Brady
SPSE
It was my first week at the university. I’d just landed in Japan, still jet-lagged, still fumbling through the train system with my phone at 2% and my backpack digging into my shoulders. Everything felt slightly too loud or slightly too quiet. I was hungry at the wrong hours and constantly wondering if I was standing on the wrong side of the escalator.
When I saw the ICC event on the orientation schedule, I almost didn’t go. I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t even really know what the ICC was. But I figured: I’m already here. Might as well try.
I remember walking into the room and being greeted with this mix of energy and calm. There was a table with free drinks set up, and people were already chatting in a dozen different accents. It was the first friendly thing that had happened all week.
In our table, we played a game where we had to join people and match certain facts on a sheet, like “famous celebrities from where” or begin conversation starters about music. I ended up in a conversation with a girl from China, a guy from France, and someone who grew up not far from where I did back in Australia. We talked about our favorite train snacks, how we all got lost in Shinjuku at least once, and whether we liked convenience store egg sandwiches (hot topic).
We talked about midnight konbini runs and how intimidating Shibuya Crossing looks the first time you try to cross it. We bonded over small, silly things like which convenience store fried chicken is best (Famichiki, obviously). There was something really easy about it. No one was trying too hard. No one was left out. It wasn’t one of those painfully awkward icebreakers where you just wait for the clock to run out. People genuinely wanted to talk.
By the end of the event, I’d learned how to open an onigiri (poorly), added three people on Instagram, and left with a smile I hadn’t even realized I’d been missing.
So, if you’re new, a little overwhelmed, maybe spending too much time talking to Google Translate, come to the ICC. The team behind it is thoughtful, welcoming, and genuinely lovely. You’ll laugh, have drinks, play some games, and leave feeling like you’ve unlocked a secret level of university life. It’s worth it just for the company.
