Gakusei Travels

バーベキューをしましょう

I ended up joining a サークル or school club at the beginning of the semester. I wanted to make friends, and while there were so many choices, I ended up joining the Wotagei Club, because my dorm neighbor had been so welcoming and kind to me. She invited me to the club she was in. I’ve been to only a couple practices so far, so me and the rest of the first year students are still relatively learning the choreography. Yesterday, the club hosted a Welcome Barbecue for the new students.

We met at this place called Keio Rooftop Garden located in Shinjuku. It’s not really a restaurant, but rather a place where you can rent tabletop grills. The senior members all brought the meat to grill, drinks, and utensils. I was a little nervous at first to be honest. My Japanese is not the greatest, so I was worried I was just going to be this awkward oddball out, but that ended up not being the case. There aren’t many girls in the club. Out of the 14 people that showed up, only four of us were girls and I think there’s maybe only 5 or 6 of us in the entire club of 20 people. The club isn’t just only open to Tsuda students. There are a few universities in Kodaira, similar to back home in Indianapolis, so a bunch of us go to different schools.

The other girls and I sat together and we got along really well! Although my Japanese isn’t perfect, they were really patient with me, even though I know for a fact I said some stuff incorrectly. One of the girls sometimes would speak English for me if I was lost completely lol. And we have a lot of similar interests & hobbies, so we bonded over showing pictures. By the end of the night, I had just about everyone’s Instagrams.

Some of the other guys are cool too. I’m just horrible at remembering names. It’s interesting, because I’m actually the oldest or second-oldest. There’s only two of us 4th year students. Honorifics are commonly used here. Most people use –san which is translated to Mr or Ms. but I honestly don’t think it’s all that formal because it’s casually used with friends. In a club setting, usually the underclassmen refer to those older than them as “senpai“. So most people refer to me as「san」and one girl called me「Nya Chan」which is way more casual, but I don’t mind. I actually think it’s funny. Especially cause when one of the freshmen or sophomores realized I was his senior, he apologized for speaking informally. lol

There was so much meat we grilled: chicken, pork, sausage. Then we made way too much Yakisoba noodles. By the time it was time for us to clean up and leave, we had so much leftover, people were trying to quickly eat what was left. I just told one member ”できません。” I can’t. I can’t eat anymore T^T. I actually ate way too much, and my stomach was hurting by the time I made it home.

I’m a little sad that I didn’t get the chance to take any pictures with everyone. I still feel a little guilty about it, but because Tsuda’s dorm has a curfew of 11 PM, I had to leave while we were cleaning up. Shinjuku is about 45 minutes from the university and I caught the next rapid train at 9:30. If I waited too long, I probably wouldn’t have made curfew and would be locked out of the dorm. The Club was understanding at least. The girls and I ended up creating a group chat and we have a promise to take many pictures next time and to make many memories before I return to America.