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Exchange Students to Japan Warn: Japan Isn’t Like Anime
A Japanese reporter asked exchange students what they thought about life in Japan. Their answers, she says, are sobering.
By Jay Allen
Japan’s not just a popular tourist destination. More people are moving here than ever. Many students, influenced by depictions of Japan in anime and popular culture, also decide to spend a year or more experiencing what it’s like to live here. However, a recent article by a Japanese author says that some students are taken aback when they realize the reality of living in Japan doesn’t match the fantasy depicted in anime and manga.
“There’s no love [in Japan]”
The piece comes by way of Business Insider Japan’s Belgium editor, Amemiya Momoko. (Unfortunately, BI apparently has yet to translate Amemiya’s excellent article into English.) Amemiya, who is herself currently attending graduate school at the Louvain School of Business Management in Belgium, had an opportunity to speak with foreign exchange students in Japan at the One Young World forum in Nagasaki.
