☆☆☆Second report of Vincent Quiring, 24th scholarship holder of the GRÜNWALD foundation☆☆☆

Before I realized it, it was time to tear off the calendar page. Another two weeks in Japan had passed. The time I spend here seems to run incredibly fast – like the blink of an eye. I feel like the presence of the moment often flies past me. It’s hard to live in the present when the present passes so quickly. Right now I’m sitting in the Nozomi 212, a Shinkansen on the way to Tokyo, where I will spend the coming week with a friend from Germany, who fortunately decided to go on vacation in Japan. With the help of the influence of “A Momentary Lapse of Reason” by Pink Floyd, I am now reminiscing and trying to recap the last exciting two weeks.

Ryla. Thanks to the support of Rotary, as well as the help of my excellent, now Japanese teacher and advisor Mr. Okamoto, I had the privilege of attending the annual Ryla Seminar, which lasted three days. This year’s seminar aimed to redefine essential values such as interpersonal communication, intercultural connections and the importance of leadership and community in the presence of young, innovative personalities. As I only found out about the existence of the seminar and my participation a few days before it started, I didn’t have too many expectations. This was probably also the reason why I was all the more convinced and surprised afterwards.
I was very impressed by how it was possible to construct a sense of interpersonal connection and community within my personal group in just a few days, which left me wistful and alone in my empty apartment after the seminar. As described in the last report, it is easy for Japanese people to make a guest feel safe, affectionate and warm. My experience with Ryla was no different. Despite considerable language barriers, as the seminar was designed for Japanese speakers, I took each of my group members to my heart in no time at all. Together, through play and small social experiments, we discovered the true meaning of a group leader. This is not a person who cunningly pursues their own goals and uses the group as an instrument to achieve them. True greatness can only be achieved when the weakest members of a group are listened to and given an opportunity to express their opinions and wishes. A “leader” is one who puts the good of the group above his own. We made “Never stop talking” (a quote from a Pink Floyd song 🙂 ) our group slogan. All human achievements could only be achieved through constant communication. Thus, the good of communication was also extremely important to us, although with the help of the technology of a translator…

(“Never stop talking” – Group Ryla)

(Exercise: Building a tower)

(Ryla graduation ceremony & certificate presentation)

In the days that followed, I had the pleasure of visiting Professor Aochi and his students in Kyoto. As a person who, after just one month in Japan, appreciates the country, the people and the culture more than my own at home, it is incredibly interesting for me to meet German students. I often ask where their enthusiasm and commitment to Germany comes from. Mostly, I have learned, it is literature, art and music. In retrospect, as a great enthusiast for all kinds of literature and art in general, I have to admit that this makes a lot of sense to me. I would like to see Germany through the eyes of people interested in Germany in order to uncover things that I myself have not seen clearly for a long time.

We visited several holy sites with Professor Aochi. In the course of this, I had the pleasure of having my luck predicted for the rest of the year thanks to an omikuji, a fortune-telling lottery ticket. We each bought one such ticket and placed it in a flowing body of water at the shrine. We all hoped for good luck, even if we didn’t all get it. To my surprise, when I placed my ticket in the water, my companion jumped up next to me and told me that I had received the best possible fortune-telling. I was incredibly surprised and felt very honored looking at all the bad tickets hanging on a pole a few meters away. Filled with positive feelings and gratitude, I drove home that evening.

(Shimogamo-Jinja shrine)

(Omikuji in Shimogamo-Jinja shrine)

(Group of students of Kyoto university)

Shortly after this formative event, Ms. Ikawa invited me to go on an exploratory tour of Kobe with another student named Shota. Our little excursion ranged from visiting Mrs. Ikawa’s school and her extremely friendly students, to visiting the port, as well as hiking up the Rokko Mountains. It was a great pleasure to be able to see Japanese diversity up close, guided by locals. Both the charming urban structure of Kobe and the mystical, whispering nature, with its lush trees and boundless, dense plants and shrubs, gave me inspiring thoughts. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and am delighted with the many little things I learned about myself and Japanese culture that day.

(Kobe port)

(Lunch in ChinaTown)

(Gondola ride on Mount Rokko)

(Hike down into the valleyl)

When I had an appointment with Mr. Okamoto at the German Consulate at the end of the week, I was amazed at how far away Germany had been from me in the past few days and how nice and at the same time strange it was to be able to talk to German people. In Mrs. Saxinger’s beautiful office, we talked to the bright, enthusiastic German Consul General about the differences and possible challenges of living in Japan, but also about the many wonderful experiences and opportunities it offers. We came to the conclusion that Germany can take the Japanese mentality and social interaction as a great example in many respects.

We are also eagerly awaiting the results of the Japanese election, which is due to take place in the coming weeks. The results of the election campaign will probably also provide an answer to regional security concerns that are currently circulating among the Japanese population. So we’ll have to wait and see.

I would like to thank you for your time at the Consulate. It was a great honor!

(Meeting with Consul General Melanie Saxinger)

Finally, I would like to address a few words to Mrs. Maki Noyama, who invited me to a small local concert by artists she knows. The mixture of European songs with a Japanese touch of grace and colorful fantasy was charming. I listened spellbound to the familiar yet, thanks to the Japanese translation, foreign sounds and once again realized the incredible impact music can have in connecting people across cultures and backgrounds. I was very happy to be able to experience this performance. Afterwards, we visited a small local café. Both the owner and the staff were charming and friendly and spoiled us with all kinds of culinary delights. What’s more, and this flattered me greatly, the owner of the café suddenly started to take a guitar from the wall mount and play a few songs for us after we had talked about music and playing instruments for a long time. I was very moved as I listened to the warm and sensitive sounds of the guitar, which, together with his sweet, raspy voice, evoked a contingency of emotions. I was on the verge of tears when the last note left his lips. This small, spontaneous moment evoked so much joy in me. Encouraged by the thought of learning to play an instrument myself, I went home that evening fulfilled. For a brief moment, I could see the sparkle in people that rarely seems to come out these days.

(concert at Suita Art)

(Café visit after the concert)

Thank you for the many different impressions and I very much hope for more.

Thank you very much!

Vincent Quiring