James Barker (AUT) at Kanda University 2008

My name is James Barker, and I am currently on a one year language and culture exchange programme at Kanda University of Foreign Languages located in Chiba, Japan.

Being here for one year is definitely a great help not only for my studies, but to further my understanding of Japan, its culture, and the people. I am extremely grateful to be able to participate in this exchange, and would definitely recommend it to anyone else who is interested in furthering their studies about this wonderful country.

That being said, it is also no easy task. When I first arrived, I had to make the decision of staying in either the University dormitory, (which has extremely strict guidelines and rules for foreign exchange students) the University Apartments (which have, sadly been closed off to the next students - sorry guys) or to live by myself in my own apartment. I chose to live by myself. I made this choice not just because of the freedom, but because I believe that it forces me into many situations that I would have never otherwise have encountered. I constantly find myself stuck in situations I have to either work out on my own, or find someone to help me, which really helped my confidence in Japanese. However, while I recommend getting your own apartment very highly, it is definitely not the cheapest option. There are many variations of apartments around Kanda, ranging between 40,000yen to 90,000 yen (Roughly $500-1000NZD) per month, but the extra bills and "thank you/service" fees that come along with the apartment are what really hit the wallet hard. Thanks to the Sasakawa Fellowship Fund (and my family of course) I was able to grab myself a great apartment and have never regretted it since.

Kanda University is excellent. The teachers, staff and students are all very friendly and always willing to help. The classes are taught very differently than they are back home. At first, I felt as though I was being babied a bit too much, and it’s very easy to forget that you're actually a University student (I had a massive hit of nostalgia as it really feels like being back in high school) but you soon get used to it. Also, actually living here rather than being on holiday is a completely different experience. I've had an inside look at many aspects of the Japanese culture and way of life, but also a first-hand look at the social problems we sometimes hear about in class. It is definitely something worth doing if your heart is truly set on learning heaps about the language and country of Japan. At Kanda University, there are two different groups of exchange students. There is the Bekka program, which is for foreign exchange students such as myself, and there is the IES program, which is for study abroad students. The KUIS Bekka program aims to provide students with the ability to understand, speak, read and write the Japanese language, as well as a general introduction to Japanese communication, culture and society.

At AUT I had only completed my first year, so I'm not exactly considered a Japanese speaker, yet even after only 4 months, I've made such a great improvement. I can now work out at least 50% of the things I come across and even though my Japanese isn't perfect, can have an actual conversation without feeling embarrassed or needing to find an English speaker. The classes are very small (most classes have less than 20 students - I only have 8 students in my main class) which makes it very easy to get close and really pay attention to what’s going on within the classroom. I've still got another semester here and am definitely going all out to get as much as possible from everything that the school and Japan has to offer me at the moment. I’m loving every bit of it.

TIPS
1.       Money!
I really can’t stress this enough, but keep tabs on your money. It's extremely easy to see something over here which appears to be a bargain but when you convert it, you'll realise you’re spending over $100 on a T-shirt, or constantly going to restaurants and paying $30 for meals every day. It's very easy to get carried away and even the most disciplined of people can fall into this trap. Setting up a bank account is also possible, but you need an Alien Registration Card (the University helped me get mine) which takes a month. In fact you need this card for EVERYTHING - to work, open accounts, even to get an apartment.

2.       Living Expenses
If you do decide to get an apartment, you'll have a VERY hard time finding any agent that would be willing to rent a place out to you without an Alien Registration Card. Luckily, Kanda University is prepared to act as Guarantor, which allowed me to actually apply for my apartment before I had my Card. Then after choosing your apartment, you will usually need to pay a 3 month bond, a "key fee". This is also called a ‘thank you’ fee, to thank the landlord for giving you the apartment and it is non-refundable . There is also a service fee each month, which is just apartment maintenance (cleaning, elevator power etc, etc). It was very hard to accept, but I ended up paying almost $3000NZD before even entering the apartment. I will get some of that money back, but definitely not all of it (probably around $1000NZD).

3.       Meet new people!
It's very easy to fall into the typical "Gaijin trap" where you only hang out with other foreigners and speak English. Thankfully, Japanese people here are very willing to be your friend. They are typically very friendly, and will help you with anything. Kanda University sets everyone up with a "tutor" buddy whose role is to help you with anything and everything. It's also a great way to make friends and forces you to speak Japanese. Most of the Japanese students CAN and WILL try to speak English, but that doesn't mean you can't reply or talk to them in Japanese. Just try hard, and stay at it, and you'll be close to fluent in no time.

Last, but not least, once again I'd recommend this exchange to anyone who is interested in studying abroad. And thanks too to the Sasakawa Fellowship Fund, which helped me in a huge way and made my life here a lot easier while allowing me to do the things I never thought I could.