Japan Club
Throughout high school, I have been an active member of Japan Club, serving as a club leader while helping organize cultural events for students living in the dormitories. Having spent much of my life in Japan, the club became a way for me to share a place that has shaped who I am with the community around me. Every event was an opportunity to introduce classmates to the food, customs, and everyday experiences that I associate with life in Tokyo.
Rather than talking about Japanese culture in the abstract, I wanted people to experience it directly. Sharing a meal together created conversations that would never have happened in a classroom.
Bringing Tokyo to New York
Throughout the year, I organized dorm events that featured Japanese restaurants across New York City, including Ootoya and Go! Go! Curry, as well as dorm events where I taught fellow classmates how to make takoyaki.
Choosing these restaurants was an intentional decision. Ootoya serves the kind of everyday home-style meals that people eat throughout Japan, while Go! Go! Curry introduced classmates to one of Japan's most recognizable regional curry styles. These were places that reminded me of meals I had shared with friends and family in Tokyo, and I wanted my classmates to share in my experience of Japanese culture.
Watching my classmates try these dishes for the first time changed the way I thought about cultural exchange. Questions about ingredients naturally became conversations about daily life in Japan, regional food traditions, convenience stores, family restaurants, and the places I visited growing up. Through something as simple as sharing a meal, my classmates gained a more personal understanding of Japanese culture, while I found myself reflecting on details of everyday life that I had previously taken for granted.
Creating Community
The dorm cooking events became some of my favorite experiences in Japan Club. During our takoyaki nights, everyone gathered around the same table preparing food together. Some students had never eaten takoyaki before. Others wanted to learn how takoyaki is turned while cooking or asked why certain ingredients are commonly used in Japanese homes.
Preparing food together created a different kind of conversation. Instead of giving a presentation about Japanese culture, I was able to answer questions as we cooked, explain traditions as they came up naturally, and share stories connected to the dishes we were making. The atmosphere was relaxed, and people were willing to ask questions they might not have asked in another setting.
These events also brought together students who had never met one another. By the end of the evening, everyone was sitting together, sharing food that they had prepared themselves. Watching that happen each time reminded me that food has a remarkable ability to create a sense of belonging.
Reflection
Japan Club has been one of the most meaningful parts of my high school experience because it gave me the opportunity to share an important part of my own identity with the people around me.
Living in New York has also changed the way I see Japan. Explaining familiar foods, customs, and traditions to classmates encouraged me to think more carefully about experiences I had always considered ordinary. Through those conversations, I developed a deeper appreciation for the culture I grew up with and for the ways it continues to shape my perspective.
I am grateful to everyone who participated in these events with such openness and curiosity. Their willingness to try unfamiliar foods, ask thoughtful questions, and share the experience together made every event rewarding. Serving as a club leader allowed me to contribute to a community that celebrated cultural exchange through participation and conversation and it is an experience I will carry with me long after high school.