Shared Space
Today we had the most amazing opportunity to visit LMU’s sister school, Sophia University, in Tokyo. I was so excited to meet the other Tomodachi Inouye Scholars for the first time and learn more about their experience attending university in Japan. As the bus pulled up to the school gates, I was in awe of the beautiful buildings that towered over us in comparison to buildings at LMU. Once we disembarked from the bus we were greeted by Dr. Kazuto Oshio and Fukumuro Yuka-San who walked us into one of the campus buildings. Once we entered the building I couldn’t help but to compare the architecture and interior to that of LMU’s buildings. In comparison to LMU’s 142 acre campus, Sophia University is roughly 11 acres and is compacted into an urban setting.
Throughout our Transpacific Japan class, Dr. Rooks has instilled the idea of “space versus place” and what makes them different. A place is something that can be occupied but isn’t imbued with meaning and memories, unlike a space that invites people in. The space of Sophia University was memorable because of the kind people who welcomed us in and shared their experiences with us.
When we finally were able to meet the other cohort of students from Sophia University we used a shared space to do formal introductions and learn about the unique history of our Jesuit sister school. We then created a space for sharing more about ourselves through ice breakers which we had prepared. Sometimes, ice breakers are things that we dread and try to escape from, but in this space we utilized this time to get to know each other and learn each other's names and interests. Even though we come from two walks of life from America to Japan, we were able to share similarities in our music tastes and passions for exploring each other’s cultures and lifestyles. After the ice melted, the Sophia University students took us on a tour of their campus and we were in awe of the different amenities offered and wished that we could bring them home with us to LMU. Personally, I wish that we could have vending machines with hot and cold drinks at LMU’s campus, but I did my best to take advantage of the ones we passed by during our trip.
After our tour, we were able to eat lunch in their cafeteria. Compared to LMU’s dining hall, we had to pre select and pay for a meal ticket via a vending machine. As a non-Japanese speaker it was an interesting experience seeing what I wanted to order and trying to figure out which button to press on the machine that it correlated with. Thankfully, our Sophia University friends guided us through the process and after getting our meals we were able to share yet another space and a delicious meal together.
The day that we visited was also fairly clear weather-wise and Dr. Rooks excitedly told us we could see Mount Fuji from the dining hall windows. As I rushed to the window ready to see the view, I realized I wanted to spend more time at Sophia University with our newly founded friends in a space that they were excited to include us in. I wanted to join them in their experiences aside from brief tours and introductions and see what their lives were like on a daily basis. I wished we could experience real classes and create memories and inside jokes with each other like we did in our own Transpacific Japan class, but I knew our time was limited. Before I knew it our time at Sophia University was over and even though we had known each other for only a few hours I could tell that we all were yearning for more time. Thankfully, it would only be a brief time apart until they joined us on their visit to Los Angeles and until then we would await their arrival and prepare our spaces to welcome them just as they did for us.
Yours Truly,
-Kikani Libadia
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