Japan: Nagasaki - Japanese Language, Society, Culture Studies

It wasn't until I arrived in Nagasaki that I learned about its rich and significant history. Though at first it may seem like a small town with not much to do, if you have an open mind and willingness to explore, you'll always find something new to do here.

It was in Nagasaki where I gained a complete sense of independence and freedom that I had not experienced back in America, even as an out-of-state student. Being in a whole different country I had never visited prior to this study abroad trip equipped me with a fresh lens to look at the world with and motivation to get out of my comfort zone.

Upon succeeding in immersing myself in a new culture, I was able to discover more about myself than I ever have. Before these four months, I didn't have a strong sense of self identity and confidence in myself. However, throughout this semester abroad I found beautiful friends who I had the privilege to share my study abroad experience with. I could completely be myself around these people and given our living situation (small school, one dormitory building), we naturally grew closer from seeing each other every day from morning until nighttime.

There is so much more I gained from this experience, but that would take years to tell so this is all I will be sharing for this prompt!

The Nagasaki University of Foreign Studies is a small school with about 1,000 students. Surrounded by lush mountains has improved my physical health. The Japanese students major in foreign languages such as English, French, or Korean. This creates a friendly environment as many students are open to socializing and interacting with each other. I have met so many friends and practiced my speaking in and out of school. Waking up every day in a new country has helped me gain confidence and live experiences.

USAC’s Nagasaki, Japan program had been my number one choice when looking into study abroad programs. I applied to this program in the hopes of just getting in. That was my biggest goal at first. Initially, when I questioned one of USAC’s advisors about applying, they said that I probably wouldn’t be allowed to participate in one of their Japan programs because I was a community college student. Yet, they still made an effort for me, someone who was only a potential applicant. And after a few weeks, I got the email saying that I had been approved and that they would be changing their policy so that community college students could now apply for their Japan programs. I knew right then, after the incredible effort that they had made for me, that studying abroad through USAC was best possible choice I could’ve ever made.

They walked me through every step of the process. Whenever I had a question, they were ready with answers. The school application, forms, and visa stuff was all scary, but the advisors were able to support me when I was unsure and worried.

Since arriving at Nagasaki University of Foreign Studies, I have literally never been happier in my life. Being in this program may actually have saved my life. It is so easy to make friends at this school. The people are so kind that if you are shy and sitting alone they will just come up and talk to you. The classes are great and the professors are amazing. I feel like I am learning so much here and it is all stuff that I want to learn.

The dorm is much nicer than I was expecting. I got a single dorm. It comes with the obvious stuff like a bed, desk, closet, sink, shower, and bathroom. It also came with an electric stove top, which is actually really nice. The bed has storage draws, so I can put a lot of stuff under there. They gave us a pillow, sheets, and a blanket, but you might want to buy some extras. And you should definitely get a little mattress for your bed. You don’t absolutely need one, but I would highly recommend it. The lobby is where most people socialize. There are usually people playing games in the lobby and they are always very welcoming to more players. I will say, guys and girls aren’t allowed on each others floors, so that is a little annoying when wanting to hangout with friends, buts it’s not too bad since we can hangout in the lobby.

The area is absolutely gorgeous. If you are a nature person, then you would love it here because there are mountains everywhere. If you are a city person, then you would love it here because basically just down the street from the university is a city. I thought I would miss my car but I love walking around and the transportation system in Japan is amazing. Almost everything in Japan is so much more affordable, as well!

I would recommend for anyone who is interested in studying in Japan to apply for USAC’s Nagasaki program. I love this program so much that I extended my stay from one semester to a whole year! Because of this experience, I am now planning to live in Japan. None of this would have been possible for me if the USAC advisors hadn’t done everything they could to help me get into their Nagasaki program

The time I had in Japan was like no other. I had never been to another country before, so it was doubly exciting and anxiety-inducing to get on that plane which would whisk me away for the next 5 months. While in Japan, I was able to take language classes and interact with Japanese people like I never would have been able to in the States. Furthermore, I was able to take classes about the culture, and even practice a few forms of traditional martial arts as well as traditional arts. I even joined the tea ceremony club and performed at the local history and culture museum with other club members! I was able to see many different famous Japanese locations, make lifelong friends, and just overall have the time of my life in my study abroad trip. And honestly, I'm dying to go back.

I would highly recommend this program for those who want something off the beaten path. Nagasaki is full of history, as the first port where foreigners first entered and where confined to helped to shape what it is today. There are so many historical sites around the area such as Dejima, the Dutch Island, Glover Garden; a colonial village where some foreigners lived, Chinatown, and much more. Because of the foreign influence, it also has some delicious food that is famous to the area!!

My favorite part was that since you rarely see any tourists besides your fellow students, you get more interaction with locals. Many locals were interested in talking to me when I was walking around or at the bus stop to ask what I was doing there since they don't see too many tourists there, and that was one of my favorite parts. Not as many people spoke English as you would see in bigger cities in Japan, but people were still friendly and you could communicate in broken English and Japanese.

The bus system around town does not have any English translations on the buses or schedules so you have to try to read the kanji or ask the bus driver where it goes, but I feel it is more authentic that way! During orientation they will tell you what kanji to look for if you want to go to certain places.

I felt the academics weren't challenging enough and really easy. I do come from a more rigorous school and major so I felt that way, but I know some students felt that some of the classes had a lot of work and were challenging so it depends on what you are used to at your home university.

I did a homestay which I HIGHLY recommend. I got to eat some of the best meals of my life that my host mom prepared and got to help with some of it. These were also meals you can't find at any restaurant. I also got to go on trips around Kyushu with my host family and got to do things most students weren't able to since we went to places that a lot of them didn't know about or that were hard to get to with public transportation. All of my fondest memories were with my host family.

Nagasaki is very beautiful but it is harder to travel to neighboring areas due to all the mountains and the public transportation system is not as developed as it is in other areas of Japan, so if you are looking for a location as a travel base I would recommend the other locations that are offered, but if you are looking for something authentic where you can immerse in the culture I would definitely recommend this program!