Traveling abroad plays a really important role in gaining a global outlook on life. Just graduated high school or university, or in need of a sabbatical? Well, a year studying Japanese in Japan is a great opportunity to figure out what you’d like to do next while gaining some valuable skills.
And if you needed a reason as to why Japan should be high on your list when scouting study abroad opportunities, know that Japan recently ranked as the No. 2 study abroad destination in Asia AND No.1 for teaching quality, with three universities in the worldwide Top 100.
Beyond gaining a better awareness of what’s going on around you, international experiences are also the best way to obtain valuable skills for your future. A year well spent studying abroad can really strengthen your resume. Managing to pay your bills in a foreign language at a convenience store? Independence and the ability to adapt to a new environment. Dealing with your crazy international roommates and their peculiar lifestyle? You can count on honing your cross-cultural communication skills.
The delicious caveat
That said, moving to a foreign country to study can be stressful emotionally. Add to that the fact that you’ll be diving into a foreign — and college — diet and lifestyle, and it’s pretty likely that you’ll gain some kgs at least in the beginning. (There’s a reason it’s called the Freshman 15).
If Japanese students in the US should be wary of the customary culture shock and difficulties that come with living abroad, they should also be careful with how they adjust to the American menu — a situation artfully summarized in this meme panel using scenes from the Studio Ghibli movie Spirited Away.
アメリカ留学の図。
ワイは日本にいる時と比べアメリカで少食になったが、周りの留学生はずっと同じペースで食べ続けた。
お互い忙しく、数ヶ月会わなかったことがある。
偶然再会した時の衝撃を今でも忘れられない。 pic.twitter.com/JKcKYWomnV
— まりっぺ (@Marippeppeppe) August 16, 2019
アメリカ留学の図。
ワイは日本にいる時と比べアメリカで少食になったが、周りの留学生はずっと同じペースで食べ続けた。
お互い忙しく、数ヶ月会わなかったことがある。
偶然再会した時の衝撃を今でも忘れられない。
An illustration of studying in America:
When I was in the US, I was eating less than in Japan, but exchange students around me kept eating at the same pace [as back home].
We were all busy, so we didn’t meet for months.
I can’t forget the shock when I bumped into them later.
Image #1:
留学生仲間 = University exchange friends
ワイ = Me, I (Osaka dialect)
Image #2:
数ヶ月後 = A few months later
Apparently, weight gain is a common affliction among Japanese exchange students in the US who can’t help but dive into all of the tasty treats that many of us foreign residents here in Japan grew up with. (Still, we’d take a Starbucks cherry blossom-themed latte over a pack of Oreo’s any day.)
How to use the expression: ことがある
When you study Japanese, you’ll quickly learn that the language barely has tenses, certainly not as many as in English. Instead, Japanese people convey all the little nuances with set phrases like ことがある.
When preceded by the past tense, the expression ことがある indicates something that took place in the past. You are not focusing on when it happened or the context (you would then just use the past tense!) but on the experience of having done (or not having done) something.
To form it in the positive, we use the verb’s casual past tense (た) + ことがある or more polite ことがあります
- 日本へ行ったことがある = I have traveled to Japan (= I have the experience)
When you don’t have the experience of having done something, you should use the verb’s casual past tense (た) + ことがない or more polite ことがありません
- 日本へ行ったことがない = I have never traveled to Japan (= I don’t have the experience)
Vocabulary
Japanese | Romaji | English |
アメリカ | amerika | United States of America |
留学 | ryuugaku | university exchange |
図 | zu | illustration |
日本 | nihon | Japan |
いる | iru | to be |
時 | toki | when |
と比べ | to kurabe | comparing |
少食になる | shoushoku ni naru | become a small eater |
周りの留学生 |
mawari no ryuugakusei | the surrounding exchange students |
ずっと | zutto | always |
同じペース | onaji peesu | same pace |
食べ続ける | tabetsudukeru | keep eating |
お互い忙しい | o tagai isogashii | busy |
数ヶ月 | suukagetsu | several months |
会う | au | meet |
偶然 | guuzen | accidentally, by chance |
再会する |
saikai suru | meet again |
衝撃 | shougeki | shock |
今でも | imademo | even now |
忘れられる | wasurerareru | can forget |
仲間 | nakama | friend |
ワイ | Wai | I, me (Osaka dialect) |
行く | iku | go |
For more on learning Japanese
- Learn Japanese with our original study materials on GaijinPot Study
- Questions about studying Japanese in Japan? Take a look at the Japan 101 section on Higher Education and Studying Japanese
- Join our GaijinPot Study Facebook group to connect with fellow learners
- Learn more about the GaijinPot Study Placement Program
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