Japan: Je-In Woo (An Impactful Moment)

The most memorable moment so far would be the moment when I first went into a restaurant in Tokyo. I have been to Tokyo before, but this was the first time for me to just go around alone. Furthermore, every single Japanese friend of mine warned me about how much English is not useful while living in Japan; it was inevitable that I, who was still struggling with basic Japanese skills, would face some obstacles in daily life communications.

If I just decided to visit only familiar places and stopped thinking about exploring new foods and encounters, then I should have no problems. However, staying inside a familiar boundary seemed like a great waste—I mean, what is the point of participating in the exchange program if I do so? I didn’t come to Japan to just eat inside a school cafeteria. I craved a new experience, even after knowing that it could be sometimes difficult and exhausting.

There is a highly rated, famous Japanese-style Chinese restaurant just 5 minutes away from my dorm. Its mushroom(Shitake, is the type of mushroom here) Chinese-style Soba was so popular that Tabelog (a most widely used Japanese food searching application) gave 3.5 to this store, which is extraordinarily high compared to other restaurants. I entered this place to try Shitake Soba, and as expected, I couldn’t find a single English letter inside the restaurant. Thanks to the development of technology, a translation app now has the function of translating words inside images (you must use this when you come to Japan). I used this function, tried my best with short Japanese to communicate with the old lady who served the meal, and successfully had the Soba. From this experience, I got a lesson: if you have courage, the small obstacles in daily life can be easily dealt with.

Je-In Woo

Hometown: Seoul, South Korea

Major: Political Science

Program: Sophia University Exchange