These past two weeks I was with the babies, and then back to the five-year-olds. Babies are precious. Many are walking, but a couple can only take a few steps before falling over. They have the most contagious smiles. Babies are one of my therapeutic strengths, and it is always fun to observe their developmental state. I can see how they are processing the nursery they are in, cause and effect, and the different stages each child is in. The five-year-olds seem so big after being with the infants! They are fun, though! I got to play a lot of games with them. They taught me new card games like speed and old maid. I taught them how to shuffle. Well, I taught some of them how to shuffle, and some of them had difficulty figuring it out, but that’s okay. They also liked playing dodgeball with me. They play dodgeball differently here than I am used to. They only used one ball, and if you got hit, you got sent to the out-of-bounds zone behind the other team. You need to get everybody on the opposite team into your out-of-bounds zone to win. However, being out of bounds does not mean you are out of the game. If a ball goes out of bounds, a player on the out-of-bounds team has to get the ball, and they can try to get someone who is still in, out (why they have to be on the side of the opposite team). If they successfully get someone from the opposite team out, they can go back into their team’s square. I hope I explained that well; it’s hard without a visual aid. I also got to play jump rope with the kids, which was super fun! One little girl got over 100 jumps in! I played with them so much that the children began to pick up on English phrases like “Nice catch!” One five-year-old asked me to put my signature on one of her drawings after I came back from a lunch break. Although I found it a little odd, I signed her picture. After I did that, everybody suddenly wanted my autograph. I told the teacher I felt famous. Now, there are a large number of five-year-olds in Toyohashi that have my autograph. I got to practice my hiragana with the kids, and I helped them practice their English characters. I even got to show them the difference between cursive and print. During some downtime, I taught the five-year-olds how to play ninja. It was the best worst decision I made because the kids loved it. They loved it so much that it was the only thing we played for the rest of the day… we had two hours left. They all ganged up on me as well. It was funny seeing how excited they got when they got me out, but they did not even care about playing until there was a winner. Once I got out, they all took it as a collective win. I am glad they enjoyed the game. 

Music therapy with the babies was a huge success. The week was cut short due to the closed nursery, so I did my session earlier in the week. I did a lot of fine motor activities, encouraging the babies to follow instructions and manipulate their fingers. I did a counting song with visuals on my iPad for them to count. I let each baby try strumming on my guitar for sensory integration. I also did the adapted freeze dance. There was one baby girl in particular that hit a specific pose every time I froze. I was impressed because it appeared the infants understood the cues better than the one-year-old class. The teachers enjoyed the session and were so impressed that they specifically requested I do a session for them again the following week! The week I was with the five-year-olds, I went to a different facility for music therapy. The facility I went to was for children with various disabilities. The property the nursery school is located on has other facilities dedicated to other groups. I was not sure what to expect in terms of age and abilities, so I prepared a lot of activities. Fortunately, I was able to use many of the interventions I used with the babies’ group for the disability group. The group consisted mostly of infants and toddlers and were accompanied by their parents. It went great! I felt very professional being able to adapt so quickly and still have a successful session. I hope I get to do more sessions at this facility. After my session, I was unexpectedly asked to do another session that week with the babies at the nursery school. Even though it was short notice, I am a professional and said yes. It was another successful session. I added some new activities I had not done with them before, like egg shaker songs. 

After my session at the alternate facility, at the end of my day, I was preparing to walk home when Nobu and Souta showed up! They yelled at me from their car and asked if I wanted to get crepes with them on the way home. It was a delightful surprise that I graciously accepted! There is a local crepe place owned by my host family’s friends, so we go there relatively regularly. I can’t complain because the crepes are delicious! Later that day, I showed my host brother the game Nintendo Switch Sports. He has a Nintendo Switch, but he doesn’t have that game. I knew he would love it, and he did. He said, “One more round,” about eight times. I let him borrow my Switch to keep playing while I got ready for bed. He was very grateful. 

