Degree: Bachelor of Science in Information Technology / Bachelor of Arts in International Studies ICS University: Yokohama National University, Yokohama, Japan
During my ICS year in Japan, I hope to make connections with people from all over the world. I am also striving to greatly improve my Japanese language skills and gain an insight into a culture that I would be unable to experience elsewhere.
James completed his ICS in Japan in 2018
James was selected as a 2018 New Colombo Plan (NCP) Scholar. The New Colombo Plan is an Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade initiative that aims to increase Australia’s engagement with other nations in the Indo-Pacific region, as a means of forging strong ties for the future. As a result of receiving the NCP scholarship, James was provided funding, as well as the opportunity to spend an additional six months in Japan, completing an internship with a Japanese company. This will bring his total international experience to eighteen months.
Q&A with James
What was the highlight of your ICS in Japan?
My ICS highlight was travelling to many different parts of Japan with friends and experiencing the differences in food, culture, and activities each region had to offer. Despite being based in Yokohama (near Tokyo), I was able to rather easily travel to other places such as Okinawa, Fukuoka, Nara, Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya, Mt Fuji, Nagano, and Sapporo.
Of all the experiences on my travels, nothing topped the feeling of reaching the summit at the top of Mt Fuji after hours of climbing into the night. Being able to brave my way through that experience to watch the most stunning sunrise I have ever seen was totally worth the sore legs for the next few days. Climbing season is around August, so make sure you do not miss the chance while you are in Japan!
How did your language and intercultural skills improve?
Both my language and intercultural skills improved a great deal while I have been in Japan. Being totally immersed pushed me to more quickly pick up new vocabulary and become more fluent in grammar out of necessity to make my daily life run more smoothly. My intercultural skills have also seen a great improvement not only through learning to overcome barriers in communication when trying to convey complicated thoughts to Japanese people, but also when talking with international students here from other nations around the world too.
What skills have you learned in the past year that will benefit your personal life and/or career?
Outside of the classroom, the experience of adapting to life in Japan was a great way for me to enhance my flexibility, communication skills, confidence, and ability to solve problems. Learning to think from the perspective of members of another culture can help you to better understand that some things you have always done without thinking too much may be rude or confusing to someone from another culture. This skill will help me overcome communication barriers in my future life and work as I will be able to better empathise with people who have had very different life experiences compared to myself.
The improvement of my Japanese language skills will also be of huge benefit to me going forward and I plan to maintain and continue to further improve these skills into the future. I hope that in my career I will still be able to be connected to Japan and utilise my grasp of the Japanese language to bring value to any organisation I am involved with.
How did university life in Japan differ to Australia? How did you adjust, if needed?
The university timetable at Yokohama National University is very different from UTS in that it is based on set periods. This was not too difficult to get used to though as it was much like high school [in Australia]. The only struggle here was trying to be one of the first to the cafeteria as everyone would have lunch at the same time. One thing I found a little difficult to get used to was the amount of papers I received. Japan seems to still be a very paper-based society and the teachers would hand out so many sheets of paper every lesson rather than using the online systems. I needed to quickly improve my organisation skills and purchase many folders to keep all the papers in order to make sure I did not lose any important documents. There were a few occasions where I lost important sheets, so I would caution future ICS students to be careful and stay organised.
How did you finance your ICS (e.g. scholarships, loans, budgeting)? Any advice?
My ICS experience has been completely financed through a New Colombo Plan Scholarship from the Australian Government. This scholarship provided me with a monthly payment of $2500 AUD which was more than enough to cover basic living costs in Yokohama (and surely any ICS Japan destination).
I would advise students wishing to achieve a New Colombo Plan scholarship to start thinking about what they can be doing to become a good candidate as early as possible.
Taking up opportunities to be connected to Japan as early as possible in your degree (such as participating in the HELPS Buddy Program and two previous UTS BUiLD Programs in Japan) was a factor that helped me quite a lot. The $2500 per month was much more than would be required to live a basic but comfortable life in Japan as an exchange student.
What’s an assumption about your country that you found to be untrue?
