In addition to language study, I enjoy the hands-on cultural classes.
Doraemon was the door to Japanese culture.
I was born in India and grew up loving Doraemon, which I used to watch on TV as a child. That love for Doraemon sparked my interest in Japanese culture. I came to Japan last July to enroll in school. My younger brother had already come to Japan in 2023 and was studying at this school, so I was able to learn about the classes and daily life beforehand. After arriving, I didn't feel any major inconveniences in my life in Japan thanks to the support of my brother and the teachers.
As a vegetarian, my main challenge has been my diet. However, the shared kitchen in the women's dormitory where I live allows me to cook food purchased from a nearby Indian grocery store, so I've been able to maintain my vegetarian lifestyle, even with some minor inconveniences.
Improvement of Japanese language through interesting classes and daily life
The classes are interesting, and the teachers explain things in a very easy-to-understand way. My favorite class is "Listening Comprehension," where we listen to Japanese conversations from TV programs. When I first arrived, I could barely understand Japanese, but now I can smoothly comprehend spoken conversations. Outside of class, I also speak Japanese with friends and teachers at school, as well as at the dorm and my part-time job, which I think has greatly helped improve my skills.
However, I'm still a bit weak when it comes to speaking, so I want to work harder to express my thoughts properly in Japanese. Next year, I'm planning to take entrance exams for graduate school in Japan, and I'm receiving support from my teachers to prepare for it. In the future, I hope to pursue a career in business in Japan.
I want to try on a kimono this time in a Japanese cultural experience.
At school, there are opportunities to experience Japanese culture. So far, I've participated in tea ceremonies and zazen (meditation) sessions at a temple. I've also enjoyed visiting a shrine near the school with my teachers and friends. The area around Kanda River, which flows near the school, becomes beautiful in spring with cherry blossoms in full bloom. Since Japan's scenery is so stunning everywhere, I often send photos of landscapes to my family in India.
At first, my parents were worried about me living in Japan, but after I shared stories and photos about my life here, they came to understand that it's a safe environment and feel reassured.
I've heard there will be an opportunity to wear a kimono in the cultural experience classes. I'm very interested in kimonos, so I'm eagerly looking forward to that class.