So far, my time in Japan has been amazing. Honestly, to a point where I’m greatly considering moving here in the future for at least some amount of time. Beyond personal interests like games, anime, and music, or the fact that a lot of Japan is easily walkable considering the quality of infrastructure/public transport, one of my favorite aspects has been the social experiences I’ve had since coming here. After the first week or so without any school activities/classes, I had yet to really make any friends. Even so, I was met with kindness at many restaurants and shops I visited. The Kansai region of Japan (around Osaka and Kyoto) tends to carry a more laid-back and open reputation. I haven’t gotten the chance to be outside of Kansai aside from when I landed in Tokyo, however, I’ll say that the reputation holds true. Every restaurant and Izakaya I go to, the people are always welcoming and interesting in chatting with someone from another culture. My friend and I have become regulars at multiple spots around where we live because of these interactions.

Another interesting aspect of study abroad is the types of friends you make. Mostly, I think people expect that when they go on a study abroad program, they will make a lot of friends from that country. Which perhaps is true, however I think it is common to underestimate the friends you will make with other exchange students. A large portion of the people I’ve met and continue to talk with are other students at my university. I’ve gotten the chance to talk with them both in and out of class, including one time as a group, we went up Mt. Maya in Kobe and also went to karaoke. All around I’ve had a lot of fun spending time with friends here. Although I’m an introvert, its still nice to have people here to spend time with, and it helps with how friendly everyone has been whether they are Japanese or a foreigner like me.

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: Kwansei Gakuin University