Many people will tell you that Japan is an expensive place to live in. I think that this may be true for most, but as someone coming from living in Sydney, it actually felt like daily life was at least slightly less expensive than back home. That being said, it is important to always have some backup funds in case of any emergency that may occur.
What was your research project and why did you choose it? What were the findings?
My research project was investigating the relationship between government policy and the declining birthrate in Japan. I choose this topic after learning about the declining birthrate problem through a Japanese friend, who told me they had concerns about the pension system in the future with a decline in young people and an increase in elderly people. I found that there are many gendered issues impacting women and their ability to balance having children and a career that government policy has yet to fully address. Causes of areas such as insufficient childcare availability, low representation of women in politics and management, and increasing average age at first marriage were some of the factors discussed.
If you were going through a tough time, what support did you receive or access?
I think that given the fact that ICS lasts an entire year, most people will come across some issues in the duration of their study for whatever reason. In times of trouble, I was supported by fellow ICS students and other students here at Yokohama National University. The University was also sure to make everyone aware of free support services and counselling being available to those who need it.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to these services as they are there to help you out.
In terms of medical issues, International SOS was a fantastic asset and organized all of my appointments for me with English speaking doctors - all I had to do was show up. Be sure to keep your International SOS card on your person while you are in Japan on ICS.
If you could redo ICS, what are some things you would do differently?
If I could redo ICS, I would spend a little less time with other international students and try to get out and communicate with more Japanese people. It is easy to get stuck in a bubble if you don’t force yourself to go make friends with Japanese students. While I have made plenty of Japanese friends, I feel like if I had joined a university club I would have been able to have much more practise speaking in Japanese.
Another thing I wish I had done more is travel. Domestic travel is fairly easy in Japan but I believe I spent a little too much time studying on weekends rather than using that time to visit new cities around the country. I would have allocated more time for homework on weekday afternoons so I could have time to be away for weekend trips.
Why should BAIS students choose Japan for their ICS?
I am so glad to have been selected and been placed in the Japan major for ICS and I would highly recommend it to anyone thinking about having a study abroad experience. Japan is such a different experience to living back in Australia but is also the most comfortably different experience I could imagine.
People here are so friendly and accommodating, valuing honesty and caring for the feelings of everyone around themselves so as to not cause trouble.
By living in Japan you can experience anything from beautiful and traditional shrines and temples to super modern pop culture and fashion areas - there really is something for everybody in this country.
Japan celebrates so many different festivals throughout the year and the experience of living here is so different each season that it never feels boring. By staying year-round on ICS you get an experience you could never have as a tourist, with the chance to experience all the wonderful seasons and celebrations no matter when they fall. This experience has connected my life so strongly to Japan, I am sure that in the future I will be back here regularly as a tourist and perhaps even to reside once again.
Blog #1 - Moving to Japan
Arriving at Haneda International Airport on April third was quite a familiar feeling for me. This is my fifth time to visit Japan as I have had the chance to prepare myself by coming here through other academic opportunities.
I’d never travelled overseas until I was in my second year of university and joined the Mitsui and Co. International Internship through UTS: BUiLD. This trip allowed me to travel to Japan for two weeks and experience Japanese Business Culture. I’ve also visited Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki on the JENESYS 2016 Program (through the Japanese Government), the Meiji University Winter Japanese Language Program 2017 (through UTS BUiLD again), and for a short visit to Hokkaido in February 2018 directly after finishing a BUiLD Program in Indonesia.
My first piece of advice to all ICS students would be join UTS BUiLD as early as possible, as this program can help fund short overseas programs through scholarships. These programs helped a great deal in readying me for my In-Country Study year.
My experience in Japan will also be enhanced through the New Colombo Plan Scholarship (NCP). I encourage all ICS Japan students to submit an expression of interest to UTS for this scholarship, as it will cover various costs such as a $2500 establishment allowance, $2500 monthly cash stipend, $2500 travel allowance, and more. The scholarship will extend my time in Japan to approximately eighteen months, as I will stay beyond the study period for six months of internships.
I am excited to be involved with the NCP program as it provides me many more opportunities to attend various events throughout my time in Japan and beyond.
