On January 16th, 2018, I got on a 16-hour flight bound for Hong Kong, which was where I’d have a 2-hour layover before I boarded another flight for my final destination: Japan. I was traveling alone for the first time, to a country I’d never been to, and I wouldn’t know anyone once I arrived. I also only had about a semester’s worth of knowledge of the Japanese language under my belt, having important phrases like ‘Yes, please’ and ‘Where’s the bathroom?’ perfectly memorized. Though I was terrified by the idea of being in a completely different environment, the idea of facing the unknown was also a bit exciting.

I wouldn’t describe myself as a person with a great deal of wanderlust. I like staying home and relaxing, and I don’t despise the idea of having a set routine. However, as soon as I attended my university’s study abroad fair and learned of the opportunity to study abroad in Japan, I knew I had to go. Ever since I was a kid, I’d been interested in Japanese culture due to my love of Studio Ghibli films (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Howl’s Moving Castle to name a few) and video games. As I got older, I found myself enjoying novels that were originally written in Japanese by authors like Haruki Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto. I’d always wanted to go to Japan, and after finding out that I could receive academic credit for traveling, my decision was pretty much made.

Even though I was anxious in the beginning, my semester in Japan was an enjoyable and unforgettable experience. When I arrived, I barely knew the language and saw no familiar faces, but when I left, I had a significantly larger Japanese vocabulary and gained friends from all over the world. I also experienced a fair share of culture shock while there. Whereas America is large and traveling across it often requires a car, Japan is much smaller and easier to travel across using solely public transportation. Japan’s public transportation system is super clean, highly reliable, and easy to navigate even if you don’t know the language. The train system itself expands throughout the country so that even people living in rural parts of Japan can rely on public transportation, which is a far cry from what I'm used to as someone from a rural part of America. Japan also has this way of combining the traditional and the modern aspects of its culture in day-to-day life; this is especially present in the city of Kyoto, which was very close to the university where I was studying abroad. Kyoto, though still very much a bustling city with streets lined with shops and restaurants for tourists to flock to, is also home to old temples and shrines, beautiful gardens, traditional tea houses, and many other aspects of ancient Japan. While America has a history that is not as prominent in daily life due to it still a being young country, Japan has so much of its history and past traditions intertwined with its more modern features since it’s been around significantly longer.

Whether I was traveling around the country or simply admiring the blooming cherry blossom trees, living in Japan for a semester was like a dream. Because of the distance and how expensive traveling often is, Japan always seemed like it was worlds away from me rather than just a continent or two. Since I applied to my study abroad program early, I had plenty of time to work on scholarship applications, which I highly recommend doing to anyone planning to go aboard. There are so many study abroad scholarships out there (in fact, here’s a list of some!), and most study abroad advisors are more than willing to help students with their applications. If I hadn’t been awarded a scholarship, Japan would have remained far out of my reach.

When I arrived, I barely knew the language and saw no familiar faces, but when I left, I had a significantly larger Japanese vocabulary and gained friends from all over the world.

Wherever you decide to go, studying abroad is a wonderful opportunity everyone should experience. No matter what your major is, there is something to benefit from studying abroad. I’m an English major, so I took Japanese literature classes and gained further insight into the perspective of writers in Japan throughout history. Whether you want to work in journalism, fashion, or even healthcare, learning about your craft through the perspective of a different culture offers a distinctive view on your field that you may not have considered otherwise.

I’m glad I got the opportunity to experience life in Japan, especially while in college. When else will I ever get the chance to leave for four months to live in and truly experience another country and culture? While studying abroad in college, it’s okay to leave the world behind for a few months because everything remains practically the same as how you left it, so you can pretty much pick up where you left off once you return. Things aren’t that easy after graduating. So, if you can, go abroad; it’s something that you won’t regret. Going somewhere so far away by myself was daunting in the beginning, but so is every worthwhile experience.

Arielle Westcott is a rising junior at the University at Albany studying English Literature. You can find her wandering around bookstores and libraries or reading in a warm patch of sunlight. She hopes to pursue a career in book publishing and novel writing.