Student Ambassador Reflection - Andrew Gruhn

Andrew Gruhn, a student at UC Riverside, was selected as a NWK student ambassador in 2015.  He traveled to Wakayama Prefecture with Philip Kamei in July 2016.

Click below to read about his experiences in Wakayama.




Ambassador Essay by Andrew Gruhn

My recent ambassadorship to Wakayama Prefecture was a very memorable and enlightening experience. This excellent program allowed me to gain new perspectives about my heritage and family history. I was also able to experience the local culture of Wakayama Prefecture, learn about Wakayama’s significant historical relevance in Japanese history, make many new friends, and enjoy the delicious produce from Wakayama.

I was able see my little cousins and stay with my family in Wakayama, which was a blessing, but I was also able to stay with the Uchihashi family for 1 week. I am very grateful to them because they not only took care of me, but they also treated me as one of their family. I was fortunate to meet many people in Wakayama and I made many new friends. When I had free time I was able to meet with them and go to karaoke. I also got to know the other student ambassadors that were in Wakayama at the time and hear about their family histories which was very interesting.     

Andrew with his host family.

During this trip I was able to see all of the beautiful and interesting sites that Wakayama had to offer. The famous Engetsuto Island and Senjojiki, the breathtaking Sandanbeki Cliffs, and the beautiful Kumano River that cuts through the picturesque scenery of my hometown. One of my personal favorites was the Ukishima Floating Island in Shingu which is unique because it actually floats and, in the past, used to move around its pond in heavy winds. I also liked watching the clear blue Kumanogawa river which denotes the border of Wakayama-ken and Mie-ken. 

 

Andrew dressed as a samurai in front of Wakayama Castle.

 Wakayama is also unique for the plethora of historic and cultural sites that it possesses. To me, Wakayama seems to have a historical and cultural value matching or surpassing that of Kyoto or Tokyo just because the variety of historical sites that Wakayama possesses. I enjoyed the large temple complex at Koyasan that possesses tombstones of some of Japan’s most important historic figures. I saw the tombstones of Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his family, and many tombstones from the Tokugawa family. Another interesting thing that I learned was that prior to Commodore Perry’s entry, the United States first made contact with Japan near Kushimoto in Wakayama. In Shingu, my hometown, there were two very important shrines that I got to visit. The Kamikura Shrine where the gods first descended from the heavens, and the Hayatama Taisha Grand Shrine. In addition, the Nachi Waterfall and temple complex was interesting to me because of the coexistence of a Buddhist temple and a Shinto shrine on a single site as well as being an important station on the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage.    

At the Wakayama Prefectural Assembly Hall

I am very thankful that this great program is being offered by WIXAS and I am glad that I decided to apply as an ambassador.  Wakayama has always been special to me because of my family heritage, but now I have a greater appreciation for Wakayama because I know more about its history and have had such a memorable experience in my home prefecture. I really hope that I will be able to visit Wakayama again and learn more about its culture and history, as well as see everyone who was so kind to me during my short stay in Wakayama.