Liz’e Simpson, ’26, is a Computer Science major studying at the Sophia University of Japan this Fall 2024 through the program CIEE.
Over these few weeks, I have discovered so many new ways of life from this experience. Everything does not seem so different from afar but close up and walking in the streets of Tokyo you can very clearly see where your experience differs from here versus home. It’s simply just different.
A major thing I noticed on my first day on the train was how quiet it was and how put together everything seemed. Everyone was on their way to work, school, or some other task, and I couldn’t help but notice how set into their daily routine everyone was. Even more so on the train, it made me confused at first, and then I realized I was accustomed to being aware of my surroundings and the bustle and noise that I grew up with. Unknowingly, I thought it was the same everywhere, learning from this experience I’ve realized that this was the norm.
Realizing that helped me to look at interactions and manners differently, walking into a shop you expect to acknowledge someone when you enter but here that’s not a necessary action to act out. I try to find the balance if I shouldn’t say anything in that situation I learned to bow my head slightly to acknowledge them for both their sake and my own. Learning quieter mannerisms and more discreet gestures has been a significant help in falling into the Tokyo lifestyle and routine.
While learning how to interact has had a hold on my time another portion of it has been spent just experiencing Japan for what it is. I’ve gone to Shibuya, Shinjuku, Akihabara, and Harajuku, very popular and crowded locations; At the same time, I’ve gone to an open-air museum that has traditional houses and architecture from multiple periods of history in Japan.
Additionally, I’ve learned a lot about social relationships and building friendships from being out and abroad in a dorm setting. Finding and talking with people you mesh with is important as you live next to each other, especially abroad. Everything that I have learned from this experience has helped me to develop a better understanding of people, how each person’s morning differs from the other, and how to adapt to change. I look forward to the next few months and the new ways I will grow change and develop into a new, more knowledgeable, and worldly person.
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