Advice from a fellow Japan Lover

     Going to Japan has always been by dream ever since I was in middle school. I fell in love with the culture, started to learn the language, and gained interest in studying in Japan one day. I am very grateful to say I have achieved my dream and have experienced many things throughout my time here. As my time here is coming to an end, I wanted to share with everyone some things I have experienced such as culture shocks, coping with homesickness, education in Japan, and living in Japans society

Things I did not know before coming to Japan

Although Japan is a very advanced country and many people can speak English, there are still those who cant speak it especially if you go outside of Tokyo. Learning some basic Japanese phrases will help you communicate and navigate more easily. 
Another thing to note is that Japan does not offer many foreign payment methods. Make sure you have a credit card that is common in Japan such as Visa or Mastercard. If you only have a foreign card that is not as common, for example I use Discoverers, any convenience story has international ATMs where you can withdraw cash but it may come with a fee. I recommend going to 7eleven.

When it comes to living alone in the dorms, one thing I did not know before arriving is that Japan has strict recycling riles. Make sure to separate your trash correctly and follow the guidelines in your accommodation. The dorm will most likely give out information about this when you move in. 

Japan offers many seasonal attraction such as cherry blossom viewings, festivals, and flower garden attractions. Be sure to stay connected and updated with the current events going on in your area and capitalize on going to them. Some ways you can do this is following a Japanese tourist attraction account on social media or the local news. You wont regret it!

How I dealt with homesickness

Personally, I did not experience much homesickness despite it being my first time living alone especially in a foreign country. I am very grateful for this because many of my friends experienced homesickness right away. Over my time here one thing I missed the most about home was the food. Although the food in Japan is exceptional, there's something special about eating my cultures food for example, kalua pig and cabbage, laulau, and poke. There's not much you can do about this because nothing beats home cooked meals, but I was lucky to have many Hawaiian themed things due to Japans love for the state. I often went to Hawaiian restaurants, cafes, and clothes shops just to feel a sense of connection to home. If you ever miss your culture, do some research to see whats in the area and try it out! I also was blessed to have some people from Hawaii studying abroad at my host school and quickly because friends with them. There are many students around the world that study abroad and many opportunities to connect with them whether it be to connect with people from other cultures or those with similarities. 

What the educations system is like in Japan

My host university was Aoyama Gakuin University. The school is located in the heart of Japan, a very trendy place called Omotesando and a 10 minute walk from Shibuya. This is the thing I loved the most about the school I went to because it was in such a convenient place to explore all the trendy places in Japan such as Harajuku, Akihabara, and Shinjuku. As for the education itself, there wasn't many options for exchange students as we can only take classes that the schools gives us a list to chose from. I would estimate this to be around 100 classes mostly focusing on Japanese and lower-level business and communications courses. These classes are all offered in English but they do offer other classes in Japanese that you can sign up for. I took 3 businesses classes in Japanese because I needed the courses to graduate. This was probably the hardest thing during my time abroad as I am not fluent in Japanese and two out of the three classes only had one grade, the final exam in class in Japanese. If you are confident in your Japanese, I say taking Japanese classes in Japanese is the way to go because theres many more classes to choose from. You also have the option to drop the course if you don't like it or find it too difficult. Just make sure you register for a lot of credits (around 20 credits) and drop the classes you don't like or don't need. As for course load, it is much less than HPU. Most classes in Japan only grade you off of a final exam or final report. However if you are taking Japanese language classes, those tend to have weekly assignments. I did not take Japanese language classes due to being a high enough level to drop them so all of my classes only had a single assignment as my grade. This made it a lot easier for me to explore Japan which may be better considering your only there for a limited time. Depending on what type of workload you prefer some classes may be better to take than others so make sure to check the syllabus for each of them and plan around that.

Conclusion:

Take chances. you may only have the chance to do these things once so take the opportunity and don't shy away from new experiences or stepping out of your comfort zone. 

Be open-minded. The people you meet there will have very different views in life but know that they don't mean any harm and are just there to have fun and enjoy Japan. Many people, especially the exchange students will make plans the day of which may be uncomfortable with the planners but take the chance if you have the time! It's a great way to meet new people and do things you never thought you'd do. 

Respect the culture. Japan is a very reserved country and people tend to stay in their own bubble. When in public places especially in the metro (train system), try to stay quiet and respectful to others. We all know the saying when in Rome do as the Romans do!

If you are planning to go study abroad in Japan, there's so much to look forward to. You will have so many opportunities to meet new people and try new things. Make sure your have your support system in case you get homesick or experience something unexpected. Make the most of your time there and have fun! 

I hope this post can help those who are interested in studying abroad to Japan,

From a fellow Japan lover :)