For any student considering studying or working abroad in Japan, these reflections might give you an insight into how to prepare, what to expect, and how to thrive when life throws you out of your comfort zone. Waking Up at 4:00 A.M.: The Discipline of Daily Routines In the military, the day often began before […]
17 May 2022 | Pixels Turn to Pavement On May 17, 2022, my long-delayed plan finally stepped off the screen and onto the pavement. Until then, Japan had only existed inside my phone—sakura threads on Twitter, dorm snapshots on Instagram, and endless PDFs from the university. Immigration stamped my passport, and just like that, it […]
This blog continues from my previous post, “Learning from Learners [Part 1]: Observing,” where I recounted how a chance discovery of an English camp flyer pulled me away from Tokyo’s hectic life and into the quiet hills of Nasu in Tochigi Prefecture. In Part 1, I reflected on the lead-up to the camp, how my […]
Observational learning taps into a basic human skill: the capacity to pick up new behaviors simply by watching (dare I say, observing) others, without ever feeling the need to experience everything firsthand. In a 1973 paper, Bandura and Jeffery[1] outlined four key processes that shape this learning, that is, attention, retention, motor reproduction, and motivation. […]
Friendship Association for International Students and Japanese Volunteers (RKK)🔗: Improve Your Language Skills With Japanese volunteers from Kanagawa Prefecture, RKK organizes many different kinds of events for international students, including free private Japanese lessons. When applying, you can choose the language level and even specify the theme of the lesson that you want to attend; […]
Why work part-time in Japan? Benefits beyond just earning money Although it might just be a part-time job, it can provide enough money to fund your travels or spend on things you enjoy without disrupting your daily life. Especially in today’s economy, where everything feels expensive, even as a MEXT scholar receiving a monthly stipend, […]
The Tamagawa Elementary school is about 40 minutes away by train and walk from Ookayama Campus. In the morning, I met up with members of the Hippo Family Group at the station, and we walked together to the school. Upon entering, the first thing that caught my eye was the shoe cabinet (Photo 1). Just […]
Visitors to Japan usually start with Tokyo, go around the main areas downtown, then go to Kansai, Hokkaido or sometimes Fukuoka — yet Yokohama is right there, and they skip it. I can understand this to some extent, though, since visitors only get a few days or weeks and are trying to maximise their experience. […]
DAILY LIFE SECTION: sharing my experience on daily life 1. Kakaku website（価格.com） Kakaku.com is a very well-known price comparison and shopping information website in Japan, with the main functions of: With Kakaku, a credit card, and your phone number, you can buy most types of goods and services online at a low price (even insurance […]
ARRIVAL SECTION: procedures you need to finish >> This blog can be regarded as the supplement to my blog written in November 2023 [ here ] 1. Credit card (optional, before departure) I highly recommend preparing a credit card that can be used in Japan. Having a credit card will make it easier to shop […]
