on Japan

Jacob came to study at J. F. Oberlin because he wanted to rediscover his Asian roots. Jacob is Swedish, though his family is originally from South Korea, and studied at Stockholm University before coming to Japan. He majored in Japanese for one and a half years, partly because he wanted to re-connect with Asia. One reason he chose to major in Japanese, and to come and study in Japan, was that Japan is relatively easy to find out about. As well as researching on the Internet, Jacob spoke to as many people as possible, especially people who had actually visited Japan. One of his friends, who happened to be an ex-R.J. student, recommended J. F. Oberlin, praising the quality of the teaching and the general environment. Good research was the key to his success in Japan, and at J. F. Oberlin, and Jacob is sure that, “people are the best source of information”.

He is very happy at J. F. Oberlin, and finds it a great place to study. Jacob is particularly impressed by the organization at Japanese universities, which he describes as a “Japanese touch”. One example of this is the way each teaching day is broken down into six periods. This makes it easier to plan your classes each semester, and it helps you to make the best use of your time every day. Apparently Swedish universities do not have this system, and Jacob claims that lack of a rigid timetable can make studying there “chaotic”. Jacob finds that there is a wide variety of courses at J. F. Oberlin, with a good mix of theoretical and practical classes. He studies very hard, citing the cost of living and studying in Japan as an incentive to not to waste time. As well as studying, he is very active in the university’s clubs, or ‘circles’. These circles have helped him make many friends, and are also an excellent environment for improving his Japanese skills. In fact, he even became the leader of the ‘International Relations’ circle. By working hard in his classes, and also participating in extracurricular activities, Jacob is having a busy, but very satisfying, life.

It can be difficult to have a ‘rich’ free time in Japan, but Jacob now spends as much time as possible with his new friends. He made a real effort to make as many Japanese friends as possible and often travels around Japan with them. Naturally, this gives him many opportunities to study Japanese in the ‘real’ world. People who come to live and study in Japan often experience some kind of culture shock, but Jacob avoided this by researching Japanese culture and by keeping an open mind. However, he was shocked by the quality of his initial communal housing in Japan, which was cramped and dirty. Fortunately, he was able to find a much nicer place to stay, and now lives in a compact apartment on his own. The apartment is rented from a company called ‘Leopalace‘, which has apartment blocks all over Japan. Jacob says his apartment is small, but very clean and well equipped. He was amazed to discover that it even has a flat-screen television. An open mind and a rich social life have helped Jacob avoid many of the problems foreign students often experience in Japan.

Jacob advises anyone who is considering studying in Japan to think deeply about money. Daily living expenses, and the cost of studying in Japan, can be a big shock if you are not well prepared. According to Jacob, you should save as much money as you can before arriving here, and then you should be as frugal as possible. Some his friends were not so careful, and are now so busy working at part-time jobs that they have little time to study or have an active social life. He says it is also important to learn as much as possible about Japan before coming, and really recommends talking to people who have been here. Jacob’s success in Japan has been a result of careful research, and an open mind.