Liz’e Simpson, ’26, is a Computer Science major studying at the Sophia University of Japan this Fall 2024 through the program CIEE.
Most days, I followed a set routine while studying abroad. I wake up early to catch the early train if I can and get on the bus, especially on the days I can’t be bothered to walk to the station. I neat trick I learned while aboard was waiting for the train that departed directly from my station. This train is empty and if you are at the front of the line you are granted a seat on the hour-long train ride. My first class began at 9:00 am and with the hour-long train, I needed to be up around 6:30 am to get ready, 7 am at the latest. On the first few days, I was confused by the train system but after being here for a while I got used to it and understood it.
Following the morning rush hour train, I attend classes from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm with a break between the 100-minute periods. Since I’m in the intensive courses, my days are often spent in class going over the course materials and speech practice. I typically go off-campus to a nearby curry restaurant or cafe to finish my homework and start on the next day’s homework. “Keeping up with your work is essential” even during studying abroad. At this point, I end up finishing my coursework around 2 pm.
From there on, my days start to vary dramatically. I often go out to different parts of Tokyo such as Shibuya, Akihabara, or Shinjuku. I enjoy traveling on my own, going shopping, trying out skincare products, and looking for manga I’ve wanted to read, so most times I head to a different city each time to try out new places and products. I tended to hang around one of my favorite cities in Tokyo, Ikebukuro, especially around Sunshine City and karaoke. Half the time I end up at karaoke because I love singing so much, they have all types of songs from Japanese pop songs to old-school R&B English songs. Occasionally, I go with some classmates to lunch together in the cafeteria. Other times, we would head to a different city in Tokyo to see illuminations, try out new restaurants, and go to karaoke, especially after we finished a test.
Middleway through my study abroad program, I joined a club at school, so weekly I started to go to my sports club where I got the chance to play squash, speak japanese, and go out for dinner together with my teammates. Normally we choose a place to have dinner where we are at or we head to Shinjuku, afterwards, we would go out to events like winter illuminations and local events. My day tends to end around 10 pm after walking from the train back home to my dorm, on sports days sometimes I get home even later. Once I’m back I take my shoes off at the 『玄関』aka the door’s entrance, and get ready to go to bed and restart the day.