Post-year Reflection

By YiPin Wu, University of Tokyo, Japan

It’s been a month since I left Japan. I still can’t believe how fast the year went.

Before the year, I was nervous and genuinely unsure if I’d made the right decision. However, I didn’t go in with any expectations, like no vision of what the year should look like. I just wanted to see where life took me and experience whatever came my way, even if it wasn’t what I’d planned.

And honestly, it was just so amazing :)) !!!

Sure, there were moments where I felt homesick or just a bit low. But the good stuff so massively outweighed the hard bits. I met incredible people, joined activities I never would have tried at home, travelled around Japan with friends and solo, and did my best to actually immerse myself in the culture.

One thing I didn’t expect was how quickly you build a routine. At first, everything feels unfamiliar, where to shop, how to get around, where to eat, how to fill a weekend. But slowly, without really noticing, you figure it out. You find your go-to supermarket, your favourite café, your rhythm.

Two of my classmates from Manchester happened to be at the same university, and we went restaurant exploring as a trio together once a week. It sounds simple, but those weekly dinners became one of the most important parts of my year. We found some incredible spots across Tokyo (a few of which made it into another one of my blog posts!), but more than the food, it was the time to catch up and just feel like you belonged somewhere in a city that was still new and unfamiliar. We missed it so much when the year ended that we’ve decided to keep the tradition going back in Manchester.

Now I’m back in England missing the food, the convenience, and the prices of course!

For anyone who is going on exchange, or still not sure whether to, I know, it’s not an easy decision. But this year genuinely brought a different colour into my life. I experienced a culture and lifestyle different from what I was used to, made friends from all over the world, and built a life from zero in a country where I knew nothing. Jumping out of your comfort zone is hard for everyone, myself included. But I’m so happy I did, and I feel like I grew up a lot through it.

“Let’s see where life takes us”,which was my motto for this year. So go for it. I promise you’ll learn a lot and have a good time, whatever country you end up in. Good Luck!