Hello everyone.

About Me
First, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Elizabeth. I’m 23 years old, and I am a sophomore/junior at Central Washington University. I’m majoring in Japanese language, hence why I am studying abroad in Japan. My main motivation for learning Japanese is my love for Japanese rock music. Outside of Japanese, I enjoy Science Fiction and Fantasy books and movies, playing video games, photography, writing, and being lazy. I’m in the process of researching and writing my own fantasy novel, which I may talk about from time to time. I also run my own website, where I will also talk about my journey in Japan and post pictures.

Why Asia University
Through the study abroad office at my home university, I was able to get a spot at Asia University (AU) in Tokyo. The deciding factor as to why I chose AU is that it has an intensive language program. Aside from taking nothing but Japanese language classes 3 hours a day, five days a week for the first semester I’m here, I have the opportunity to emerge myself into Japanese culture. From food to shopping to signing up for fan clubs and point cards, I have 12 months to experience and explore Japanese life.

Dorm Life
In my all female dorm, I have my own private room with communal bathrooms, showers, laundry, and kitchen. About two to three times a month, each dorm resident is required to do cleaning duties. We have required monthly meetings that detail upcoming events and opportunities, as well as reminders of rules and such. The particular dorm that I live in is the International Dorm, which houses girls from China, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, America, and other countries. Although the 11pm curfew is a bit of a downer, having the chance to make friends from other countries of the world is definitely worth staying in the dorm. Plus, it’s about a 2 minute walk to the campus.

Classes
There are four different intensive classes, which AU refers to as “Bekka.” The classes are separated by nationality, as to make it easier on student and teacher alike. My particular class has 5 students total. We attend Monday through Friday, from 9:00am to 12:10pm, with a 10 minute break at 10:30. We use four different text books, three of which are from the same series, and the fourth being a Kanji book. We go through about three chapters a week and have daily quizzes. My class has three different teachers, all of whom are Japanese. Each teacher has her own teaching method, but they all use supplemental materials like pictures and props to help us visualize and memorize words more easily. Wednesday and Thursday are dedicated Kanji days. While we do go over chapter material during the first half of class, the latter part is used for Kanji quizzes and working out of the textbook.

My home university required two years of language acquisition in order to attend AU. As a result, this first month has been mostly review of what we have already learned. But as we progress quickly, I’m already getting to a point where I’m learning new words. Now I just need to utilize them in everyday life.

Japan Life
I’m already in love with this country, and I’ve been here for only 6 or 7 weeks. There are a lot of differences between Japanese and American everyday things, and at the same time, there are a lot of similarities. In the more popular cities like Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Harajuku, the streets are EXTREMELY crowded. I think my favorite part of Japan is riding on the trains. I probably wouldn’t like it so much if I had to commute every day, but I enjoy the experience of being in a crowded train and having the opportunity to give up my seat for an older person.

In Sum
Japan is awesome. I’m enjoying my experience so far, and I’ve only tasted a small part of what this country has to offer. As I head into the summer months, I’ll have fun stories to report like concert-going, traveling and touring ancient sites of Kyoto and Nara, and fun pictures to share of my experience.