Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Urazumi Learns About State While In Prescott

East meets West, well, actually, the East met Southwest Arkansas with a cultural exchange student.

Makiko Urazumi, 19, of Tochigi, Utsunomiya, Japan, a city with a population of about 500,000, won a writing contest and earned a trip to the United States. She wound up in Prescott, Arkansas.

Makiko's only knowledge of Arkansas was as the birthplace of President Bill Clinton. Prescott was a complete mystery to her.

She arrived on July 17, staying with George and Margaret Ivy. Makiko is scheduled to leave Aug. 24, and return home.

Her visit here has been an eye-opener and educational. She has discovered a love for Arkansas-grown watermelon and strawberries.

Makiko visited the Hope Watermelon Festival and devoured three slices of Hope's most famous fruit. However, she couldn't understand how anyone could not eat their way down to the rind and why people here are so wasteful.

In order to help bridge the communication barrier, Makiko relies on a language computer. It works well except for when American slang is used.

The Ivy's took Makiko to Branson, Mo., where they saw Shoji Tobushi, a Japanese performer who plays the fiddle. Makiko met and talked with Tobushi, saying it was the "best show for me" during her visit.

Her dream is to go to foreign countries and teach people about her beloved Japan. Arkansas, she said, would be a good place for her to teach about Japan.

Makiko will be going to college next spring, as the Japanese academic year begins then. The term, she said, starts in April, running through July.

In July, students get a vacation until September, and go to school until December, with a third term from January to March.

Students can choose their course load. Makiko takes science, math, language and English.

American students enjoy a privilege Japanese student's don't have driving cars to school. Students in Japan, Makiko said, are not allowed to take a car to school and must either ride a bus or bicycle.

During the winter Makiko takes the bus, but prefers riding her bike in warm weather. The ride, she said, takes about an hour.

Additionally, Japanese students must wear uniforms to school, with some schools being gender segregated.

There has been much talk in Japan, she said, about internationalization the bringing in of foreign students. Makiko's school has had several foreign students, with the Japanese natives enjoying spending time with their visitors.

Makiko, in her spare time, likes to read, now focusing on the "Chicken Soup" series, and listening to the Beatles. She also likes to watch traditional Sumo wrestling, which is nothing like American style wrestling such as shown in the WWF or WCW.

While here, Makiko has enjoyed looking at the different styles of houses. In Japan, she said, all houses are built alike and the differences here are a pleasant change.

She also likes going to grocery stores because there are so many choices to make. There are few selections at Japanese grocery stores, she said.

According to Margaret, Makiko helps in the kitchen, watching how each dish is prepared and asking questions as to why things are done the way they are.

Rice is an essential at every meal, but Makiko doesn't like American rice because it is different. She does, however, like fruits and vegetables.

According to Makiko, food in America is much less expensive than it is in Japan.

American senior citizens, she said, are very active and have many parties. This belief comes from going places with the Ivy's.

A visit to the Ivy's church's XYZ (extra years of zest) program introduced Makiko to a potluck dinner, which she called a party.

The visit to church was a new experience as Makiko has no formal religion she practices though Shinto and Buddhism are popular in Japan.

She didn't understand the preacher's message to the congregation, but did enjoy the singing as she swayed to the music.

Makiko said her visit to Prescott has been invaluable as it has given her the opportunity to watch and study another culture and expand her point of view.

"I would like to come here again," she said. "It has been a unique experience."

Even with her language computer there are problems with communications. This is because in Japanese no can mean yes at times, with yes meaning no depending on how they are used.

And, there are 46 characters in the Japanese alphabet compared to 26 in the American alphabet. Japanese, she said, can also be read from right to left and up to down.

No matter how much fun Makiko's had in Prescott, she still misses home.

"I miss Japan," she said, and Yancho, my dog. Yancho is my best friend."