Schools & Study

I have been interested in Japanese traditional arts, anime, games, dramas, and various forms of entertainment from a young age, so Japan has always felt close to me. Additionally, when I was in middle school, I became interested in Japanese history, particularly the missions to Tang Dynasty China and Sui Dynasty China, as well as the Heian period, through my school classes. Since I also had relatives living in Japan, I decided to study abroad here.

Since there were no Chinese versions of Japanese anime, I had no choice but to watch them in Japanese, and I naturally picked up the language that way. Also, even if I didn’t know how to read kanji, I often understood the meaning, which made it more approachable for me.

The main reason is because it’s where Konan University is located. I learned about Konan University at a study guidance session at my Japanese language school and attended a trial class on history, which was so interesting that it sparked my desire to study there.

I like that its historical development is similar to my hometown, Shenzhen, China. Also, there are many vintage clothing stores, and I even bought the suit I’m wearing today in Kobe! I love that you can enjoy classic fashion here.

I enjoy listening to traditional music like classical pieces and visiting museums. While I love learning from books, I also really enjoy seeing, touching, and learning directly from real objects. When I see historical buildings like the Former Foreign Settlement or the Kitano Ijinkan, I find myself wondering when those buildings were renovated and think about their history based on the historical background.

I want to go to graduate school and study history and culture more in depth, ultimately becoming a researcher!
I’m interested not only in Japanese history but also in the history of other countries, so I plan to study with a broad perspective.

I want to travel around Japan. Since I’m interested in traditional things, I would like to visit museums in different regions.

One thing that surprised me about Japan is the way trash is handled. In China, there’s no set time for throwing away garbage; you can do it whenever you like. But in Japan, I was surprised to find that it’s strictly regulated to about twice a week.

The professors are very kind and often interact with us like friends, making it easy to ask questions and build good relationships. Konan University is a perfectly medium-sized university, not too big, which means that the distance between professors and students is close. This makes communication easy, and when I encounter problems, I can quickly consult with someone, which makes studying enjoyable!

It’s scary at first, but take that first step! We’re all just people, so you’ll be fine!