I traveled to Nagoya the week that the nursery was closed on Thursday and Friday. Stepping into Nagoya felt like a 2000s movie scene where the main character gets out of the taxi in the big city for the first time. I walked out of the subway station and was greeted by tall city buildings and huge streets. It was a stark contrast from my little town of Toyohashi. I went to Nagoya to see a friend from Belmont who was working as a missionary. She was holding an event at her apartment for young adults who speak English. It was so refreshing being around people who speak my native language! I had a blast and made some friends I hope to keep for a long time! We played Jackbox, ate taco rice and brownies, and got to know each other. Fortunately for me, Megan (my Belmont friend) let me spend the night at her apartment since my journey back would take so long. The following morning, she took me to brunch, and it was the most delicious breakfast I have had since arriving here. My host mom is wonderful at cooking, but this food was exquisite. I will put a picture in so you can see what I ate. On my way back to Toyohashi, I met a kind man who asked me about my motion sickness goggles (In English!). I was able to tell him that I was living in Toyohashi and why in Japanese! He was only visiting the town to go to a museum, but he was curious about my funny goggles. The following weekend, I went to Sanrio Puroland in Tokyo with my host sister. Since the Shinkansen is so expensive, we took a bus company. It took us about 6 hours to get there and then 7 hours to get back. On the way back, we went on an overnight sleeper bus, which was a rougher sleep than on the plane ride here. Sanrio Puroland was very cute, though. I got to take cute pictures and get cute merchandise I am going to cherish for a long time. 

I ended up going to the doctor because my fingers had gotten itchy, dry, and flakey, amongst other things. I have never had eczema before, but that is what the doctor thinks I might have. It does run in my family. The appointment and medications were shockingly cheap, and I applied for an insurance claim as well. It was just hard to believe how affordable it was before insurance. However, I learned that the Japanese people have extremely high taxes to lower the cost of healthcare.

These past two weeks, I have been with the two-year-olds and one-year-olds. Both ages were super adorable. The only real downside of transitioning to these younger ages is the reality of bathroom accidents, increased amounts of crying, and getting sick. I did not let it scare me, though; this is nothing I have not seen before. One two-year-old particularly liked me, and one of the teachers taught him how to say “I love you” in English. After he learned that, he would run over to me, say “I love you!” and then run away again. It was precious. Because these age groups take a nap after lunch, the teachers allowed me to visit other classes during the nap. The first class I revisited was the three-year-olds. They were VERY excited that I briefly came to play with them and made me into a human tower. The teachers are incredibly friendly. I have felt appreciated here, and many of them practice their English with me and help with my Japanese.

There was an earthquake drill when I was with the two-year-old class. It was similar to the U.S. in that the children got under their tables to shield their heads. What made it different was that every teacher was supplied with a helmet (including me), and their job was to make sure no kids exposed their head or neck from under the tables. The one-year-olds were precious. During my time with them, there was an assembly, and a lady did a puppet show. The show was cute, and I was able to understand the gist of it. However, during the puppet show, our jobs were more chaos control, ensuring the one-year-olds didn’t run off or become too fussy. 

Music therapy with both age groups went great! The two-year-olds did have challenges with attention skills. However, the room they had me do the session in was the gym, so the children associate that room with being able to run around like crazy. Other than that, they loved playing with the scarves and shakers. I translated finger play songs into Japanese to target fine motor skills and adjusted the hello song to fit their developmental stage. With the one-year-olds, I tried an age-appropriate freeze dance song. They decently grasped it and thought it was hilarious when I froze. 

I got interviewed for the newspaper this week. My host grandma from my previous post was interviewed for her work hosting foreigners, and learned about what I am doing in Japan and wanted to interview me too! He came by the nursery, observed my session with the two-year-olds, and asked questions. I do not know when the article will be published, but I am excited to see it. It made me feel important! 

These past two weeks were the first time I started getting complimented on my Japanese. That was very exciting because it means I am improving, AND it’s noticeable!

Over the weekend, my host family took me to the arcade. It was so cheap! Every game and claw machine, no matter what, was only 100 yen. That is only 66 cents in USD. I had a blast for less than $10. I also called my friends and family a lot to talk. That was nice. I usually call my loved ones regularly, but the time spent talking was higher than normal over this weekend, and it was rejuvenating. The following weekend, I went to experience a Japanese festival! This festival was to worship and pray to a god of fertility. Many people were there despite it raining the entire time. There were many themes of wishing people luck in having children and hopes for their children’s futures. I went with an English student of Naoko’s. It was nice of her to find someone to go with me. The festival ended up being so much fun! I ate great food; there were so many food stalls! It ended with a huge parade in honor of the god. I also got souvenirs for me and my friends! I love being able to experience local Japanese culture.

