Author: Mary Buchanan | Major: Psychology and Gender Studies | Semester: Summer 2025

MaryMead in front of Nijo Castle in Kyoto

I studied abroad in Japan with an external provider called CIEE (which I highly recommend!). The program I was in is called Summer in Ancient + Modern Japan and it was a 6-week summer program in Kyoto, the old capital of Japan. CIEE was a great provider to work with. The team was highly organized, helpful and attentive to our needs. While there, we could either stay in an apartment near the program or in a homestay further way. I chose to stay in an apartment with a roommate which worked out perfectly for me; it was right next door to my classes, all the amenities I needed were nearby and I got to experience what it was like to live in a Japanese apartment which was pretty different from what I am used to in Arkansas.

I have wanted to travel to Japan ever since I was in middle school when my love for anime took off. When I saw this program, I thought it was perfect; it gave me the opportunity to travel to a place I had wanted to visit for a long time, and they offered really cool classes. I took two classes while I was there: Religion and Society, and Japanese Manga and Art.

One thing that surprised me was how much studying there was to do. I think I saw “study abroad” and only really focused on the “abroad” part. I quickly realized that 6 credits in 6 weeks meant just as much work in Japan as it did in Arkansas. I have never written papers so quickly or gone through readings so fast! I would write on the tozai line on the way to my next temple or museum and read in the evenings in my apartment or at a lovely little coffee shop sipping matcha.

Even though there was a lot of schoolwork, in a lot of ways it really heightened my experience of being there. I have gone on trips abroad before with my family, but I never got to know the culture or delve into the country I was visiting the way I did while I was studying in Kyoto. Studying while abroad makes you feel like you are a part of the city in a way that is different from a regular tourist. Yes, you are going out and doing all the things the other tourists are doing, but at the end of the day you have a little home to go to, a paper to write, and list of chores to get through. You have different expectations placed on you that make you feel like you’re building a life there that is in between being a tourist and being a local.

What I was learning in my classes also added to my experience. Kyoto is the ancient capital of Japan and is considered the religious capital. There are temples and shrines everywhere, each one with its own unique history. My Religion and Society class deepened my appreciation for these spaces, and I got to learn a lot about the history and significance of these spaces. I would not have had these experiences as a regular tourist, nor would I have had an opportunity to learn as much about Shinto and Buddhism at the University of Arkansas.

I got to visit a lot of amazing places while I was there. My favorite places I went to were the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka and Studio Ghibli Park in Nagakute. Studio Ghibli is a world-renowned Japanese animation studio. I have been watching their films since I was a small child and seeing the museum and park has been a life goal of mine for a little while. There are things you can only see and buy if you go in person, like special short films, actual cels from their animations and the completed story boards (at the museum), and you can actually go inside the worlds (at the park). They were both so beautiful and crafted with such care that it actually brought a tear to my eye.

My favorite part of the program was the people I got to meet. I found it difficult at times to make friends in college because you’re making most of your friends outside of class, but it was not like that while abroad. Most of the friends I made, I made in my classes which I enjoy. Everyone is excited to be there, friendly, wanting to make friends, wanting to explore the city and that made for a really fun environment both in class and outside of it. Because this was an external program, everyone came together from different parts of the country which meant we all came from different backgrounds and had unique outlooks on life. The hardest part of the program, for me at least, was leaving at the end of it. I definitely want to go back one day, and I hope I’m able to reunite with the wonderful new friends I made.