Japanese Language and Studies Programme: Felix’s Experience

From September 2018 to July 2019 I was enrolled as an exchange student at Nihon University in Tokyo. I undertook the Japanese Language and Japan Studies Programme (JLSP) which is a course offered by Nihon University exclusively to students of its partnership universities.

This course is extraordinary: I arrived as a total beginner and left able to hold conversations with Japanese people. I started as a beginner in A class, moved into B class in the 2nd term, and finished in C class in the summer term. I am so grateful for all the teachers who taught me there: not only were they energetic and motivated, but they were also funny, understanding and kind.

This course is quite intensive: you study Japanese every morning for three hours, and you have lectures in English in the afternoon, not to forget all the homework you get, especially in C class! It’s quite daunting, but it definitely pays off. And what makes this programme special is that there are Japanese students, “volunteers”, who visit you in class once a week to help you practise. You also see them in the afternoon if you decide to take some modules such as Intercultural Experience or Communication - and you should! They are fun and a good way of learning more Japanese!

I forgot to mention: there are a lot of cultural activities organised for us. We’ve been to Hakone (a famous onsen-resort in the mountains not very far from Tokyo), we’ve watched a Kabuki (traditional Japanese play), we’ve planted some rice on the rooftop of a sake company in Ginza (this isn’t a lie!); we made some “wagashi” (traditional Japanese sweets) with the help of a professional chef, and so on. I have so many good memories thanks to this programme. I am again so grateful for Nihon University, Pembroke College, and for everyone who made this experience possible!

I don’t think it is untrue to say that this was one of the best years of my life. If I had the chance, I would do it again! This year spent in Tokyo, I had the chance to meet so many interesting people, international students, Japanese students, the teachers, and the people at your dorm; people who have changed my life and whom I will never forget. At the beginning, I was meant to stay only two terms, but with my best friend Carine, we decided to apply for another term and were thus able to stay 10 months in total. I completely fell in love with Japan and its culture, its people and its language. Leaving Japan was hard, but I am now thinking of all the ways I could go back and work there.

Overall, I would recommend to anyone to apply for this programme: it is truly life-changing! I cannot wait to go back there and visit my friends, teachers and visit more of this amazing country. It was a brilliant experience that I will never forget.

Felix Fabryczny

JLSP Exchange Student at Nihon University 2018-19