Since I was a child, I have had a deep interest in Japanese anime and always thought “Someday, I want to visit Japan.” Because of that, after graduating from high school, I decided to study Japanese and chose the Japanese Language Major at Ho Chi Minh City University of Education. I have been majoring in Japanese for about three years, but every time I try to speak in Japanese, I often get nervous and struggle to express my thoughts clearly.

I also took the N2 level of Japanese Language Proficiency Test, but my listening and speaking skills were still not strong enough, so I failed the exam. In the future, I want to become a professional interpreter, but I realize that I still have a long way to go before I can make it happen unless I figure out how to improve my weaknesses. Since I’m in my country, most people around me only speak Vietnamese so I don’t have many opportunities to practice Japanese and my skills haven’t improved as much as I’d hoped. That’s why I chose to study abroad in Japan, where I can live surrounded by native Japanese speakers. Studying abroad will allow me to improve my conversation fluency and responsiveness, then I can gain the confidence to speak Japanese more comfortably.

Moreover, Japan is a country that has experienced many hardships such as earthquakes and tsunamis, but it always recovers and continues to develop rapidly. I admire this strong and resilient spirit of Japanese people and want to learn from it. Even though I failed the N2 test, I believe that if I study hard in Japan, I will definitely grow. Through studying abroad, I want to improve not only my language skills but also learn about Japanese culture, values, people’s politeness, and their sincere attitude toward work so I can grow into a more mature and well-rounded person.

Additionally, interacting with international friends will expose me to a variety of cultures and values, helping me to broaden my perspective. I want to step out of my comfort zone, take on new challenges in a new world, and live an independent life.

After returning to my country, I plan to graduate from my university and look for a job where I can use my Japanese skills as a working adult. Through my study abroad experience, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of Japan and the Japanese spirit. I chose Japan because I want to learn everything about Japan through real-life experiences - something that books and movies cannot provide. Studying abroad in Japan will not only improve my Japanese skills, but also become an important milestone in my future.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to study abroad at Kobe Shinwa University - where I’ve had many unforgettable experiences.

First, I would like to describe my daily life in Japan.
Since I live in the dormitory, the manager always provides me with delicious, plentiful meals.
I also feel safe and secure at the dormitory, so I can eat and sleep well without any anxiety. The surrounding area has many slopes, so it takes a little time to get around, but thanks to that, I can take many more walks and improve my health. On top of that, the local residents are very kind, so I don’t feel lonely or find it difficult to adapt to life in Japan.

Second, my academic experiences at Kobe Shinwa University.
While learning Japanese grammar, vocabulary, and how to write reports, I was also able to study many interesting subjects like calligraphy and economic psychology.
In the International Culture Specialized Seminar course, I had the opportunity to give many solo presentations for the first time, receive proper feedback from my teacher, and reflect on my work, realizing that I need to work harder. As a result, my study plans and future plans are gradually becoming clearer.
Besides the main classes, I am sincerely thankful to my teacher at Kobe Shinwa University for enthusiastically teaching me a kanji class suited to my level.

Third, my experiences with Japanese culture and people.
Thanks to the extracurricular activities organized by Kobe Shinwa, I was able to experience a variety of activities, including enjoying cherry blossoms for the first time, visiting Kobe Maritime Museum, Kobe Port Tower, Himeji Castle, and watching Bunraku puppet shows.
I also used my scholarship to take several trips, experiencing Japan's nature, culture, and people. I was able to see the beauty of Japan, just like in the movies I had watched as a child.
These experiences not only deepened my understanding of Japanese culture, but also helped me broaden my connections with others.
When I first started, I hadn't made any friends yet, but my teachers were always there for me, comforting and encouraging me, which made me feel safe and stronger. Since then, I've had the opportunity to interact with friends from many countries, including China, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, and I've made international friends, which has made my classes and life more interesting.

As a result, I would like to make the most of the remaining semester as an exchange student at Kobe Shinwa University, studying harder, gaining more experiences, and creating many memories. I also want to work even harder for the future.

Before I knew it, my one-year exchange study abroad experience came to an end. I wished I could stay in Japan longer, and as my return date approached, I didn’t want to count the days left. However, these feelings became a motivation for me to think seriously about studying and working in the future, and they strengthened my desire to make an effort and return to Japan again.

When I first arrived in Japan, even though I had studied Japanese before, I was not able to speak it well. Because I came to Japan with the goal of improving my Japanese ability, I practiced Japanese daily, driven by a desire to change myself. Through everyday activities such as grocery shopping and communicating with friends and teachers, I gradually gained confidence and became less anxious about speaking Japanese than before.

I am deeply grateful to the teachers at Kobe Shinwa University for giving me the opportunity to study at this school and for allowing me to experience many interesting classes. Since the learning environment was conducted entirely in Japanese, I felt confused and anxious at times, especially at the beginning, due to the differences between the Japanese I had learned from textbooks in Vietnam and the Japanese actually used in real life. However, thanks to the kindness and support of the teachers, I gradually felt less lonely and was able to study with peace of mind. Even when my results did not turn out as I had hoped or when I failed to achieve my goals, the teachers always encouraged me. As a result, I was able to maintain a positive attitude, significantly improve my Japanese ability, and achieve the goals I had set before studying abroad. I am truly grateful.

In addition to lecture-based classes, I also participated in hands-on classes that allowed me to experience Japanese culture directly, such as calligraphy, tea ceremony, ikebana, and karuta. These experiences are ones that I could not have gained without deciding to study abroad. Through these experiential classes, my desire to learn more deeply about Japan grew stronger, and I became more motivated to work harder toward my future.

Outside of my school life, I found an ideal part-time job where I was surrounded only by Japanese people. After actually living in Japan and interacting with others, I realized that the rumor I had heard that “Japanese people are cold” was not necessarily true. To me, the people in Japan were very kind and warm. Although I could not speak much Japanese at first, my coworkers always supported me gently and praised me when I did my job well. This warm treatment continued until my final day at work. As a result, I never felt excluded or discriminated despite the differences in culture and language. On my last day, a coworker said to me, “You should stay here for another year,” which deeply moved me and made me feel that I did not want to leave Japan. Even though I lived in Japan away from my family for a year, I never once felt lonely.

Through this study abroad experience, my interest in Japan became even stronger. Therefore, from now on, I would like to further improve my language skills and deepen my understanding of Japan.

As for my future goals, I do not want my Japanese studies to be only for the JLPT. I want to acquire more practical Japanese so that I can communicate naturally with Japanese people. After returning to my home country, I plan to begin my job search and hope to work for a Japanese company or a company related to Japan. Moreover, not only for myself, I would like to support people who aim to live in Japan and become someone who can help others gain a more objective understanding of Japan. I do not see Japan as a short-term goal, but as a country with which I hope to maintain a long-term connection. In order to keep my promise to myself, I am committed to pursuing my goals and aim to return to Japan.