Broadening my Understanding of Culture and the Criminal Justice System Outside of the U.S.
Administration of Justice 1st Year
Before arriving in Japan, I had only ever left the continental United States once on a trip to Hawaii.
So it's safe to say that I learned a lot, both academically and culturally from the Inter-University Exchange Project with Kansai University of International Studies.
One of my favorite trips on the program was to the small oyster fishing town of Sakoshi. When we got to the town, we were greeted by the residents with music and other festivities as we got off the bus. After some introductions, some tour guides gave us a brief history lesson and then showed us around the town.
Something I wasn't expecting to learn about the town was how they had been struggling in recent years to make money, partly due to the falling population in Japan. From here, some of the students and faculty in the Hospitality Management side of the program started a discussion with leaders of the town about how they could solve this problem. Even though hospitality management and business aren't my areas of study, I still found this discussion really interesting and felt that I benefited a lot from it.
Difference in Culture
On our first day in Japan, we got to learn about the history of Kobe, and what we would be learning from and contributing to in the University's program. Even on the first day, I was already learning a lot, but I definitely didn't expect to learn so much in the following days.
Despite not being part of the Hospitality Management program and having very minimal knowledge about that field of study, I still felt that I gained a lot of good knowledge from my fellow program members. Whether it was learning about the lifestyle of the residents in Sakoshi, or how the citizens in Arima run their businesses, I learned so much more than I thought I would before going to Japan.
Some Challenges of the Program
The main challenge that I faced in Japan was definitely the language barrier. On the rare occasions I was without someone who spoke Japanese it became difficult to get around, or even ask for food. At first, it was frustrating, but I eventually began to see it as more of a challenge.
One thing I wasn't expecting to happen was the bonds that I would make with some of the students in the program, despite not being able to speak the same language. Even though my Japanese was very sub-par, I still found myself and some of the Japanese students being able to laugh together and joke around. I didn't realize it while I was in Japan, but once I got home I realized that that was a pretty special thing.
Security Management
Having the opportunity to visit some of the police stations in Kobe and Osaka was truly a one-of-a-kind experience that I will never forget. This was definitely one of my favorite parts of the program, as we had the chance to watch emergency dispatchers take calls in a command center, see the inside of a Japanese police cruiser, and even see a Judo competition in one of the station's dojos. In addition to the tours of the respective stations, we also were able to listen to some lectures by detectives, sergeants, and other officers of the various departments. Of the lectures we had the privilege of listening to, my favorite by far was a presentation by one of the detectives of the Hyogo Police Department. In his lecture, he went over how the international crime unit was working on tackling an organized crime group who were committing credit card fraud against tourists and residents in Tokyo.
The police station visits far exceeded my expectations, and I feel like coming back to the United States after the program I have a very unique perspective and understanding of some of the functions of the criminal justice system when compared to many of my classmates who haven't had an experience like this.
Overall, the Inter-University Exchange Project with Kansai University of International Studies exceeded my expectations in almost every category. The knowledge I gained, the challenges I had to overcome, and most of all the friendships I made, are all things that I'll remember for the rest of my life. Moving forward in my life and career now, I feel that I'll have a very unique perspective and base of knowledge when it comes time for me to start my career in public service. I looked forward to seeing what life has in store for everyone else in the program, and most of all one day revisiting Japan.
