W. G.
Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies
Doctoral program
Although face-to-face classes have gradually resumed, it is still challenging for international students to make Japanese friends. As I have been an anime maniac for more than 10 years, I checked the “I love sub-culture” option in the application form and hoped I could meet a hobby friend. Luckily indeed, ICC did pair me with a Japanese girl who’s an anime fan as well. We both finished reading the whole Golden Kamuy manga series and love every character in the amazing world created by Satoru Noda! Coincidentally, Golden Kamuy was going to hold an exhibition event from April to June, so we immediately decided to arrange our first meeting there. We enjoyed the event so much that we were among the last group of visitors to leave the hall after closing hours.
Also, we both like to discuss what happened in the news. As I am majoring in politics, I always tend to analyze news from the perspective of politics, such as the decision-making process inside the political system. Whereas, because my language partner is majoring in literature, she believes that, to build a better society, it is important to reform people’s consciousness first, and the media should bear this responsibility.
Therefore, in both the virtual and real world, the language and cultural exchange program was an excellent chance for me to make new friends as well as broaden my way of thinking. I recommend every international student who’s interested to participate without hesitation.