I'm currently studying at Yokohama National University and am able to be in the centre of Tokyo within an hour from my home. The university has been extremely helpful in providing all the information required for settling in and I have been assigned a local student buddy to help when needed. However, even students with a low Japanese proficiency will have few problems. My rental cost is ¥15000/month (~$180) and my first month’s electricity bill was only ¥3000 (~$35), so much cheaper than I’d expected! Most other things are a similar price to Sydney.
During my first month, I have already met many other students and am sure I’ve made friendships that will last a lifetime.
Blog #2 - Adjusting to Japan's cultural differences
Soon after moving to Japan you’ll notice that things are generally very well organized here. I was surprised to find that when sorting out the trash at home, rather than only having garbage, recycling, and compost bins, you must separate your trash into around ten different categories or it won’t be collected. At my university, rather than only having one type of bin you will find six of them lined up in different spots around campus, and people will take care to ensure that the correct rubbish is placed into each bin. Even in fast food restaurants, you’ll find a paper bin, a plastic bin, and a sink for ice and liquids which customers will almost always use rather than leaving a messy table for the employees. This level of discipline makes for a very clean environment throughout Japan.
It is difficult to get used to such complicated systems at first (especially where there isn’t any English signage for guidance) but I have found that people are always willing to help you if you ask, and people are very understanding and forgiving if you make a mistake.
Public transport is another area this discipline can be seen. At each train station, there are marked areas in the platform where passengers line up and wait for all passengers to disembark before entering the train without pushing others around. Speaking on a mobile phone or talking loudly is also not done out of consideration for others.
Blog #3 - Living like a local
Living abroad during ICS grants you a chance to experience so many amazing things within your daily life that you would not have otherwise had the opportunity to do. As I am located close to Tokyo, I often travel into the city with friends on the weekends to see various tourist attractions, attend festivals, and visit special themed cafes and museums. Tokyo has a wealth of unique experiences on offer and with new locations popping up all the time you will never get bored of living here.
Recently the MORI Building Digital Art Museum opened in Odaiba, Tokyo and I had the chance to visit with a group of friends on a weekend. The museum is filled with stunning digital artwork that changes and evolves before your eyes; it is a maze of total immersion that we spent hours making our way around. Nearby is the giant, life-sized Gundam robot statue. The statue is based on a popular science-fiction franchise in Japan and throughout the evening there are various shows that use projection mapping and mechatronics to make the statue come to life.
As a tourist, it would be impossible to experience as much of this city as I would like to. Thus, I’m thrilled to be here for a longer term to be able to really experience this city and what it has to offer.
Blog #4 - Exploring more of Japan
This past month was the end of my first semester of study in Yokohama and thus after concluding the final assessments and exams I have been able to travel and experience more of Japan. Yokohama is located not too far from Mt. Fuji so I was able to join three other exchange students in climbing to the summit overnight. As I have never climbed a mountain before it was a challenging ascent but together we made it to the top in time to see the beautiful sunrise. During this trip, I was able to stay in a small town near the mountain that was by a beautiful lake. Together we hired bicycles and completed a roughly 12 km perimeter of the lake to take in the stunning scenery.
I also had the opportunity to visit Hiroshima for their annual Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6th. This ceremony was deeply moving and was attended by around 50,000 people from all around the world. Hiroshima and Nagasaki are both cities that serve as symbols of peace and reminders for our generation to keep working to improve international links and relationships so that we can ensure that no more people have to suffer the impacts of nuclear weapons in the future.
Many exchange students from other nations will return home to their countries this month and it will be sad to see them go. But I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to have met so many wonderful people from around the world and I will keep these friendships into the future. I look forward also to seeing the new batch of students arriving next semester.
Blog #5 - Stepping outside the classroom
One of the great things about undertaking ICS is that you also are able to experience a mid-year break in your country. For my university, the break is two months long.
During the first month of the break, I participated in some extra Japanese language classes at GenkiJACS in Shinjuku, Tokyo. These extra classes formed part of my New Colombo Plan experience and provided a great opportunity for me to meet new friends and advance my language skills. During the weeks I was attending these classes I was living in Tokyo briefly; this allowed me to visit many restaurants and attractions with the other students from the language school.
