by Sharna Steer

Highlights of Japan

Frankly, there are way too many highlights of my Japan trip to sum up in one paragraph, but I will try.

Firstly, I got to travel to so many places in Japan – Osaka, Nishinomiya, Kobe, Himeji, Hiroshima, Wakayama, Nara, Kyoto, Ine, Nagoya, Nagano, Matsumoto, Yokohama, Tokyo, and Hokkaido. Being able to travel so far and see new things in each place with such ease was incredible.

Secondly, I got to experience so many different parts of Japanese culture. From more traditional parts of the culture like shrine visiting and etiquette, to a lot more modernised, technical aspects like experiencing Shinjuku and Shibuya city at night.

Thirdly, I was able to experience a rich university culture. I got really involved with the university and was able to attend their food festivals and American football games. It felt really special as I got a true dose of great school spirit.

And lastly, I got to make a lot of fantastic friends who shared so much with me about the wider world which I would never have figured out myself.

My biggest challenge

The biggest challenge I faced while living in Japan was being homesick, especially around my birthday and Christmas. Last year was the first time I had ever been away from my family for these special occasions and a lot of my friends in Japan were back in their home countries for the holidays. It made this time really difficult for me. However, my friend Lucy and her host family showed me amazing kindness and welcomed me into their family’s New Year’s celebrations.  Without the kindness of her host family, I would have never been able to experience traditional Japanese culture like mochi pounding and making and enjoying osechi (Japanese traditional meal for the New Year). Although I may have struggled quite a bit through these times, I found a new sense of appreciation for my friends and family which has definitely helped those relationships when I got back home. I also learnt the importance of looking after your friends who may be feeling out of place and it is something that I will strive to do myself from now on.

Travel essentials

Something you need to understand about Japan is that you walk A LOT. I think my steps tripled living over there so you need to get good shoes that would last you well. I would highly recommend the New Balance 574 as they are actually insanely comfortable. I used them as my main pair of shoes for my trip and was able to do loads of walking, hiking up Fushimi Inari Shrine multiple times, long days at Universal Studios and even a bit of walking around Hokkaido – I would not recommend that last one though as I almost fell on my bum multiple times!! 

Some other things that I would recommend are the packing cubes (I used the Kmart pink ones and they were great), a handheld fan for summer, a mini thermos drink bottle that can fit in all your bags, and a reusable shopping bag on you at all times for when you’re at the conbini and not confident with your Japanese language. All of the items aside from the shoes and packing cubes are things I bought in Don Quijote in Japan.

How I felt coming back to New Zealand

I felt incredibly content about coming back to New Zealand. I felt like I got to see a lot of Japan in all aspects so I felt content with seeing enough. I was starting to miss home quite a bit towards the end and have enjoyed coming back to a more relaxed environment. I have been missing the friends that I made in Japan quite a bit, however, it makes me excited for the future because we all want to travel and see each other. It feels very special to say that I have many friends from all parts of the world and I cannot wait to see them all again.

What I learned from my exchange and how it will impact my future

Before heading off to Japan, I had a vague image of where I wanted my life and career to go, but now I have a newfound sense of direction. I have learnt the importance of understanding people from different cultures and striving to create connections with all people. I see this newfound appreciation for cultural sensitivity as benefiting my future plans of working in foreign affairs. I hope that throughout my future career, I will be able to use these skills that I have gained to foster good relations worldwide to be beneficial to my career and New Zealand collectively.