Allyssa Schoen fulfilled her dream to study abroad in Japan

At the end of January Allyssa Schoen completed a semester as an exchange student in Japan. A junior education major at Montana State University-Bozeman, she left for the southernmost island in Japan early September 2023 and returned back to start spring quarter the end of January. Now back home in Chinook at the end of the regular spring semester, Allyssa had some time to visit with me and share about her experiences at Kumamoto Gakuen University in the city of Kumamoto. The city of 700,000+ is on Kyushu Island and is actually closer to Seoul, Korea than it is to Japan's capitol city of Tokyo.

The nearly five-month experience was a culmination of Allyssa's dream to visit Japan since she was ten years of age. She started learning the Japanese language on her own using phone apps, online programs, and other resources. As a student at MSU-Bozeman she is earning a minor in Japanese. Despite her years of studying the language she admitted the biggest challenge living and studying in Japan was verbal communication. She said, "The Japanese language is very complex and there are five different levels of fluency." She then laughingly added, "I would say at the outset of my arrival in Japan my skills were about like those of a three-year-old." When first arriving in Japan her language skills made it difficult to ask directions or get even minimal information she needed.

What to take? What to expect when living on campus in Japan for five months?

Allyssa's first challenge was what to take for living in Japan. She knew the university was located in a temperate climate so, she explained, "I took one small suitcase with about two weeks of clothing. In a big suitcase I took a few sentimental items, a couple more shirts, and a winter coat. I wanted plenty of space for souvenirs I planned to bring home." She added it snowed twice while she was in Japan, but the snow didn't stick either time. Allyssa was also awestruck by the vibrant fall colors where she was in Japan.

She lived in a four-story dorm with about 25 other exchange students-first floor was the general entrance and common kitchen, next two floors were for women and the top floor for men. She said, "I was the only non-Asian student in the dorm. By chance, my roommate was also outgoing and that made it easier. One of the best things that happened to me in Japan was making a lot of new friends that I still stay connected with via social media."

The living conditions were a bit different than a typical American dorm room. "The dorm rooms," she said, "were bigger than dorm rooms in Bozeman. I had a separate bedroom as well as a desk and study area and a closet for hanging clothes. The bed was atop a box-like cabinet for storage-folded clothing and other essentials went there. An 'egg-shell pad' (with protrusions like those of an egg carton) went atop the storage box, then on top of that was a futon mattress about three to four inches thick. That was the bed." About the bed she said, "I woke up occasionally having slept wrong on the bed resulting in a backache all day."

Allyssa already had an international reputation before she arrived in Japan. She explained, "In one of my Japanese classes in Bozeman I had to do an online presentation. I did a segment about snow and as I talked and walked in the snow across campus in Montana I slipped and fell, all caught online." The sister of a student in Japan who was in that online class saw the segment and told her sister, who was now my classmate, about the incident." Allyssa said. "I became known as the "clumsy American" and that broke the ice with the others in my class."

Her ability to make friends helped make Allyssa's time at the Japanese university not only a great learning experience but also fun. In addition to taking four language classes, she was studying both modern and ancient Japanese culture. With this diverse circle of new friends she visited sites that helped her better understand the history and culture of the part of Japan where she was living.

One of the events she attended was a fireworks festival to celebrate the fall solstice. A popular thing to do in Japan for festivals is to dress up in kimonos or yukatas (a less fancy version of a kimono). She and her friends decided to rent yukatas, sandals, and get their hair done as a part of a packaged deal. It cost about $50. "Some of the fancy kimonos, with multiple layers and belts," she said, "can cost upwards of thousands of dollars. They mainly use these kimonos for special events, like a wedding, funeral, or their Seijin-no-Hi (成人の日) or Coming-of-Age Day which happens the year they turn 20."

One interesting visit she shared was being invited to a Japanese friend's home for a Christmas celebration. While few Japanese are Christians many host Christmas dinners and parties. This particular one was held on Allyssa's behalf. She related the featured dish of the meal was fried chicken, adding, "Kentucky Fried Chicken has done a superb job of selling Japan on the notion that fried chicken is the favored meat at Americans' Christmas gatherings. Most Japanese families now go to KFC and buy a bucket of chicken for Christmas."

Her friend's family had homemade fried chicken but also a beef stew with potatoes and carrots. What looked like a miniature Christmas tree on the table was actually potato salad formed in to a cone, then covered with broccoli, tomatoes for ornaments, and topped with a star made from the broccoli stem. Because the grandmother had an allergy to chicken, there was also tofu (Tofu is made from dried soybeans soaked in water, crushed, boiled, and then formed into solid shapes) made to look like fried chicken. "And" Allyssa added, "they had raw chicken strips, which they ate much like we would eat Rocky Mountain Oysters. I did not try it after being warned by my friend and her mother as they looked at her father and grandfather with slight disgust as the two gladly ate the entire plate of it." For dessert there were fresh persimmons from the family's own trees and a pistachio cake with cherries on top. The latter was made by a famous baker in Osaka and a friend of the family who gifted the cake to the family for the special meal and special guest.

Lots of things surprised Allyssa but two things really stood out to her. The first she noticed was there are very rarely public trash cans in Japan. People fold up their trash from lunch or a snack and take it home with them. "However," she shared, "many people smoke in Japan and some people throw the butts down on the streets and sidewalks. To rid that litter from the streets a few elderly women move through the cities picking up the butts with the help of piksticks or other comparable products."

Another interesting tradition was placing house shoes at the entrance to the dorm. She explained, "Japanese do not wear 'street shoes' in their living spaces. When you arrive where you live you see all the residents' house slippers lined up. You put on your house slippers, carry your street shoes with you and keep them in your living space. When you leave, you reverse the process and leave your house shoes at the door."

What's next for Allyssa?

Allyssa hopes to teach abroad in Japan for a couple of years before returning to teach elementary school in Montana. She shared, "I have loved traveling since I was much younger and teaching English abroad seems the best way to combine my two passions. Japan has been on my bucket list and with this experience, I would love to return to see my friends and learn more about how Japan teaches, as it is a top contender in education at all levels." She plans to use her experience in Japan to boost her understanding of educational practices outside of the United States and apply that knowledge as a teacher.

Looking back at her semester abroad Allyssa brightens just recalling and talking about the experience. She said, "I could talk all day about my experiences in Japan. I have 1500 photos and they are all in my phone at my fingertips." I felt privileged to share in her excitement about the trip and learn some of what it meant to her. Don't be surprised if in the future you hear Allyssa is visiting Japan, again.