Meet Mari, an Italian living in Japan since 2019. Initially an exchange student, she now teaches English in Osaka and hosts tours. Passionate about Japanese culture since childhood, Mari enjoys the local food, scenery, and connections she’s made. Her dream is to live permanently in Japan.
Interview – Japan
- WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
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Italy
- WHAT DO YOU DO IN JAPAN?
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Originally I came here in 2019 as an exchange student at Kwansei Gakuin University, in Nishinomiya, Hyogo. I was supposed to stay in Japan just for one semester, but since I love Japan and I was learning a lot and having a great time, I decided to extend my period of stay for one more semester. Soon after COVID happened so eventually I decided to stay, finishing my exams and graduate for my master’s degree. I then found a job and never left! I’m currently an English teacher in an after school in Osaka, and in my free time I host tours around Kansai.
- WHY ARE YOU INTERESTED IN JAPAN?
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I have had an interest in Japan since I can remember. I think the first time I was introduced to Japan was in Junior High School through a cartoon that I used to watch on TV after school. I wanted to know more about these cartoons and I found out they were made in a country called “Japan” quite far from Italy. I started studying by myself Hiragana and Katakana, some words and aspects of the culture and I started searching for a University that had Japanese courses. Luckily for me, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, one of the best universities for Japanese studies in Italy, was close to home. So I waited 5 long years of high school to enroll!
- WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO STAY IN THIS CITY?
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When I was an exchange student my dormitory was in Takarazuka, Hyogo, which is famous for the Takarazuka theatre! Takarazuka is an all-female musical theatre that started in 1913 in contrast to the old theatre Kabuki where there could me only man actors. After I graduated I then moved to Osaka. Not only is it a beautiful city that has so much to do and see, to me it’s in the perfect position! It’s close to Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, Wakayama and so on. It’s also where the main airport is, so I find it very convenient.
- WHERE IS YOUR LOCAL RECOMMENDATION IN THIS CITY?
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I know that many think that Osaka is about Namba-Dotonbori, Umeda and Shinsekai, but to me Osaka has beautiful nature spots all around. Some of my favorite places I always find myself going back to are Minoo Park and Falls, Hoshi no Buranko (which is a floating bridge with beautiful scenery) and Kishiwada (did you know there’s a castle there too?!).
- WHAT DO YOU ENJOY THE MOST WHILE STAYING ABROAD?
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I enjoy the food, and the scenery but not importantly the people! I have made a lot of connections in these past five years, people from all over the world and Japanese people too. It’s also a safe country, and people often go out of their way to help me, so I really appreciate that. I also love the care for nature. I was never really excited about cherry blossom season or foliage in autumn until I came to Japan. Each season has its own characteristics and Japanese people work hard and put a lot of effort into respecting that and elevating it. I love it!
- WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE BEING IN JAPAN?
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The biggest challenge for me right now is getting a permanent visa. In order to live here of course you need a visa, and in order to get the permanent one you need to live in Japan for 10 consecutive years, 5 of which must be under a working visa (consecutively) and there are other things you need to be paying attention to if you want your request to be accepted. Japan can be very strict!
- WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN JAPAN AND YOUR COUNTRY?
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Oh, so many! First thing that comes to mind is probably the attention to others. Here in Japan, everybody tries their best not to “disturb” you, so for example you don’t speak loudly on the train, you respect lines, if you find something on the ground you leave it in a more visible spot so the person that lost the item can try to go back and find it and so on. It can be stressful at times, there are a lot of social rules you should be careful of, but I actually appreciate it because it makes living in a community easier in a sense and more pleasant. You respect the rules and you know that the others will do the same (for the most part). The effort and care is reciprocated.
- DID YOU EXPERIENCE ANY CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS?
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Starting my page on Instagram actually changed a lot of things for me. I’ve been here in Japan for 5 years now and I started my page only a year ago under recommendation of some friends (since I live Japan and I’ve traveled quite a lot around it). Since sharing my experiences, I finally could start touring around, which is my true passion, and also meet so many people I wouldn’t have been able to if I hadn’t begun all this. I’m hoping for a change in career and thanks to this project, I might be able to sooner than I expected! I also had never thought I could work towards a permanent visa at the beginning of this journey, so that’s also a change in my life and future.
- WHAT IS YOUR DREAM?
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My dream has always been to come to Japan and live here, so I can happily say I’m living my dream! And that’s a great thing to say, I’m so grateful to all the people who have helped me throughout these years and have made this possible. Of course, I will keep working hard, this is just the beginning. I do have a lot of projects in mind to share with the world and I’m excited about it!
- MESSAGE TO OUR FRIENDS WHO WILL GO TO JAPAN.
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Japan is a beautiful country with beautiful people. One of the best ways to experience it is by wandering around, meeting people, getting out of your confort zone and try things you never thought you could do before. Immerse yourself in the culture and learn a lot from it!
- HOW DO YOU LEARN JAPANESE?
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I got my Master’s degree in Japanese Language and Culture and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy, and I’ve done two exchanges throughout these 5 years of study.
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