For the second half of the month, some friends from Australia came to Japan to visit me. Together we explored Yokohama, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara, seeing many famous locations of Japan. Japan has so many amazing experiences on offer for everyone, my friends and I had a great time. Some of our highlights include Universal Studios, Disneyland, Fuji Q Highland, Nara Deer Park, Harajuku Takeshita Street, and many more. Experiencing many aspects of Japan while interacting with locals is just as important as the classes, spending a year here rather than six months provides so much more opportunity to see Japan outside the classroom and to have fun.
Blog #6 - Looking directly into North Korea
October saw me set off for Seoul, Korea for a brief stay. As Japan is close to Korea it is fairly easy and affordable to make a trip, so I booked a 4-night stay in Seoul and a 5-night stay in Okinawa, Japan to finish off the mid-year break.
In Seoul, I participated in a tour of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) between North and South Korea. Here I was able to look directly into North Korea, visit the last train station in South Korea and explore a tunnel dug by North Korean soldiers into South Korean territory.
It was very eye-opening to see the area between two nations that are still technically at war. During my time in Seoul, I was also able to meet up with a Korean friend who I met on the CommTech Program in Indonesia (through UTS BUiLD) and meet up with some other New Colombo Plan Scholars who are based in Korea.
The next leg was a relaxing break in Okinawa. Soon after my arrival in Okinawa, a tropical island of Japan, a typhoon arrived to meet me. This strong typhoon resulted in me having to spend much of the Okinawa time indoors but I still was able to visit a beach, a famous aquarium, and see much of Naha city. Okinawa is a beautiful place that is so unique compared to the rest of Japan, I hope to visit again soon.
Blog #7 - Enjoying the local cuisine
Autumn in Japan is a time of great weather, beautiful scenery, and lots of opportunities to head out and have fun throughout the semester. Throughout the past month, I have been enjoying many of the cafés and restaurants that are on offer in Tokyo and Yokohama. My favourite offering is Yakiniku – a restaurant where you’re able to cook your own food at your table to your liking.
Once you venture away from the tourist areas there are very affordable tabe-houdai (all you can eat) deals to be found quite easily. The hospitality staff in Japan provide top-tier service and have gone so far as to provide free birthday cake and cute drawings made of chocolate to friends whom were celebrating their birthday.
Another interesting aspect of living in Japan is seeing how holidays and events from the west are practised here. Living in the country year-round gives you the ability to see so many of them, which is a great part of ICS. Recently a group of students headed with me to Shibuya Crossing to see the famous Halloween street party that happens there. It was easily the biggest crowd of people I’ve ever seen in the streets and the night was extremely fun – but quite different to the “trick-or-treat” custom of other countries.
Christmas apparel is already lining streets and stores. I’m excited to see what a Japanese Christmas looks like.
Blog #8 - A Japanese Christmas
Spending December and Christmas in Japan was quite a difference compared to Australia. I was able to experience a winter Christmas for the first time and escape the heat waves back home, although Yokohama doesn’t get quite cold enough for snow during December. Unlike in Australia, much of December is still during the semester in Japan so most of the month was spent going to University classes, but a short winter break of one week fell toward the end of the month for the New Year.
Despite Christmas not being a traditional Japanese holiday, you can see that Japanese people have very much taken on the holiday in their own way. Everywhere you go you can see Christmas trees, sales, and decorations.
One thing that caught my eye specifically is that in Japan having KFC for Christmas dinner is extremely popular – so much so that it is their busiest period of the year and preorders for Christmas dinner begin a month in advance. I managed to preorder some myself and had a wonderful Christmas dinner with some other students in my dormitory.
For New Years Eve, I headed to Shibuya Crossing for the countdown with a group of friends. It was even more crowded than during Halloween but the atmosphere was a lot of fun. Such a huge gathering of people in the streets is nearly unthinkable in Australia, so it’s an intense experience. Afterwards, heading to a traditional Japanese bar, or ‘Izakaya’, to spend the rest of the night with friends and strangers was an unforgettable way to ring in the New Year.
