International Students’ Interviews

Study Abroad Experiences in Japan

A.: I graduated high school in Japan, and I was going to enter in a university in Japan. However, my mother decided to go back to Brazil to take care of her father (my grandfather). I heard her decision after the notice that I passed to go to university in Japan. I was only 18 years old. I thought I could not live alone in Japan, so I went back to Brazil with her and started working there. But the salary was not good and the job I was doing was not what I liked and what I wanted to do. When I did a part time job at a consulate of Japan in my city, I came across a poster of a scholarship to study in Japan. I applied for this scholarship and finished my undergraduate studies in Japan.

A.: Being a member of a university where you can meet people from all over the world. Every year, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies has a large number of new international students from several countries. We can learn from them their culture and notice the differences between our countries.

A.: Safety. When I was in Brazil, in my region, I was always nervous, in caution, because we did not know when a criminal can appear. My notebook and cellphone were stolen once. On the other hand, in Japan we can see people walking on the street at night, returning home using the last train, leaving their stuff while doing other things such as ordering food or going to the restroom. Japan is a very safe country.

A.: Plan with time to spare. Do not leave everything till the last minute. In my opinion, I think Brazilians rarely are on time; most of them are not punctual other than in business. But in Japan, you need to complete your tasks some minutes before. I heard that students in Japan are educated like this. Maybe it is a stereotype that I have, but for Japanese people, being punctual is already late. If we could finish what we must do as soon as possible, we could enjoy the rest of time without any worries.

Q.: What advice can you give to those who are thinking of studying in Japan?

A.: The language and culture are the first barrier we face after coming to Japan. I saw a lot of international students during my stay at the university that could not communicate with Japanese students because of these factors. Those who can understand without any problem seemed to do good. It is important to learn the Japanese language and culture focusing on daily life. After coming to Japan, I recommend to take some actions like inviting for a small party, joining club activities, and studying together to have a closer friendship which will make your life in Japan get better and better.

Interview Date: August 2021