Everyone who has ever been on exchange before me has returned with tales of amazing of amazing friends, big universities and ahem…oh so much partying. Finally, it was my turn. My turn for it all! I was so ready.
I spent countless hours on the Akita International University (AIU) website, trawling through pages upon pages and drinking in all the information I could. I couldn’t wait to get to Japan and start partying at my super huge, super cool uni.
AIU has a grand total of 800 students. That’s a whopping 200 less than my (relatively small) high school. My university back at home has more than 43 times the students that AIU has. My hopes of a loud, bustling and partying uni went flying out the window.
AIU is totally not what I was expecting. To my surprise, it’s actually so much better. AIU is 11 years old and is built smack bang in the middle of a forest on what was once a field of flowers. It’s a handy 4km away from Akita airport and occasionally you can hear the subdued roaring of planes coming and going.
The forest around campus is beautiful, lush and looks identical to all the surrounding forest. Trust me: I would know. I got lost for over an hour in my first month here. The forest is also home to Japanese spiders who do this really awesome thing: They build webs across the walking paths, webs so fine you don’t know they’re there until you’ve copped a mouthful. How great is that? Also, there are bears. Supposedly. We’ve been warned about them but we’re all yet to see one. Not that we’re looking…
The campus itself is an absolute treat. There are copious amounts of flora which, in fall, paint the campus with splashes of fiery colours. The buildings, rather than being eyesores, perfectly compliment the scenery. Constructed of wood, the buildings are spacious and full of windows, which gives normal people ample natural light and gives people like me something to look out of when I daydream in class. Which I would never do. Spending time at this campus has given me a deep appreciation of wood. Being inside wooden buildings are so much nicer. They’re more attractive, brighter and they smell better. Yeah, I said it: They smell good. I don’t stand with my face pressed against walls, inhaling deeply and sighing with joy. I prefer to lie prostrate on the timber floors. Kidding. But it does smell…woody.
The jewel in the crown of AIU is its gorgeous library. Named after the first president of AIU, Nakajima library makes doing arduous homework bearable. Boasting 75,000 books (65,000 of which are in English), Nakajima library is a semi circle shaped building consisting of various mezzanine levels. Now I’m a total bookworm and I love a good library. And honestly, Nakajima library is the top of my list. In my opinion it’s absolutely gorgeous. I feel like lots of libraries are made simply to accommodate for books and student studying without much thought into appearances. Nakajima is not only practical but it’s an absolute pleasure to be in.
There are three main residences at AIU: Komachi Hall, Global Village and Sakura Village. I live in Komachi Hall. Komachi is the freshman dorm and is fondly referred to as “kindergarten” by those who do not live there. Being a freshman dorm, there are a few more rules than the other residences: no members of the opposite gender in rooms after 10pm, no alcohol (EVER!), etc. Most of the freshmen are 18-19 years old and Japan’s drinking age is 20. Even those of us who are of age are forbidden to even bring alcohol into the building. Despite the rules, Komachi certainly has its perks. We’re connected to every other building in the uni which means I don’t have to trek through the expected 3.5m of snow. Also, Komachi has the cafeteria and the common room right below us. So ha! I also don’t have to pay for water and electricity so my room is usually toasty and warm.
The people here are the greatest. People are always ready with a smile or a greeting if you pass them in the hallways. I shit you not: people I don’t even know will give me more of a hello than some people back home who I actually know. The fact that the student population is rather small means I see a lot of the same people all day, every day. And I love it. Back home I see familiar faces and that’s it. But here I feel like I really know people.
The question on everyone’s mind is undoubtedly “how do you party?” Am I right? Probably not. But you’re the one reading this so you’re gonna find out anyway. Unless you stop reading…please don’t stop reading. Moving on! I advise you to make friends living outside of Komachi Hall so you’ve got a place to stash your grog and potentially drink. A great deal of the partying happens in rooms, especially those of us fortunate enough to be residing in apartments. There is a bar on campus and it’s freaking awesome. However, it’s about the size of my lounge room at home so things get hot and crowded really quick. Open mic nights at the bar are a riot and everyone gets into it.
There is the option of heading into town for the night but that kind of night out is kind of different to what one would experience back home. If you’re gonna hit the town, you need to commit. Public transport stops at 12am and doesn’t start again until around 6am so a taxi is your only way home besides walking and considering the city is a 40 minute drive away it’s unlikely. Otherwise, you’re out all night. Your options are:
1. All night karaoke: As the name suggests, it’s karaoke alllllllll night. Karaoke gives you a warm room, food, more alcohol (often all you can drink) and a shitload of entertainment. You get a room to yourself which means you can sleep (or pass out) in peace.
2. Round One: Pretty much an adult playground. You can go bowling, fishing, play bubble soccer and a whole load more in the one building. A free bus will pick you up from Akita station at 11pm and then the place is yours until 4am.
3. Bar hop: just keep moving and hope for the best until you can catch transport with the business people the next morning. #lifegoals
So mum and dad, have no fear: I am getting my fair share of partying. It’s just a whole load different to what I was expecting. And I kinda love it. My main point of advice for students looking to study in Japan is DO NOT be put off by AIU’s relative smallness. It’s welcoming, intimate, friendly and just all round f*cking awesome.
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