Good Times in Kobe

I’m not a huge fan of traveling, so at the outset of my college experience I hadn’t even considered studying abroad, but by chance I wound up spending a semester in the Year in Japan program, and I am so glad that I did. While in this program, you don’t feel like you’re a tourist on vacation; you get to fully ingrain yourself and interact with the culture on a much deeper level. The location is fantastic: walking distance from the pleasant town of Okamoto (definitely try all the bakeries), a quick train ride from downtown Kobe (a perfectly sized city), and close enough to Osaka that you could make a trip on a weeknight with little issue. The language classes go at a great pace – fast enough that you’ll see your abilities make a noticeable improvement but not so fast that you’re overwhelmed and can’t enjoy life in Japan. My host family was flawless, cooking me delicious meals multiple times a day and going above and beyond with supporting me and helping me through the challenges of living in a completely different culture on the other side of the world. The staff at Konan do a great job of ensuring all of your paperwork and travel documents get properly filed, as well. One of the most unexpected highlights of my experience is the quality of friendships I made with other students from all around the world. I went into the program knowing no one and left with lasting bonds with people from Canada, Hawaii, Europe, and plenty of other places. Not only was it an incredible experience, but it was also surprisingly affordable, and, because the credits transferred back to my home university so easily, I was able to graduate in 4 years with a minor that I otherwise would never have gotten, so I can’t really think of any downsides to Year in Japan.