Since my last post, Japan has started to feel like another home. I have never lived anywhere for an extremely long time, so I am used to adjusting to new places as my temporary home. I thought it would be much harder to do that in a different country, living with a host family I didn’t know before coming here, but after the initial culture shock and nerves, I settled right in. My volunteering schedule has gotten into a nice groove. I work with a different age group every week, get to know them, plan for a music therapy session with them, and then at the end of the week we do a large group music therapy session. It has been a comforting routine because it allows me to take a few days to prepare for my sessions. Extra session planning time is needed here because I have to translate my entire session which turns into me outlining a script and then practicing how to communicate and sing in the Japanese language so that it is seamless during the actual session. 

I was with the four and three-year-olds for the past two weeks. The four-year-olds enjoyed playing with me. They seemed interested in just observing me as a person. I almost felt like a foreign creature. They were rowdy at one point so I decided that encouraging them to color with me would help give me time to catch my breath. What ended up happening was that I colored while the kids watched and handed me colored pencils they thought I might want. It was hilarious. Some did end up coloring and giving me their artwork as a very sweet gift. The three-year-olds were very rambunctious. I was constantly on my toes. They were fascinated with my hair and played with it every day, which I did not mind! One three-year-old even spoke English! The week I was with the four-year-olds the school was playing “shop”. Each classroom was a different store and sold various goods that were crafted by all the classes. Each class took turns being a shop and being a shopper. They had little paper money and would exchange it for the fun crafts made by the other children. It was adorable. The store goods included pretend lollipops and candy, spinning top toys made out of paper plates and bottle caps, superhero capes made out of old fabric, and paper headbands with popular Japanese characters like Hello Kitty and Pikachu. The school did an intruder drill that same week. It scared the crap out of me! Instead of just announcing that there was an intruder, they had a teacher dress up as an intruder and run into the classrooms while screaming. The teachers had to quickly push her out of the room and lock the doors while all of the children instinctively hid under their desks. I was standing there after that jumpscare and like a character in a sitcom I slowly made my way to the floor to match the actions of everybody else. It was quite hilarious.

My first music therapy sessions were a huge hit! I was honestly quite impressed with how well the children were able to follow instructions despite my broken Japanese and their age group. From my observation, Japan does a great job of introducing structure and behavioral expectations to children starting at just one year old. Not that the school is strict or harsh with the children, but it’s small actions that add up that make a difference, such as switching their shoes as soon as they come into the building and helping to serve lunch. Getting back to music therapy though, the children had a great time singing, playing with rhythm sticks, egg shakers and scarves, and dancing. I translated my songs into Japanese and had a script to follow to maximize the outcome for the children. I used a song to ask them questions about the day, month, and season which they understood and responded with enthusiasm. I worked on nonverbal communication through the rhythm sticks, encouraging them to follow my movements despite not speaking or singing, and encouraged them to interact with their peers (safely of course). The scarves allowed them to have some free dance time, but it was also used to work on receptive communication because they had to listen to the guitar for their dance cues. I also translated and memorized the hokey pokey in Japanese to work on coordination and learning left vs right. That was a fun challenge! It was beautiful watching how the power of the music transcended language in places where I needed it to. The joy of the children was contagious and the staff was truly grateful and impressed with my work. I missed working with groups of children. The four-year-old class was so grateful for me spending the week with them and doing music therapy that they made me the cutest thank you sign. It meant the world to me. 

