I originally planned to study abroad next semester in the spring, but as this semester comes to an end, I couldn’t be happier I chose the fall semester. Autumn in Japan is beautiful. I’m accustomed to Midwest falls that start in September, followed by a temperature drop in October. Here in Japan, until around mid-to-late …
Tag Archives: Japanese
Student Life, Cats, and Small Victories
I’m a couple weeks past the halfway point in my semester at Nanzan University here in Nagoya. Since it began, my semester has been full of exciting, new, and immersive experiences, but most days I’m just an ordinary student: attending classes, grabbing lunch with friends, finishing up a reading for class, and heading home to …
Life in Japan, so far
Inuyama, orientation week, dorm or homestay?, & Kanazawa こんにちは！Since you last heard from me, I’d made it into Nagoya. IES orientation week went great; I was able to meet everyone in the program, do some sightseeing, and had the incredible privilege of a nice hotel room to myself for the duration of orientation. Inuyama. On …
Speedrunning Tokyo
36 hours in Tokyo & how we spent it At the end of September, my friend and I set off for a weekend in Tokyo. To get there, I booked us overnight bus seats. It’s a cheaper, though lengthier and less scenic, convenient alternative to taking the Shinkansen (bullet train). We boarded at 11PM on …
Off to Japan!
why nagoya, confronting challenge, and konbini こんにちは！Hello! Three weeks from today I officially landed in Japan and began my semester study abroad in Nagoya! Leading up to it, there was an endless list of to-do’s and to-buy’s. From buying the right power converter, to researching restaurant etiquette, to making multiple trips to the nearest consulate …
The End or Beginning?
I am moving into my last month of being here, and my program technically ends next week (although I will be here a bit longer). I can’t really fathom the fact that it has been a year since I came here. The best way I can describe it, being here has been like I was …
Goals
I want to talk about something that I feel like isn’t normally touched on when people talk about going abroad: Setting goals. Actually more importantly, “doing” goals. It is easy to go abroad with the goal being, well, going abroad. However, having goals to achieve while you are abroad is what grounds you where you’re …
A Full Circle Moment
If you decide to go to a country where you have been learning the language, you may just have a moment like this! I have been hoping to come to Japan ever since I was a little kid. I remember when I first started listening to the language, listening to Japanese music and watching children’s …
A Day at The Zoo
Since coming back from being up North, I have had some time to rest before preparing to head off to Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka for a couple of days (a jam-packed couple of days!). However, that doesn’t mean I have been without some soft adventures. I recently went to the zoo with a friend. Despite …
A Month in Tanohata
The last month has changed me to my very core. Life in the countryside of Japan is completely different than life in Tokyo. My program (Japan Study through Earlham) requires that year-long students go on a “cultural internship” to a more rural setting in Japan for a month. I decided to go to Tanohata, a …
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