A Day in the Life at IES Abroad in Tokyo

If you’re reading this, you’re probably researching different programs and want to know what it looks like as a student abroad. With IES Abroad Tokyo, I get to experience what it’s like as a true commuter and student at Kanda University – here’s what a regular Tuesday looks like for me!

Right now, our accommodations are by a station that is at the midpoint between Kanda University and the heart of Tokyo, and the commute to class takes about 40 minutes in total with walking. (As someone from Tufts, where walking around the entire campus might take you less than 15 minutes, the commute sounded crazy at first. But by week two, I was more or less used to it.)

Ideally, I wake up between 7:30 and 7:45 and get ready. It really helps to check the weather forecast, prepare an outfit ready and pack up my bag the night before. I take a few minutes to do makeup and make sure the room is tidy, turn off the air con and any switches that are on, and head out to the station.

Since I’m not on the meal plan, I head out and buy something from the numerous cafes and bakeries that are all in the station – the smell of fresh bread in the morning is always very enticing!

With my commuter pass, I scan it through the gate and usually board the 8:11 train. My only complaint is that these trains get crowded. You're often squeezed in with the office workers who are also commuting for a 9 A.M., so if you don’t get there early enough to get to the front of the lines you might have to take the next train. But despite how crowded it is, it is very orderly, and it never feels dangerous, just a little cramped.

In a few stations is Kaihin Makuhari, where after that I have to walk about 15 minutes through a business complex to get to the school, so dressing appropriately for the weather is really important.

If I have time, I also get a drink from the Deli France cafe in Kaihin Makuhari. Since it’s colder these days, I like to have a cup of hot rooibos tea in hand while I walk.

I come a few minutes early to class, but it’s nice to just settle in and talk to classmates. Every morning except for Wednesdays, we have 9 A.M. Japanese classes which are divided into Interaction and Grammar, twice a week, and then a Vocabulary and Kanji class once a week after one of the classes in the mornings.

When class ends at 10:30, people either rush to the convenience store that is open on campus, or to a building to chill in between classes. I love KUIS building 8, because of how nice the interior is, the comfortable couches, and the cafe.

I usually have time to rest until 1:10, which is my elective class Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination and in Japan. But on Tuesdays, I opted into the Kaede Mate program, where I have a designated conversation partner and we talk in Japanese for an hour. You can decide whenever and wherever you want to meet, so I chose Tuesdays (shout out to Mana-san!)

By the time that’s done, I go to one of the cafeterias to eat. The menus and sample food are displayed at the front, so you can see what the offered food looks like. They have 3-4 options per day, and it’s about 500 yen total. Everyone is on lunch break then, so you can bump into any friends.

I head to class at 1 to get settled in early, and for three hours, we sit and discuss, and usually have a lecture portion. Usually at the end of class, we have a class discussion on the assigned readings. Since the class is long, we have intermittent breaks.

Class ends at 4:10, so if I’m hungry, I head to the restaurants near the station. On days I’m really, really pooped, I’ll head back and rest in my room before going out to dinner somewhere close to the dorm.

During the break between classes and night time is when I do my work, so after dinner, I’ll crack my computer open in the cafeteria or my floor’s kitchen just to do work. The work isn’t excessive, so I usually can turn in early to have down time by myself. Night time is also when my friends and family back home are awake, so if I get everything done, I get to talk and catch up with them.

Overall, coming to Japan for this program felt like moving into college in freshman year all over again. Except you have to get what you need and adjust more on your own and get goods you might not have needed in America, like things to hang your clothes on outside since there are no dryers. Not to mention the language barriers. But if you ever have to go to another country and adjust, I have no doubt that even if there are challenges, it’ll go smoothly and you’ll feel like another student from that country!