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A Japanese woman's American dream

Yasko Toyama

In Japan, 28 years ago, a little girl was born.  She grew up fearing the masked woman in the woods, who was reputed to follow little girls and boys around if they told her she wasn't beautiful.  Of course this was just one of many folktales that Yasko Toyama heard while growing up, but they gave her an interest in literature which led to her interest in writing.

When you ask someone who they think would be in school with a major in journalism, most would not say that they thought of a Japanese woman coming to the United States to study journalism.  But now, they can.

Yasko Toyama said that she decided to study in the United States because a free-lance writer in Japan suggested that it would be a good place to study, and because the United States had a more sophisticated program in communications.

Before studying at UW-Eau Claire, Toyama earned her first degree in Japanese literature, while studying in Tokyo at a women's college.  From there, she went on to WESLI, the Wisconsin English as a Second Language Institute, to learn English.  Toyama first heard about UW-Eau Claire while she was attending WESLI, because WESLI has a transfer program.  Toyama is majoring in print journalism at UW-Eau Claire.  She also has been taking some photography and art classes, because she believes they help her writing due to the creativity involved.

Toyama enjoys the academic atmosphere at UW-Eau Claire because it is small enough to talk to the professors whenever you need help or have any questions.  Her favorite teachers, while studying here, have been Gerald Conner and Andris Straumanis.  She said, "I enjoyed Conner's classes because he had a good balance between the personal and the professional in his approach to teaching."  She said she likes Straumanis' classes because he gives good explanations on what is expected and how to go about getting your assignments done.

The only drawback to going to school in the United States, to her, is that it has been difficult for her to make very many American friends, unless they have personally traveled outside of the United States and have seen other cultures.  

In her spare time, Toyama can be found playing the African drum, the djembe, which she was introduced to during one of her first semesters at UW-Eau Claire when someone took her to a meeting of the West African Music Society.  Toyama also enjoys skiing, reading, and going to museums.  She listens to the blues and any African music she can get her ears on, and because of her interest in the African drums, Toyama also would like to visit Western Africa.

She plans to graduate from UW-Eau Claire in May 2002, and while she is still unsure about any plans, she does know that she wants to return to Japan to work.  She said, "If I were to write for a newspaper, it would have to be a community paper."  She said there is too much stress working under a daily deadline.