Although there are a myriad of reasons to become a part of the Tokiwa Student Exchange Program, for now, I just want to provide you with this short list of eight reasons why you should join this program.
- You can practice Japanese in an immersive setting. While studying Japanese at Fresno State will certainly increase your knowledge of the language, the fact of the matter is that (on average) you will only be in a Japanese language setting for a few hours a week. On the other hand, if you attend Tokiwa University, every single class will be geared towards improving your Japanese skills. Additionally, being in Japan means that you are constantly surrounded by the need to speak Japanese, whether it be when talking with your roommates, buying groceries, or riding the bus. This plethora of opportunities therefore means that your Japanese language skills have a much better chance of flourishing.
Who doesn’t want to read a Japanese advertisement? - It provides you with the knowledge of what it’s like to live in Japan. Though there are many ways in which living in Japan is similar to living in the United States, there are also many areas in which it’s different, and these differences may be hard to see if you’re just passing through. Even if you take one of the summer study abroad programs to Japan, you won’t be able to have the experience of living in one place for a while, watching the seasons come and go, and building close connections with your newfound Japanese friends over the months you are there.
These trees were green when we first arrived… - It will increase your feelings of self-discipline and independence. Because you are living in the international dorms, and are generally in charge of all your own daily affairs, you can become much better at managing your time, money, grocery shopping, etc. If you have not had the experience of living on your own before, living at Tokiwa’s dorms can help provide a good “halfway point,” as you will still have the guidance of those in charge of the program, as well as your peers. Moreover, even if you do have experience living by yourself, you (most likely!) have never lived alone in Japan before, and so living at the Tokiwa dorms will give you the experience of living in a foreign country, and only serves to further your feelings of independence.
Learned how to make a really good kimchi-jjigae - You can experience Japan in a way that you couldn’t just as a (casual) tourist. The typical tourist traveling to Japan will go to the big and famous areas like Tokyo, Kyoto, Nikko, and so on, and these parts of Japan are famous for a reason, and are all great areas for travel. However, the casual tourist also tends to miss out on the various other experiences that can be had in Japan, such as making soba noodles by hand, learning about furoshiki, or visiting a Japanese elementary school. Although you will most likely take trips to Tokyo and Nikko as part of the Tokiwa program, it’s experiences such as these ones I mentioned that were truly the most impactful.
Looking down from the Ryujin Otsuribashi Bridge - You can learn about Japanese traditional and modern culture, and experience it firsthand. This partly ties in with reason number 4. Because of the wonderful events and class schedules set up by the university, you will have many opportunities to experience aspects of traditional Japanese culture. For example, we had a class in which we learned about yukata and furoshiki (a way of wrapping with cloth), and then were able to apply what we’d learned by wearing a yukata and learning how to wrap up a water bottle. There are also many chances to participate in various modern culture activities as well, such as karaoke or pachinko, and we definitely have several fond memories of us all singing together in the karaoke parlors. Lastly, there are also many different kinds of traditional or modern culture clubs you can join (for example, I joined a tea ceremony club).
At the tea ceremony club
Attending class in our yukata! - You can make friends from all over the world. While staying and studying at Tokiwa University, you will undoubtedly make many friends. These friends can range from your roommates, others in the international dorms, Tokiwa Student Support members, EC partners, club members (if you choose to join a club), and of course, the other people in your program. Everywhere you turn, you will find endless opportunities to make friends. And even once the program is over, and you all go back to your respective countries and universities, you will leave Mito with so many amazing memories of the time you spent with your international friends, and can always stay in touch with them via social media, email, LINE, and so on.
Consoling ourselves with gyudon after taking the JLPT together - You can learn not just about Japanese culture, but also about other cultures as well. An amazing aspect of the Tokiwa Study Abroad Program that I was not aware of before I arrived is that there will be students from other countries participating in the same program! When I went in 2018, this meant that there were also students from Thailand and China (and I’ve heard that in past years there have been students from Canada as well). As a result, you will have a lot of opportunities to learn about the cultures of the other people in your program. For example, we learned some fun words in Chinese and Thai, and got to hear about school life, holidays, and famous foods from their home countries.
Meeting up with New, Sony, Beam, and Oh in Osaka for New Year’s Day! - It can help you decide if you enjoy living in Japan, and want to live in the country longterm. While granted, four months or so isn’t that long of a time, it is still longer than the amount of time you might take while visiting Japan as a tourist. During your stay here, you may come to realize that there are certain aspects of living in Japan that you really enjoy, and maybe some other aspects that you don’t like quite as much. However, you will never know what these aspects are if you don’t have the experience of living in Japan for at least a couple of months. Additionally, I know that many of you who read this have probably thought about participating in the JET program sometime in the future. Joining the Tokiwa program can let you dip your toes in the water, so to say, before you end up committing to a year or more for JET.
Sometimes it’s nice to pay attention to the little things
The reasons to join the Tokiwa Student Exchange program are not exclusive only to what’s on this list, and you may find your own reasons for participating, whether that happens to be before you leave, or while you are there in Mito. However, I did want to at least include some reasons to join, and I hope this post inspired you and helped show that there is even more to gain from the program than just learning Japanese.
Tokiwa University Exchange Program 