My grandparents, when I was growing up, lived in a small, suburban community in the outskirts of northwestern Osaka. The majority of residents were elderly, with seeing anyone under 60 years old unusual. Often, waking in the night to the sound of nothing but cicadas and gentle rain for the periods of summer that I visited them provided such a contrast to the busy streets of London that coming home felt like a plunge into a colder, darker, louder sub-reality, rather than a return to normalcy. One major difference, I started to realise, was how much difference a car makes to a night. For the most part it was purely on a level of annoyance; I would complain to my mum that I missed the soft passing of bicycles, replaced now by car horns. Instead, I (although perhaps selfishly) yearned for the almost car-less streets upon which senior citizens (up to ages I sometimes deemed worrying) would cycle endlessly, whether to see friends or run their daily errands. My grandparents in particular, would keep gardens of sizes often exceeding their small flat, growing fruit and flowers almost incomprehensible to my London-oriented brain, and obsessively recycle in their retired states. Therefore, the active pursuing of a cleaner environment has always been an inherent part of how I perceive life in Japan. It built, over time, the subconscious association between a quiet environment and a clean one, and thus inevitably plays a role in why I was drawn to do my year abroad in the same country. I am assured my that the skills learned and perceived in my grandparents’ eco-friendly community will transfer to how I behave on my year abroad. My choice alone of Akita International University, which is located in a rural area a while away from Akita City, over any major city, reflects my want of exposure to the environment, and connects deeply to my desire to protect it. The university itself is rooted in rural sustainability, often engaging in local community fieldwork and awareness initiatives. As for travel- while I may have to relinquish my communal-cycling pipe dream- the extremely walkable campus (10 minutes from one side to another) ensures that existence within the university is essentially travel-free, other than the 20 minute public bus ride to the nearest mall; I would thus contribute to Japan’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. The only transport links I intend to use are public, such as to the other projects I would like to pursue in Japan- for example building resilience in aging communities such as my grandparents’, in doing which I hope to contribute to UN Sustainable Development goal 11. Any extended time spent outside of Akita will be likely spent on a bicycle. On a day-to-day basis, I hope to contribute to the UN goals; I intend to bring limited amounts of clothing, purchasing second hand clothes locally, and then donating them at the end of my year abroad- this aligns with goal 12 of responsible consumption.
