Johanna Jarvis, ’27, is a Graphic Design major studying at the Tamagawa University this Spring 2024.
As a first-year, already having moved out of the house into a dorm was a big enough move. So, if you were to tell me that I’d be halfway across the globe 6 months later, I would have to laugh! Three of my classmates and I were all accepted as the first students to join the Graphic Design exchange program with Tamagawa University (in person). As trailblazers, we’ve definitely had our fair share of trials and tribulations during our preparation process. But after all that, a 14-hour plane ride, and adjustment, it all seemed worth it for such a beautiful city and country.
Upon arrival, we were provided with guides from our University, both teachers and students (or our travel and translation buddies) who were all really sweet. On our first night, we went out to eat together and went to a nearby arcade in Machida! Machida is a popular city many students go to as there are plenty of fun places to visit (JUST be sure to be cautious of the Red Light District areas). Now, as a big anime and cute plushie enthusiast, I couldn’t turn this opportunity of an arcade down.
To the Sanrio lovers, I must confess, Chiikawa seems to be the ruler here! (It’s an adorable manga/anime featuring a cute white bear that I’d recommend if you want to practice Japanese!) I saw a Chiikawa claw machine, ditching my previous claw failures aside, and went for it. I was struggling to get the plushie, no surprise, but my new friends, Hana, Jasmine, and Aoi helped me out by asking a worker on technique– and it worked! Later, we played Taiko no Tatsujin, a pretty addictive drum game. The best way I can describe it is like Dance-Dance Revolution but with drums! Lastly, another thing you’d find almost anywhere here is capsule machines! They are basically gumball machines filled with collectibles that take me great strength to resist.
After our first night, we got to our dorms in Shinyuri-gaoka, along with visiting the school for first-year orientation! Back at Drexel, I was at Kelly Hall sharing a dorm this size with my wonderful roommate, so I was pretty astonished to be getting this all to myself AND a bathroom. The view was amazing– but don’t be surprised if you hear a random chime in the middle of your day! This is the 17:00/5pm chime, which is used to alert that the sun is setting/it will be dark soon. The chime is calming at least! As for Tamagawa, the school’s campus has many hills (very common here), and their main building is quite literally so large that they have escalators.
Though this entry was mostly about orientation, don’t be discouraged! My group and I have planned many adventures for the weekends to show all the popular sites, especially, cherry blossom spots! See you next time!
