http://www.esu.org/tours/reports/report_hearnden

ESU Report: Japan and Korea Tour 2002 Alexis Hearnden THANKS Before recounting the two fantastic weeks that we enjoyed in Korea and Japan I would like to thank those that made the tour possible. I’d like to thank everyone at the ESU including the tour leader Marc Whitmore; there was obviously a great deal of planning and organisation involved in the trip. At the British Embassy in Seoul HMA Charles Humphrey, Adrian Chapman and Chris Sims looked after us impeccably (I’ve never been so well fed in my life). In Japan, the ESUJ had a full and interesting programme organised for us. Tsuchibuchi-san was a selfless host having given up his precious annual leave to look after us. Masaki-san was also very attentive even meeting us in Osaka the morning that we had to catch the bullet train when he had to teach that same day. Hirose-san and Matsudira-san were fantastic dinner company and benevolent sponsors of the competition at the Tokyo Olympic Centre. Everyone we met in the course of the tour make exceptional efforts to make our stay enjoyable and productive.

INTRODUCTION When I applied for the Japan and Korea Tour I’d read a couple of books (about Asia); I’d flicked through the Lonely Planet Guide; I’d seen some documentaries and had been keeping an eye out for articles about Asia in the papers. I thought I had a reasonable idea of what Japan and Korea would be like; I’d even spent a year sharing a house with a girl from Seoul.

The tour brought home the reality of the differences between the portrayal of Asia from an Anglo-American/European point of view and the country itself. Our preconceptions about the two cultures soon dissolved. The greatest thing that I took from the tour was being able to meet ‘ordinary people’ and talk to them about their ideas and experiences.

The perfect example of our inaccurate cultural preconceptions was George’s sneezing.

We had been told (and even read) before we left the UK that sneezing or blowing one’s nose was considered grossly offensive. Unfortunately, poor George had a terrible cold and though he bore it well and never complained, he was sneezing and snuffling the whole tour. He spent the whole tour running and hiding so that he could snuffle in peace without offence. As we got to know our hosts better and our conversations became more frank and challenging we asked if sneezing were the greatest fau pax. The response we received was a relaxed chuckle, only in the most formally of formal situations with the most senior people present, was sneezing impolite. Our obsessive attempts to ‘immerse ourselves in the culture’ and observe the customs were premised on obsolete impression propagated throughout the West’s ‘sensitive’ account of ‘foreign culture’.

KOREA In Korea I was lucky enough to stay at the Official Residence where we were well looked after (and fed!) After having mainly recovered from (horrific) jetlag we attended a ‘gala dinner’ in the residency with the provisional steering party for the establishment of ESUK. The seniority and enthusiasm of those in attendance bodes well for a new ESUK;

the dinner was enjoyed by all and was a great success despite my accidental attempt to sabotage the evening by catapulting my lemon wedge across the room (!)

During our stay in Seoul we visited Kyung Hee University and Ewha Women’s University (whose tee-shirt I have worn with pride in the freezing Oxford winter). At Kyung Hee University we were met by Professor Hur, (who we had previously met at the Ambassador’s) and Jason Jarvis. They introduced us to the members of the Kyung Hee Debating Society who were animated in their participation in our Iraq debate. At Ewha Professor Chung Duk-ae welcomed us with a beautiful lunch I have to confess to enjoying the less spicy versions of kimchee the best! After the gourmet meal we met the students. The level of English (with many of the students having studied abroad) amazed me; my group introduced themselves as ‘Judy and Laura’. Despite their nerves and our best attempts to dispel their fears the debate that followed was a polished, engaging performance where all four speakers excelled and made those of us about to follow (i.e. the ESU debaters) uneasy about the act we had to follow. Our experiences at Ewha and the high level of participation in the floor debate impressed me. As the only female representative from the ESU I saw the day at Ewha as a satisfying testament to the fact that Ewha’s female students were as confident and competent as any male counter-parts proving that debating is an inclusive, intellectual activity.

Chris Sims, resourcefully gave us the opportunity to discuss issues informally with the International Goodwill Society and the British Council invited us to talk about studying in the UK. I think that I speak for the group when I say that we hope the interest of Jeffrey Miller at The Korea Times and the article in the Dong-a Ibo will help to promote the work of the ESU in Korea so that a branch can be established. There is clearly a demand, grass-roots infrastructure and enthusiasm in Korea that could soon rival the comparable structures in Japan.

