Having the privilege to experience another country and culture for four months has given me much perspective and opportunity to grow as an individual. Our semester started earlier than that of the Japanese students, so we had an easeful transition into our new daily routines. Once the Japanese students began their semester on campus, I…
Tag: Japan
Letters to America: Japan, 46 days in
Interactions in Japan have deemed themselves to be quite interesting, in my opinion, the longer I have experienced life here. From customer service to the various methods of interactions with different social groups, the Japanese customs of formality and respect run deep. In Japan, there exists the concepts of honne and tatemae, which essentially describe…
Letters to America: Launch to Japan in T-4 days
It feels a bit surreal to say, “I am leaving, in less than a week, to live in Japan for four months.” A myriad of coincidences and life events have brought me to realize this expedition has been an unconscious dream of mine, now turned into a conscious reality. I say this to remind you,…
Final Blog Post about studying abroad in Japan
One week after returning from Japan, I started to think about how my perceptions changed after this exciting living experience. Before I came to Japan, I already learned that there were certain implicit rules in Japanese society such as no phone calls, eating or drinking in public. However, when I actually came to Japan, I…
Third Post: Living in Japan
This week, I went to Tokyo to visit my Aunt. I left early and went shopping near the train station. Before I came to Japan, I already knew that the Japanese society was heavily cash-based so I brought lots of cash with me to Japan. I went to about 5 stores and only 3 of…
Second Post: Studying Abroad in Japan
I went to Osaka last weekend and found out the street was full of people wearing masks. In drug stores, masks were usually all sold out. Due to the coronavirus that had spread widely recently, people rose the awareness of protecting themselves from being infected, as well as being responsible for other people’s wellness. As…
Greetings! I’m Oakley, a student from Rollins College double majoring in international business and Asian studies. Last fall, I studied in Shanghai at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. This summer, I studied at Peking University in Beijing. I, unexpectedly, came home for about six days before my program with Kansai Gaidai in Japan…
Japan A Side B Side Bonus Track (Complete Audio)
Good morning everyone! School is fast approaching and to those who may be heading West toward the land of the rising sun, I wish you good luck! Your experience will differ from the person next to you and down the line. Japan is a typhoon upside down and inside out and it will be the…
Final Countdown
Well, finals are done and classes are officially over and I am now a week out from going home. It’s weird knowing that these are my final days in Japan. I feel like I’ve done a lot, but then I feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface. There are so many things I’d still…
Takarazuka
During Golden Week, I had an opportunity to go see a Takarazuka show. I had heard that the shows were a lot of fun, so I thought that I would take the opportunity to see a show while I was here. It’s also interesting to note that all of the roles are played by women. These…