Japanese seem to go wild with their clubs in college. After all, the rigidness and sterility of high school club activities has been left behind, and students are free to explore their interests in whatever way they want. This type of socialization is natural in Japanese society; just as friends were made by association of groups in high school (same clubs, classrooms, etc), college students find clubs of interest and meet new people. Club "circles," however, are different. As a teacher explained to me on campus, "circles" are casual clubs: they don't get school funding like a sports team, but they do get to use school space. These club circles are perfect for students that don't want to make the serious commitment of an official school club, such as the ones they experienced in high school. If they want to go all-out they can, but only if that's the pace they want to go. Don't get me wrong: I am sure that there are club circles that are as rigid and serious as the club activities in high schools, but from my impression of the students touting these club circles, it is a welcome break from all the years spent studying for entrance exams.
And so when I had been on campus the first day, I was approached by several clubs. My main focus here, whether it's for the independent contract I am trying to fulfill for Evergreen or for my life in general, is music, and so by the third student that asked me if I was new and that I was thinking about joining some kind of club, I found "Folk Song" club. There are two major music club circles at the University of Hyogo: "Keiongaku" (軽音楽, meaning "light music) music club and "Folk Song" club. Both of them are made up of musicians, both of them form bands and perform shows. At first I was unsure about "Folk Song"... the first student I met was a Japanese metal-head, certainly not a favorite genre of mine, but he seemed like a good and interesting guy. Also, while it seemed that with a name like "Folk Song" that they would be into folk music, this is not the case: they play mostly straight rock and roll, which is the same as the "Keongaku" club. Either way my mind teetered between what to choose- the amount of pretty young girls seemed to play a key role in my decision, but at this point of my first encounter I wasn't sure. Throughout this last month of April, however, the Folk Song Club had two on-campus shows featuring several cover bands made up of Folk Song members. The point of these shows is to attract new members. Having attended both shows, did the magic and allure of the Folk Song club suck me in?
The first show was on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. I met up with the aforementioned metal-head and spent the rest of the day enjoying overly-loud guitars and shrieking Japanese vocals. Most of it however, was pretty impressive. These students really have a love for music, and you could never guess they are economics students if you had forgotten you were at a university. Perhaps it is for this reason there was such vibrance and energy: the members of the folk song club really enjoy letting loose. As the space where the bands were playing was directly adjacent to the bands of the "Keiongaku" club, I wandered between both clubs at times. The students that make up the "Keiongaku" club seemed more relaxed and more straight-laced. Compared to the Folk Song club, who all had pint-sized cans of Asahi Super-Dry and cigarettes hanging from their mouths, it was a different vibe indeed. Some of the first-year newcomers even described their upperclassmen in the Folk Song club as "scary". This intimidation was visible in the freshman throughout the performances, as the older members called them out to come to the front in pseudo-mosh pits and thrusting fists.
And so I came to a personal conclusion about the existence of these two music clubs, strikingly similar, and yet serving multiple purposes: each of these clubs facilitates the musical interests of students on different levels, as well as different personalities. The relationship between the two clubs is friendly, with some hint of rivalry, but the differences in its members become clear. For "Keiongaku", the shyer and perhaps more studious students seem to make up the bulk; after all, the translation of its name as "light music" speaks to the more restrained atmosphere of the club. The Folk Song club, on the other hand, has a more wild streak that leaves you to wonder what they will do after graduation. While I had made friends with members of both clubs, I made my choice on Folk Song. The initiation wasn't over yet, however.
The second on-campus show followed along the same lines as the first show the week before, although some of the bands that performed were remarkably better. The main draw of this day for newcomers, though, was the "shokujikai" (食事会, meaning dinner party). It might as well have been "nomikai" (飲み会, a drinking party) for all the alcohol that was consumed. To top it off, new members ate and drank for free, me included. The party took place in a "nabe" restaurant, which means a hot pot of different meats and veggies, and in this case the hot pot was filled with a kimchi soup. Everyone had been organized by what year they were at school and led to the restaurant by the senior Folk Song members. Nothing really academic about this, but something did strike me as I downed my fifth beer. The organization, the ceremony of it all was very Japanese; they made sure the newcomers got to the restaurant, everyone was taken care of as a group. As they toasted the new members in there seemed to be an air of something more important than what the evening was. The Folk Song Club is organized and has its own culture as do many college club activities in Japan, but everything is completely laid-back, the students are there to drink and flirt with their classmates, and there's none of the pressures of the rigidness and conformity that the students underwent throughout grade school. It's no wonder that Japanese college students are notorious for playing instead of studying.
The rest of the night winded down: I went with some other members after the restaurant for a second round of drinks. Generally, I feel I've made a good impression on everyone in the club. It certainly is a blast to hang out with these kids. Most importantly, however, I can see how they as college students live their lives in regard to music. It certainly has a powerful and uniting presence at the University of Hyogo. As the weeks go by I will write about what I experience as a member of this club, building on both themes of music and college life that exist in my independent contract. I certainly can't complain about a damn thing here; I'm truly lucky to be able to do this and be rewarded with school credit. Now it's just a matter of taking something fun and intellectualizing it in a way that only I can do. Kanpai!
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