I went to Okazaki for the weekend and stayed with a different host family. It almost felt like going to grandma’s house. I left the home with siblings and busy schedules and went to a house where the kids are grown and have moved out. I got spoiled and fed more food than I could eat, and then I went home at the end of the weekend. My temporary host mom (or host grandma) was very very sweet and an excellent cook. I taught her husband how to play gin rummy with their Ohio State playing cards they got from a previous host child. The reason I stayed out of town for the weekend was that Naoko had invited me to see a pottery exhibition for a previous United Planet volunteer who ended up moving to Japan to pursue pottery. He was very kind, it was nice to talk to an American. The exhibition was in Tokoname so I got to explore the area. It was very cute, definitely a hidden gem. Thankfully it wasn’t too cold that day. Before I left Tokoname, my host grandma took me to the mall. I didn’t do much shopping and spent under $10, but I had a great time. They had an entire store of only gacha machines. I walked through the entire store before deciding which machine I was going to try my luck with. I ended up getting a little cat dressed in a pineapple! The following weekend I went to see my host brother, Souta, play basketball. He was the smallest one on the team, but he did great. Life here moves slowly. It is causing me to be more present and relaxed. I do not know what is making life feel like this, but I appreciate the slowness.

This post is going to be weird. I adore my host family’s bathrooms! Their toilet seat is heated! The toilet has an entire control panel on the wall with three different bidet settings, all with different strengths. You can also adjust the heat of the bidet water and toilet seat. I also have enjoyed the Japanese style of bathing. They have a shower room with a tub. Unlike American bathrooms where you stand in the tub with the shower head above you, Japanese shower rooms have two-level hooks for the shower head next to the tub with a mirror. They let the tub fill and heat up while doing other tasks. You know when the tub is ready because a panel in the kitchen plays a cute song to alert you the tub is full and ready at 40 degrees Celsius. They keep the tub covered during the shower so nothing gets in. You shower first and ensure you are squeaky clean, and once you are clean you soak in the bath. Because the water heats itself and continues to heat up so that it doesn’t get cold, and everybody gets in clean, a single bathtub of water is shared between the entire family. It is very relaxing, like a hot tub but without the chlorine. I greatly enjoy this arrangement, but I know some Americans feel uncomfortable sharing bathwater with others. If you are an American who is uncomfortable sharing bathwater, do not go to an onsen/the hot springs if you visit Japan.

After over 24 hours of traveling, I was exhausted, to say the least. I started strong because I do genuinely enjoy flying and traveling. However, things got more difficult after my second flight. Out of my four total flights, my third one was the one that left the United States and landed in Tokyo. I had called ahead to get a window seat, but unfortunately, I ended up in the aisle in the middle column of seats. Thankfully, nobody was in the middle seat next to me, so that was nice. Although I slept for 8 hours on the 14-hour flight, it was not consecutive, so I felt delirious at the end of the flight. Once I was in Japan, I felt gross and just wanted to freshen up, but I had to brave customs. Customs was overwhelming and confusing. I got through it, and thankfully, the TSA after customs was very cheerful and kind. Once I found my gate, I could freshen up in the bathroom and get some Japanese 7-Eleven before boarding my final flight. 

After finishing my fourth and final flight, I was able to drag my two suitcases, guitar, and backpack to the start of my life in Japan. I took the train from the airport to Higashi Okazaki, where I met with my program director, Naoko. On my way there I struggled with all my luggage during a train change; a nice boy helped me and even spoke English. He was shocked to hear that I was going to be living in Toyohashi for 6 months since it’s such a “small town.” 

After lunch, I was finally able to meet my host family. My hosts are the sweetest people and have made the transition to living here so much easier. They gave me my own bedroom with a traditional-style sleeping mat on the floor. It was a tad hard at first, but I have become accustomed to it, and now I enjoy the comfort of my bed.  I brought gifts from the United States for my host family, and they loved them. They put their “Nashville” magnet on their fridge, Hinata wore her crocheted bag I gave her, Souta loved learning how to shuffle and play “Spit” with the card deck I gave him, and the goo-goo clusters were gone so quickly. Hinata has become a great friend. She has been helping me with my Japanese while I help her with her English, and we have become close as we do so many things together. 

