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Outside of the classroom, we went on other small trips around Kyoto, including to the famous Golden Temple, or Kinkaku-ji, the Monkey Park and Bamboo Forest of the Arashiyama district, Nara Park to see the wild deer common in the area. We also spent some long nights partaking in all-you-can-drink karaoke. These trips, while very sweaty, were always a lot of fun, and strengthened not only my new friendships, but my love of Japan. It’s a country different to Australia in so many ways, yet it still felt familiar, despite the differences being some of my favourite parts of the country.

At the end of the study tour, we had to give a presentation about a potential mascot for Adelaide, referring back to what we learned about Japanese city and prefecture mascots, and received certificates for the program in a formal ceremony. I was sad to leave Ritsumeikan, as the staff and students were very welcoming, the campus was nice, and the cafeteria served some great food, but I was excited too, as some of us were soon heading to Tokyo.

I took the bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo, with a stop at Nagoya in between, and arrived at the largest city in the world as it was getting dark. Tokyo is a truly amazing city, though a bit too busy for my liking. Kyoto and Osaka were more of my pace, and after a trip to stay near Mount Fuji on a day that was too cloudy to actually see the mountain, it was almost time to go home. On the last leg of the trip I met up with some other students and went to a Japanese baseball game, saw the Senso-ji Temple and nearby markets, went to the famous Harajuku, Shibuya and Akihabara districts, and spent too much money in a huge Japanese arcade. Even though it was a really tiring trip, it was amazing, and I was sad to be leaving everything about Japan (apart from the humidity).

A little over a year after getting back from the tour, I was reminiscing about it with my friends. One of them told me about the JET Program, a cultural exchange program that brings people from other countries to teach English in schools all over Japan. Before hearing about this, I’d never really thought about living overseas, but after doing more research and going to an information session on JET, I knew I had to apply.

After submitting an application in November 2016, I was informed that I was chosen for an interview in February. At the interview, they had specific interest in my study abroad program, and I expounded on my experiences in Japan, and how it gave me a great appreciation of the country, its people, and, most importantly, its food. I strongly believe my experience studying abroad helped me stand out among the other candidates, as I am writing this from my desk at a Hyogo Prefectural Senior High School in Japan.

I was lucky to be placed in Amagasaki, which is on the border of Osaka and Hyogo prefectures, and only a 15 minute train ride from Umeda station in Osaka, a huge transit hub. In the 3 months I have been living here, I’ve met many others in the same job as me, and the most common shared experience between us is studying or living abroad, not just in Japan, but other countries like Korea, China, Germany, and Sweden. I still keep in regular contact with those I met on the study tour, including Tom, who also wrote an article on his time in Japan and lives one prefecture over from me. Two other students from my study tour are also coming to stay with me during the holidays in December and January.

I strongly believe going on the study tour at university was important for my development as a person, leading me to move overseas, push myself out of my comfort zone, and experience new and different things almost every day. I almost missed out on my chance to study abroad while at university, and I’m glad I didn’t, because without it my life would be very different, and I surely wouldn’t be living in Japan today.