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2015 JET-MIP ESSAY: MEGAN NGAIFEBRUARY, 2016: BREEZE ISSUE #100
A FREE MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS OF JAPAN & TEACHERS OF
JAPANESEMEGAN NGAI
Laguardia Arts High School
New York, NY
It was almost one in the morning, about seven hours before
my departure to Los Angeles, and I was still trying to finish
packing for my two and a half week adventure with the 2015
JET Memorial Invitation Program. Even after knowing about
my acceptance into the program for over month, I still
couldn’t believe that I was going to go to Japan with 31other students from all over the country! It didn’t seem realenough for me to believe that it was actually happening. Iwas pretty keen on thinking that the trip would be canceledsomehow or that something would happen to prevent mefrom going. But before I knew it, I was at the JFK Airport
waiting (and crying over the fact that I was traveling alone
for the first time without my mother) for my flight to LAX toboard.
We had a nice little buffet-style dinner the night we arrived
in Los Angeles and I got to know the 31 other participants a bit more than from their Facebook
introductions. We were also greeted by the director of the Japan Foundation, Mr. Hideki Hara,
who congratulated us and talked a bit about the Japan Foundation and its mission. After agood night’s sleep, we checked out of the hotel early in the morning and headed over to theJapan Foundation office to attend a pre-departure orientation and watched a film about Ms.
Taylor Anderson, one of the JETs who passed away on 3.11 and to whom this program wasdedicated to. We were also able to meet some of the friends and family members of Ms. Taylor
Anderson and Mr. Monty Dickson. Andy Anderson, Shelley Frederickson, and Ian Dickson alltook part in the orientation and told stories about the fellow JETs. They talked about whatPrivacy
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were like at home, how much they loved Japanese language and culture, their life, and theirhopes and dreams for the future. After hearing what they had to say, I was heartbroken andcouldn’t help but wonder how they were able to move on. Even though I had never met Ms.
Taylor Anderson or Mr. Monty Dickson, I felt like I knew them pretty well just by hearing thestories their friends and family members told, and it was then that I realized how important it
was for us JET-MIPpers to continue their legacy.
That same day, we headed over to the Official Residence of the Consul-General of Japan in Los
Angeles for the send-off reception. At the reception, the Honorable Consulate General, Harry
Horinouchi, addressed the impact that Ms. Taylor Anderson and Mr. Monty Dickson had on boththe U.S. and Japan. Later that night, we had the opportunity to see a Rakugo performance byMr. Katsura Sunshine. After a wonderful performance, we finally left for LAX to depart for Japan.
In the fourteen days we got to spend in Japan, we traveled to Osaka, Rikuzentakata, Sendai,Kesennuma, Ishinomaki, and Kyoto. We visited many different schools while on our Tohoku tourand I made quite a lot of friends along the way. However, while I was on this tour, I learned awhole lot about the communities Ms. Taylor Anderson and Mr. Monty Dickson taught. I learned
about many of towns’ condition after 3.11 and how the students were affected. Some lost theirhomes, some lost their parents, and others lost their lives. The Great East Earthquake andTsunami affected everyone emotionally and physically and it was hard to believe that thesewere the same students I was just talking and laughing with. With the little time I had with thesestudents from various schools, I made some really great friends that I still continue to talk totoday.
In addition to meeting students, we met other people affected by the earthquake and tsunami.
We met the owner of Hotel Boyo in Kesennuma and he talked about his experience during thedisaster. I learned about the importance of that hotel and how invaluable it was during the timeof the disaster. I was also given the opportunity to stay in a “Japanese-style” room; I bathed in
an onsen for the first time, ate a bento every morning, and slept on a good ol’ futon. During thelittle free time we had at Hotel Boyo, I explored the city of Kesennuma and found a nice littleshrine just a minute from the hotel and also found a lovely bakery. The lady from the bakery
was extremely kind (almost like everyone in Japan) and even gave us a free treat with the fruit
cake we bought (which was very oishii ). In Ishinomaki, we met Mr. Endo, a wood craftsman, wholost all three of his children to the tsunami. He told us how he was in a very dark place after thedisaster, and after a while, he managed to find the strength to move on. He built a bookcase inhonor of Taylor Anderson (who taught his kids) as well as Rainbow Bridge, a monument
dedicated to his three children on the same spot where his house used to be before thedisaster. I really respect Mr. Endo for finding the courage and strength to move forward with hislife. I think the Rainbow Bridge has become a great symbol to represent the bridge between
the U.S. and Japan and Mr. Endo has done a beautiful job to help strengthen this bridge.
Along with learning more about the Tohoku region and the disaster’s effect, I had the chance toexperience Japanese culture. At Sendai Higashi High School, I tried sadou and kendo with thestudents there. The JET-MIPpers were all paired up with a buddy who we spent our morning

