Written by Diana West (College of Wooster), Student Correspondent for CET Japan, Fall 2025
On September 8th, your third week begins to feel like your first. Many things are happening at once, but this is also the point when, no matter how overprepared you thought you were, you’re forced to tackle laundry for the very first time.
For many of your classmates, this may be their third time abroad, their second time in Japan, or even their first semester back at home. Everyone’s stories are different, the experiences varied, and if you’re like me, studying abroad for the first time ever, you’ll find there’s a lot to get used to.
Take the clock back to August 23rd, and you’d likely find yourself pacing around your room, thinking about the upcoming semester. You might worry about what to pack, but mostly, you’ll feel confused: just how “different” is Japan from the U.S.? Packing an outlet converter seems reasonable, but it also emphasizes how many small, intricate differences you can’t quite anticipate. Beyond that, your mind may blank. After all, you’re not going to Mars. There will be water, right? You don’t have to bring bedding, but if you did, do they even use the same sizes as in America? The time difference is another fact that doesn’t quite sink in. After all, the largest adjustment you’re used to is one or two hours.
The easiest thing to remember is that you’re not landing on another planet. Wherever you go, it won’t be so unfamiliar that you can’t understand it, or so strange that it defies explanation. It will simply be eye-opening. For me, it took a few days just to process the “difference.” You arrive, look around, and try to fight through jet lag as the day drags on. But after you’ve noticed that the walls look different, the lights shine a bit brighter, and you’re actually here, really here, it all becomes manageable.
For me, the easiest adjustment has been walking. I already walk a lot back home and often use public transportation, so the main challenge here has just been learning a much more complex train system. You have to get used to keeping up with the lines, figuring out fares, and navigating transfers. At least in my case, I’ve also had to accept the reality that nearly everything requires a 30–50 minute commute if you take the railway.
You’ll be living somewhere in the program’s main prefecture: Osaka. You might think this is a given, but for any geographical novices, this means that if you’re thinking of hitting up a Tokyo tourist trap or capturing some Kyoto scenery, it’s going to be a two-to-four-hour train ride. Solo adventures are possible, but during your first week, it’s better to focus on getting accustomed to what’s right around you: the sights, the drink machines, the hidden gems, and, of course, the nearby konbinis.
The hardest adjustment has been the time difference, especially in relation to home. Being 13 hours ahead is no small thing. Your social life, your sleep schedule, your sense of time, all of it feels just a little off until you finally catch up. Texts from friends back home are staggered; they’re asleep while you’re in class. Meanwhile, you may miss the peak hours of most phone calls and texts because this is when your friends and family members are awake! It can feel alienating at first, so please try to keep in touch with the ones you love.
Additionally, I realized that I’m a very picky person. I don’t like certain textures, while others I do enjoy. Back in the United States, I had access to a familiar market with foods I liked and knew what to expect from daily interactions. Here, I’ve had to navigate different ingredients and new eating experiences, which really hit me during the welcome dinner. That day was a big wake-up call. I found myself returning most of the dishes barely touched while my peers, with clean plates, eagerly awaited the next round.
It was one of the most humiliating experiences I’ve had to come to terms with. The shame was something I usually only felt occasionally back home, but here it returned in full force; an unwelcome reminder of both my own limits and the comfort of home. Since then, I’ve slowly come to terms with my struggles with food, and my six-day eater’s block finally ended with something simple but reliable: konbini instant noodles.