Study Abroad

This page discusses my experience studying abroad in Yokohama, Japan during the spring of 2025.

このページは2025年の夏に日本の横浜での留学経験を紹介します。

After studying Japanese for two and a half years, in April of 2025, I finally got the opportunity to study abroad in Japan. I attended Meiji Gakuin University in Yokohama from the beginning of April to the end of July through CIS Abroad’s “Semester in Japan” program. Although I had traveled outside the United States multiple times previously, I had never traveled past Europe much less to the other side of the world, so I had no idea what to expect. I was coming in with significantly more knowledge than most Americans traveling to Japan with five semesters of Japanese and multiple courses about Japanese culture under my belt, but I knew taking classes at Clemson could only prepare me so much. My program itself was not exactly what I had hoped it would be, but thankfully the experiences I had in my daily life outside of school exceeded my expectations and made the trip unforgettable.

I absolutely loved studying at Meiji Gakuin University due to its location in a quiet area of Yokohama, the kindness of the professors and student body, and the opportunity to finally study East Asian society and history that I never had at Clemson. Interestingly, my workload was not as heavy as I originally expected, which gave me ample time to take advantage of Japan’s widespread public transportation system and take day trips to nearby cities. In the four months I lived in Japan, I explored Yokohama, Odawara, Kamakura, Enoshima, Osaka, Nara, Nikko, Mt. Fuji, and Hakone, along with almost 20 neighborhoods in Tokyo by myself and through planned trips with CIS Abroad. These experiences formed my greatest memories, as I was able to explore each city at my own pace, take in the sights, and absorb as much information about local history and culture as possible. I visited both tourist destinations like Harajuku’s Takeshita Street and Kamakura’s Hasedera Temple along with quieter areas including the streets filled with fabric stores in Nippori and beautiful forests of Minoh Park. Even though central areas of Tokyo were constantly crowded with stressed workers and lost tourists, it was easy to take one turn down a side street, walk into a tiny family-owned ramen shop, and forget you were in the largest city in the world. Despite actively taking courses about Japan at MGU with Japanese professors and students, these trips were where I learned the most about Japanese people and daily life and where I felt the most immersed in the culture.

During my travels, I was extended incredible kindness from Japanese people everywhere I went. Before I even left Haneda Airport, I felt it when the staff directed me during each step of immigration and helped me move my massive suitcases through customs. I experienced it from my dorm supervisors who settled me into my room, the cafeteria workers who ensured I was taken care of each evening, and every student, store worker, and stranger I spoke to. It reminded me of the southern hospitality and politeness I’m accustomed to back in South Carolina, and knowing I had that safety blanket despite being 7,000 miles from home made me feel comfortable no matter where I was. I also appreciated the emphasis on efficiency; although aspects of traditional culture still weave their way into everyday life, urban Japanese society is built around convenience. With various forms of easily accessible and timely public transit, walkable streets, and convenience stores on every corner, I rarely had an issue finding what I needed or getting to my destination. In the busy environment of the Tokyo metropolitan area where millions of people work long hours and commute between cities every day, this is essential to ensure society functions smoothly. However, in the rural areas of Japan, life is much slower, with small towns centered around family-run businesses and local traditions. This coexistence of modernization and traditionalism was the part of Japanese culture I found most fascinating.

Outside of the politeness culture and hectic, modernized cities, most aspects of Japanese society felt unfamiliar as an American. Outside of my fellow international students and tourists in Tokyo, I rarely encountered people from other countries, which was surprising for being in the largest city in the world. Japan is not ethnically diverse, and although I valued the opportunity to immerse myself in the culture, I often found myself missing the multiculturalism that I’m accustomed to in the US. Something else I struggled with was the isolation; Japan is often said to be suffering from a “loneliness epidemic”, where young people are having difficulties forming meaningful relationships. This may have been worsened by the fact that I lived close to Tokyo, where people tended to be more distant than in the more rural areas where my friends were studying, but I found it hard to become close with my Japanese classmates. People usually kept to their existing circles of friends, which I didn’t always mind as an introvert, but when you’re used to the southern United States where strangers often strike up conversations with you, that change can feel odd.

Despite the hardships, I was able to make a few new friends through field trips and my university's buddy system, plus I had the company of the international students, which made the unfamiliar setting a bit easier to adjust to. Although not every day was perfect, studying abroad in Japan was an incredible experience and I would do it over again in a heartbeat. The country itself is beautiful and rich with history, every person I spoke to was kind, and the cultural differences opened my eyes to worldviews that contrasted with my own, which is a key part of my undergraduate studies. I could absolutely see myself going back in the future to explore different regions, discover diverse local histories, and make new connections.