In amongst our packed schedule we managed to explore the city of Seoul. My favourite place must have been the Namdaemun Market – a brilliant labyrinths of interesting articles, I’ve worn my ‘Be the Reds’ Korean football tee-shirt with pride. The excellent metro service meant that we could happily navigate the city visiting the Deoksugung Palace, the Seoul Tower and the entertainment district, which became a firm favourite of ours in the evenings. During the day I was able to shop for presents and peruse the street art gallery that coincided with the ‘3rd Annual Rice Wine Festival’. For me, one of the highlights of the trip was the visit to the DMZ; not only did the trip there afford us the opportunity to see the sheer size of Seoul but on arriving in the Joint Security Area the ‘most dangerous golf hole in the world’ brought home the reality that Korea and particular Seoul live with every day. The tour was informative if not a little alarming when Staff Sergeant Smith told me not to point at the North Koreans because ‘they don’t like it’. A few weeks after our return I squealed in the local cinema ‘I’ve been there’ when the DMZ came up in the new James Bond film to my delight and everyone else’s annoyance (!).

JAPAN Our time in Japan was as equally enjoyable and as equally action packed. The accommodation was of an exceptional standard and I relished the chance to try ‘proper’ Sushi after a friend in the UK explained that I shouldn’t think I’d tried Sushi on the basis of a second rate supermarket equivalent. One of the nice things about the Japan leg was that we were able to combine informal chat with our Japanese student hosts with sight seeing. The advantage from our point of view was being able learn much more about the sights and the students than were we on our own.

Our visit to Nara was organised by the Nara University English Speaking Society. The ‘section chief’ Keiko was friendly and welcoming and looked after us exceptionally well.

The Todaji temple housed the most enormous Buddha and put the cathedrals of Britain into perspective. Aside from my nearly being eaten by a dear, our trip to Nara was a fun opportunity to talk to Japanese students. The debate seminar in Osaka Prefecture University well attended despite the fact that it was an evening event and our debate was well received, which TV Tokyo followed. Whilst staying in Osaka we were treated to a fantastic dinner with Hirsose-san and Matsudara-san. Apart from the fact that I thought I would not be able to walk again from having eaten so much food the evening was an enjoyable opportunity to talk to the two gentlemen about their opinions and impressions of Japan and its changing social landscape. Under Hirose-san’s instruction I have become a sake connoisseur.

The bullet train was amazing. I’d been looking forward to the trip having seen a Blue Peter special on the train when I was about ten. Given everything I had heard I was ready to be impressed which Ian and Marc capitalised upon by convincing me that because the train went so fast I would have to lie down and be strapped in. I believed them until they also suggested I would need to wear a crash helmet. Despite the train not resembling something out of Flash Gordon we race across the country (missing Mount Fuji because of cloud) and arrived in Tokyo to check in to our lovely hotel.

Having taught workshops and seminars in schools for the Tesco London Debate Program and our Oxford program I really enjoyed the day we spent at the International Christian University. Okada-san was a fantastic host at the school designed to assist returning students reintegrate into the Japanese education system. The workshop was well received and the subsequent debate (out of school hours on a Friday afternoon) was rather intimidatingly attended by over three hundred students. The commitment of the students and their evident enthusiasm was testament to the excellent teaching at the High School.

In Tokyo, students from Tokyo University explained how they offer to show tourists around the Imperial Palace in exchange for the opportunity to being able to practice their English. This meant that not only did I learn about life as a student in Tokyo, where to eat, shop, and what student societies were like, I also learnt about Samuri houses, strategic defences and the constitutional issues surrounding the Emperor’s daughters.

The week in Japan crescendoed at the Competition held at the Olympic Centre. The students were very impressive in both their use of English and in their command of

debate. The wide range of judges and the number of universities represented indicated the well- established program run by the committed ESUJ staff. Over the course of the tournament we enjoyed the opportunity to meet and talk with the students. I got on particularly well with the deputy tournament directory, Aya, who took me to the department stores where Japanese school girls get their pictures taken with pretty backgrounds and write messages all over the photos. The pictures of Aya and myself as a rabbit and a lion respectively are a fond reminder of the friendly reception we received in Japan.

CONCLUSION The ESU tour was obviously a fantastic opportunity. My college friends have not quite forgiven me for coming home with tales of fantastic food, shopping in Tokyo, the cultural sites of Nara and the DMZ, but the tour was far more than just a chance to fly across the world. At some point in my life I would have hoped that I would have had the opportunity to visit Asia, perhaps for a holiday, perhaps for work. The ESU trip was an unparalleled opportunity in that it presented a chance to spend time with my peers and talk to the directly and honestly about our respective experiences and ideas of each other’s half of the globe.

Debating and English are certainly a way of promoting international understanding and friendship and the hard work of the British Embassy in Korea and the ESU in Japan afforded me that opportunity. I would recommend the trip to any student who has a genuine interest in the world outside the walls of UK academic institutions, cautioning that the trip is hard work and demands commitment - and they better not eat for a week before going!

Alexis Hearnden Mansfield College, Oxford University BA Politics, Philosophy and Economics (Hons) Student