By Hannah Watts

Hey! My name is Hannah, and I am a second-year Japanese language student here at Waikato University. In January 2025, I will be heading off for (hopefully) a year of study at Kansai Gaidai in Osaka, Japan. 

I have always had a passion for learning the Japanese language and I believe this exchange will be extremely beneficial to my study and provide experiences that I cannot gain from New Zealand. I chose Kansai Gaidai as my destination university out of the 3 affiliated institutions in Japan because I felt that its style of teaching and workflow would fit me the best. The location, halfway between Osaka and Kyoto, is also appealing to me as it gives me the benefit of travelling to both cities and will help me to see as much of Japan as I can. I am excited to be able to experience learning the language in the country where it is spoken, get a feel for the culture, and interact with the locals. 

Studying a language while being surrounded by it being naturally spoken is an invaluable experience. I hope that my time in Japan will help me to better connect with the language,  and to help provide context and additional opportunities to better learn about the culture of the country and people around me. 

この機会をいただけてとても嬉しいです。全力で頑張ります。