I’m actually on my second study in Kyoto now. Before I first came here, I really wanted to study in Tokyo. I had visited Tokyo on vacation and loved the city and the excitement. My dad actually found a language school in Kyoto and suggested I try Kyoto instead. The tuition was much cheaper and the living expenses were as well. Even though I really wanted to go to Tokyo, the difference in cost was too significant, so I came to Kyoto.

I ended up falling in love with the city so much that I came back. When I went home, all I did was miss Kyoto. So I decided to come back and study here again.

I am currently doing an MBA (Master’s in Business Administration.) When I first arrived in Kyoto I was at a language school. I was still undecided on whether I should go to art school or business school. I ended up choosing business because it was closer to my major in college and I felt that it would give me more opportunities.

That was so long ago I’m having trouble remembering! I didn’t really know anything about it. I was always so focused on Tokyo. I don’t think I even thought of Kyoto as a city really, just a bunch of temples and quiet streets.

I actually remember being so excited to go to Japan that I would go to street view on Google maps and “walk around” Kyoto, but even that couldn’t prepare me for how it really was. I still remember my first time crossing the Kamogawa river on my way to school. It was beautiful. I couldn’t believe that was going to be my new commute now. I remember my very first day in the city walking around Teramachi market with a friend I’d made. It was all so exciting and lively.

It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but before I came to Kyoto for the first time, I cried a lot. Especially in my last month in America, I think I cried myself to sleep so many times! I was so scared because I was leaving my hometown, my friends, my family, everything I’d ever known, to go to a new country where I don’t speak the language, to live in a city I’d never been to before. Of course I knew I would make friends and that I would have the best time of my life, I wasn’t worried about that at all, but it’s just scary. I was 18, I had just graduated high school, it was a very scary move for me.
Returning to Kyoto was also a huge decision for me that I lost a lot of sleep on. Especially because I wasn’t sure how long it would be for. I wanted to go to language school, then graduate school, then possibly find a job in Japan. I knew there was a high chance it would turn into forever!
And on top of all that, the Japanese school year is different from my country, so I would have to miss my college graduation ceremony and graduation celebrations with all my friends. Then I might slowly grow apart from them, or never see them again. I was really nervous.

Wow, everything really! I love Kyoto. It feels like my home. It feels like home as much as my hometown does I think. I love that it’s a city with tons of things to do, but it also feels small at the same time. When I hang out downtown I often run into friends. It really makes you feel like you have a community.
But, my favorite thing about Kyoto is the river that runs through the city. I can’t imagine life without it. I’ve picnicked there, exercised there, drank there, cried there, slept there, read books, did assignments, practiced instruments, played with fireworks, walked, pet dogs, found strange animals, talked to strangers, jumped in the water, built rock formations. It’s so amazing to have this calming, yet lively place right in the middle of the city.
My friends and I tried going jogging along it in the mornings for a while. This was years ago, but I have such a clear memory of one specific morning. The sun was shining and the early spring weather was just a little cool. The local schools use the riverside for their PE classes, so there were about 100 toddlers in their adorable matching hats running beside us. Their teachers were lined up down the river cheering “ganabatte!!!!!!”, and the little kids were cheering back and running as best as they could, and it was happening all around us. My friend said “this is the purpose of being alive” in a happy voice. I’ll never forget it.

For me, the most difficult part is being far away from my family. I remember one time my parents sent me a selfie, and his hair had turned gray! It wasn’t gray when I left home. I started bawling thinking about my parents getting older when I was away. I also had to watch my childhood pet slowly get older through photos sent by my family, then finally had to learn of him passing through a phone call. Even though I had plans to go home during my winter break just a couple months later, I had missed the chance to see him one last time. I was really heartbroken.

I remember one holiday season I was hanging out with my other international friends from countries very far from Japan, and we were near tears saying “I want to go home!!!!!!!! I miss my family!”. But we were really glad we had each other. We talked about how 11 months of the year, living abroad is the best thing ever. Then for one month we’re sad and lonely and upset we can’t be with our families, then it goes back to being fun. We said it as a joke, but it’s real.

It’s so hard to choose! On one hand, I love that it’s a city of students. Everywhere you go there are young people, and there are so many different clubs and organizations that keep the city so alive. But…I think something just so uniquely Kyoto is that it’s kind of like the cultural fortress of Japan. There are so many organizations that support connecting students to Japanese culture. My school somehow got a geisha to come meet with us. I’ve gotten to go to wagashi and ikebana making courses. I’ve gone to see kabuki and the annual geisha festival dances through student tickets. I found a part time job in a 150 year old Japanese house, and now get to wear a kimono and assist with the tea ceremony. I get to drink an original blend, high quality matcha that we get directly from a producer in Uji! And I get paid during all that! People pay thousands of dollars to travel and walk these streets that I just consider my morning commute. It’s so special. When I like to go on walks in the morning, and just 10 minutes from my house is a world heritage sight. Furthermore, The silver pavilion, the Philosophers path, the imperial palace are all just a nice refreshing walk away from me! It’s really just truly special.

Through my study abroad I’ve gotten fluent in Japanese, and of course I plan to use that in my future career. But my study abroad really gave me more than just Japanese proficiency. I’ve been working here, joining student clubs, and taking classes with Japanese students. That’s something I never could’ve done at home. Japanese culture, like every culture, is unique. And I’ve truly come to understand it better through my time here. Compared to my country, Japanese are much less direct, they loosen up differently, their jokes are different, they’re much more conscious of age. Respect looks different here. Even if I KNEW many of these things before coming, it’s much different knowing a fact and actually experiencing it and seeing how it affects your relationships and interactions. I want to use this knowledge to help be the bridge between people overseas and Japanese. Even if we have fancy new translation tools, cross-cultural understanding is so important.

I really want to stay in Japan! I’m actually in the middle of job hunting right now. I want to find a job where I can work in Japanese, along with Japanese people. I really love the Kansai region, so I hope I can stay here. When I graduate, I really want to have a pet cat here in Japan!

It’s going to be the best time in your life! Every expectation you have, it’s going to be better! I seriously can’t put everything I love about Kyoto into words. I think that you’ll get to experience things you haven’t even thought of before. So please come!