My study abroad experience in Japan

As part of her BA Japanese and International Relations degree, Caera studied abroad in Osaka, Japan. She shares what she enjoyed the most, from exploring the country to trying out the local cuisine.

From week one of my Japanese course, the year abroad was the end goal. All the work of my first two years culminated in choosing which University in Japan I wanted to attend. Here are some of my favourite things about my year abroad in Osaka, Japan! 

Travelling around the country 

I was lucky enough to be able to travel a lot during my year abroad, from day trips to weeks exploring new places across Japan. My highlights were experiencing the snow festival in Hokkaido, beach days in Okinawa and hiking an ancient route through the mountains of Wakayama. Every day off was a new adventure, no matter how small, and I loved every minute of it.

Enjoying a different kind of university life 

As much as I love the small community feel that SOAS brings, it was fun to experience a different kind of university life in Japan. My university in Osaka had a large sprawling campus with its own green space, shops and even a Starbucks. It houses over thirty thousand students, so it was a real change from SOAS. 

Throughout the year, I loved getting involved in university activities like the school festival and sports day, as well as enjoying daily life on campus.  

I also loved being immersed in Japanese culture, and the university offered lots of opportunities for international students to try everything from martial arts to calligraphy!

Immersing myself in language learning

As well as being lots of fun I learned so much in my year abroad. Just being surrounded by the language you're learning makes such a difference. My classes were challenging but the teachers were amazing, and I saw my language skills improve immensely throughout the year. 

I also loved being immersed in Japanese culture, and the university offered lots of opportunities for international students to try everything from martial arts to calligraphy! 

And, of course, the food! 

You can't talk about living in Japan without mentioning the incredible food. I loved trying the local dishes from every place I visited as well as sampling from every restaurant around my university.  

For anyone thinking of incorporating a year abroad into their studies and even those who have never considered it before, I would advise doing it. The year abroad was an incredible experience and invaluable to my studies.