I spent the Spring semester of 2024 studying abroad in Japan. I participated in the exchange program of Nagoya University of Foreign Studies, otherwise known as NUFS. If you want to study abroad but are worried about the cost, this program might be perfect for you. This particular university was my top choice because of its scholarships for exchange students. The NUFS exchange student scholarship completely waives tuition, pays for rent, and gives its students about $100 per month for groceries and other necessities. Due to this scholarship, I was able to study at NUFS on a full ride and save to travel almost every single weekend.
Nagoya is located in the central part of Japan, making it a perfect place to travel almost anywhere. With the money I saved on rent and tuition, I was able to travel to large cities like Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Okinawa, and participate in NUFS excursions to older cities, such as Shirakawago and Meiji Mura. Each new place was extremely unique and offered new insights into Japanese culture. For example, Shirakawago has its own building architecture due to the high volumes of snow in the mountains, and even its shrines are designed a little bit differently than city shrines due to the town’s own personality and culture. Also different cities highlight alternative parts of Japanese culture, such as Osaka and Tokyo have their own cultures and personalities with different local dialects and slightly different building styles.
Every new place I traveled to was beautiful and offered new insights into Japanese culture, but I also loved exploring Nagoya and the Nisshin area around NUFS. The city and surrounding prefecture is far larger than you would expect and in the four months I was there I still had not explored every place I wanted to. There are countless shrines and temples which are wonderful to see, and I collected special stamps from temples and shrines throughout Japan. There are also many small family owned businesses. I randomly stumbled upon a One Piece themed restaurant run by a husband and wife, and it became my favorite place to go when venturing into the city. Also when exploring, it was always a surprise who you might run into or meet. I was stopped a few times by older Japanese people who had studied abroad in America or Great Britain when they were my age, and they were always so excited to tell me a little about their experiences or offer me words of advice. Throughout every outing, it was wonderful to be able to experience the city I was living in everyday.
This study abroad experience also challenged me to improve my Japanese language immensely. I was enrolled in Japanese language courses there, and though the classes were difficult they built my confidence in ways I needed. While you can get by in most locations without Japanese, learning Japanese helped me navigate unexpected moments in my travels, such as getting on a wrong train or needing directions to a hotel. Also learning Japanese allowed me to make more personal connections with domestic Japanese students at NUFS. Every student I met while having a small foundation in English always felt more comfortable talking in Japanese and greatly appreciated even the few phrases I could say in our conversations. Through these relationships I was able to learn so much more about Japanese culture and learn about fun restaurants and clothing stores that I would have never found on my own.
I would recommend this opportunity at NUFS to any student that is interested. Not only does this exchange program offer wonderful opportunities and scholarships, but it broadened my understanding of Japanese, Japanese culture, and Japanese people in so many ways. I will always treasure this experience I had, and I hope to return to Japan in the future, whether that be to study more or to just sightsee again.
Vio Midgett (BA History and BA Humanities: International Studies) spent the Spring 2024 semester studying abroad in Nagoya, Japan through a UTC exchange program at Nagoya University of Foreign Studies. Vio had the following to say about studying abroad, “I know this feels daunting and intimidating, and I know you might be holding off because you don’t think you can financially support a Study Abroad experience. I thought the exact same thing, but I was able to complete this incredible opportunity only with my own funds and scholarships. You can do this.”
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