Trying for a better understanding

In the last few weeks, I have purposely tried to step out of the routine activities of the typical foreigner in Japan (ie partying every night).

Two recent activities have been especially enlightening.

I started going to a cooking class once a month put on by the Muslim Culture Association of the well-known local university. Each month, they cook Halal food from different countries with a sizable Muslim population. The first month I went, it was Indonesian food, the second Japanese food (not that there is a huge Muslim population in Japan, but I think it was to educate us about what Muslims can eat in the country), and this past weekend, it was Bangladeshi food. The next month will highlight food from Turkmenistan.

I've also started volunteering. There's a group who helps the homeless in the city. I've only been twice and I've already started to doubt the effectiveness of my presence, but it has definitely exposed me to a piece of Japan that I don't think many people here want any foreigners to see.