Hello, my name is Makayla Martinez. Just a little bit about me, I am currently a Junior studying abroad at Toyo University in Tokyo, Japan. I am a Criminal Justice major and a Japanese minor at HPU. At the time that I am writing this, I have almost been in Japan for two months! Though I have not been here long, I have both had so many amazing opportunities as well as learned so much through trial and error. While I am having the time of my life, there was many challenges I had to face. I hope that this post helps give an insight to students who are looking at studying at Toyo University or in Japan in general.
1) If you are lost (or need anything), ask for help!
I flew into Narita airport with my family when coming to Japan. Though I did so much research about transportation and navigating Japan, being here is a another ballgame. We took a bus from Narita airport to Tokyo Station (roughly 2 hours). I have never been in a "big" train station before, let alone a train station in another country. When we got to Tokyo station, we got lost (at the time I didnt realize that there were different floors to this particular train station. Though I have been studying Japanese for two years, the stress combined with the jet lag got the better of me and I refused to ask for help because I was afraid of being "embarrased". I eventually caved and asked the police officers for help and they politely helped me and my family get to where we had to go. Fast forward to today, whenever I am at a new train station and I get lost or have a question regarding my train ticket, I'm not afraid to ask for help. This is not limited to just police officers, but most Japanese people are more than willing to answer questions you may have about directions or help.
2) Always have cash handy!
While Japan has digital cards used for trains as well as convenience stores and some other stores, it is vital to always have cash on you. If you are coming to Japan, I highly reccomend you to get either a SUICA or a PASMO card. This is way more convenient than constantly buying train tickets at every station you go to. I also use my SUICA card for quick runs to the convenience store when I don't want to carry my wallet. That being said, If you are planning to eat at a resturant or go shopping at smaller stores, many times they don't take digital cards. I always try to have a couple thousand yen on me at all times as well as my coins. I highly reccomend you to buy a coin purse to hold your change, if you are buying something small or doing a gatcha machine, coins come more in handy.
3) 外人のフィーバー (Gaijin fever)
One of the biggest cultrue shocks I have experienced has been the Gaijin fever, or the "Foreigner Fever". While this mainly only happens with some elders, it is basically the phenomenon where people avoid you due to being a foreigner. For example, one of the first nights I was here, my friends and I were trying to go to get drinks, and as we passed by an old man he proceeded to put on his mask only when we passed and then promptly took it off when we were no longer in his sight. While this did not bother me, I have never experienced that before, so it was a bit shocking. In another instance, one time on the train I sat down next to a person and they proceeded to immediately move and stand away from me and my friends. While this does not happen often, do not be shocked if you also experience this. Another example of Gaijin fever, which most international students face, is when it comes to dating apps. Many of my friends have used dating apps as a way to meet people here more easily. In their experiences, many men here are not looking to date a foreigner, rather as a one time fling. Of course this is not the case with everyone, as some of my friends have met amazing guys. My advice is just to be careful if you decide this is soemthing you are interested in.
4) Japan is (mostly) cheap
While it does depend on what country you are from, Japan tends to have a good exchange rate. In my case, comparing to Hawaiian prices while I am at HPU, Japan is CHEAP. At Kura sushi last week, my friend and I each ate around 10-12 plates of sushi each (two pieces on each plate) and I paid $10 USD in total. There are also many cheaper stores, such as Book-Off (a manga and trade in store) where you can find super cheap figurines and Animate where you can buy any anime merch. Of course there are other small buisnesses that are cheap. While most things tend to be on the cheap side, a few places aim to target tourists, such as many stores on Takeshita street in Harajuku or big chain stores in Shibuya. I reccomend downloading a money converter app on your phone, that way if you are not sure how much something is in USD, you can quickly see if you are willing to spend your money. Another important point is that you do not need to spend alot of money to have fun! While many people want to travel to many scenic places, such as Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima, and more, many of those places are a long train ride away. Shinkansen (Bullet train) tickets are not cheap! If the price is out of your budget, there are still many ways to have fun locally. For example, since I have classes Mondays through Fridays, I only have weekends to travel and go out. My first week of classes I felt like I was missing out due to other students who are not taking as many classes as me visiting so many cool places. After meeting more friends and putting myself out there, I learned that these people were staying local or close to Akabane (dorm location). While in the future I intend to splurge on concert tickets or theme park tickets, I am still having a blast visiting local resturants, bars, shops, and historical sites. My favorite thing to do currently is to take a train to a close city and just walk around to see what I find. Doing this, I have found some of my favorite places to visit so far.
5) Do not take your time for granted!
I will be in Japan for a year (September 2023 until August 2024) and even though I am here for two semesters, time if flying by faster than I thought. While I arrived at the beginning of Septemeber, in reality I did not start classes until the last week of September. Once classes started and I made more friends, time started to fly by and now I am already in my third week of classes! My advice that I had to first learn myself is to not wait for anyone! If you want to visit a city or tray a new food place, do not be afraid to go by yourself. At first, I would not go out unless my friends were also coming with me. I slowly started to realize that if I continue to do this, I will never get the most out of my study abroad experience. Exploring alone has also helped me to become more independent. It has also allowed me to meet new people and find small places I never would have found with others. That being said, having a strong support system of friends is vital to studying abroad. From bigger events, like visiting a nearby city, to smaller things, such as studying with friends or relying on them when you are homesick, friends will make your study abroad experience life changing.
While I am still learning through trial and error every day, I hope some of these points gave you an insight to studying in Tokyo and also just being a Study Abroad student in general. I intend to post frequently on this blog, but if you would like to see a daily/weekly update of living abroad feel free to follow my instagram " Dat_lit_bean". I look forward to sharing what I experience with you all about my time in Tokyo. :))
