This was my first trip to Japan and Asia in general, before coming to Japan I didn't know a lot about the culture but had seen lots of anime and read some manga therefore everything was new to me. Coming here I didn't know what to expect after landing in Tokyo, I didn't make it in time to my Hotel check-in therefore had to sleep in Manga Café which was a very memorable experience and I really enjoyed it. I had arrived in Japan in the beginning of the cheery blossoms so you can't even imagined how beautiful it was and my first impression was insane.
The first time I arrived to the dormitory or as called in Japanese kaikan, I was met with one of the most friendliest person the dormitory lady she would always help and be a great conversation person to talk about Japan culture or anything at all. The dormitory rooms could be called small but had everything that is needed to live comfortably especially the air ventilation system which saves lives during the summer. The life in kaikan was a big part of the experience of Japan as you would have people that you could easily bond as they're as well freshmans in Fukushima.
In the kaikan I met a lot of new people from all over the world mostly Germans though, we bonded quite quickly and would do lots of different activities together. As someone who didn't speak Japanese it was so helpful to have people around that spoke Japanese and English, I thought it would be a kind of stereotype but a very small amount of people speak English including the youngsters or sometimes they're shy to speak. I had Japanese classes in the university and that was one of the most enjoyable class I had with the most amazing sensei, I learned basic Japanese which definitely helped to navigate in Japan and minimized the usage of Google translate.
The life in Japan compared to the Netherlands is quite cheaper but without a scholarship it's quite costy and the price of tickets is insanely high. But Fukushima's university offers part-time jobs which if you are a Japanese speaker you can use the opportunity for extra experience and cash! Travelling around Japan costs quite a lot and is actually more expensive than Europe.
During my stay in Fukushima I managed to do a lot of activities and while the study and working side of Japan is quite crazy you get some weekends to travel to some places in Japan. During the summer we had the chance to go fruit picking around Fukushima and compared to Europe the peaches and cherry's were so much sweeter! I got to visit Tokyo through the Golden week, Sendai, Koriyama which were amazing places to visit and highly recommend to! Exploring Fukushima is very fun too and there are a lot of activities you can do! I really enjoyed exploring and getting to know the Japanese culture and would recommend that for anyone!
福島大学への留学案内・年間スケジュール
