Student Ambassador Reflection - Emily Hatanaka

Emily Hatanaka, a student at Cal State University Northridge, was selected as one of NWK's student ambassadors in 2014.  She and Akemi Levine traveled to Wakayama Prefecture in July 2015.
 

Emily's trip to Japan was filled with new experiences!

Click the "read more" below to hear more about Emily's experience in Wakayama in her own words!

An "Arigato" from Emily Hatanaka

Konichiwa! First of all I would like to thank the Nanka Wakayama Kenjinkai and the staff at WIXAS for allowing me to be a student ambassador on the 2015 trip to Wakayama. If it wasn’t for them I would not have been able to be apart of this amazing experience. And I am in debt to all those who made my trip to Japan possible. A thank you would not be sufficient and I hope that one day I will be able to reciprocate what others have done for me. 

 My trip to Wakayama as an ambassador was the first time I’ve been to Japan, and it was unforgettable. During my stay I was given the opportunity to meet so many people and visit a number of incredible places. And I have so many stories that I would be able to go on and on with no end, but here are a few highlights of my trip I would like to share. One being able to meet family members from Japan that I’ve never met and I was able to sit down with a distant relative who to my surprise was the mayor of Mihama ( a town within the Wakayama Prefecture). 

 Another was visiting many beautiful places. Such as going to Wakayama Castle, touring Koyasan, and taking a trip to the southern part of Wakayama including Shirahama, Kushimoto, and Taiji. Each destination and landmark filled with a rich history and stunning views. My favorite place we visited would be Senjojiki Rock Plateaus and Sandanbeki Rock Cliff in Shirahama. It was also an amazing experience to try different foods known in Japan, like raw egg with sukiyaki, fresh sushi, and Wakayama ramen which I had on multiple occasions. Also, some interesting things I did, was go to an onsen for the first time, try uni at a sushi bar and riding on the Tama-densha, a famous train in Japan that has a cat named Tama as the station master.

But through all my experiences, the best by far was meeting the amazing people in Wakayama. My host families, the students at Wakayama University and Hidaka High School, the mayor and assembly of Wakayama, and especially the staff at the WIXAS office. All friendly and kindhearted people who wanted to meet us and know about our lives in America. It was truly an honor to be able to meet each one of them and be able to make ties with them. They all treated Akemi and myself like their own family and welcomed us with open arms. 

 Going to Wakayama was the best thing I have ever done and I miss it already. During my stay I was able to make connections with so many people and I found a new home there. Before my trip I was proud to be Japanese, but now I am even more proud to know that my family is from Wakayama. And whenever I can I want to go back to Japan and visit all my new friends and family. It was my honor to be able to represent the Kenjinkai and be the student ambassador and now I have a new love and respect for Wakayama and my heritage. Once again I would like to say arigato to everyone associated with the student ambassador program.