Before writing this post, I was considering making the “Month 4 Update” my final thoughts on my time in Japan, but so many things have been on my mind pertaining to that, I figured I should make that post now. My time in Japan has been amazing, invaluable, crazy, and so many other adjectives that a blog post like this can’t even began to describe. Before coming here, I didn’t really have many preconceptions of what life in Tokyo would be like since I didn’t really have the typical anime/manga background that many students do when taking up Japanese. I didn’t want to form any preconceptions necessarily, since those are mostly proven wrong and facing that shock wouldn’t be the best start to the four month journey. I set out with a open mind and everything about Japan just came flooding in, for better and for worse.

I have never stopped learning while I have been here and that is truly something I am going to miss. Of course, being at Vanderbilt I do learn quite a bit, but being dropped in a new environment creates a whole new type of learning. Learning how to adjust and experiencing “culture shock” (every prospective and current study abroad student’s favorite word) being the main avenue for learning. I honestly wasn’t expecting much of a culture shock when coming here purely on the basis that the Indian culture I grew up in has very similar values and morals to Japanese society. Plus, travelling has led to quickly adjusting and making the most of what you have. This made the whole transition into Asian culture much smoother and while I thought “hey, this isn’t so bad” the “bad” parts appeared in ways I hadn’t expected them to. The times I was frustrated were definitely the lowest points of my experience here. From being annoyed with the language barrier, to switching host families, to dealing with people that were very different from with me encompasses the majority of those moments. Not all was necessarily culture shock as it relates to Japan, but just things I didn’t expect to be frustrated with in the first place – and the fact that I couldn’t predict that before coming is also (you guessed it) frustrating.

While frustration manifested itself in new and unexpected ways, so did happiness. To keep positive, just remember that I was living in one of the world’s greatest cities was sometimes enough to turn my frown upside down. Tokyo never ceases to impress me from how many people can be physically squeezed into a train car to the unlimited options for food and fun. The fast pace of the city exists alongside the tranquil shrines and temples of older Japan and that balance is admirable. I am definitely going to miss the efficiency of the transportation system, and oddly enough rush hour even when the squeeze is a little too tight for comfort. Just being able to hop on a train and get around so easily with a Suica card in hand is not something you would find in Nashville. While I didn’t go out at night all that often, when I did it showed me a whole new side of Tokyo from the quintessential lit up streets to the bustling of people around the main shopping and entertainment areas. The energy that the city has is always going to pull me back and hopefully someday my hopes of living in a city like Tokyo, or better yet Tokyo itself, will come true.

While classes may have stirred the negative feelings up more than once, adjusting to a new way of being taught and doing schoolwork was all part of the experience. In particular, I really enjoyed my Japanese language classes and I can definitely see my improvement in the language – hitting one of the main goals for this semester. Kanji, out of all things, I began to kind of like (?!) and that made the language so much more enjoyable. Both my senseis (teachers) were very good at what they do and being able to learn the language from a new perspective, with constant practice just by walking around the city and conversing at home, was refreshing and much needed. I finally understand how I can study the language in a way that fits me best and I hope that will make things a lot easier down the road. In terms of my other classes lets just say I am definitely ready to go back to Vanderbilt where people care about learning and professors care about teaching. 😛

Lastly, I can’t not have a wrap up of my experience here without giving the proper shout outs to my friends. I have met the best people through CIEE and have definitely made lifelong friends. While admittedly people were the root of my frustrations, they were also part of the brightest moments (the groups don’t overlap btw). Those who were closest to me all had similar mindsets and motivations and were genuinely interested in learning (you would be surprised how many people study abroad to not study abroad… grr). It was nice being able to connect to a group that has similar interests in Asian culture and not just anime/manga (if this were the case this paragraph would have looked very different lol). My friends came from different backgrounds and stages in life, and just talking to them about their experiences both in Japan and their respective homes was something I really valued. I couldn’t have done this without them and the experiences we had together I won’t ever forget. There is so much more to talk about, but this post is getting quite long so I will end it here. I still have a month left and life will go on just as it has for the past few months, but knowing that this time next month I will be spending my last night in Tokyo is unfortunate. Tokyo will always have a special place in my heart and I hope that this city and I cross paths again in the future. Until then I will be enjoying as much as I can of it before going home. 🙂

Tunes:

forgot to keep track >.<