Jack

23, UK

What is your education level?

University

What is your current (or most recent) job?

Youth Offending Service Administrator

When did you apply to come to Japan originally?

08 – Apr – 2021

Why does studying Japanese in Japan mean so much to you?

I’ve always been very interested in the country and it’s culture and would like to to be able to study further education in Japan and to eventually work there. I also have native Japanese friends in Japan, so I would like to be able to speak to them to be able to speak to me in their mother tongue.

How do you think that as a student in Japan that you will add benefit to Japan society?

I believe that foreign students coming to Japan will help Japanese economy grow. I would like to study Computer Science in Tokyo after graduating language school, which I believe will aid in Japan’s technological advancement.

What will it mean to you if there is another delay for students to be able to come to Japan?

I quit my Job and ended my tenancy on my home to prepare to come to Japan for April as I believed that after the state of emergency was lifted, so would the borders for visa holders. If another extension was to happen that would mean I would have to start spending the money I had saved to start being a student in Japan to help support my self here in the UK instead. Which would mean I would have less money to survive on when borders do eventually open in Japan. I would also have to start online language school lessons from my home country as I can’t start the April term in Japan to do the lessons in person. I personally feel this would impact how quick I would learn Japanese as I will not be using the language in my everyday life in the UK as I would be doing if I were to be in Japan studying.

Chamika, 30, Sri Lanka

I am waiting from April 2020 to get into my university as a self-financed student. April intake was postponed because of the corona situation. Then I was able to register for the September intake. However, because of COE delays, I couldn’t get in during the time Japan was open for students. My research is already on hold since I cannot perform the experiments needed for data acquisition. Because of this uncertainty, I now have to consider a Ph.D. topic change even after spending 8 months into my research. I left my previous job in 2019 January thinking I’ll be able to get in by April. Because I don’t know when Japan will start accepting students, I can’t apply for any other job positions either. There is a minimum contract period that I must complete before quitting all most all of the jobs. So my life is on hold since January of 2019. It is not an easy task to keep going [especially mentally] when you are already 30 and you have to depend on your parents for food and a roof over your head. At this point, I am prepared to accept any conditions imposed by the Japanese government if it means that I can start my research. Even something like quarantining in a paid embassy designated quarantine location in my home country before I come to Japan. So, total of one month quarantining is a possible action for me now at this point. That’s how desperate I am at the moment, and I know it would be same for many students who dreamt of studying in Japan. Another long delay will force me to drop my research dream and focus on a different path for the sake of my mental health alone.

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Giulia, 26, Italy

I have been studying Japanese for seven years. I spent the last year stuck at University, keeping paying taxes even if I finished all the exams in Winter 2020 just waiting for Japan to open and let me in, since I am trying to write my MA thesis regarding women contemporary literature in Japan.

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Lissette, 30, America

It is very important to learn first hand in Japan because it will let me keep pushing forward to learn. There is no better way to learn a language than in the country it comes from.

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John, 30, America

Studying in Japan has always been part of my dream. I wish to pursue not only studying and becoming fluent in Japanese, but to be able to build a life in Japan. I have visited many times and made many Japanese friends. Each visit has had a profound effect on my life, and I wish to be able to communicate fluently, in order to become a contributing member of Japanese society.

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Veronica, 25, Italy

I always dreamed of going to Japan as soon as I graduated in Japanese (which was last October). My goal is to improve the language, as I would like to become a translator in the future.

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Abhishek, 23, India

studying Japanese in Japan is means a lot to me because for me it’s always my dream to live and study in japan and experience their culture while enjoying student life which I always dreamed of.

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