyed in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The earthquake itself did not do that much damage to the school, but the tsunami was extremely strong since it traveled down the river, intensifying the velocity. Since the school does not like along the direct coast, the teachers did not thing the tsunami would hit them, and thus did not take the kids to safety. The school is located right below a mountain, so it would have only taken a few moments to take the kids up it to prevent any chance of being caught up in water. The tsunami came down the river, destroying the school and killing everyone but 5 students and 1 teacher. This tragedy is so sad because it would have been preventable, especially if there was a disaster protocol and disaster practice drills. This elementary school incident is something that very few Americans know about, and very few Japanese have visited it. It was eye opening to see the damage in real life and to imagine what happened that day, and how the deaths could have been prevented.

I have always been interested in injury prevention, and disaster prevention is related to injury prevention. After the Japan trip and seeing all the damage by the natural disasters, disaster prevention is something I would be interested in. I am also minoring in Environmental Health and Risk Communication, and so I think that minor will go along nicely with disaster prevention research. I have also been interested in the environment, but I never knew how I wanted to incorporate it into my research. I have started learning about the environment through my major, Environmental Public Health, but learned a lot more about it in Japan. We spent a lot of time looking how poor water quality can affect the body, so that could be something I am interested in for the future. Personally, Japan was a good experience because it forced me to leave my comfort zone. I was in a new country which didn’t speak my language, and I was spending all my time with people I didn’t know. It was a good experience to get to know all of my peers and learn to navigate a city in which none of us were familiar with.