Waikato Exchange Report Kansai Gaidai University Osaka, Japan

Stuart Barrass 312988 05/07/2013

Introduction

I have always loved Japan because of its history with Samurai warlords, Ninjas, Geishas and Japan’s

unique styled castles. Japan is a very modern nation with sprawling cityscapes such as Tokyo, the

largest urban area in the world, and its perfect mix of crazy bizarre Japanese-styled pop culture that

makes Japan to me stand out, offering a truly unique experience.

I am a Japanese Major and having completed 2 and a half years of studying the language at Waikato

University I decided to study abroad in Japan. I ended up choosing Kansai Gaidai University in

Northern Osaka. The main reasons for this were the location is the best in Japan with Osaka being

very close to Kyoto, Nara, Kobe and Hiroshima. The Kansai region is full of historical sites and Osaka

is a very large city (when including the neighbouring cities it has a population of 19 million - second

only to Tokyo).

The exchange experience was definitely life changing as I got to make friends from all over the world.

I was the only New Zealander attending my university and because Stuart was difficult for many

Japanese to pronounce, I was known as ‘Kiwi’. The opportunities available at Kansai Gaidai are very

different and are exclusive to studying in Japan. These included amazing class trips up mountains to

see Buddhist temple complexes on Mt Hiei and visiting Hiroshima and learning about the affects of

nuclear weapons.

The University

Kansai Gaidai has about 14,000 students and is about 70% female to 30% male. When I was there it

varied between 250-350 foreign students, but before the Fukushima disaster (which is nowhere near

Osaka) had closer to 700 foreign students. The University is super focused on language learning and

has many programs to assist the friend making process and events that students partake in, such as

International Festival.

The courses offered by the University are varied from business to history to some which are pretty

much recreational, such as sumi painting, manga drawing and Japanese pottery. The University is

actually smaller in land size than Waikato and lacks decent sport fields. It also has a pretty mediocre

gym so the sports enthusiasts have to look off campus to play or workout.

Surprises about Japan

The thing that surprised me most about arriving in Osaka is that everyone spoke a very different

style of Japanese to what we learned in class. I learned they speak Kansaiben, which is the dialect of

the Kansai region which includes Kyoto and Kobe. I quickly started learning the new dialect, but

often came across new words and pronunciations which made things frustrating as it got to the

point where you cannot understand what the locals are saying. Not all is lost though, as many

students at Kansai Gaidai will help teach you Kansaiben and can speak Tokyo dialect so you can

understand them.

Living in Japan also brought a few surprises: crime is low but bureaucracy can get a bit much, dealing

with the banks is slow and their retail banks are actually worse than NZ’s in terms in what they offer.

Registering a bike in Japan requires three different IDs on your bike to prove it wasn’t stolen and so

you can park it at the University. Being patient and allowing a lot of time whenever you have to deal

with the government, university, banks or post office is essential.

The costs of living in Japan are quite high, especially supermarket items, and trying to eat a Western

diet in Japan is just not feasible. Meat is very expensive (excluding fish), brown or multi grain bread

is not available and many other Western foods are expensive or rare. So adjusting to Japan and

eating like the Japanese is cheaper and easier.

Travelling around

Obviously you will want to travel around Japan and see all the things this amazing country has to

offer. I list a few of the ways I travelled around.

Hyperdia is a website and app that tells you when all trains buses leave when, costs and where along

with times and distances, it is very useful for getting around Kansai region and knowing the costs of a

journey.

To help make transit fast and easy across Kansai avoid using coins to buy individual tickets as this is a

hassle and can make you late. Instead, get a transit card such as ‘Icoca’ which will let you

electronically and quickly move from train lines and to buses.

Shinkansen - when it comes to travelling across the main island of Honshu quickly, nothing beats the

Shinkansen. It’s a pricey option at about $130 one way and depends on where you are going.

If you are on a budget use the night buses as they are about $40 one way and are obviously at night

so you can sleep and wake in Tokyo, or wherever you may be going.

If you are trying to go further afield to Korea, Okinawa or Hokkaido, then flying is probably your only

option, but flights can be expensive too so using a low-cost carrier can save you a lot of money.

Peach airlines are cheap by a significant margin. From Osaka to Okinawa one way cost about $180

whereas Japan airlines cost about $400 one way.

Financial Information

If you choose to stay at the Halls of Residence called Seminar Houses, they cost 200,000-230,000 yen

depending on which you stay at. I stayed at Seminar house 3 and 4. I preferred 4 because of its

communal environment but if you like apartment-style living and with less people, 4 is for you.

Nearly everyone has to share a room with a roommate as it is a mix between American-style and

Japanese-style also everyone sleeps on a futon, not Western bed.

If you choose home stay, it’s more expensive at around 300,000 yen a semester but this varies per

family. There are a few caveats; your family may be quite strict and have rules that may confuse you

or restrict you, especially if you love to party. The location may be so far away from the University

you will have to bus or train, which costs more.

If you plan to hire an apartment this can be cheaper or more expensive but is definitely more

stressful as it can be more difficult to find one. Also, your living space will be significantly smaller

than what the seminar houses offer and you will have to furnish it too.

Travelling around Osaka can cost as it’s approximately $8 one way to central Osaka and if you hop

on and off around Osaka it can easily cost $30 to get anywhere. Most people travel around Hirakata

by bicycle

Top things to do in Japan (not in any order)

- Experience Kyoto’s temples and shrines, especially Fushimi Inari the mountain with the gates

- Visit Tokyo, here go to Akihabara, Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya and Ginza

- Go to a Japanese theme park such as Universal Studios Japan Osaka, Fuji-Q near MT Fuji for the

more extreme rides or Tokyo Disneyland

- Go clubbing in Japan - either Shinsaibashi Osaka or Shibuya Tokyo, Avoid Roppongi Tokyo as it is

mainly foreigners and not really Japanese clubs

- Hiroshima and Miyajima, doable in a weekend, Hiroshima is full of history and stories about the

Second World War and Miyajima is a Mountain island with spectacular views and temples in the

inlet sea near Hiroshima

- Japan is a car lover’s heaven - go to a race at a race track or go see drifting at Osaka Harbour when

the D1JP comes to Osaka

- Okinawa for spring break, for beautiful beaches friendly locals and the ability to go scuba diving and

have some of the best food in Japan, Okinawa is a must

- Japan has many castles - the castles are distinctive and unique in styling to Japan. The biggest is

Himeji, not too far from Osaka (and Osaka has a castle too)

- A Japanese festival - every time there’s a holiday, there’s a festival. They are all very different

ranging in size and craziness, so attending at least one to watch the locals re enact history or

celebrate a deity is an amazing experience

- If possible, visit a Japanese home and experience how they live day-to-day and the differences in

expectations due to culture

Conclusion

I had an amazing life-changing experience travelling and living in Japan, I made friends that I would

never have been able to meet anywhere else. I highly recommend this university to anyone wanting

to go on exchange whether they have studied Japanese or not. The main point of an exchange is to

experience the country and its culture and widen your understanding of the world and life - this is

stuff that isn’t learnt in the classroom.

The pictures