FAAI – Study in Hokkaido Japan – from Thailand

2024-04-23

Meet Faai, a Thai student passionate about Japanese language and culture, studying at Hokkaido JaLS in Sapporo. Faai enjoys the convenience, activities, and delicious food in Japan, but struggles with Kanji. Dreaming of living in Japan, Faai aims to use language skills for psychology or international relations. Advice? Dive in fearlessly!

STUDY JAPANESE IN JAPAN

Interview – Study in Japan

Q&A

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

Thailand

WHY DO YOU STUDY JAPANESE?

I absolutely love the language. I want to understand my favourite Japanese songs, anime’s, tv shows and most importantly communicate in Japanese to my friends :))

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL?

Study at「Hokkaido JaLS」

JaLS was honestly so welcoming to me. The community is very chill and they matched me with a wonderful host family. Hokkaido JaLS is also in the heart of Sapporo so many things are walking distance and super convenient! We got the family mart and 711 as well hehe.

あわせて読みたい

Hokkaido JaLS – Hokkaido Japanese Language School Hokkaido JaLS スクロールできます INTRODUCTION Since its inception in 2012, JaLS GROUP has gained international acclaim for its focused approach to language e…

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO STAY IN THIS CITY?

Sapporo is honestly so nice. Hokkaidos weather is very cool all year round. I went during the summer so I wasn’t dying in Tokyo heat. My host family was around 6 stations away from the school and Sapporo city itself has so many things to do!! Sights, attractions, shopping (Tanuki-koji), are all within grasp.

WHERE IS YOUR LOCAL RECOMMENDATION IN THIS CITY?

My go to was Susukino’s round 1. I went there with my good friends and we bought a whole day pass on the days we didn’t have school. We are talking about bowling, karaoke, pool, ping pong, and arcades, all in one day! It’s also pretty near the shopping district of Tanuki-koji!!

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY THE MOST WHILE LIVING IN JAPAN?

Activities and convenience. And of course GOOD FOOOOOOOD. Even the convenience stores are a go-to. I also just loved activities with my host family. I got to go to festivals and do activities I would not be able to in America and Thailand. My highlight was definitely Bon Odori with my host family and I went again with the school that Friday in front of Sapporo tower! I danced nonstop that day :DD

WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE BEING IN JAPAN?

The fake answer would be not wanting to leave. The hardest part for me was genuinely not being able to part from this amazing country and the people that I had met during my time here.

The real answer is KANJI. Reading signs in kanji makes me want to cry cause I didn’t know any of the meanings. Reading Japanese menus are also my downfall. When I want to order something delicious but I have no idea what the menu is 😭.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN JAPAN AND YOUR COUNTRY?

I lived in Thailand previously before going to Japan. The biggest differences is obviously the language and culture but another thing is how walkable the cities are. You can honestly walk everywhere in Japan whereas in Thailand it’s doable but much harder.

DID YOU EXPERIENCE ANY CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS?

I would honestly love to live in Japan one day. Probably not in Tokyo but Hokkaido is looking kinda nice. If there was a way for me to pursue my work in Japan without worrying about the stressful work life I would probably do it. As of now there are no changes in my future prospects.

WHAT IS YOUR DREAM?

I want to be able to help others in some way in the future. Leaning towards a psychology path and perhaps using my passions in theatre and music to help somehow. My backup is to delve into international relations to help my family with the business and perhaps use my Japanese speaking skills to strengthen and create new relationships with Japanese customers!!

MESSAGE TO OUR FRIENDS WHO WILL GO TO JAPAN.

Do it. Don’t hesitate. Read a lot. Trust me that it gets better the more you see it the more you use it. Watch anime without subtitles. See how much you can understand. The most important thing about learning languages is your application. Practice and don’t be afraid. Learning a language is hard but if you love it and you have a goal for yourself, let it be your motivation to learn!