Seiritsu International Education

Me on the left.

Well, 10 months are already over and I can’t believe I’m heading home. The time I spent in Japan was fun and interesting, but of course, there were tough situations too. Mostly, these were due to struggling with the Japanese language. However, I think I got through quite well and feel very confident after this experience. I feel sad that I have to go and leave the friends I made, but I know that I will be returning in the future and seeing them again.

I had many experiences here in Japan and it's quite hard to single out the best one of them all. Perhaps the happiest moment I had, was passing my belt test in karate. While still being a beginner, it feels like a monumental accomplishment. Of course, the time spent with my host family was very fun and I thank them for having taken care of me through these 10 months. Many exchange students live with several families during their time here but I was lucky to have the same one throughout and grow a deep relationship with them. My only regret is that I had more time to travel around other areas of Japan. I’m sure this will be a goal of mine for next time but for now, it’s back to the freezing cold of Finland.

With thanks, Matti Julius Ketonen

writer: staff  date: 1:17 PM | Life at Seiritsu

We went to an anime museum on the 26th January. There were lots of things to see but my favorite was the machine that shows how professional animators people make anime movies. It was very interesting for me to learn a little about the process. After that, we got to use high grade computers to design a short anime film and draw our characters. The best part was that everything is free! This trip made me know more about Japanese anime. Although I’m not really much of a fan, it was still fun to learn more about such a big part of Japanese culture.

Afterwards, we made a trip to Nakano Broadway. This is a huge shopping mall and many people say it is like an entire Akihabara district compressed into one massive building. There are 5 floors packed with anime, manga, and cosplay related shops. I didn’t want to buy anything but it was lots of fun just looking at all the random stuff there!

-Angel

writer: staff  date: 1:09 PM | Life at Seiritsu

I had a great time meeting, and making, new friends in Japan! Many people helped me and made me feel comfortable in an unfamiliar environment. This will be the last post from me, as an exchange student. I will be back on March 25th but this time, I won’t be an EF exchange students, I will be entering school as a regular, 3 year, diploma track student!

During my time as an exchange student, I have lived with eight different families located in Saitama, Tokyo, and Chiba. This year I went sightseeing to many places in Tokyo. Sometimes I surprised even the Japanese when I tell them I went to Disneyland 10 times in 10 months.

The last two weeks I went out with a lot of people as a goodbye. I also paid a visit to every one of my fellow exchange students. I am really grateful for having the opportunity to study in Japan and I can’t wait to be back!

-Richie

writer: staff  date: 1:08 PM | Life at Seiritsu

On the 26th of January, the international class and I went to an anime museum in Suginami. It was free, and thus wasn’t really all that big, but I thought it was fun!
You could try being a voice actor or even try your hand at some actual animation. They had lots of cool displays from famous anime shows of the past. There was also a very neat computer set up to guide you through how real animators work.

After that we went to Nakano Broadway a famous shopping center where there are LOTS of shops! It was a really big mall! Nakano Broadway is famous for its endless anime and manga related shops. When we had been in there for a few hours or so, my fellow students Angel, Evelyn and I went Karaoke. So basically the 26th was a great day of shopping, sightseeing and singing!

Roger out,
Camilla

writer: staff  date: 12:59 PM | Life at Seiritsu

Last Sunday (January 30), my mother and I went to Sunshine City in Ikebukuro which was very fun.　　To get there, we took the Toden Arakawa Line (Arakawa street car which costs 160 yen for adults and 80 yen for children) near our apartment. It was very fun watching how they operate the Toden, since it was just like a bus but on train tracks, and also investigating the shops we passed by.

After we arrived at the Higashi Ikebukuro station, we walked for about 4 minutes. It was pretty easy to find the building itself, since it is about 60 stories, but it was a little hard to find the entrance to the building.

We arrived there around 3pm and took a quick look at the restaurants and shops (there were many awesome stores I wanted to look in) while we were trying to find our way to the 60th floor. We got lost part of our way since the elevator we took only went up to the 59th floor so we had to change elevators. After we changed and the doors closed, all of a sudden, the elevator room darkened and music played with long with beautiful pictures of star constellations.

We finally reached the top floor which is the observatory. I was able to see all of Tokyo and other famous buildings and mountains. I think I even spotted Seiritsu Gakuen too!　After Observing, we took another quick look at the shops and then had our dinner at an organic buffet. It was very delicious but also quite expensive.

We wanted to see more of Sunshine city like the Namuko Nanja Town, Planetarium, Orient museum, and the aquarium but we didn't have enough time.
It was very fun and I hope to go again soon.


Evelyn Stautzenberger

writer: staff  date: 12:58 PM | Life at Seiritsu