The town I am living in is small compared to the surrounding cities in Aichi. This area is not used to Americans, so I have received mixed reactions from locals. When I am alone, I tend to see more confusion because of my presence and difficulties since I am still learning how to communicate in Japanese. However, when I go out with my host family, and they can help me and explain to people what I am doing in Toyohashi, I usually receive praise and excitement. One of my first meals at a restaurant here I had ordered chicken and was eating it with my hands. I was not supposed to do that because a waitress rushed over, waving her hands signaling me to stop, pointed to the chopsticks, and asked“Fork? Fork?” I apologized, grabbed some chopsticks, and showed her that I knew how to use them before she walked away. It had me a bit overwhelmed, but my program director told me it was nothing to worry about. Now I know! It was difficult my first week to settle into the culture, but now that I am in week 2 and have a rhythm, it has become much more comfortable. One thing Kelly told me when she was helping me find a country to go to was how important it is to go to a country you are excited about even if you are passionate about your project because if your project has challenges, being in a country you love can help balance that out. She was so right! I am so thankful she helped me come to the country I am excited about because I have already felt that to be true with small challenges like buying groceries alone and having trouble communicating at the register. 

After a week to settle in, I started my volunteer work. The first two days were challenging because of the language barrier. I just wanted them to know that I am trying my best to learn Japanese and that I care about their language, but I was unsure if that came across. By day three, I was feeling much better. The kids are so much fun and seem to like me. Right now, I am acclimating to the nursery school and getting to know each classroom. Music therapy starts on Friday!

During my second weekend here, I took a trip out to Okazaki to give a presentation on music therapy at Naoko’s Global Cafe. The turnout was great, and my presentation went very well. I was able to go in-depth about what music therapy is, and with Naoko to help translate and the effort I put into making sure I had both English and Japanese on my presentation slides, the message was able to get across to everyone in attendance. I received so many questions and lots of excitement about music therapy. It was great to be able to talk to everybody about it. 

All this does not even scratch the surface of all the experiences I have had so far, but I am getting exhausted from writing about all this. I am sure my next blog posts will be a bit lighter. I just needed to pack a lot into my initial experience getting here and being here. If you read the whole thing, thank you for making it here!

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand” Proverbs 19:21 ESV

I am so excited to be in Japan! I have been making the preparations since my internship ended right before Christmas. There was a lot to do and it kept me busy until now, and I am so relieved that it is done! There were so many moving parts. Nothing difficult per se, just detail-oriented. I needed to make sure I got each detail correct. I also took my music therapist board certification exam. I passed! Now I am an official music therapist! Packing gave me some perspective I was not expecting. I realized how much I need to get by and what I use daily. It helped me see how many luxuries I have in my life. In a way it has made me very grateful for the few items I am bringing that have deep importance to me. I still have a lot of stuff though because I had to bring all my music therapy resources. I did my best to also make sure I dedicated plenty of time to my family and friends before I left. Saying goodbye is hard, but everybody around me has been so supportive and I will see them all again! I made sure to get my fill of dirty bird fries from Hattie B’s since I won’t be able to eat them for a while. The First Art Museum in Nashville had an exhibit all about Japan in January and I went with my friends to get a taste of what is to come. I made sure to savor the comforts of familiarity before it got lost in a new environment. I love change and thrive when I get to experience everything fresh and new, but I wanted to make sure I did not forget to appreciate the luxuries of being home before letting my excitement run wild. 

I am looking forward to a gentle start to my project. Since I will be in Japan for 6 months, my program director decided to let me have the first week to acclimate to Japan, get to know my host family, and set up meetings with the school teachers I will be working with to find a plan for my schedule and the use of music therapy. I appreciate Naoko allowing me that time to adjust. Everybody I have talked to while preparing for this trip has been so kind! I am excited to meet them and work with them in person. As nervous as I am about my Japanese skills, I am very excited to be immersed in the language and learn it better! I am excited to meet my host family and get to know them better. They have a boston terrier! I love dogs so that makes me excited. I do have one friend who is working in Japan as a missionary. I am excited to see her and have somebody who can support me spiritually and as a friend. I can’t wait to walk around Toyohashi and go to seven eleven! I hear the seven elevens in Japan are way better than the US! I am excited to try the ramen and Wagyu beef and enjoy all the food and drinks I will have in Japan!

Here’s to a safe flight and happy travels! “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord…” Joshua 29:11