The main reason I became interested in Taiwan was that my mother was learning Chinese when I was in elementary school. Because of this, I had the opportunity to visit Taiwan three times as a family trips. At first, I simply enjoyed it as just another travel destination, but as I visited more often, I became increasingly fascinated by Taiwanese culture.

Furthermore, I happened to come across a TV program in Japan featuring Budaixi, a type of traditional Taiwanese puppet theater, which deepened my interest even more. I was truly moved by how traditional culture continues to evolve to adapt to modern times, and this strengthened my desire to learn more about Taiwanese culture. At the same time, I had also attended performances of Bunraku, a traditional Japanese puppet theater. As I compared Budaixi and Bunraku, I gradually developed the aspiration to become someone who can bridge Japanese and Taiwanese cultures and contribute to strengthening Japan-Taiwan relations.

To achieve this goal, I realized that it was essential to experience life in Taiwan firsthand and gain a deeper understanding of its culture and values. Since studying abroad is a requirement in my current university's program, I chose Taiwan without hesitation. In particular, I selected Tunghai University as my study-abroad destination because it is located in Taichung, a city where Taiwan’s traditional culture remains deeply rooted.

Language Learning

I had taken Chinese classes at my Japanese university, but once I arrived in Taiwan, I was so nervous that I hesitated to start a conversation with even a simple "Excuse me." I couldn’t understand native Chinese speakers at all, and even shopping at a convenience store was difficult. Since I'm not very good at English either, I felt a strong sense of urgency and decided that I needed to acquire enough Chinese to manage daily life.

I took three hours of Chinese classes every day at the Chinese Language Center on campus. The classes focused on practical conversation, and I felt myself improving daily. However, since we did little reading or writing, I sometimes felt that I am not learning enough in those areas. My class was small, with only six students, and I was the only Japanese student. As a result, we naturally communicated in Chinese. Although our Chinese was imperfect, we connected and built friendships by making an effort to express ourselves, even when we didn’t fully understand one another.

Specialized Courses:

I took two courses offered by the Department of Japanese Language and Literature, as well as an English-language course on Taiwanese culture. The level of Japanese studies in Taiwan is quite high, and the classes are taught by Japanese professors in Japanese. Both courses focused on politics and history and covered substantial content, to the point where it would be difficult to keep up without attending every week. There were many discussions, including topics rarely addressed in Japan, such as the Ainu people and the comfort women issue. Taking these classes alone made coming to Taiwan for study abroad worthwhile.

As part of the Taiwanese culture course curriculum, we went on a field trip. I visited Tainan, where we explored a historic temple, made pineapple cakes, and harvested pineapples in a real field. Through these activities, I learned about Taiwanese industries and culture not only as knowledge, but also gained a deeper understanding through firsthand experience.

Daily Life:

Several things stood out to me while I was living in Taiwan.

One was that food expenses were not as inexpensive as I had expected. Although Taiwan is often said to have inexpensive, cost-effective food, prices are actually only about 20% cheaper than in Japan. Since eating out is the norm, students living in dormitories end up doing so for all three meals almost every day. Even cafeteria lunch boxes or night market meals usually cost 300–500 yen, so staying under a 1,000-yen daily food budget is harder than expected. Ultimately, I realized that cooking for myself would actually be cheaper, which genuinely surprised me.

Another noticeable aspect was the relaxed atmosphere. For instance, it's common to see pharmacy or convenience store employees chatting with each other instead of greeting customers. Sometimes, they even handle checkouts while talking to friends on the phone. In night markets or small shops, the boundary between "staff" and "customer" is quite loose. This may be related to the fact that Chinese lacks the kind of formal honorific language that Japanese has. Time is not managed as strictly as in Japan, and bus arrival times are inconsistent. Interestingly, buses don't just arrive late; they also frequently arrive and leave early.

Reflection:

Before leaving for Taiwan, I was anxious about living abroad alone. However, once I arrived, I was surprisingly calm and able to adapt to each situation as it arose. This is a feeling that I would never have experienced if I had stayed in Japan. Every day was filled with fresh, stimulating experiences and continuous learning.

However, because I overloaded my schedule with classes, I was unable to devote enough time to researching glove puppetry (Budai Xi), one of my original goals. This became a major point of reflection. Moving forward, I need to create a more balanced study plan and stay focused on my primary objectives.

My nearly year-long study abroad experience in Taiwan is coming to an end. Looking back on the past year, I feel as though something deep within me has changed. My personality and behavior are different from before I went abroad.
For one, I have become more organized and plan-oriented. Before, I often lived my days without much purpose. However, during my time abroad, I began to feel strongly that I did not want to waste my time. Consequently, I started making plans and approaching things more intentionally.　
I have also stopped thinking in black-and-white terms. In the past, I felt the need to reach clear conclusions about everything, which often caused me a great deal of stress. Through the relationships I formed while studying abroad, I learned the importance of not rushing to conclusions. Compared to before, I worry less about extreme thinking, and I feel that I have grown significantly as a person.

Language learning
One important realization I had is that one year of studying abroad is far from enough.
This does not mean that my study abroad experience was pointless—my language skills have definitely improved. Compared to when I first arrived, my Chinese has improved tremendously. Initially, I could not understand a single word and struggled with even simple tasks like shopping at convenience stores. Now, I can chat casually with teachers at the Chinese Language Center.
However, I still have difficulty understanding fast-paced conversations among native speakers outside of school. Even when I understand what is being said, I am slow to respond, often taking too long to reply and causing the conversation to end. The more my Chinese improves, the more clearly I become aware of my limitations, which is frustrating.
I imagine that staying in Taiwan for just one more year would allow me to comfortably communicate with native speakers, so it’s truly regretful that this experience is coming to an end now.

Thoughts on the Future
Through this experience, I realized that I still have great potential to grow in my Chinese abilities. I want to continue studying with the same mindset even after returning to Japan.
It may not be grand enough to call it a concrete goal, but I have started wanting a career that involves using Chinese. It would be a shame not to use a language I worked so hard to acquire, but more importantly, this study abroad experience taught me how enjoyable it is to communicate in a foreign language.
Talking with my classmates at the Chinese Language Center using newly learned vocabulary was deeply fulfilling. There were many frustrating moments when I could not express myself as I wanted, but I enjoyed challenging myself even more. I also had opportunities to teach Japanese to my classmates, which allowed me to experience the joy of language exchange.
My vision is still somewhat vague, but I can see myself pursuing a career in language education, such as becoming a Japanese or Chinese language teacher.