Japan: Je-In Woo (Daily Life in Tokyo)

When I first arrived at Narita airport, one of the two largest international airports around the greater Tokyo area, the weather was quite gloomy. Feeling pain in my back and shoulder due to oversized baggage, I also felt quite gloomy. I was tired, exhausted, and full of anxiety that a new environment put upon me; realizing that I was suddenly in surroundings where the language and the culture differed so starkly from those of Madison, sudden fear rose inside my mind.

However, after landing at the Nakanosakaue station—the nearest station to my dorm—all those gloomy and clumsy feelings and imaginations disappeared like magic. The weather turned out to be sunny again, and the huge metropolitan city where I will live for a year now produced a strong energy of liveliness that integrated every single part of the city, from the shining window of the Parkhouse Nakano Tower to the small houses located beside the Nakano Central Park. Compared to Madison, Tokyo was not only more crowded in terms of population but also more crowded in terms of energy and signs floating around the city’s atmosphere. I fell in love with this city at that moment.

While finishing important tasks like bank account creation or address registration, I have been walking around the area where I reside. From the narrow roads connecting various spots of the city to the mid-sized parks hiding all across the net of roads, a sense of beauty and warm consideration for pedestrians can be found.

Je-In Woo

Hometown: Seoul, South Korea

Major: Political Science

Program: Sophia University Exchange

Sophia University is famous for its diverse and high-quality English-taught programs in liberal arts and social science. Since I don’t speak Japanese at a level required in college classes, Sophia’s great English-taught programs seemed like the best option to solve my academic curiosity without encountering serious language barriers.