A Day in Harajuku
Christmas
Thanksgiving
Japan Food
Halloween in Japan
Chizu, Tottori
This past weekend the Middlebury Program in I.C.U. took us to Tottori south of Japan. In Tottori we met other university students who were mostly Environmental Studies majors. With them we climbed mountains, learned about forest therapy, learned how to cut wood, learned about the momonga (flying squirrels) species, had a home stay for one night, went to a really old house from the Edo period, and had a party with the big bosses of the town. All in all it was a pretty fun time.
Yokoze, Saitama
So as I mentioned, the Middlebury Program has weekend expeditions where you travel to a certain location and learn about the area. For the Yokoze excursion, we worked with middle school students who showed us around the area, to shrines and even to the best-known ice cream place. We also had a home stay which was difficult for me because there aren’t a lot of Japanese foods I can eat or even like so it was a little troublesome, but I ate what was given to me to the best of my ability. There was a lot of food prepared and it was mostly delicious.
At Yokoze we helped plow the rice paddy fields and learned why rice was so expensive in Japan compared to the States. A 5 kg bag was $20-$25 while back in the States the most it would cost me would be $10.
Introduction
Dairys Quintero
Class of 2019
Major: Asian Studies Japan Studies Track
One Year Study Abroad at International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan
It has been a little over a month since I left the comforts of my home on August 27th, 2017, and wandered into another country very different from my own culture. Although it has only been a short period of time, I have experienced an abundant amount of unfamiliar things. I came to this University all by myself, and let me tell you, it definitely has not been easy. It literally feels as if you are starting life all over again. You have to make new friends, you have to put yourself out there, and you definitely cannot be locked in your room for fear of rejection. So my first advice to anyone deciding to travel abroad is: if you can’t take the stress of starting all over again, bring a friend abroad with you.
TIPS AND TRICKS TO STUDYING ABROAD IN JAPAN
- Book your flight the moment you have been accepted. Plane tickets are not cheap at all.
- You need to make a budget. This is a big necessity for you will realize that transportation in Japan will be costly, especially if you want to travel.
- You will want to invest in a bike if you want to save transportation money.
- Overall…………. Budget.
- Here is a youtube link to my Channel explaining 12 Things to Know Before Coming to Japan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1leU-Hr6sGM&t=69s
- Have fun, explore, and take challenges!
THE PROGRAM
I have come to International Christian University through the Middlebury College Program. The program has set courses you must take, as well as community service outings and weekend expeditions. So far we have gone to Yokoze in the Saitama Province and on October 27th we will be going to Tottori in the South of Japan. These expeditions will be further explained in a powerpoint with pictures.
THE UNIVERSITY
International Christian University is honestly breathtaking at first until you realize the number of bugs and spiders there are. Other than the bugs and spiders everything else is beautiful. There are a few dormitories to live in and if you decide to live on campus you will receive a booklet about 3 months before arriving telling you about the dormitories. The booklet also includes a questionnaire in order to indicate where you want to be placed. Although there are options to live off campus in university-sponsored discounted apartments, I do recommend living on campus, if you are okay with following a lot of rules. There is a cafeteria where you pay for meals, although most people tend to cook their own meals since each dorm is equipped with a kitchen. There are various buildings on campus, and most classes tend to be in the University Hall. Most people on campus have a bike which you need to register with the university. As for course options, there are a lot. Many classes are taught in English, and that is because almost everyone in the university has taken English classes or is fluent in English. Even though it is an international school, international students make up about 25% of the university only. Also, since the university is not exactly in the city of Tokyo but rather in a suburb known as Mitaka, you will not be seeing as many foreigners as you’d expect.
DORMITORY LIFE: OAK HOUSE
So my dormitory is named Oak House. On the first floor live only men, second and third floor are all women, and no-one can get into the other floor unless they live there, so no intermingling except in the outside lounges. When you enter the building you have to immediately take off your shoes and put them in the shoe box provided to you. To enter the building you have to swipe in, to exit the building you have to swipe out. If you don’t swipe, you won’t be let back in by the automatic system. The building has a bed and leasing program for your bed sheets and covers that most people are required to have. Now I live on the second floor with a roommate. The rooms are pretty big and decent for two people. As for rules, each floor has unique rules, but building rules are mostly the same. One of the rules that really tends to bother me is the no guest rule.
This rule impedes you from bringing friends to your room or even your building and makes socializing really hard, especially if you have friends who live in other dorms and can’t seem to connect with anyone on the same floor as you. On each floor, there is a shared kitchen with pots, plates, utensils and many other shared materials for the floor. Each pod ( 6 double rooms) has their own bathroom and showers. There is a total of three pods on each floor. Other than the no guest rule, nothing else about y dormitory bothers me. So if you want guests to come to your room make sure to say that in the dorm questionnaire.
