Photos taken by Sam Lam (Maryland Institute College of Art), Student Correspondent for CET Japan, Spring 2026
Arriving in Osaka
In my first night in Osaka, there were a lot of feelings and not many at the same time. My housemates and I clicked super fast and took fast action in getting some items for our home. With our OGU housemates guiding our way, we explored our Aikawa area to our nearby KansaiSuper. Of course, we plan on walking the river here once it gets warm.
It was my first official morning in Osaka, and it didn’t feel real. There were some similarities from New York City that I found comforting like the super convenient trains and fast city life and people, but there were some culturally vast differences too. Even though, both places were extremely busy cities, Osaka and Japan in general, was incredibly clean. I greatly appreciated the hard work put behind the scenes and upfront in the maintenance, and it even influenced me to pick up trash from the ground when I see it.
Zairyu Cards
As we waited for our numbers to be called out for our Zairyu Cards, members of our program gradually started to warm up with each other. We may been a bit too loud and got shushed a couple times. This residence card is for foreigners staying in Japan for more than 90 days.
Continuing the long wait with our many Zairyu Cards, our Aikawa community got closer and louder at times (we tried to keep it down but to no avail, we just got louder again). Taking turns at amazing the crowd with fancy card tricks, some of us were stunned.
Honmaya Early Blossoms
Honmaya being Kansai dialect for Hontoni or “really,” as I explored more of my neighborhood, I noticed early blossoms and gratefully admired them on my frequent trips to KansaiSuper. What a nice surprise in the cold Osaka air…!
Emergency Training
Enthusiastic about learning emergency procedures about natural disasters in Japan, we eagerly waited for the informational documentary to start! The video featured a recreation of the well-known 2018 earthquake that happened and taught us thoroughly about the many possibilities of injuries and fatalities. Stay safe and be careful of aftershocks!
Serious Chocolate Business for Valentines Day
My first genuine culture shock in Japan was how serious Valentine’s Day is here! The many people are just a small gathering of the many ChocoExpos held throughout Japan, this only being an early access reservation!! Choco…. coma….
Train Transportation in Japan
On our train task, we headed our to Universal Studios Japan (USJ) and took a picture with our helpful OGU guides, my housemates by the way! Japan has so many train lines…we would’ve gotten lost without them probably! Maybe someday I’ll be able to transfer trains further than Dotonbori…
After finishing our task at USJ, we headed back to OGU! While waiting for our train to arrive, we posed with a Gyaru peace sign, an upside-down peace, that I then suggested to be made into a star!
Late Night Staircase
Late night conversations with my lovely housemates, we somehow congregated in our tall and steep stairwell to the third floor. Planning a proper celebration with everyone, we segway into me giving photography tips on how to capture the moon in HD at night with just a smartphone!