"Reflections on my Spring Semester at the Japan Center for Michigan Universities in Hikone, Japan.

High school girls all wear white leg warmers (like the 1980's) with their plaid schoolgirl uniforms (yes, the Britney Spears kind). Older women wear skirts with high heels...and they can run fast, too! They do this while holding their purses (no matter how heavy or big) and talking on their cell phones as they try to salvage themselves through huge groups of people.

Anything you can think of comes pre-wrapped in sandwiches (from jelly to chocolate mousse, ham, beans, pizza toppings, and green tea flavoring...) And Americans worry about preservatives?? Maybe we need them since the Japanese people have longer life expectancies than anyone else in the
world.

You must own a cell phone (with all the possible amenities) and a mini-disc player to live in Japan. And you must learn to use both at the same time, simultaneously and constantly...

Japanese language can be very frustrating. It takes an average of seven years to become fluent in Japanese. I am heading into my seventh year and fluency still isn't in the picture; yet I can hold a conversation with anyone, except older Japanese men who tend to speak so fast and low, it's hard to pick up a word!

Japan is truly wonderful with an interesting culture and hospitable
people.

Even though I stood out because of my obvious non-Asian look, I felt very comfortable there. I highly recommend going there to study the Japanese language and become immersed in their lifestyle. My semester in Japan is
a once-in-a lifetime experience I will cherish for the rest of my life. Fortunately, I have 46 rolls of film to remember it..."