A day in my life as a Osaka University student

By Gloria Zheng, Osaka University, Japan

I normally start my day by 9:15 on weekdays with an easy breakfast of a pasta pot with rice alongside a cup of green tea.

Breakfast (~179 yen)

Most of my classes start at 10:30, with this semester being much lighter than my previous one as I’m taking 12 credits now compared to 18 I took last semester (I would really not recommend taking this many and to split them 15/15 so you fufill the 30 credit requirement to pass the year).

Study spot on campus

I usually leave my dorm at 10:21 because even though the dorm is located next door to Minoh campus the lifts are always crowded with people trying to get to class on time.

After my morning class, I head to the cafeteria which is located on the 5th floor. I pay about 700 yen each time using my Co-op app on my phone which I load with 5000 yen every so often.

Cafeteria lunch (Menchi-katsu, miso soup, white rice, side salad)

If you get tired of cafeteria food, popular options include the Lawson opposite the train station and Fresco located underneath the dorm. Cooking for yourself is also an option as the lunch break is quite generous being 90 minutes long.

After eating my lunch I head back to the dorm to rest before my afternoon classes. Before the start of each semester there is an online placement test which ranges from A2-C1 which provides a recommendation of which classes you can take. Language classes are taught all in Japanese which is the same as at Manchester but some of the teachers don’t speak English so be warned. I also take 2 classes in English which are relatively easy but if you are B2 level or above you can take research classes in Japanese which have a reputation to be quite hard.

I go back to my dorm to have dinner which usually consists of a Fresco bento (~600 yen) or something I cook myself (~500 yen) using the stove included in my room. White rice has been very expensive recently but prices have started coming down.