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and lunch with. My buddy and I both shared an interest in rock bands so we spent our lunch
listening to each other’s music. He introduced me to J-Rock, something I never thought existed
because I thought only J-Pop existed in Japan, but I thought it was pretty cool. Since my buddy
was also obsessed with American T.V. shows like Breaking Bad, we had a conversation about arumored sixth season to be broadcasted. After lunch, we said our good byes and exchanged
LINE’s to keep in touch, and that ended our exchange at Sendai Higashi High School. The next
day we toured Aoba Castle and that was the end of our Tohoku tour. All in all, my experience
with the Tohoku tour was unforgettable and spectacular.
When we finally returned back to the Kansai Institute after the beautiful tour, we spent ourJapanese classes getting ready for our homestays, learning Kansai dialect, and preparing for
our final presentations for the closing ceremony. After class, we would spend our free timegoing out (by bike, of course) to the conbini to buy some oishii “whipped donuts”, taiyaki withcustard, karaage , and my favorite, some Meiji milk (Japanese milk is so much better thanAmerican milk. It’s a lot richer and tastier than the ones here, I wish we had them here.). We
also biked to Rinku Town and of course, when in Rinku Town , one must ride the iconic ferris
wheel for a small price 500 yen . We went to Namco too at Rinku and played the Taiko drum
game like a billion times (to the point where two of our fellow MIPpers got blisters on theirhands).
As for my homestay, I met my host sister and host mother at Semboku High School. I met therest of the family at home and we did some fireworks together. My host family made my stay
extremely pleasant and it actually felt like “home” (at least for the two days I spent with them).
On the second day with my host family, I made them American pancakes for breakfast and they
enjoyed it a lot, which was a relief. The two days I spent with my host family was filled withgoing to various places like a sadou museum, Big I , a huge department store, a restaurant
which served six different courses of tofu, a historical castle, a local matsuri. We also did somefireworks and dressed up in yukatas . We ended my homestay with a nice dinner at yakiniku
restaurant where my host brother and older host sister worked. It was a nice last gathering
before I had to go back to the Institute, I definitely found a place that I can call “home” in Japanand I can’t wait until I get to go back.
My experience with JET-MIP in a brief two and a half weeks was nothing less than incredible
and there are still days where I wish I was back in my room at the Kansai Institute, staring at thebridge right outside my window on the seventeenth floor. I got to make some really closefriends from all over the U.S. in just a mere nineteen days, but I guess it’s probably because wespent each waking moment together that we became so close. I could not have asked for abetter group to spend my time in Japan with. Our inside jokes, hilarious conversations,hysterical attempts at trying to converse with Japanese people, and adventures on the bus
have all made the program extraordinary. JET-MIP is something I will always look back to andsomething I will never ever forget. I loved very single moment I spent in Japan. Whether I was
scavenging for coins in my coin purse, trying my best to use one of the toilets that required
squatting, rushing back to the institute from Rinku five minutes before curfew (which we did
make back in time), or just attempting to communicate with my terrible Japanese skills, I loved
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it all. Although I can’t turn back time to relive my JET-MIPper days, I can say that thisexperience will mostly be why I’ll continue to study Japanese language and culture in college.
My stay in Japan has definitely helped me improve my Japanese skills and it has also helpedme realize that it will not be my last time in Japan, I will definitely be back.
After telling my friends and family about my adventures in Japan (and bringing back theomiyages ), they all shared the same reaction and told me how they wished they could go toJapan. They were surprised at how “daring” I was to try the onsen and they were all enthralledby my stories in the Tohoku region. My friends all thought that the JET-MIP was just a freevacation to Japan, but they were shocked to hear that I actually went to the towns and cities
where the Great East Earthquake and Tsunami hit. While I have encouraged all of my friends totravel to Japan, they have all reminded me how special this trip was.
To Ms. Taylor Anderson and Mr. Monty Dickson:
Although I’ve never met the two of you, I feel as if I already know you. Because of my trip toJapan with JET-MIP, I began to understand a bit of your reasons for becoming JETs and forcontinuing to serve your communities. You both shared a remarkable passion for Japanese
language and culture and proved to me that passion is contagious. You both enjoyed working
with students everyday and never even stopped to think that it was “work”. I truly hope that one
day I can find something I love doing and I cannot thank you guys enough for the work you’ve
done and for the connections you’ve helped me make on my trip to Japan. Your legacy has notbeen forgotten and has already inspired so many (like the 160 JET-MIPpers) and will bedefinitely be continued.

NIPPON THROUGH MY EYES PHOTOSUBMISSION“The Rainbow Bridge”
This is the bridge Mr. Endo built in honor of his
three children (the three poles represent hischildren). I think it signifies the hopes anddreams Mr. Endo has for the future, in addition
to the bridge between the U.S. and Japan.

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