My name is Joyce Hung, I have just finished my three year BA degree at Auckland University, and am now awaiting graduation. I majored in Japanese and have just returned from six months on exchange in Japan. The place I went to is Hiroshima University (in Higashi-Hiroshima City). It is a semi-rural area, and really great for studying. Since I need the credits for my degree, I took some language papers and also a number of Japanese culture and society papers. In certain classes, we were able to study with Japanese students, and exchange ideas during the discussions (and exchange languages of course). It is rather amazing to have had the chance to study in that environment. Some classes were conducted in Japanese, and some in English.
This wonderful experience has really broadened my knowledge and understanding about Japan. It has not only strengthened my Japanese language, but also taught me much about the Japanese culture and people.
I would like to thank the Sasakawa Fellowship Fund for Japanese Language Education for their financial support through the scholarship, which meant that I didn’t have to worry so much about money.
Enjoying
a famous Hiroshima dish called "お好み焼き" with Japanese friends and an
American Exchange student. I am on far left.
Here are some tips that I have discovered
during my short stay in Japan:
Money
In Japan, people usually use cash - normally they don’t use credit card,
EFTPOS etc. So it is really important that you have enough cash with you
wherever you go in Japan. When I first arrived there, the university
helped me to open a postal account, which I suggest is the best way to
have your money saved while you are there. Since the post offices are
everywhere in Japan, once you need the money, you can always get cash
out at a nearby post office, whereas local banks (eg. Hiroshima bank)
are much less convenient because you would not be able to find a
particular local bank in a different district or city, which of course
is especially inconvenient while you are travelling. Nevertheless, if
you require a money transfer from overseas, you have to open a bank
account to get this done.
While you are in Japan, make sure you record what you have bought each
day, and always check the postal book or bank book to see where all your
money goes.
It is important to keep a track of where you spend your money, otherwise
you might end up having little money left in the account and no idea
where you spent it.
With
classmates. I am in middle
wearing the white scarf.
Food
Food in Japan is awesome, and there is plenty of healthy food
everywhere. It is pretty easy to eat out in Japan - basically
restaurants are everywhere, but if you want to save money, I would say
eat on campus as it is cheap and convenient. However, supermarket
shopping for your groceries could indeed save you even more money.
Kimono
display at a local ‘Japanese cultural day’. I am on right.
Accommodation
I lived in the University dormitory because the rent is so much lower
than renting a house or a room outside the university. And living in the
university dormitory saves you all the complicated procedures that you
would have to deal with to rent a room outside. (They require guarantor,
a high deposit that you have to pay before you move in, and other
things.) Therefore, living in the student dormitory is much easier and
you can become close to other exchange students who are going through
similar experiences.
‘Hands
off’ poster in a Fukuoka train station. Stray hands, especially in rush
hour, can be a problem. In Japan it is a crime.
Transportation
Transportation fees are quite costly in Japan. The major transportation
means for me was a rental bicycle. For short distance travelling, it was
convenient and cheaper to travel by bicycle, compared to the bus, which
is quite expensive. However for long distance travel (eg. From Hiroshima
to Tokyo), I would suggest you to go by Shinkansen (Bullet train) rather
than the plane, as it avoids all the checking procedures inside the
airport.
Exchange
students 'celebrate' the end of exams
Social Life
While you are studying in the exchange programme, the best way to meet
Japanese people and make friends is to join the circle or the club. They
have practices every week (this depends on the type of circle or the
club; some require daily training).
You can make Japanese friends while enjoying different activities.
Learning the language
Besides studying in the classes and learning from the textbook, you can
always turn on the television (the Japanese channel of course), and
practise your listening, even if you don’t pay attention to the
television programme, you can always turn it on have it going on in the
background. Moreover, reading manga (comics) is very popular too, but in
this case you need know to at least some Japanese. You can learn the
casual style of Japanese through reading manga. (Some manga do have
honorific Japanese too, but they are mostly written in the casual
style). For speaking, the more you talk, the better you get so make
friends with Japanese people and always converse in Japanese. Finally
for writing, you can write a diary or blog in Japanese everyday, to
practise your writing skills.
From my six months in Japan, I saw and learned a lot of things that I
never knew before, which somehow changed my idea about Japan, while
deepening my understanding of various aspects of the real Japan.
So if you are really interested in learning more about Japan, you should
definitely go on an exchange programme!