Do you have to wear it? Nope. But if you want to match the crowd, take iconic photos, and feel fancy, it’s worth considering. How much does it cost to rent a hakama? Rental costs depend on style, popularity, season, and how late you book. Here’s a rough breakdown: Item/Package Price Range (JPY) Hakama only […]
The Routine Intense. That’s the first word that comes to mind when I think of training camp. Wake up at six. Go for a run. Breakfast. Morning training. Lunch. Break. Afternoon training. Dinner. Evening training. Meeting. Sleep. Repeat for four days straight. In my first year, I remember the captain posting the training schedule in […]
My name is Gemini Praewa Chaiwoot, and I’m a second-year master’s student in the School of Life Science and Technology, majoring in Science and Technology for Health Care and Medicine at Institute of Science Tokyo. This year, I also serve as the President of Thai Science Tokyo, a student-led organization built by and for Thai […]
The topic of Islamic dietary needs spans a wide range of interesting aspects to talk about. However, we can simply start from an abridged primer of our food restrictions: Forbidden foods are often referred to as haram (/həˈrɑːm /; حَرَام) and permissible ones as halal (/həˈlɑːl/; حلال). While there are more conditions related to rare […]
Behind the magic was a dedicated crew of volunteers: Reception Staff, Food Managers, Campus Guides, MCs, DJs, and Cameramen. Each team played a vital role in turning the event into a vibrant, and welcoming experience. A few years ago, I stood on stage as the MC, alongside fellow Student Ambassadors Alex and Vinayak. Back then, […]
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 […]
The tradition of hakama: a cultural milestone Wearing a hakama on graduation day is a unique and cherished tradition in Japan, especially for female students. Interestingly, while hakama were originally worn by men in the samurai class during the Heian and Edo periods, today, the garment has become iconic for women during university graduation ceremonies. […]
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. […]
