Monthly Archives: December 2014

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08. I’M IN LOVE

IMG_1892As soon as I laid my eyes on her, I could feel my heart attempt to tear away from the confines of my sweaty, shaking body. I could feel the blood pump violently through my veins. My face was flushed, my hands clammy. Suddenly parched, I tried to find the words to explain this feeling. This condition. But, this love can’t be expressed through words. No. This was different. Confession time: I fell in love with Ikebukuro’s Pokemon Center.

Yeah, there’s nothing to hide. I’m one of the biggest Pokemon fans you’ll ever meet. Ever since I’ve had my hands on those Gameboy cartridges, I was hooked. Lured by a world filled with electric rodents and slumbering giants, I spent most of my childhood daydreaming of a reality where these creatures really existed. And to be quite honest, I still do. We always crave for something extraordinary. Something new, something different. After all, maybe that’s why we study abroad. In fact, when I was very, very young, I was bullied by several upperclassmen at a Korean church (we’re all friends now, oddly enough). To endure it, I imagined as if they were gym leaders, people I had to overcome and defeat in order to push onward. I have a lot to be grateful for because of Pokemon. Those games helped me through some of the hardest times of my childhood.

TIMG_1891 hat’s why I can’t “grow out of it.” It’s a part of who I am and like the dozens of children, teens, mothers and fathers who filled the Pokemon Center building, I can’t seem to shake off this infatuation with Pokemon. For those who don’t know what a “Pokemon Center” is, it’s basically a shop dedicated towards selling Pokemon related merchandise. There are several locations (one in New York, even), but the one I went too had been opened recently in the Sunshine City mall complex inside Tokyo. You immediately notice the hordes of people with their gaming handhelds, playing with each other and receiving digital gifts by Wi-Fi. In particular, I loved seeing a family of four, all with their handhelds out, enjoying each other’s company. It’s a testament to Pokemon’s timelessness: people young and old can find comfort in playing with their favorite digital creatures and with each other.

I wasn’t the only “foreigner” there, of course. People from all walks of life were there. The Pokemon Center had an international atmosphere about it, really. Tourists sometimes come to Japan with the sole purpose of visiting one of these stores. For me, visiting this place was just icing on the cake.

Sometimes I’m in awe of the fact of how long Pokemon’s popularity has lasted and is still lasting. Japan has a penchant for cute things (especially mascots), and you can see this clearly by the array of Pikachu dolls lining the walls. Perhaps Pokemon continues to live on because of how much money it makes. Yea, I’m guilty. I splurged here, but hey! It’s the Christmas season! Treat yo’self. Christmas is a time of giving. A time of giving to yourself—right?IMG_1894

After purchasing a soundtrack, artbook (I collect these) and a Christmas-themed doll (don’t judge, man), I left the shop with my friends. We may be hitting our mid-twenties, but we still feel young. Not to say that Pokemon is solely for children. Why enjoy things in childhood if you’re going to end up shunning them afterwards? It’s just that this sensation was mixed with a longing for simpler days. Days where we weren’t so concerned about our futures. Days that only held pursuits for trivial things. Days that contained lifetimes within themselves and refused to loom ominously over tomorrow.

Exchange occasionally prods at you with questions about your future. It’s inevitable. However, in my opinion, if we revisit the pleasures of our childhood, we can find comfort. While mapping out my life’s course, I make sure to dip my toes in the pool of those old memories to refresh myself. We may be adults, but honestly, most of us don’t know what the heck we’re doing. Hopefully, studying here in Japan will offer me some sort of clarity.

And more Pokemon.

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07. MIDTERMS & DON QUIXOTE

Long time no see!

If you think being on exchange means no quizzes, no unit tests, no papers and exams, then you’re so, so, so dead wrong. In fact, I was almost killed. Almost slain by the onslaught of midterms and papers that seemed to have come all at the same time. That feeling doesn’t change by being away from UBC.

The realization that I’m at school for the purpose of studying really hit me. Really hard. In the face. So hard that I might have to get some reconstructive surgery.

But, those exams have gone and past. I know a lot of UBC students have just started their finals, so who am I to complain? After all, being at a place as pretty as Sophia (as depicted above in a photo I took two days ago) makes me remember that I’m here not just for the courses, but here for the experience.

Again, the experiences you receive while being on exchange are not always what you imagined them to be. You gotta make sure you’re not wandering the lands like Don Quixote, viewing the world through an idealistic lens. Having been to Japan before, I know not to make this mistake.

Continuing on that thought, when I was in high school, I went on a school trip for two weeks to Japan. I was one of the few Asian kids who went, the rest being mostly Caucasian. There was a day where we explored the city of Kyoto and despite our freedom to do whatever we wanted to, we naturally organized ourselves into single file lines, as if we were following an imaginary teacher at the end of our obviously “foreign” parade.

There was a group of school girls. They were in their uniforms, some with pigtails, some with hair set straight down, huddled together on the side of the path. I passed them and they said nothing. My friend behind, visibly Caucasian, passed soon after. Immediately, I heard a flurry of “gaijin, gaijin, gaijin!” Meaning foreigner, they instantaneously recognized my friend as someone different and treated him as if he were some sort of celebrity.

No, I wasn’t jealous of this attention. Nor do I think the attention is entirely positive! In the end, the whole trip was superb and part of the reason why I decided to come back for a university exchange. However, that scene lingers in my head to remind me that I have a different perspective of being an “Asian” foreigner.

I recently read this article by Bernie Low called “An Asian Foreigner’s Perspective On Living in Japan.”

Reading through it, I found myself nodding my head to each point the writer made. I did in fact have different experiences. I did in fact, realize I was being treated differently than my peers. It’s a sad reality, but it’s something I have to live with nonetheless. While I may be doing fine in the process of making friends, I see now that it’s harder to initiate friendships with Japanese students just because I look Asian. Being another ethnicity other than Asian automatically grants you an ice breaker. A conversation starter. A certain, mysterious allure. If I was a Disney star who wanted to start a brand of perfumes to sell here, I could name it “NOT ASIAN” a scent by Brendan Ha. 

I’m not complaining. Let’s get that clear. However, you notice these things and you can’t help but to interrogate them. It’s an interesting part of the adventure of studying abroad. You get to situate yourself in a broader context and by doing so, you get to understand who you are as a person. While I may look outwardly Korean, having been born and raised in British Columbia, I have a stronger sense of being Canadian.

And I’m proud to be who I am.