Written by: Quinten Yonkers

To say that this study abroad experience has been the best year of my life is an understatement. This is my third time in Japan but the only time I have been here for more than two weeks. I have learned so much about this country and the culture of the people who live here to the point that I am actually living comfortably alongside them as opposed to living as a foreigner or a tourist.

I became interested in Japan in middle school when I started taking Japanese classes. Unlike a lot of people who like Japan for the pop culture or anime, I love Japan for its culture, history, architecture and general beauty, so the most important thing for me to do while I was here was to experience as much of Japan as I could.

So far, I have done more here in less than one year than I have probably done in my whole life. I’ve gone to so many temples that I’ve lost count. I’ve viewed those that are known around the world like Kinkakuji (The Golden Temple), and those that barely any Japanese people even know about like Shiji, a temple nestled in the mountains that has some of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen.

I’ve experienced almost all of the cultural festivals that are held throughout the year. The power of this is impossible to understand unless you have been to them firsthand, like sitting under a sea of cherry blossom trees during Hanami (flower-viewing festival) or having beans thrown at me by sumo wrestlers during Setsubun (the welcoming of spring).

Everything that I have done here has been so surreal that I constantly, even after being here for eight months already, just sit back and think, “I can’t believe I’m really here.”

One of the other amazing things about studying abroad in Japan is that I have a chance to travel to a lot of other places. Airfare throughout southeastern Asia is very cheap, so it’s perfect if you’re like me and want to really be able to experience different places and go on new adventures.

So far, I have snorkeled with sea turtles in Okinawa, which is basically like Japanese Hawaii. I also went back to Tokyo to see the places I visited my first time in Japan 10 years ago. I’ve visited 10 other prefectures (basically states), all of which are completely different and I’ve hiked one of the tallest mountains in Taiwan and then spent too much time gorging myself on awesome street food at the night markets there.

This time next week I’ll be starting a week-long vacation in South Korea. And I’m doing this all on a college student budget! I have never felt bored while I have been here because of how much there is to do in and around this amazing country.

If this hasn’t been enough for you, Kansai Gaidai also offers every student the ability to apply for summer internships, and grants everyone one to 12 college class credits depending on the number of hours you work.

I was lucky and was the only one in the entire region to get an internship at the Commercial Sector of the United States International Consulate and will be getting ten credits (the equivalent of almost a semester of classes) for the two months I will be there.

I had no clue that I would be able to get such an elite internship when I applied to this school, and everyone who applies for an internship is guaranteed one. There is an internship for anyone and that would look good on a resume for any type of major, ranging from a week to two months long, at anywhere from an elementary school to AIG, the largest insurance company in the world.

I’ve been beyond lucky to have this opportunity, as it has opened my life up to countless more opportunities for the future and has allowed me to have experiences I never even knew I needed.
I honestly can say that Japan will be my second home for the rest of my life.