Forming bonds in Kiyosato

It is only the end of April, but the sun has begun to rise hot and white in the sky. The new freshmen have begun to settle comfortably into the routine of university life. They’ve finalized their schedules, but more importantly, they’ve begun to finalize their club memberships.

Unlike American college students, who can hardly be seen for all the deadlines piled atop of them, the life of a Japanese student tends to center in upon their involvement in a club or interest circle. Most circles meet at least once or twice a week, and the relationship between members is at once distant and close. Junior club members are expected to treat their seniors with respect. Senior members are expected to take care of their juniors and in many cases treat them to small snacks and meals. It’s a hierarchy that recalls family relations, but a hierarchy nonetheless.

Last weekend was the 新歓合宿 (shinkan gasshuku), or “welcome trip” of a circle that I myself am interested in. We went up to Kiyosato which is famed as a highland resort. There, we visited a farm and learned to make ice-cream from fresh milk and ran our hands along the bristly pelts and smooth noses of the cows. (One of the upperclassmen, looking at the bovine drool running along my arms and hands, immediately pointed me to a sink.) We listened (a bit cruelly) to the sizzling of beef on a barbeque grill. We drank until late at night and then woke up early in the morning for a hike along the brown trees and green hills of Kiyosato.

Being shy, I didn’t speak very much the entire trip, but noticed instead the small acts of kindness club members performed for one another. At meals, everyone made sure to pour water for everyone else. Hardly anyone was left to sit alone. At the farm, one of the third years made sure to offer to treat me to a drink as a new member—though, being the same age, I couldn’t bring myself to accept the favor. Though there is still a lot about Japanese social activities and customs that I am not used to, I can’t helped but be moved by the bonds that are often formed between members of the same circle.