Yogyakarta, 24/3/2025 – Gayatri Dyah Paramesti Lituhayu, a student of the Japanese Language and Culture program, class of 2021, had the opportunity to study at Kansai University in Japan for one semester with a scholarship from the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO). Kansai University was the university Gayatri chose to experience studying in Japan because it offers an attractive program focused on career preparation in Japan.
Gayatri’s journey to Kansai University began with her desire to join an exchange program in Japan. She prepared all the necessary requirements for applying for the scholarship, including documents such as her Japanese language proficiency form, reasons for choosing the program, and future plans. However, passing the program did not guarantee a scholarship. Nevertheless, Gayatri eventually passed the program and was able to attend Kansai University with the JASSO scholarship.
One of the most memorable experiences for Gayatri during her time at Kansai University was working part-time as an English teacher at a Kindergarten after receiving a recommendation from Kansai University. At the kindergarten, Gayatri engaged in activities such as singing and playing games in English. Additionally, Gayatri introduced Indonesian culture and language to the children at the kindergarten. The warm welcome from the teachers made this part-time work experience one of the most unforgettable moments for Gayatri in Japan. Gayatri also shared her participation in the Ikeda Matsuri, a festival held to welcome the autumn season. The participation of international students in this festival is a special activity arranged by Kansai University. The students wore traditional Japanese attire and joined the local residents in celebrating the festival.
One of the challenges Gayatri faced in Japan was the limitation of her Japanese language skills. This obstacle made it difficult for her to actively participate in the Japanese Corporate Culture class. In this class, students were expected to answer questions, engage in discussions, and give presentations related to business. Consequently, the Japanese language used in this class included many vocabulary terms specific to Japanese business, which were quite difficult for foreign students to understand. Despite this, Gayatri did not give up and studied Japanese more diligently in order to participate actively in class.
Japanese society is often viewed as homogeneous. Knowing this initially made Gayatri concerned about the adaptation process in Japan. However, her concerns proved to be unnecessary. The people of Kansai whom Gayatri met were welcoming and respectful of religious differences. Gayatri’s new friends helped her find halal food, and even a dim sum vendor informed her that the dim sum he was selling contained pork when he noticed that Gayatri was wearing a hijab.
This valuable experience at Kansai University ultimately changed Gayatri’s future plans. Initially, Gayatri wanted to work in a field unrelated to Japan. However, this plan changed, and her dream now is to work in a field related to Japan. Furthermore, Gayatri has expressed her determination to pursue graduate studies in Japan.
[Valentina Pramahita Iswari through Public Relations of Japanese Literature UGM, Yulia Agustiani]
