Study Abroad Reflection: Tokyo, Japan

I arrived at Narita airport on a Sunday night feeling tired yet exhilarated by the prospect of finally being in the country I’ve heard my dad rave about for the past two years. Once I gathered all my luggage, I realized that I underestimated my next challenge: getting to the hotel. After attempting to decipher the signage in my sleep-deprived state for around 15 minutes, I finally found the train station. Lugging around my 40 pound suitcase proved to be a demanding task, but many kind people recognized my struggle and offered to help carry my luggage and provide me with directions to my final destination.

Eventually, I found my way to the hotel lobby and dropped off my bags in my room. After settling in, I immediately pulled out my phone to find the nearest ramen restaurant (2 minute walk!) to curb my hunger. Going to the restaurant was nerve-wracking because I did not know what to expect. Would I not order correctly? Would I say the wrong thing? Would I be too annoying? Once I walked in, the manager greeted me with a smile and handed me the menu along with pointing at a few of his favorite dishes. I chose one of his recommendations and eagerly waited for my meal. Once he placed the bowl on the table, I took a huge bite. All of my worries slipped away and were replaced with excitement for the weeks to come. 

Being placed in a new culture can be difficult at first not only due to the language barrier, but because of the differences in communication style and behavioral expectations. Luckily, my class went over all of the differences between American and Japanese culture, making me more aware of my own habits and adjusting accordingly. I made sure to be quieter while using public transportation, bow to show gratitude, and keep my voice down in restaurants. In addition to learning about specific cultural customs, we discussed individualistic v. collectivist cultures, biases, communication styles, and more. I loved taking this class because it provided me with so many new psychological concepts to explore. I developed many new research interests while taking this class especially in regards to how achievement and motivation are perceived differently across cultures. Hearing about all of these topics made me even more excited to explore as many places in Japan as possible. 

One city that I will always remember (and hopefully return to!) is Kyoto. Kyoto has a small-town feel with more activities and places to see than you could possibly count. When our class arrived in Kyoto, my friend and I immediately set off to the Fushimi Inari Shrine, or the shrine of 10,000 red tori gates.

To get to the main shrine, you have to walk up Mount Inari through thousands of red tori gates with a different inscription on each one. Once we finally trekked up the mountain, we were greeted with a beautiful sunset over the city. While watching the colors fade into the horizon, I tried to be completely present in this moment rather than thinking about the next step. Slowing down and taking into account what is going on around you is not always prominent in American culture, so this proved to be difficult. I am a very independent person who like to take charge and always know what is happening next. After spending more time in Japan, I became more aware of these traits and began to wonder what shaped me to be this way? I loved pondering these reflective questions while exploring more of Japan. After our weekend in Kyoto concluded, my friends and I decided to book a trip to Yamanashi, a small town near Mount Fuji. We did a lot of research about traditional Japanese onsens, or hot springs, and found an onsen that had a beautiful view of the mountain. Since the town was quite small, it took us almost 5 hours before we arrived at our Airbnb around 10:00PM and headed straight to bed. The next day, we made our way to the Hottarakashi Onsen. Nobody in our friend group had ever been to a traditional onsen, so we were all a bit nervous but very excited for this new experience. I made my way into the hot springs and was greeted with a clear view of the top of Mount Fuji. I sat in the hot spring for around 2 hours, and I don’t believe I will ever feel more at peace with myself and my surroundings than I did at that very moment. Being able to experience this cleansing tradition is something I will never take for granted.

Being in Japan for 3 weeks helped me understand how important it is to be present. You never know if you will ever be in the same place again with the same people, so you need to appreciate these moments while you are in them. If you ever get the chance to study abroad, I highly recommend that you take it! Having the chance to experience another culture firsthand helped me grow in my cultural intelligence as well as my own self-awareness. I developed many different research questions related to the workplace in relation to cross-cultural psychology, and I coudl not ask for a more fulfilling experience.