Exchange Studies in Japan has Opened up New Perspectives

“I’m probably the only one from my town who has gone to an East Asian country on my own,” laughs Gražvydas Stanevičius, a third-year student at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), who spent half a year in Japan as part of an exchange programme. He returned home not only having improved his Japanese language skills and made friends with people from all over the world, but also with a dream to visit Japan again and start his career there.

Choosing Japanese over a medical career

Gražvydas, who is studying Cultures and Languages of East Asian Countries at the VMU Faculty of Humanities, admits that he never imagined this kind of life while he was at school, because his plan was to become a doctor and continue his family tradition. Later, he developed an interest in anime culture, and in his final years at school in Vilnius, he attended classes at the Lithuanian Centre of Non-Formal Youth Education dedicated to East Asian culture. However, it was only when he faced difficulties at school – specifically, in chemistry classes – that Gražvydas realised that medicine was not for him, and his friends and family advised him to turn towards humanities.

Gražvydas in Japan.

“I am where I am now, and I have no regrets. Of course, there are days when I think, ‘What am I going to do with this language in future?’,” says the young man who chose one of the most difficult East Asian languages, trying not to worry too much about the future and to enjoy what he is studying and doing now. “After Japan, I realised that I was worrying too much about my studies – after all, I have plenty of time and can continue studying at my own pace. What’s important is that I complete all my work, attend all my lectures, and that’s enough for me,” says Gražvydas, brimming with optimism.

He went to Akita International University in northern Japan in his second year and extended his stay to six months out of the planned four, after securing an internship at the Embassy of Lithuania in Tokyo on his own initiative. Gražvydas, unafraid of ventures, arrived with minimal Japanese skills and returned with knowledge, experience, and even greater motivation.

Studies at an international university

“I spoke English for a couple of days until I got the courage to start speaking Japanese in lectures. Once I got the hang of it, I could talk to locals and ask questions in shops. It’s different in Lithuania, where your exposure to Japanese is limited to lectures, homework, and perhaps watching a film in Japanese. But when you go to Japan, you have to fend for yourself because you need to shop, take the bus, and ask locals questions. You don’t even realise how you break through the language barrier,” says Gražvydas.

Studying in the small, green town of Akita, Gražvydas has made friends from various countries, and he plans to visit one in Sweden this summer. He admits that he didn’t experience much culture shock upon arriving in another part of the world – the university is international, located far from Japan’s major cities, and there are many foreigners.

Akita International University.

The university, like many foreign higher education institutions, is situated on a campus. Everything is within reach: the dormitory, university, shops, and the student bar. There are buses heading to the town centre and the nearest shopping centre regularly.

According to him, the major difference between Lithuanian universities is the lectures, which last more than an hour and don’t need to be rushed: “It’s an absolute gift because you have time to really absorb the material and discuss it.”

Independent survival in Tokyo

Before leaving Lithuania, Gražvydas had done a lot of reading and watched various videos on what foreigners should know about Japanese culture. However, the real experience started when he moved to the Japanese capital for his internship.

“In Tokyo, it was like I was let off the leash and told to just live my life as I please,” says Gražvydas. “My Japanese friend Yuki helped me find a place to live. I just walked everywhere and explored the area. Since I didn’t have mobile data, I got lost many times, but eventually, I got where I needed to go. Was I worried about that? No, for me it was still an adventure, and now I have something to remember,” says the courageous young man.

Tokyo.

He was also forced to learn the language quickly: “In Tokyo, I lived in an apartment with nine Japanese people, only one of whom spoke some English. So I had no other option but to speak Japanese,” Gražvydas laughs, saying that not only did he learn Japanese, but he also taught his roommate to speak English.

The best invention – rice cooker

One European stereotype about Japan is that it’s easy to communicate in English in such an advanced country. According to Gražvydas, the second stereotype, a holdover from the 1970s and 1980s, is that Japan’s progress is significantly detached from the rest of the world.

“Of course, when you arrive in Japan, especially in Tokyo’s Shibuya district, you are impressed by all the lighting, 3D outdoor advertisements, various computer games, and other interesting little things you don’t see in Lithuania. But you don’t see that difference in everyday life. They have their rice cooker, which is very handy, and the Japanese have taught me how to properly prepare rice. However, they have only recently abandoned floppy disks, they still use fax machines, flip phones, and in general, there is extensive paperwork throughout the country,” says Gražvydas.

Shibuya.

He says the only truly shocking thing is Tokyo’s subway system, which took him almost a month to understand. “It’s true that there’s even a special person who pushes you onto the train, and I’ve experienced that. Backpack between the legs, and we’re all huddled together like pickled herrings in a tin,” laughs Gražvydas, adding that even in such a crowded place, there was no smell of perfume or cigarette smoke.

“You don’t see people smoking in the streets, neither electronic nor regular cigarettes. There are signs on the pavements warning you not to smoke and to consider the person walking behind you,” says Gražvydas. Among the Japanese oddities, he was also impressed by vending machines that dispense glasses of milk, which locals drink after a dip in the hot springs.

An invaluable experience

The student admits that half a year in Japan was not enough and that he would definitely have stayed longer. Every evening he would call his family and share his adventures, so as the day of departure approached, homesickness set in.

“My mother and I have agreed that when I finish my bachelor’s degree, we will go to Japan together and I will be her tour guide,” he says, dreaming of making a career as a tour guide one day. “I have a few ideas. I would like to do a master’s degree or get a guide’s licence and go to Japan to explore, find less visited places, and then offer tours to specific places in Japan.”

Gražvydas doesn’t know what the future holds, but he is sure that he would have missed out on a lot if he hadn’t taken advantage of the exchange programme: “I wouldn’t have met my very good friend from Sweden, and I don’t think I would have improved my language level that much. In fact, I would have missed out on a lot of things that I would have regretted for a long time.”

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