Abroad in Japan: A Semester in Osaka

     こんばんは！My name is Kris Jakobsen, and I recently completed a semester abroad in Osaka, Japan. I am an International Studies major with a minor in business, and in January of this year I had the opportunity to take a semester at Japan's Kansai Gaidai in Osaka!

-Why Japan?-

    I decided to study in Japan for a myriad of different reasons. For starters, the culture and language has always been a huge point of interest for me, as well as Japan's incredibly collectivist society were huge motivations for wanting to visit. Added onto this, Japan's history and mythology have always been key points of interest, as well as one of the topics I decided to study during my time there! Personally, Japan also served as a means to challenge myself, as nearly every part of Japanese life is the polar opposite of that back home in the United States. Having studied the language for some time now, I found that there was no better place to test my skills and grow than Japan itself!

 

 

Just a train ride away from campus lies the Osaka Aquarium (海遊館), one of the largest in the world!

-Classes at KGU-

    The classes at Kansai Gaidai were fantastic, albeit pretty difficult! Being an International Studies student, a majority of my classes centered around Asian politics and culture. My classes were focused on Kojiki (early Japanese myths, legends, and oral traditions), international politics and history, and the fashion and entertainment industry in Asia. My final class at Kansai Gaidai, and a required one for any international students, was a Japanese language course! My classes at Kansai Gaidai were a good mix of challenging and immersing, and it always felt as I got to appreciate my surroundings more after leaving class. Although classes at Kansai Gaidai can be difficult, they are designed for students to still have a lot of free time to explore Japan!

     

 -Social Life and Fitting In-

     Social life in Japan was a very interesting experience, although one I found pretty tough to get used to at first. While the customs and language are hard to understand in the beginning, breaking past that barrier allows you to meet some of the warmest people on Earth. Once I had started to get a better grasp of Japanese, I saw many of the people around me begin to open up and treat me with a sense of kindness that can be hard to find back in the United States. During my time there, I also got to meet a lot of my (now lifelong) friends, many of whom I still keep regular contact with! Although difficult to acclimate to, Japan's society is very warm and accepting when you start to become one with it.

 

 -Why You Should Study Abroad-

     Without having experienced it, it may be unclear why studying abroad is such a life-changing experience. For me, study abroad allowed me to gain a plethora of new experiences and meet all kinds of people that I otherwise would have never gotten the opportunity to cross paths with. Before studying abroad, I was very shy and reclusive, and I felt that I didn't really know what I wanted to do after my time at Maryville College, but my experiences living in Japan broadened my horizons and got me to see what the world truly offers. Studying abroad allowed me to develop myself in more ways than I initially thought possible, and gave me lifelong memories and friendships that I won't soon forget.

Less than an hour away from Hirakata is Nara, home to the famous deer park!

-Final Thoughts-

     Studying abroad was an awesome experience! For the months leading up to it, I was very nervous and scared about what could go wrong. Very quickly, however, I was in love with Japan and found it hard to want to go back home! Studying abroad in Japan gave me so many new opportunities, and allowed me to find my love for different cultures and bridging the gap between our cultures and differences. While in Japan, I also loved being able to help the many native Japanese students on campus study English, and vice versa studying Japanese with them! Since I have come back, I have been more confident in myself and more outgoing to others, neither of which I thought was possible until my experiences abroad! I am excited to use my newfound skills to help benefit the lives of others I meet along my journey post-Maryville College! 

Karaoke night in rural Kyoto!