Before my arrival, I had experienced this beautiful country three times already. With my previous experience and little knowledge of Japanese customs, integrating was farely easy. Surely I made a few mistakes in the ways I talked or acted, but now that the school is over, I believe that I could return any day and be greeted with warmth.
I am a Business Administration student at Centria UAS Ylivieska. For my studies, I was very interested in learning about Japanese business customs and "styles", keeping in mind that I may work in international surroundings in the future. Getting a closer look into another country's ways of doing things surely brought me valuable "inside information" that'll absolutely come in handy in the future.
The courses at my host university were quite different than what I had hoped for. Learning Japanese, on the other hand, was very challenging but extremely fun! The other courses were a bit too easy in my opinion. While I did learn a lot about Japanese businesses and economy, I had hoped for a challenge that would make me push myself. This, unfortunately, only happened with Japanese language studies.
The study culture in this University was laid back. It might've been the fact, that since the classes were taught in English, the teachers wanted to keep it simple so that any and all students would be able to practice their English skills and learn how to use them effectively.
Everyday life in the University and the small city it is located in (Izumi) is very peaceful. The worst thing that I experienced was the notorious "Kansai humidity", which made me, a sizeable Finnish man, suffer. For this, the locals taught me a word that will surely follow me for a long time: なつばて, "natsubate". It's a condition that refers to exhaustion due to extreme heat. People that are sensitive to extreme heats should take great care in hydration and proper clothing.
Apart from that, the life here was easy living. Restaurants and stores and very close by and you can find most of your everyday needs in your immediate proximity.
As for what has been challenging... I'd say the various cultural differences that are bound to pop up in international surroundings like these. While us Finns appreciate direct speech with nothing "hidden", the Japanese tend to avoid direct confrontation. Instead they refer to things in their speech that should make the listener understand, that he or she is doing something that could be considered "challenging" in nature. Praises are, however, given with ease and big smiles. I had to learn a lot to modify my personal way of doing and saying things, but once I started to act more like the locals, our everyday situations were extremely pleasant. Now that I have sees "the other side", I think I'll be keeping some of these newly acquired manners once I return back to my home.
As this last part I should write about a highlight during my trip, but honestly there are so many "highlights" that to pinpoint a single one is impossible. The food, my new friends, the crazy experiences in Namba, the underground music scene, the scenery of the countryside Japan which would make a novice story teller blush... you name it, I have a "highlight" of it.
All in all, this half a year has been an experience that I'm glad I worked so much for. No regrets, just memories.
みんなさん、どもありがとうございます！さようなら！
- Juha-Matti "まきちゃん" Katajamäki
28.08.2019, Nose, Osaka, Japan
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