Spending the summer as a student living in Japan was the time of my life for an abundance of reasons. While you may be nervous to go abroad and leave behind some aspects of your home life, I think that the Temple Japan student experience is designed to help you try new things and develop a sense of community with those around you. Going through orientation in my new dorm and Welcome Week at TUJ was quite tiring with the jet lag and fatigue from lots of traveling. The exciting events of the week kept inspiring me to push through and feel more settled in Japan! Enjoying these moments with many other students who were getting acclimated to TUJ life made me excited for what was in store for my summer. I wanted to provide some information about some of the key aspects of the lifestyle as a summer abroad student so that the idea of settling in can feel less weighted and more exciting!
Activities
When we got to orientation in the TUJ building, the student activities team started to present, which helped me realize there would be many opportunities to participate in amazing and fun experiences throughout the entire summer. Their presentations gave us an overview of how and when to sign up for activities, along with details and dates for the ENTIRE summer! TUJ uses a student activities website where you can create a profile and easily sign up to participate. The Student Activities team was so dedicated to providing transportation, meals, and incredible experiences for us with many of the activities provided. Some of the events where you’ll be leaving from TUJ’s campus to participate require a payment, which is usually a few thousand yen because of the provided amenities on the trip. Making these commitments was quite easy, but they made sure to let us know that sometimes the activity sign-ups would open early in the morning and might fill up quickly!
My friend Nicole and I leaving an onsen in Hakone on a TUJ Student Activities hosted trip!
We were able to sign up for events within the next week and I was so excited for many of the opportunities available. I wrote about my first student activity, Sports & Games Night, in my previous blog. This and many other events are hosted on the campus or with Showa or other universities nearby. The events that I most recommend are ones where you can see another side of Japan with your friends and other students. In early July, I went to Odawara Forest Adventure for ziplining and climbing. This was such a fun experience and I recommend going to one of the many Forest Adventure spaces around Japan’s Kanto region if you have the opportunity through TUJ or independently! We flew through parts of the forest, usually landing hard into a pile of mulch for safety.
I got to zipline through so much of Odawara Forest! I loved gliding through the beautiful, green space while hearing others
This was a thrilling experience that left a smile on our faces before we spent more of the afternoon eating a great meal and enjoying a relaxing time at one of Hakone’s iconic onsens! If you are willing to experience a hot spring, I highly recommend doing so, especially after a big journey. It’s a significant cultural experience that I always left feeling relaxed.
After leaving the hot springs, we got to wear yukata around the building and walk around the koi ponds and waterfalls outside.
Dorm Life
Staying in a dorm in TUJ is a great experience because it provides your own living space while allowing you to be close to your friends. I spent my summer in Musashi Kosugi dorm, which I loved for its location and access to a dining hall. I spent time with friends watching movies at times in the shared dining area and talking about the fun experiences we were having. One thing people worry about is the size of the rooms and the size of the beds. As a shorter person, I didn’t have too much of an issue adjusting to this, but if you’re closer to around 6 feet tall then this might be a concern for you. There may be accommodations to your bed that the incredibly kind staff at your dorm could assist with. I highly recommend making the space feel cozy and fun within your personal style! I used thumbtacks and double-sided adhesive to put up a couple of pictures of my parents and me, little tickets, and small pieces of promotional art from places around Japan. Musashi Kosugi dorms have a shelf-like structure above the beds. I used to place small toys, and some seashells from Japan’s amazing beaches. If you can bring or buy a small lamp or projector, then this can allow you to avoid constantly using the bright lights of the dorm rooms.
I used the shelf structure above my bed to place some small things that reminded me of my love for Japanese culture, When I turned 22 in June, my friends gave me some birthday balloons that I kept there for the rest of my stay!
Dining
Good food in Japan is everywhere, and I highly recommend trying out meals from a variety of spots and types of food. Japanese restaurants at any level provide such high-quality food, to the point where I felt comfortable eating so many places. I recommend branching out to the smaller restaurants in Sangenjaya for lunch and dinner between or after classes, as they provide a great variety of food. I found myself at Tempura Tenya, Mos Burger, Mister Donut, Pancake Mama Café, and other places nearby. They will also provide some tasty bento lunches in the cafeteria some days during the week! Izakaya culture is big in Japan, and I found plenty of places around Musashi Kosugi dorm to get great food portions and spend time in the community. I recommend trying some of your favorite dishes at a variety of places around your home, in the greater Tokyo area, and sharing love for food with your friends!
This is a bowl of ramen from an izakaya near Musashi Kosugi station. I highly recommend stopping in small restaurants and izakayas and picking a dish that’s familiar or branching out to something new!