2 passions

Pragathi from India and Sebastian from US

彼らは、日本で学ぶことを選んだ。

日本は比較的暮らしやすい国だと思う。でも、お世辞にも、多文化間のコミュニケーションが得意な国とは言い難い。

勉強は、ただ本を読んで知識を詰め込むだけなら、必ずしも場所を選ぶ必要はない。落ち込んだときも、うれしいことがあったときも、その気持ちを分かち合える人がそばにいる。そんな環境の方が、精神的な負担も少なく、充実した生活を送れるだろう。

それでも、自分が本当に学びたい分野や、そこでしか得られない知識や経験が海外にあるのなら、外の世界へ飛び出すことに僕は大賛成だ。

僕自身、海外で暮らした経験を通じて、異なる文化や価値観を持つ人々と共に生きることの意味を知り、物事を多角的に捉える視点を学んだ。

日本での留学生活について、良いことも悪いことも包み隠さず語ってくれてありがとう。

これから日本への留学を考えている人たちにとって、きっと参考になる話だと思う。ぜひ聴いてみてほしい。

They chose Japan as their destination for studying abroad.

Japan is, in many ways, a comfortable place to live. However, it would be difficult to describe it as a country that excels at intercultural communication.

If studying simply means reading books and memorizing information, you can do that almost anywhere. But having someone nearby to share your feelings with, whether you're going through a difficult time or celebrating something good, can make life less stressful and much more fulfilling.

That said, I wholeheartedly support the decision to venture beyond your comfort zone when the subject you want to study, or the knowledge and experiences you're looking for, can be found elsewhere in the world.

Living abroad myself taught me what it truly means to coexist with people from different backgrounds and opened my eyes to different ways of seeing the world.

Thank you for speaking so openly and honestly about both the good and the bad of your experiences as international students in Japan.

If you're thinking about studying in Japan in the future, I think you'll find their stories genuinely insightful. Give it a listen!