All for one and one for all
It’s been a month since we came back from our trip to Japan. We all came back different people from the exposure we received through the culture and the information we were taught about historical events that occurred in Japan. The Sophia students are now in Los Angeles and will continue to share Japanese cultures and activities that are popular in Japan. In the presentation, Madoka, Tamaki, and Asa discussed the topic of Bento’s. Bento’s are lunch boxes that contain Japanese cuisine. They are valued for their balanced nutrition and attractive presentation in addition to their convenience. They discussed that bento preparation allows for there to be a variety of frozen food options which will preserve the flavor and freshness of the contents. Additionally, improving the flexibility and commercially available bentos in Japan. The Sophia students then transitioned into an activity for us to get a taste of the kind of creative foods that a bento can contain. A kyaraben, which stands for "kyarakuta bento" (character bento), is a food item designed to mimic characters from pop culture like video games, anime, manga, and other mass media. We chose a design, traced it to the paper, stapled the paper to the seaweed, and cut along the lines. The outcome is a fun way to eat your lunch. Overall, I was fascinated with bentos and the idea of kyarabens being included because it’s a fascinating blend of pop culture creativity and culinary artistry that makes mealtime entertaining for people of all ages.
Yuka, Lydia, and Hinata shared the significance of origami in Japanese culture. Origami has been ingrained in Japanese culture, taught in schools as an instructional tool, and has been passed down through generations. In Japan, origami has great cultural value as a traditional art form and a symbol of creativity and craftsmanship. When in Japan, I learned how to fold origami cranes with my host family and that the symbolism behind the cranes is peace, hope, and longevity. We were given little goodie bags of cranes to fold and cherish by the Sophia students. This reminded me of my time in Hiroshima where I learned about the significance cranes had to the atomic bombing which was to serve as reminders of the human cost of war . It is important to advocate for peace so an event like the atomic bomb won’t reoccur and we can work to live in a society of peace and nuclear disarmament.
After the presentation, we all created new memories with one another and continued bonding with the Sophia students. It was nice to have the Sophia students on campus because we had the opportunity to introduce them to our friends on campus. After the presentation, we continued our tradition of karaoke and singing the iconic Kid Laroi song “Can we find love again”. A picture is worth a thousand words but the first word that comes to my head when looking at these images is friendship. I love seeing students that come from different backgrounds come together. One thing I observed from the trip to Japan was that although we couldn’t communicate with many people there because of the language barrier, we still had many common interests with one another. It’s essential to have a diverse group of friends because it can make you open minded, encourages cross-cultural interactions, and helps to create a sense of community. LMU and Kakehashi will forever remember the experiences these trips brought them because of how much they were able to grow, step out of their comfort zone by being put in unfamiliar environments, and through meeting new people.
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