Galleries Quotes & Spotlights

Do you have any advice for Oxy students interested in Japan?

• Study Abroad

  Definitely study abroad if you have the opportunity! — Mai Oka

  Definitely study abroad if you have the opportunity! — Megan Dung

• Karin Uzawa

  During your time in Oxy, I would push yourself to actually dive yourself in language, history, and culture by researching and writing about what makes you interested. The department is small and there isn’t much support from the school, so advocating your passion for what you want to do and what you want to research (especially comps) is really important. However, as a student, you also need to critically think about where you are positioned in the society and school (race, class, sexuality, etc) and how your identity really impacts the research you are doing. In other words, critically thinking about how am I representing the information about Japan and the nuances that go with it especially with academia. Especially if you are a white cis-male student, what you are researching about Japan will impact the academia realm when it is already a pre-dominantly white space. This doesn’t apply for just Japan, it applies for any major! I think it is also really important to understand the historical nuances with Japan as a colonizer and not put Japan on a pedestal as well.

  For working and living in Japan, I really recommend reaching out to many folks who are already in Japan if you do really want to work in Japan. Connections go a really long way and I wish I was proactive about that during my time in college. It is not easy to move to another country immediately after graduation and there are definitely times that you may want to go home or give up. Living and working in Japan is NOT the same as study abroad experience; I am seeing many JET participants equate those things together, and they go back home earlier than they expected because it doesn’t meet their expectations. For Black and non white folks, please reach out to those who are in Japan who have similar backgrounds as you, because it is really important for you to consider what is working as a Black and non-white in Japan as Japan is, quite frankly, backward on social issues.

• Allen Fukada

  Spend extended time in Japan! Much like any country, there will be things that you like and dislike. However, peeling back the proverbial onion should prove to be a enthralling experience. — Allen Fukada

• Brian Takenaka

  Follow your heart. Dream big. Travel a lot once in Japan and in Asia once you get here. — Brian Takenaka

• Brian Reich

  Japan is a wonderful country. It is hard to imagine how kind and safe the country is without experiencing it. Share your opinions and culture, but don’t be judgmental towards things you view as incorrect.

  Try to think outside of your box and why they do things the way they do so.

• Kyle Herrera

  Definitely take as many language classes as you can and probably even take a linguistics course. Japanese has a different sentence pattern than English, so it takes several months to become colloquial in the language. Studying in Japan for one semester probably isn’t enough for fluency—try to go for a whole year if you can!

• Kala Ahloy

  Take advantage of the JR pass to explore Japan before living here, because you won’t be eligible for it once you become a resident.

• Tod Kawada
  Whether it’s with the JET program or another company, I think the best thing to do is actually make the trip here. You probably hear alot about life in Japan from friends or social media, but you really need to be here to understand the unique culture. I know numerous people who tried a 6 month program in Japan but ended up staying longer.
• Kai Harris

  Go check it out. You’ll realize if you like the culture and lifestyle there by going, and I think it will dispel any fantasies they may have by just looking at it from afar. Like any other country it has it’s good and bad points, but remember you will be a foreigner here and that feels very different from growing up and living in a country you’re whole life, especially if you don’t look Japanese. Also learn Japanese. It’s a hard language though so maybe guage your interest before you go all in. — Kai Harris