JCMU Story:
I returned to school to continue my interest in the Japanese language. I was thrilled to get the opportunity to study abroad at JCMU and I was not disappointed at all. The teachers were hard working and the environment was ideal. The view of Lake Biwako was like nothing I had seen, with misty mountains surrounding us on all sides and beautiful sunsets almost every night. The people were warm and friendly and always willing to have a conversation. I will always remember the unique experiences I made here and try to continue my education in the Japanese language.
Some of my favorite experiences were my trips to Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya and Osaka, as well as various places here around Hikone. Seeing the different castles of each prefecture can be so exciting and each has it's own stories to tell. My trip to Kyoto and Nara was with my host brother, Kunio. He was such a fantastic person. He loved much of the things I did, such as rock and ska type music. He showed me Yoshimitsu's Gold Pavilion and the Todaiji temple with the famous Daibutsu statue. I was able to visit my internet pen pal in Osaka as well, which was an overwhelming experience because of the sheer size of the city and the endless amount of things you can do, such as shopping, museums, even Universal Studios (which I wasn't able to see this time around).
I even got to see some friends that went to my University last year whom I helped tutor English to. They gave me a tour of them hometown Nagoya and showed me great places to shop and we saw Nagoya castle and a fun samurai presentation featuring Oda Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. It was quite entertaining.
Overall, I am sure JCMU is a fantastic opportunity for someone who is interested in seeing Japan for the first time and I think it will give students a good first impression of what this country has to offer. I was only able to stay for a semester, but if you can stay for an academic year, as long as you're committed to learning the language you'd enjoy being here for the whole year and see more of the seasons and seasonal foods.
