The Journey of a Thousand Miles

hen I made up my mind to study abroad in Japan, I already had two experiences of studying abroad in Germany. I enjoyed my previous student life, meeting people from different cultures, learning new things and improving my language skills. Although Japan is farther away from Europe, it drew my attention through its distinguished literature. Before long, the desire to see with my own eyes the marvelous things I was reading about in books, sparked my motivation to study in Japan.

As the proverb says, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, I decided to make my first step, and that was to initiate myself in the Japanese language. The beginning was not at all as difficult as one might expect. The polysyllabic sounds of Japanese were simpler than the sounds of Romanian, English or German languages that I had previously learned. But the most problematic aspect of the language was, and still is, its cumbersome and most complex writing system. After two years of intensive study, the next step was to find a suitable university that suited my needs. Although this might seem a relatively simple procedure, especially with today’s open communication and internet access, it was more challenging and exhausting than I would have imagined. I remember searching everyday for potential universities that could offer me what I needed, universities where I would be able to improve my Japanese language skills while at the same time allowing me to engage in further research within my field of study. Surprisingly not many universities matched my profile.

What first attracted me to Meiji University was its prominent name. A university founded 130 years ago, by three lawyers of the Meiji Era. My first impression was that of a modern, open university and the more I inquired, the more convinced I was of its quality and prestige. In my opinion, Meiji is a university that offers each student what he or she needs, from the general to specialized classes in both English and Japanese language. After joining Meiji University, my expectations were fully fulfilled. Meiji is indeed the right university for me and not only I could enjoy my student life but also obtain a lot of information and knowledge that I might not have been able to get from other universities. Here I had the liberty to decide by myself exactly what I wanted to study, and at the same time I was guided by my teacher in the direction of achieving my goals.

The Surugadai campus, where I study, is very conveniently located in the heart of Tokyo, comprising high and modern buildings with breathtaking views and spacious research rooms. The campus is very compact and I have access to its overwhelmingly large library, computer pools, copy centers, cafeteria, lounge, garden and others, all within five minutes walking distance.

After getting myself accustomed to daily university life, I started going places around Tokyo, visiting museums, shrines, temples, or cities in the vicinity like Yokohama and Kamakura. I had the chance to climb Mount Fuji and see a great sunrise, I went hiking in Takao san, skiing in Zao and strolling through Shosenkyo gorge. Cities that I have visited include Sapporo (Snow Festival), Kyoto, Himeji, Hiroshima, etc. Wherever I have visited, I tried traditional Japanese dishes, took thousand of marvelous pictures and talked with many people. I felt very welcomed.

All in all, my Japan experience was quite complex. Being able to come here, to attend Meiji University, visit places and different cities, to taste the Japanese cuisine, and to see traditional performances, enabled me to have a better understanding of the Japanese culture, to experience it at a more intimate level than I might have done so by reading about it in a book. It was quite difficult to get here, the preparations took longer than I expected, yet the stress of waiting and uncertainty paid off, and I can say that everything was very much worth it. Japan is a country like no other, and I’m really happy and grateful that I had the once in a lifetime chance to fully appreciate it.