Details

• Japan
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 5 months

1. Preparation

Starting to learn Japanese beforehand is a good idea. Some basic knowledge is quite necessary to navigate everyday life. Before you leave, you can use the "Visit Japan" online service (https://services.digital.go.jp/en/visit-japan-web/) to fill out your customs- and immigration information beforehand. This might save you some time at the airport. Regarding the application process, there is not too much advice I can offer. Just choose destinations you are genuinely excited about and try your best to put into words where that excitement comes from. Be authentic in what you write in your application and during your interview, and try not to worry too much until the results are announced :-)

2. Accommodation

I lived in the Motosumiyoshi International Dormitory (one of the official Keio dormitories). My room was around 14m^2, equipped with a small bathroom and a refrigerator. In addition to this, there is a cafeteria where you can buy inexpensive meals for breakfast and dinner. The building itself is still quite new, clean and located in a quiet neighborhood. Supermarkets, konbini and drugstores can all be reached on foot. Mita campus, which is where most of the social science classes are held, can be reached in roughly an hour by train. The area, like most of Japan, is perfectly safe. I wholeheartedly recommend staying at one of the dormitories (Motosumiyoshi International in particular, it's great!), it's an easy way to meet people and make friends. It might be useful to apply for a commuter pass for public transport. You can look up how to do that on the Keio website.

3. Academic life at host university

The two campuses, where almost all the relevant courses are held are Mita and Hiyoshi. Mita has multiple libraries, cafés and cafeterias. Hiyoshi has single cafeteria, library, and café and houses the "club-building" where the student clubs often meet. The teaching style is overall similar to lectures at WU. Even though interaction is encouraged, there often is a stricter division between an interactive "discussion" part and the lecture itself. Difficulty and required time investment vary wildly between courses, and sometimes there can be a bit of a language barrier. The course registration is lottery based. Be sure that you try to enroll in more courses than you actually plan to attend, as it is possible not to get a slot (you can cancel the classes at the start of the semester). The online system used to organize course contents is virtually identical to WU's Canvas (the underlying software is the same)

5. Every day life in the host country

Tokyo, Yokohama, and Kawasaki offer lots of different opportunities to spend your free time. There are countless bars, cafés and clubs you can visit, restaurants to try, and areas to explore. Events of different sizes (such as fireworks or festivals) are frequent. They can just be hard to look up without the appropriate Japanese skills. Keio has a large number of diverse student clubs and circles you can join as an exchange student, covering all sorts of different sports and interests. All of Japan is very safe, though there are some areas that can be a bit dubious at night. Public transportation is great! There is an extensive network of trains, subways and buses in operation. There are only two things to look out for: 1) Trains and subways can be extremely packed in the mornings and evenings (try to avoid first period lessons in Mita, if this bothers you) and 2) There are no trains operating after (roughly) 12 at night, if you are not careful, you can be stranded somewhere.

6. Testimonial

For me, doing an exchange semester in Japan was jumping in at the deep end. I had to learn how to navigate everyday life in a completely new environment. But with the help of the friends I made here, and some trial and error, it was a rewarding experience to do so. Japan is a beautiful country, and I enjoyed my time exploring it and experiencing the culture here.