Isac

21, Sweden

What is your education level?

What is your current (or most recent) job?

Parkour & gymnastics teacher

When did you apply to come to Japan originally?

01 – Apr – 2022

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

I want to study Japanese because I have been drawn to Japan my whole life and that have actually been my goal to migrate to Japan since I were 15 years old (now I am 21). I planned to go originally in October 2020 but then the corona virus made all my sacrifices be in vein, resigning my apartment and moving to my parents and save money doing a part time job preparing for studying abroad and learning Japanese as much as I can alone. I love Japanese culture and I couldn’t think of living and being a part of community other beside Japan.

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

I will bring all of my experiences, goals to help the Japanese people in everyway I can, especially long term wanting to start a shelter for homeless people and helping people in times of crisis, a strong will to unify the community and all the love I can give. I will also help with writing uplifting music and do my best to keep people calm and spreading awareness about how to take care of peoples mental health in times of isolation through my education as a personal trainer and many years of self studying psychology.

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

I will be forced to live with my parents and have a very very hard time finding a job because of how the virus is forcing people to work from home. After I graduated collage my plan was to immediately move to Japan in order to integrate with the society as much as possible and not creating a life here in Sweden when I want to move abroad. I don’t have a driver’s license and that is the key to get most jobs here but that would mean that I have to sacrifice all my time and money to get that instead of preparing for a proper life in Japan. Dreams are being crushed, nerves are getting tired of never knowing how the situation will change and when we as students actually can enter Japan. Trusting the Japanese goverment will be harder if they don’t act openly and tell their plan to open up the borders depending on the corona virus situation. If the deley is going to be longer without a plan I will talk to the Japanese embassy and raise awareness about this situation in the whole country if I have to for them to just tell a simple plan about when to re-open the borders and why athletes should be prioritized before international students. Thanks to the staff at Go Go Nihon and their CEO Davide I still dream of moving to Japan instead of stop waiting and creating a life in Sweden, thank you for bringing hope and light to this situation! 🙏

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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