Once a month I participate with a local volunteer group to read picture books to Japanese children. The volunteer group is called "Glocal" (Global + Local) and its purpose is to connect international students to the local community. We read picture books at a beautiful community center in the middle of a nearby park to promote interaction and language learning between cultures. Japanese parents bring their kids to listen to stories in Chinese, English, Japanese and any other language that's spoken by one of the volunteers. At first I was skeptical that such a simple idea and project could make a difference or be popular but the crowd of parents and kids quickly proved me wrong. The kids love the attention and have no problem picking up the different vocabulary words that we teach in various languages. The whole afternoon is a riot and it's a lot of fun to interact with families who recognize the value of cultural and linguistic exchange.
It's also very helpful for practicing my Japanese as many of the books we read are in simple and basic Hiragana. Today, one of the books I read was about baby kittens rolling down the back of the Mama cat. The whole book only contained two words in Japanese: "rolling" and "meow" - perfect for my level! It's also fun experimenting with group dynamics in Japanese like asking simple questions (What is this? Is this a cat?), making comments (This cat is so cute!) and motivating engagement by copying my Japanese teacher's instructions (Say it with me, repeat etc.). Having conversations with young children is also entertaining because they don't let politeness get in the way of telling me that they don't understand what I'm trying to say.
Finally, I've come to understand that the way the Japanese organize any event is different. It seems like "fun" can only be had if it's organized, planned and scheduled. I've seen this on campus in terms of clubs and groups, on short trips and on volunteer activities like today. It's very common to receive an itinerary which is followed precisely - there are no deviations, improvisations or tardiness. There's also lots of applause and clapping - but more on that later.
Fun is organized, planned, and scheduled? I knew I loved Japan!