On October 4th, Spencer Center staff member Kelsey Bantel sat down with Japanese exchange student Mikoto Nigaki to explore some of her favorite things about Japan and the U.S.
- What is your favorite thing about your hometown?
- My hometown is south of Osaka and we have a beach that is very beautiful. Osaka is one of the biggest cities in Japan. My hometown is kind of in the countryside, but I can get to the city very easily because we have very good transportation. Osaka has lots of shopping. It is a very convenient city and a good city to travel to.
- What is your favorite thing about Doshisha?
- My campus is in the countryside, like here, so I can focus on my studies. Our teachers are very friendly, especially my seminar teacher. She helps me all the time.
- What have you found is the biggest difference between Doshisha and Mary Baldwin?
- One of the biggest differences is animals. At my campus, we see cats sometimes. But at MBU I always see squirrels. In Japan, we do not see a lot of squirrels, so it’s new to see them so much. Also, my university is in the countryside, so we don’t have a downtown like here. The downtown here is very pretty.
- If you could bring one thing from Japan to the U.S. what would it be?
- It’s not possible but I would like to bring bus stops over. In Japan, I used bus stops so much.
- What has been your favorite thing about the U.S. so far?
- My favorite thing about the US is the buildings, they are so pretty. So, I always feel like I am in a movie.
- Give us your best pitch for visiting Doshisha.
- Our university is small so there is lots of support. So if an American student attended Doshisha they would have a lot of support from teachers and students. Also, we are in Kyoto, and Kyoto has a lot of Japanese culture like temples. So if you go to Doshisha you can learn a lot about Japanese culture.
- Is there anything else you would like to add?
- The experience of coming here has been great for me, and I have learned a lot of things because it is very different from Japan. So I recommend all students take the opportunity to study in another country.
