Youth For Understanding (YFU)?

yepunsarang
Sat, 21 Apr 2007 23:44:57 +0000

Hi Silver Jade…I’m glad you’re so open minded!! By the end of this summer, i’ll see someone who loves eating tons of fish and eats natto like a Japanese! Haha. There isn’t a sort of dress code in Japan…just don’t wear super revealing clothing and don’t be provocative. Japanese people tend to be really conservative. For example, if you visit a traditional Japanese shrine/temple, do not wear a “mini skirt” as my host mom told me. Duh…I can’t believe she thought I was the type of girl who wears mini skirts. Never! But anways, she even had to put a scarf on my knees when I sat down at the temple to show my modesty. At temple at home, I do that too…so it wasn’t such a shock. But just be clean cut and not too revealing. For school, you might have to wear a uniform. For private high schools, you don’t have to wear a uniform, but for public high schools, you have to wear a uniform. It’s strange how it’s backwards than in America. But, it’s cool. i went to a private school so I didn’t have the experience of wearing a uniform!! But may be you will. They’re so cute. Jeans and a tshirt should be fine, but trust me…the season you’ll be going in will be traditional “rainy season” and it’ll be damp and humid. Make sure you bring lots of shorts, skirts, short sleeves, both formal and everyday wear, sandals, boots or something (to keep the water out of your shoes), and a really sturdy umbrella. I’m sure your parents will have an umbrella to share but if you have your own, it feels better. You’ll be using it a lot by the way. You might start complaining how much it’s raining. But it’s hot so I doubt you’ll have the time to wear jeans. Yeah, anime or manga is popular in Japan. After all, it all started in japan. You see people (old and young) reading manga magazines in the trains all the time. It’s not a big thing or a fad. It’s part of culture. Kids all grew up watching manga shows…even me! But not sailor moon or anything like that but real Japanese manga…ones that American people don’t know about. May be one about a little girl and her family growing up together. Simple things like that…but manga has always been a part of Japanese culture anyways. Mangas are super dooper cheap here compared to American bookstores, so bring some money if you like buying them. My friends were going crazy over them…i’m not so obsessed (surprisingly considering i’m Japamese). Hey, do you know whats so weird? When I was in Japan 2005, Harry Potter 6 came out I think. So I was going nuts about not getting the book it came out. atleast it was something to look foward to when coming home!!

eg1, I know as a parent you might feel a little reluctant to let your daughter go to Japan so quickly, but I went when I was 15. I suggest your daughter go at age 14 or 15 as well because when you’re a rising Junior or Senior, you might be more busy. Especially when you’re a rising Senior. So keep that in mind. May be when she’s 15…that was a good time for me. It really boosted my self confidence. You don’t really need to prepare for anything right now. Just keep your daughter on her studies, and enthusiastic about visiting Japan!!