Amanda Raude
Study Abroad in Japan
Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto
Words can't even describe how my experience abroad changed my life. It had always been my dream to visit Japan, but going there to study with the FIU program allowed me to be incredibly immersed in the culture and let me experience Japan in a way I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to otherwise. I spent my first week in Tokyo taking in the city life and its mix between technology and traditional essence. I went to Shinjuku, Shibuya, Akihabara, Harajuku and many other parts of the city to experience modern Japanese activities such as attending a cat cafe. I also traveled to Shizouka to see Mt. Fuji. I then took a train to Kyoto to experience a more traditional Japanese culture, I went to the Fushimi-Inari Shrine famous for the vermilion torii gates. I walked through it to the sacred Mt. Inari. Inari means fox god in Japanese, and this specific shrine honors the fox god of rice, fertility, and agriculture. I also visited the Sanjūsangen-dō, a Buddhist temple filled with 10,000 golden buddah statues. I then traveled to Beppu in the countryside of Japan to study at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University for the next 3 weeks. During these 3 weeks I learned about various topics regarding Japanese society and culture such as Japan Phenomenon and Social Sciences, Diversity and Unity in Education, and Ethnicity and Minority Groups to name a few classes. The program also involved various activities and field trips such as taking a tour of the Hot Springs in Beppu, a scavenger hunt all over the city of Beppu, and a tea ceremony, But the most memorable activity was the farm stay, where we got assigned a host family to live with in the mountains and help with their crops. It was amazing to have gotten to live in a real Japanese style house with paper walls and sleeping on floor mats. My favorite experience on this trip was hiking up a mountain with the family to attend a local shrine ceremony. We were packed into this tiny shrine filled with tons of elderly people sitting in crossed leg position listening to a priest chant and pray to the god of fire. Overall, during my experience to Japan I got to immerse myself into the culture as well as interact with locals and make everlasting friendships and memories with the people of this beautiful country. If you'd like to further see what I experienced studying abroad, below is a video I made of my trip as well as some pictures. Enjoy!
As fun and enlightening as my study abroad experience was, in a professional perspective I would say I obtained the skills to speak conversational Japanese. Additionally, I learned to adapt to new unfamiliar situations and cultural norms. I also learned to understand Japanese culture and society in a more in-depth way, as well as the ability to lead a group and organize itineraries in an efficient manner.