Academic Year in Japan

I chose to use my STEP project funds for my academic year study abroad program to the International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan. I spent the year studying the Japanese language and culture at the university while participating in cultural exchanges with native Japanese students and other international students. I also experienced traveling around Japan and visited different cultural heritage sites and other local specialties.

Spending this year in Japan was an extremely transformative process. My understanding of myself, my assumptions towards others, and my view of the world all changed.  As I had never been outside of the country or away from my family for this long before, I was extremely nervous before beginning my program. I was worried about things like not having the Japanese skill to successfully make my way from the airport to my Airbnb, and not being able to make Japanese friends. I lacked the confidence in myself to believe that I had the ability to make the most out of this program. I could not have been more wrong. Throughout this program, I learned more about myself then ever before. As my Japanese language skill grew, so did my confidence in using Japanese conversationally to learn more about the Japanese people around me. I pushed myself to join clubs and participate in activities that actively pushed the boundaries of what I assumed about the world. Coming into this program, I already had preconceived notions of what I thought Japanese culture would be like, which were all blown away by the end of the program. Japanese culture is so much more nuanced that what is seen from the outside, and I learned the dangers of assuming that you know something about that which you have never experienced. My world view expanded, and I realized that things I have experienced through my life are not necessarily shared experiences by everyone I meet.

My relationship with my Japanese roommates was one of the experiences that brought about the most change within myself. I lived in a unit with three other girls, all of which are native Japanese. As such, the primary language we used to communicate with each other is Japanese. Through numerous daily communications with them, my Japanese language ability grew exponentially as I had the opportunity to use it every day. It was also a way to become good friends with native Japanese people and learn their perspective on different levels. The four of us made a conscious effort to take one trip together every month. Together we ate delicious food, went to a trampoline park, and even went to Tokyo Disneyland. Making native Japanese friends can be hard for foreigners, but these trips allowed me an insight into what normal Japanese girls do for fun. My confidence in my Japanese grew alongside my ability to communicate with them, and my world view shifted as I came to understand their perspective on several different issues. I treasure the memories I made with them on this program and how they shaped me to become a better person.

The second experience that led to my transformation was my participation in the Japanese Traditional Dance Club. This club was overseen by two Japanese Traditional Dance masters, as they taught us several dances which members then got to perform at the end of term performance. I was invited to this club by my other exchange student friend, and I was initially hesitant. I am not the greatest dancer and thought I might have a hard time with it. After the first practice session, however, I was in love. The dance style we were taught is completely unlike any form of Western dance I have seen, as the motions are extremely controlled and delicate. The beauty in the dance comes from subtle movements that tell an overall story. Through this club I got to experience an art form that is uniquely Japanese, and got to experience wearing a kimono, traditional Japanese dress. I also had the opportunity to interact with Japanese dance masters. In Japanese culture, treating elders with respect is so important, that it is even built into the language. Different grammar forms and words are used with those above you, and so I got the ability to practice that with our elder teachers. Before I came to Japan, I thought interacting with elders might be difficult because of this, but the teachers were so welcoming and accommodating that my fears were blown away. I also was called upon to translate for the rest of the exchange students in the club, which also made my confidence within myself grow. Unfortunately, our later performances were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but I fell so in love with this dance form that if I return to Japan, I would love to start doing it again. I likely would never have known this dance existed if I had not come to Japan and because of it I learned so much.

The third event that led to the changes within myself was the amount of travel I did within Japan. I knew before coming that I wanted to try and see as much of Japan as possible. Over the course of this program, I went to the cities of Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Kobe, Niigata, Matsumoto, Sapporo, and many more. I also traveled extensively within the city of Tokyo and its surrounding suburbs. Throughout my travels I saw wonders that I could never have imagined. I visited multiple Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, saw natural wonders of Japan, and experienced many regional food delights. Although Japan may seem like a completely homogeneous country from the outside, I saw a lot of variation within all the places that I went.  My view of the world expanded each time I took in the culture of each city. Different cities practiced different cultural rules and took different approaches to food and hospitality. I was able to practice my Japanese in a variety of different situations, and when my family visited, tried my best to translate the menu of a 6 course meal at a Japanese traditional inn. The souvenirs and memories I collected throughout these travels will stay with me for the rest of my life. Moving forward, all these experiences have made me a completely different person then who I was before the trip, and I could not be more thankful for how it has improved my confidence and world view.

This program fulfilled a personal goal that I have had since I was a child. I have always wanted to live in Japan, and this program gave me the opportunity to be able to learn what that would be like so I can apply it to other academic, professional, and future goals. One academic goal I had coming into this program was to improve my Japanese in speaking, writing, and reading. I believe that total immersion in the country of your target language is the best way to improve, and that belief turned out to be true. Japanese uses Chinese characters in its writing and reading system, and right from the start I was surrounded by them. This did wonders for my reading ability, as I picked up several characters a day. My speaking and conversational ability also vastly improved. I interacted with native Japanese speakers in my dorm daily, and my Japanese language classes were conducted entirely in Japanese. I presented projects and wrote formal reports in Japanese. As such, my Japanese language ability rapidly improved. The Japanese program at the International Christian University has great teachers, who also teach about Japanese culture alongside the language. The program prepared me so well I am currently studying for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, which will aid me in my goals to use Japanese in my professional life.

Besides just improving my language ability, this program also prepared me for fulfilling my future professional goals. It made me come to the realization that I want to use Japanese in my professional career, and that I want to focus on translating. It also exposed me to industries that have a need for Japanese translation that I had not known of before. Video games, movies, and professional industries like shipping and manufacturing all need Japanese translators. Many of those at my dorm were seniors, and through them I came to understand what job hunting in Japan looks like, and what was expected of applicants throughout that process. This gave me a clear idea of what I need to do during my senior year at OSU to accomplish working as a translator. As I mentioned before, this includes taking the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, but I also now know of job fairs that are specifically geared towards those wanting to work in Japan that I am interested in attending. As I move forward into accomplishing my professional goals, my study abroad year in Japan will prove invaluable in the connections and experience that it brought me.

One thought on “Academic Year in Japan

  1. Delia,

    Thank you for sharing such a thoughtful reflection about your time in Japan! I really enjoyed reading about your experience with the language and with your dancing course. It sounds like you really made the most of your time in Japan, and grew a great deal in your language proficiency. I hope you are able to use Japanese in your future career and go back many times!

    Thanks again for sharing, Delia!

    Caleb – STEP Team Member

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