I had the amazing privilege to study in Japan this past year.
I studied in Japan for 4 months, and lived with a host family, who lived about 15 mins from Tokyo.
I met so many amazing people—both nihonjin and gaijin (like myself).
I learned so much in those 4 short months. Things that you cannot learn through movies or text.
The things I learned weren’t from the classes I took—but moreso the experiences I had during that time.

When you go to Japan, don’t stay in your room. Go outside and see everything there is to see. Take a friend, go on a train, get off at a random stop, and just walk around. Go into random small shops, pachinko parlors, karaoke bars…because there’s a lot more to see than the shrines and shopping centers (though those are amazing as well, don’t get me wrong!) Some of my favorite moments were getting lost, and finding so many amazing places, people and things in the process of navigating back to a train station. :p