Saying ‘sayounara’ to Tokyo
The International Game Design Practices students reflect on what they learned and gained during their week in Japan.
Adjusting to a different culture’s standards and habits is, needless to say, difficult.
It’s one thing to think, “OK, do this instead of what you do typically.” It’s another thing entirely to continuously put it into practice without fail.
Prior to Japan, lecturer Richard “Rush” Swope reviewed some common to-dos and to-don’ts with our International Game Design Practices class. This list included:
- Walk on the left side of the sidewalk and, when walking in a group, try to stay in a single-file line.
- When you exchange your business card, first present it with both hands and then pass yours with your left and accept the other person’s with your right.
- Don’t hand cashiers your money directly. Place it in the tray provided on the counter.
- Try to speak in Japanese.
After we arrived in the country, it was a process of trial and error. We didn’t completely fail at obeying all of the rules. We just needed to use the first few days to put them all into practice and learn by doing.
Oddly enough, walking on the sidewalk was not as simple as it sounded. We learned the rule isn’t necessarily to always walk on the left side, but to walk closest to the road if you are traveling the opposite way traffic is moving. This allows you to see cars coming toward you, according to Akane Tokusumi, a junior in the IGDP class.
In a more unique setting, a few classmates found themselves accidentally cleansing themselves at a temple incorrectly. Juniors Jonah Clark, Stephanie Davidson and Vershawn Burns, and sophomore Blair Wheatley all attempted to use a purification fountain at the Sensō-ji Temple in Asakusa.
“I was the first to go, because everyone else felt awkward about the whole thing,” Stephanie said. “I read the sign (that said how to do use the fountain), but I forgot what Rush had told us about shrines, so I actually drank the water. The biggest (mistake) was that I guess I had moved over the basin where you get the water and suddenly a woman leaned out from a window and yelled about it. It took me a second to understand, but once I did, I apologized before rinsing my hands away from the basin and retreated.”
“I heard what the lady yelled at Stephanie for, and yet I still messed up,” Jonah added. “I didn’t drink the water, but I rinsed my hands over the basin and she yelled at me not to. Then Vershawn did it, and he did fine except he put the ladle back into the basin instead of on the side. Then Blair did it and did it correctly.”
As game design students, many of us signed up for this class to network with game developers in Japan to learn how to make and sell games for Japanese audiences. However, we’re learning more than just the game industry on our trip.
We’re learning how to adapt and be a part of a culture different from our own.
