The Best Time to Come to Japan
One of the cardinal rules for gaijin coming to Japan is, try your best to make it over here as a university student.
College life in Japan is a kind of magical time between childhood and adulthood, mercifully free of the stress that normally comes with studying at university, where you can make lifelong friends and see Japan from a viewpoint you won’t ever get to enjoy again.
I was too poor to come to Japan when I was in college, so I had to come here as a shakai-jin, a “society person” or full-time worker, which colored my experiences in a different way, but I’d have given anything to be able to visit Japan during school.
Many universities offer study abroad programs that allow students to spend a semester or a year living in Japan, so if you or a Japan-focused young person you know would like to come to Japan for a year, start looking into what’s available.
Remember my theory that every young American should be made to live for a year outside their home country, which would do wonders for the way we view our own country and the rest of the world.
Hey, I’m 36 and doing a year in Japan as an exchange student, so you don’t have to be all that young to do it. But you’re right, it is a pretty magical time and life for the college student is pretty easy (although we exchange students still have to work hard–our grades count back at the home university).
September 8th, 2008 at 12:06 amI’m definitely hoping I can do a semester or two in Japan when I’m in college. For now though I’m trying to decide if I want to take a gap year for maybe half a year in Japan before college. I kind of have to get going on that considering I’m applying to universities this year lol. However, I’d probably only do one or the other (leaning towards college term abroad right now) since they aren’t exactly cheap ventures on top of college expenses…
September 8th, 2008 at 1:01 amI’m hoping it for my senior year of high school.
September 8th, 2008 at 1:06 amWould that be plausible?
하늘 （はねる）, take a look at CIEE’s program: http://www.ciee.org/hsabroad/details/japan.html
They are definitely legit and seem well organized. If I were to go through with a gap year that’s the program I’d do it through. The only real obstacle would be whether your high school would be willing to accommodate you (credit transfer etc.) and if you can afford the price.
September 8th, 2008 at 1:22 amJust remember, Sputnik, that loans are always available, and parents can always take out a third mortgage ^_^ Don’t be in too much of a hurry to get out of school. I’d have taken another few years to finish if I’d known how much I’d miss it when I was out.
September 8th, 2008 at 1:52 amHaha thanks ppayne, but I don’t want to burden my parents with that =P. Also, I just discovered that if you do a gap year you do not actually attend a Japanese high school but a language school instead. This is not exactly what I would want to do so I think I’ll plan ahead for a college term abroad (and save some money lol).
September 8th, 2008 at 3:13 am“Remember my theory that every young American should be made to live for a year outside their home country, which would do wonders for the way we view our own country and the rest of the world.”
Amen to that.
September 8th, 2008 at 5:19 amI was thinking about Rotary International’s, but they haven’t replied for about a month now.
September 8th, 2008 at 7:41 amHarumph, $14 000 will kill me. I’d better get working on a part-time job.
I’ve heard mixed things about Rotary International and their website doesn’t give me much confidence in their professionalism. Yea, get on that アルバイト fast if you want to scrape up the money =P. I did a short exchange (2 weeks) and I can tell you it was totally worth it, but way too short.
September 8th, 2008 at 8:23 amWell…I’m in college right now trying to finish my degree. Who wants to put up a middle-aged, overweight slacker for a year so I can study Japanese in Japan?
Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
September 8th, 2008 at 9:02 amYes, something about living for a full year makes the diffence. It’s long enough that you have to learn to deal with adversity, with heaters that warm one room while the other rooms in your home are freezing, with “bot-ton toilets” that I can’t imagine existing in the U.S. (although they might in some places). If you’re here as a tourist you can put up with anything since you know you’ll be home in a week or two, but living here makes you change in response to Japan, which is the goal.
September 8th, 2008 at 10:30 amI just passed the half-way point of my stay and I’m already dreading the day I have to go home. But of course, I can always come back.
For those considering actually going to college in Japan for 4 years, rather than doing a year as an exchange student, just up the road from me is Ritsumeikan Asian Pacific University (aka APU), an international school in Beppu that has good recommendations from the students I’ve met.
http://www.apu.ac.jp/home/
September 8th, 2008 at 11:37 amActually…I posted that in jest but you know, I’m only 41. I don’t see why I couldn’t do this if I could actually afford it (and could get accepted into a school like the one kemek mentioned).
September 8th, 2008 at 3:09 pmThe Japanese also spend a year outside of Japan attending college. It seems more common that not.
September 8th, 2008 at 10:37 pmRotary seems to be much cheaper than any other programs.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:46 amWere you looking at this page: http://www.rotary.org/en/StudentsAndYouth/youthprograms/RotaryYouthExchange/Pages/ridefault.aspx
The old one seems to be a little bit off the code there…
Time to get my whip cracking.
haha, I must’ve been looking at an old page then. Yea that looks much better. Seriously go for it if you can. Too bad it doesn’t look like Rotary has a gap year program :/
September 9th, 2008 at 7:56 amaddendum:
September 9th, 2008 at 8:19 amI did a quick look around google and it seems that people do do gap years through Rotary International but it I’m sticking by my statement that it doesn’t seem as organized. It seems entirely dependent on whether your local chapter can organize it, if you can figure out how to contact them. Also, how much did they say it would cost, since they don’t list on their website?
CIEE is definitely more convenient it seems, but the price difference could justify Rotary.
sputnik: Rotary costs about $4000~$6000, I heard.
September 10th, 2008 at 6:12 amThat’s the main reason why I’m sticking with Rotary.
Currently, I’m taking classes at Temple University Japan, and I love it. Some people are here for just a semester, but I’m in the middle of my 2-year program here after I took 2 years at a Junior College before. It has some great teachers (and a few bad ones too), small class sizes, and a really diverse campus. The building kind of sucks and I am limited by the classes I can take, but it’s so far been a great experience. Also, TUJ is very well recognized in the international community in Japan so it will be easier for me to find a job in Japan when I’m done, and if I decide to go back to the US, I’m in the same position as any other Temple graduate.
September 10th, 2008 at 11:40 amGo for it 하늘 （はねる）, as long as you have a good attitude (doesn’t seem like that will be a problem) and are friendly once you get there, you won’t regret a second of the experience. I envy your opportunity to go for more then a couple weeks XD.
September 10th, 2008 at 1:27 pm