My First of Two Years in Kyoto, Japan!

Ally Kulvatunyou
2025-2026 Tanaka & Green Scholar

I have to admit; I thought that studying international relations for two years in Kyoto would be a breeze. For some context, I am part of a joint degree program the American University in DC does in coordination with Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan, where we spend two years at each university. I began my university experience in DC, and after freshman year, I then began two years in Kyoto before we would finish in DC again.

Because of how this program operated, me and a cohort of around 15 other students (who I am happy to call some of my closest friends now!) would navigate this journey all together. I know most other exchange students aren’t as lucky to have this opportunity, where we would always have each other to rely on. Considering that, and how I’ve visited Japan multiple times before with one even being a short study abroad with a host family and even spoke quite a decent amount (thanks to JASWDC classes!). While I was expecting some push out of my comfort zone, I definitely had not prepared myself enough mentally for what was to come!

It’s ironic how fast I thought two years would blow by, because it’s only been half that, and I already feel like it’s been forever ago since I left home! And it definitely has NOT been nearly as easy as I had thought! But of course, you can’t expect growth without a struggle. In the past year, I’ve been able to establish a completely different and new lifestyle, very far outside of my comfort zone and what I had considered home for the first 19 years of my life. None of it has been perfect or easy, rather, it’s been a wild ride of a roller coaster.

To try and put it as simply as possible, quite early on in my transitioning process, I’ve had quite the official paperwork to handle by myself and completely in Japanese. From setting up a bank account to making sure that the right amount of money was wired to the dorm every month for rent, to registering my health insurance and My Number card, I’ve lost count the number of trips I’ve made to the ward office, not only for myself but to help out my friends, too. Learning to adapt to the Japanese education system and university setting was a whole other thing of its own, too! I have to admit, I struggle to just sit, listen, and take notes during the completely lecture-based classes. Unfortunately, with the largely discussion-less classes here in Japan, I had to develop a new strategy! After all, I’m here to learn. Even after two semesters, I’m still adjusting my strategy to figure out how I can most efficiently learn from this teaching style. I’ve learned a lot more about flexibility and adjustment from this and will continue to do so for the next two semesters. Even though I prefer other teaching styles, I believe that I can figure out a strategy to make it work!

I’ve also had the opportunity to travel all over the region, and so far, have been to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Hainan Province! I’ve gotten to do plenty of domestic travel, too, and have basically become an expert at the night bus specifically for the Kyoto to Shinjuku station and Ikebukuro routes (being in Japan was a great opportunity to attend a few concerts of my favorite artists based in Asia!). Some of my other friends have even flown to Hokkaido, Okinawa, and even Australia and New Zealand!

I sometimes wonder if, after two years, I will miss Japan in a similar fashion to how much I’ve missed the US, and my home, over the past year. After all, I made a lot of new friends in Japan and still plan to make more lots more!

I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to meet and learn alongside other students in IR from all around the world, who have all gathered to study in Kyoto. I’ve made friends and connections with other gifted peers from South Asia, Europe, and other regions of the world I wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to work alongside and see diverse thought processes otherwise.

One of the culturally immersive opportunities I’ve had since coming to Japan was joining Ritsumeikan’s Yosakoi dance circle, Odorits! I personally love dancing, and it’s my top method of de-stressing. I knew that after leaving DC, I would have to find and join a dance team (as I also did in DC!). To me, it is one of the best ways to meet new friends, and it keeps me occupied with activities other than just school and work! I was actually inspired by one of my Senpai’s to join this circle when I went to watch their first performance of the new school semester in front of Heian Jingu in Kyoto. It just looked so fun that I instantly decided to join, too. The Yosakoi genre is a relatively newer style of festival dance in Japan. We wear cool costumes (with sparkly makeup!) that involve quick changes choreographed into the middle of our routine, use all sorts of large, grand props, and shout our hearts out to the music! For Odorits, our specialty is using umbrellas to create domino effects and match the music’s beats. It’s hard to describe, but if you’re interested, I recommend you look up Yosakoi Odorits on YouTube, and you can watch our performances there!

Joining this circle has also made me understand that there’s always room for more culture shocks! I thought I was someone already quite decently assimilated into Japanese culture, but joining Odorits and making new Japanese friends who haven’t really had any sort of exposure to Western culture really sets the bar. I’ve come to the conclusion that unless I really live through it all, there’s no way I would ever understand enough!

One you can see right off the bat is how differently we measure commitment levels. Circles are what they call clubs with moderate to lower commitment levels, while actual clubs are what they consider high commitment. Yet even in Odorits, where we can spend up to 18 hours a week practicing and a sizable amount of yen on costumes, festival fees and expenses, props, and more, they still categorize us as a circle. I couldn’t imagine how much more time the senpai’s of our circle invest into creating the choreography, designing the costumes, writing the MC and us dancers’ scripts, and making props. Yet they somehow manage to do it all while working part-time jobs and taking even more class credits than I do! They are all some of the strongest and most hard-working people I know, and I admire them fiercely.

Joining Odorits has not only enhanced my college experience as a dance circle, but has also shown me first-hand how the lessons we learn in our sociology classes are reflected in the real world. But most importantly, I feel that Odorits has taught me how to power through and persevere while still enjoying all that we do, especially as the big team we are. Through all the dust, dirt, heat, humidity, sun, rain, exhaustion, and so much more, it’s easy to want to give up or feel hopeless when the judging results come back unexpected. But instead, we always manage to have fun together doing what we like and motivating and hyping each other up. I genuinely admire how everyone manages to stay so optimistic and energetic, and it’s become something I want to embody more of myself, too.

This past year has not been short of new opportunities and experiences to grow and learn not only academically, but as a person, too. I am incredibly grateful for the support I received, and I want to do my best to continue utilizing them as much as I can, as I am quite proud to have been able to watch myself grow and become more self-sufficient (a goal and trait I want to increasingly see in myself) as much as I did over the past year.

Thank you to the JASWDC Tanaka and Green Scholarship Committee for this opportunity, and thank you to my parents who always support and cheer me on along the way 🙂

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