A trip to Hakone with Daiwa Scholars

I also spent some time down in Hakone on Friday and Saturday with some of the 2011 Scholars (and one from 2010). The weather was a bit miserable, and although we visited the sulphurous “hells” of Owakudani, there was no sign of Mount Fuji, which should have been spectacularly visible. I consoled myself recalling Basho’s stoic response in a similar situation:

 霧しぐれ富士を見ぬ日ぞ面白き

Those days when you can’t see Mount Fuji for misty rain –
now they’re intriguing!

We enjoyed an excellent Japanese dinner and soaked ourselves at length in the onsen (hot spring), but the main event was the karaoke afterwards. I had lost my voice as a result of a cold, which was rather a relief as I’m no great shakes at karaoke, but I enjoyed the chance to chat with the scholars when they weren’t at the microphone. The main issue for the 2011 crop at the moment is how best to get to grips with the Japanese language, which gave me flashbacks to my own university days endlessly writing out kanji. But six months in, they’re all making excellent progress, and I was a little startled to find them already dealing with the correct honorifics for answering the telephone. 

One was just submitting final corrections for her PhD (at the age of 25). I was duly impressed by this since the PhD I started in 2004 still remains unfinished, and unlikely to be finished (at the age of 47). Another was heading to China the  following day to direct a play he has just written (in Japanese!). I came away with a renewed sense that our Daiwa Scholars are a truly extraordinary group.