From Mentored to Mentor

Ahead of next month’s Tokyo: Here & Now, one Member extols the benefits of the two-day orientation program.

Christina Schwabecher’s sketchbook captures the essence of Japan in a visual feast of colorful sketches, thoughtful annotations and creative detailing. 

There are drawings of classic washoku dishes, complete with notes on flavors, colors and cooking methods. Shrines and manicured gardens feature prominently, as does modern Japan, including Shibuya’s bustling scramble crossing. There is even a handy illustration on what to do in the event of an earthquake.

While the journal appears the work of a well-travelled Japanophile or longtime resident, it was created only a few months after Schwabecher had arrived in Japan last year, while she was attending Tokyo: Here & Now, the Women’s Group’s orientation program.

The biannual, two-day seminar is designed to help newcomers to the city settle in. Expert-led sessions cover everything from healthcare and shopping to travel and coping with culture shock.

The presentations proved so inspiring that Schwabecher decided to draw on her graphic design background to document what she was learning about her new home. It has since become something of a ritual. 

“I record what I’m seeing,” she explains. “It’s very meditating and relaxing to draw, and Tokyo is so full of new, interesting things that I want to capture as much of them as possible.”

Although Schwabecher, 50, had vacationed in Tokyo a number of times before her family’s relocation, she says Tokyo: Here & Now helped ease the transition to life in Japan.

“It had a huge influence on making me feel more comfortable in Tokyo and making me feel like part of the Club,” she says.

The American adds that it was reassuring to meet other people who also felt “like a fish out of water” in an environment with plenty of linguistic and cultural challenges.

As a mother of two, she says she found the session on the local healthcare system particularly informative, and the talk about adjusting to a new life and, if necessary, seeking help from  counseling organizations like TELL was refreshingly honest. In addition, she says, receiving a handout of information on the other participants made it easy to forge friendships.

Schwabecher will draw on her experiences in her role as a volunteer organizer of next month’s Tokyo: Here & Now. She says she’s excited to be involved.

“I know the overwhelming feeling when you arrive in a new place, as I experienced it only last year,” she says. “That makes me a good person for this year’s welcome committee.”

Tokyo: Here & Now
Sep 19–20 | 8:30am–2pm

Words: Kathryn Wortley
Image: Enrique Balducci