8 Things I Wish I Knew Before Studying in Japan

Back in 2023, I spent a semester studying in Japan. It became one of the best experiences I have had. It also gave me quite a few opportunities to think, “Well, knowing that earlier would have been useful.”

Some things were better than I expected. Others involved paperwork and a worrying amount of checking my email. These are the eight things I wish I had understood before going.

1. Being accepted did not mean the paperwork was finished

I got accepted in February for an exchange starting later that year. Naturally, I booked my flight well in advance. It was cheaper, and I like cheap.

I assumed there would be plenty of time to sort everything out. Then the months passed, my flight got closer, and I was still waiting for a document I needed for my visa application.

A month before departure, it had not arrived. Another week went by. Still nothing. The university staff were helpful, but that did not make the waiting particularly enjoyable.

The document finally arrived a week before my flight. I rushed to apply, and I received my visa one day before departure. One day. A very efficient way to make an otherwise exciting trip feel like a threat.

That was my experience, not a normal processing timetable to plan around. I would give the paperwork more breathing room and think carefully about booking travel before the visa arrangements are clear.

2. I did not need perfect Japanese, but the basics mattered

Before going, I worried a lot about whether my Japanese would be good enough. I had worked through part of Genki, but I was still very much a beginner.

My exchange route let me study without already being fluent. That does not mean every university course works that way: the language requirements depend on the programme you choose.

Outside class, even a little Japanese made a difference. Understanding a question in a shop or managing a small conversation feels surprisingly good when the alternative is repeatedly saying “sumimasen” and hoping the situation resolves itself.

Looking back, I would have put more time into the basics before leaving. Reading hiragana and katakana, recognising everyday words and practising simple conversations would have given me more to build on once I arrived.

I would not wait until I felt perfectly ready, though. I suspect I would still be waiting.

3. The cost was more than the university bill

Flights, somewhere to live, food, transport and all the little daily expenses add up. Then there are the things you actually want to do while you are there.

I went through an exchange arrangement with my home university, which affected the tuition side of things. Funding from the Netherlands also made a big difference. That was my arrangement; it is worth checking yours rather than assuming all exchanges include the same deal.

And do not only look at scholarships offered in Japan. Ask your home university and check funding in your own country too. I am very glad I did.

I would also leave some money for enjoying the place I had travelled all that way to see. My budget needed room for exploring, not just surviving. And, apparently, the occasional crane machine making an extremely convincing argument.

4. Japanese class moved faster than I expected

We used Genki in my classes, so some of the material was familiar. That gave me a brief, completely undeserved sense of security.

The pace was the surprise. In my class, we would move into a new chapter, learn vocabulary, take quizzes and then get tested on the material. As soon as that was over, the next chapter was waiting.

It pushed me to study regularly, and I did learn a lot. But I wish I had expected the workload instead of assuming that knowing a few pages already meant I could relax.

My advice would be to keep up little by little. Catching up on a growing pile of vocabulary is much less fun than it sounds, and it does not sound especially fun.

5. Making friends was less intimidating than I had imagined

One of my biggest worries was being lonely. I pictured international students and Japanese students keeping to separate groups, with me standing somewhere between them trying to remember a greeting.

My actual campus experience was much friendlier. There were events, clubs and people inviting me to things. I got chances to talk, join activities and spend time with people outside the classroom.

That is my experience, rather than a promise about everyone you will meet. But it taught me that worrying about whether people would want to talk to me was not a very good reason to avoid finding out.

Go to something. Say hello. Accept an invitation when you can. You do not need to arrive with a complete friendship strategy. Showing up is a pretty useful start.

6. Knowing about cultural differences was not the same as living with them

I had watched plenty of content about Japan before going. That did not stop ordinary interactions from occasionally confusing me.

As a Dutch person, I am quite comfortable with someone just telling me what they mean. A softer answer or an indirect refusal can take me a moment. Sometimes several moments.

I had to pay more attention to context rather than assuming every conversation would work the way I expected. That does not mean every Japanese person communicates identically. It means I needed to stop treating my own habits as the default setting for everyone else.

The everyday etiquette mattered too: paying attention on public transport, noticing where people queue and being considerate of the people around me. I did not need to know every unwritten rule immediately, but observing and asking helped.

7. I wish I had thought about what came next a little earlier

During the exchange, I was already considering whether I might want to live and work in Japan later. I wish I had used more of that time to explore what the work side could look like.

Looking at jobs, learning what employers asked for and meeting people in a field I was interested in would have given me a clearer starting point. I did eventually find work, but there was quite a lot of figuring things out after returning to the Netherlands.

I also wish I had worried a little less about making every assignment perfect. I took the academic side seriously, which is good. Spending so much time chasing better grades that I missed other experiences was less good.

Your grades and course requirements still matter. I would just try to leave room for the rest of the exchange too. The classroom is part of why you are there, but it does not have to become the only part you remember.

8. Coming home was harder than I expected

The semester went much faster than I wanted it to. Before long, I was back in my old room, looking at photos and wondering how the whole experience had already ended.

It felt strange returning to familiar routines after everything had been so new and social. I missed the people, the places and the version of everyday life I had built there.

I wish I had understood that the return could feel like that. I am describing how it felt for me, rather than giving that feeling a medical label. Being glad I went and finding it difficult to come home could both be true.

If I could have stayed longer in a way that made sense for my studies and finances, I would have seriously considered it. But a semester was still worthwhile. I would not trade away the experience just because the goodbye was difficult.

I would still do it again

Even knowing about the waiting, the workload and the slightly painful return home, I would go again. I would just prepare a bit differently and spend less time worrying about things that turned out to be fine.

If you are getting ready for your own exchange, hopefully some of this saves you a little stress. Especially the visa bit. I have already done enough panicking over that for both of us.

You can watch the original video at the top of this page for the full story. And if you have already studied in Japan, I would like to hear what you wish someone had told you.

Watch the original video on YouTube →