I learned about the opportunity of becoming a Centre for the Study of Global Japan Student Affiliate via stumbling across the 'people' page on their website. On it, I saw familiar facesâa conference attendee I had spoke with, or someone…
Exchange Academics: What’s Different?
With social media, itâs easy to forget all about the âstudyâ in âstudy abroadâ! As a student on exchange, youâll much sooner find me Instagramming a museum or a lunch out than my latest homework assignment. Iâm sure other students…
Exchange Experiences: Learning about Japanese Culture
Culture shock is an infamous aspect of the exchange experience. It's no secret that living abroad can bring on homesickness, but it also presents a chance to learn about another culture, first-hand. Being half-Japanese, I didn't experience culture shock, but…
Going Abroad While Abroad
When I tell people that Iâm on an exchange, I often get the question: âHave you done any traveling?â I always find this question surprising! To me, studying abroad is traveling in and of itself. Nonetheless, I understand why itâs…
Why I Almost Didnât Go on Exchange
From mouth-watering food to New Yearâs celebrations, going on exchange to Tokyo has been one of the best experiences of my undergraduate career. With all the joys Iâve blogged about, it may be hard to believe that just a year…
Celebrating the Holidays Abroad #JoyAtUofT
When I hear the word âjoy,â the first thing I think of is the holiday season. This week for #JoyAtUofT, Iâd like to share how I spent the âthe most wonderful time of the yearâ abroad. While being on exchange…
Surviving Exam Season: Japan Edition
On January 28th at 10:00 PM JST, I jumped for joy and started playing âFreedom! â90â on full blast. At this moment, I submitted the final assignment of my first semester at the University of Tokyo. Due to the different…
When in Rome, do as Romans do
Whether itâs a favourite brand of facewash or a go-to morning breakfast, everyone has their ritual daily comforts. In preparation for my year abroad, I didnât hesitate to load my suitcase full of favourite things from home. While packing up,…
Reading and Traveling
I've loved Japanese literature since I was a high school student in Hiroshima. I've continued to read in between my stays in Japan, both as a source of enjoyment and a way of staying connected; no matter where I am, Japanese literature offers…
Yokohama and Japanese History
I went to Yokohama for the first time last weekend to catch a play. The professor of my Japanese theatrical history course has a number of friends in the Greater Tokyo Areaâs theatre scene. He somehow negotiated free admission for the…