Coming to J.F. Oberlin University in Japan has been one of the best experiences of my life. Considering my background as a student that had never traveled outside of the United States alone, I wasn’t sure what to expect by going to Japan. My trip began when I left San Francisco International Airport in California, and then flew to Shanghai, China. Going through immigration and customs in China was a worthwhile experience, and I learned quickly that I could maneuver the airport with little to no Chinese. It does help, but it’s not necessary due to the Chinese Staff’s ability to speak both Chinese and English. The most I knew was “Thank You” and “Hello” in Chinese, but the Chinese people at the airport were very friendly despite my limited Chinese vocabulary. One suggestion when going through Chinese immigration is to make sure you have your itinerary and tickets on hand, because if you don’t (which was my situation), you will be directed to the staff and they will need to print out the tickets. They didn’t mind, but I still felt that I had burdened them a bit. Despite this, going through customs was simple. The airport I was at in China was Pu Dong Airport, and I was able to board a shuttle from the Airport to a nearby hotel called “Shenchun.” The rooms were very nice and very affordable ($50 for one night), and the staff spoke enough English to help me if I had any questions. The next day, I left the hotel and shuttled to Pu Dong Airport again, in which I flew to Narita Airport. The shuttle was complimentary as well from Shenchun hotel, so you won’t need to worry about paying for it. Narita Airport has some of the friendliest staff that you can ever meet! I was lost at first, and with my limited amount of Japanese, I could still ask where to pick my bags up or where to wait to be picked up by the J.F. Oberlin staff. I did notice that even if you didn’t speak Japanese, the Airport staff would switch to English and work with you to make sure you weren’t lost. Also, I got the chance to be interviewed by TV Tokyo: Why Did You Come to Japan? This is a very famous TV show that airs on Channel 7 every Monday in Japan. If you do happen to get the chance to be interviewed, because this TV show does show up randomly at Narita from time to time, I would advise giving it a try. If not, you can decline and they will respect your wishes.
Going back to the topic of J.F. Oberlin’s Summer Program:
After I met up with the rest of the students in my Summer 2017 class, we all took a very nice bus together to our dorms. Once at the dorms, we were greeted by J.F. Oberlin staff and RA’s. They helped us get comfortable with our dorms and helped us navigate the campus needed. Living in Japan has been life changing in so many ways. The staff at J.F. Oberlin really care about our success at this school, and they go out of their way to help us whenever we ask or are struggling. In fact, coming to Japan has given me the confidence to finally decide on my future career, which consists of working in Japan. There are many opportunities for future employment that we have the chance to be exposed to while studying at J.F. Oberlin. Not to mention, you can join the school clubs and meet new friends! On the topic of food and survival expenses:
Food and room necessities are really not that expensive out here. I have been able to survive comfortably in Japan for one month with about $1300. You can bring more than that, but for one month this is plenty. It all depends on what you want to do in Japan. I have been able to visit Aokigahara Jukai (with T.V. Tokyo—if you do visit this location, please respect it’s history and stay on the path—Japanese government rule), Fuji-san, Kawaguchi, Kyoto, Akihabara, a small town called Shin Maruko (which I advise you to visit, because it is beautiful), as well as meet some really inspirational people that I will continue to have in my life for years to come. Before coming to Japan, I had just finished an elementary Japanese class at my school. My Japanese, especially speaking, needed some work. By the time I finished the program, I had improved quite a bit. Being surrounded by Japanese students and society helped me get out of ‘shy bubble.’ I am a person who has severe social anxiety, and by coming to Japan, I felt like I could finally open-up a bit. The fact is, Japanese people want to get to know you for who you are and this society is very welcoming to ‘Gaikokujin,’ or ‘foreigners.’ I do plan on studying abroad again for one year. I am still trying to decide which one I can do for my own personal situation, but I will be back in Japan soon. I would suggest that everyone give J.F. Oberlin University a chance, and if you feel a bit anxious about traveling here, just know that I was someone who was terrified of going to a new country by myself, due to my anxiety and previous inexperience with traveling. Now, I have more confidence in myself and want to keep returning to Japan. Safe travels everyone!