Clay Thibodeaux was selected as an NWK scholarship recipient in 2008 and traveled to Wakayama as a student ambassador in 2009 with Jaymie Takeshita. After graduating from Brown University, Clay participated in the Teach for America program in Texas. He has since returned to Los Angeles and is pursuing a career in medicine. You can read more about his first trip to Wakayama by clicking the "read more" below!
Essay by Clay Thibodeux (July 2009)
Immediately after stepping off of
the plane and onto the landing platform, I felt the sudden rush of warm, heavy,
moist air touch my skin. Jaymie and I
exchanged glances of incredulity and laughed, as we proceeded into Kansai
Airport. The differences between Japan
and the U.S. became immediately apparent after passing numerous airport
security workers in gloves and white swine flu masks. As I noticed the airline personnel eye my
passport suspiciously at the front of the customs line, I began to feel a bit
nervous about how the Wakayama people would receive me and whether or not my
Japanese was sufficient for my host family.
I was reassured, though, to know that I was not alone and that Jaymie,
my new friend and traveling partner, was possibly feeling the same sense of
apprehension that I was.
Once we exited the terminal and
were greeted by Ms. Iwai and Mr. Joyama from WIXAS, though, most of my worries
were dispelled. They greeted Jaymie and
me so warmly that I knew they would take good care of us. In the bus ride to Wakayama city, I got my
first view of the land. Both Jaymie and
I gazed out the window at the picturesque Japanese landscape of hills filled
with lush, green trees. This was
Wakayama, the home of my grandmother’s family.
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| Clay and Jaymie - two valley kids constantly in shock of all the green! |
Before this moment, I had known
nothing of Wakayama, except that it was near Osaka and that my grandmother had
visited cousins there many years earlier.
As both my parents are third-generation Nikkei-jin, they had never
spoken about Wakayama and had never visited the region themselves. At college, when I told a friend from Tokyo
that I would be traveling to Wakayama over the summer, she asked me why I was
going to such a rural area. I must have
carried this assumption there with me because I mistook Wakayama Castle for Osaka
Castle, believing Wakayama to be “too rural” to have a castle of its own. Nonetheless, the view of the city from the
WIXAS building was beautiful and the people had been nothing but hospitable so
far. I was now excited to experience
life in Wakayama.
The following day, I was introduced
to my host family, the Ikemotos, who brought me to their house in
Kimiidera. Their warmth and sense of
humor greatly exceeded my initial expectations, and living with them undoubtedly
proved to be my favorite part of the trip.
Before meeting them, I had noticed only the differences between our two
countries: small hotel rooms, swine flu masks, narrow streets. However, I soon came to realize that they
were not too different from my own family.
Mrs. Ikemoto was kind and welcoming.
Together, we watched Michael Jackson’s funeral and had late-night
conversations. She seemed like an ideal
mother as she drove her children to school and practice and cooked delicious
meals, while simultaneously making sure that I was entertained as their
guest. Mr. Ikemoto, like my own father,
worked hard to support his family but always made time to have fun with his
children. Even after coming home from
work in Shimizu an hour’s drive away, he retained his upbeat demeanor. His sense of humor, youthfulness, and karaoke
singing were truly highlights of my stay.
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| From right: Clay, Rei, Mr. Ikemoto, Rana enjoying lunch |
Most of all, perhaps, I enjoyed
spending time with the three Ikemoto children.
Rana, the oldest daughter at age 15, was easy-going, smart, and trendy,
like my older cousin. I had fun talking
with her and learning about Japanese pop culture. She helped me with my Japanese, and in
return, I helped her study for her English test. Ryu and Rei, the two boys, reminded me of my
brother and me when we were younger, as they joked around together and showed
their competitive sides when playing games.
Ryu, the middle boy, taught me how to play Nintendo Wii and Japanese
ball games outside. Although slightly
quiet at first, he showed me his unique sense of humor after the first couple
of days. Rei, the youngest, who turned
ten on the third day of the trip, was outgoing by nature and enjoyed taking
pictures with my laptop and asking questions about America. He would practice short English phrases,
which always succeeded in making me smile.
Although individually, the three Ikemoto children had different
interests, personalities, and schedules, they remained extremely tight-knit,
and the memories that I shared with them together are among the most memorable:
playing cards on the living room floor, playing tag on the tatami mats of the
Mt. Koya temple, souvenir shopping, and swimming in the Aridagawa River.
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| Clay and Mr. Yabuzoe at Kumano Kodo. |
The hospitality of the Ikemoto
family truly moved me. They integrated
me into their daily lives and rearranged their schedules to show me around
their city, bringing me to places like Wakayama Castle and the Marina City
Aquarium. I soon found that such
hospitality was a defining feature of all the people I met in Wakayama, from
the students and faculty at Wakayama University who taught me about college
life in Japan to the WIXAS staff who worked so hard to organize the trip’s many
events. One of the most memorable people
of all, though, was Mr. Yabuzoe, who took Jaymie and me on a self-guided tour of
the Kushimoto region. His genuine personality,
energy, and extensive knowledge greatly enhanced our perceptions of the
landmarks we visited (Nachi Waterfall, Hongu Shrine, Shirahama).
This two-week long trip allowed me
to witness Wakayama’s natural beauty.
The pristine natural landscape of the bright green hills that enshrined
the region, along with the white beaches and warm, blue ocean truly reinforced
my reverence for Wakayama. Set amidst
this beautiful landscape, Mt. Koya left a lasting impression upon my
consciousness. The beautiful and
antiquated temples, memorials, and shrines of Mt. Koya enabled me to feel a
connection to the region that I had not yet felt for any other place. Being in an area of such historical
significance for Japan and Buddhism enabled me to feel connected to my Japanese
heritage. Aside from being vast, Mt.
Koya was a site that represented Japanese spirituality with their natural
surroundings, as its structures and rituals served to sanctify the land instead
of exert domination over it. Most
memorable about this experience, though, was that it was shared with my host
family who was there to guide me throughout the entire day.
On my last day in Japan, I was
extremely sad to part with my host family and the WIXAS staff. I felt indebted to these individuals, knowing
that because of them, I would return home with fond memories and a greatly
bolstered sense of pride for the land of my grandmother’s family. Although I did not actually meet the
relatives that my grandmother had spoken about, I knew that as I boarded the
plane for America, I was leaving family behind.
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