Chiteta Daniel Mukuma, our former exchange student from University of Zambia (UNZA), who studied in Japan from April 2025 to July 2025 wrote an essay of his stay in Japan.
Please check it out!!
----
Study In Japan Report
Greetings,
I am Chiteta Daniel Mukuma from the University of Zambia (UNZA), and my major at UNZA is Media and Communications. I have been an exchange student at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS) since April 1st, and I return to my home country on the 28th of July.
My time in Japan has been wonderful. I express my sincere gratitude to the IAfP program and the fundraising campaign that made it possible to get the flight ticket to and from Japan. I also thank all the professors and coordinators at TUFS who worked towards the continuation of this exchange program between UNZA and TUFS. I am very thankful to the Japan Student Services Organisation (JASSO), the African Studies Centre and the Student Exchange Division for their support and hospitality during my stay.
Academic Life
During my time at TUFS, I focused on improving my research skills in my field of study and improving my Japanese. Classes at the Centre for Japanese Language helped me gain confidence and get much better at the language. Fluency in Japanese is now something I know is achievable, and that has improved my life here in all aspects.
The Multiculturalism class and Film Studies class introduced me to aspects of Japanese society and culture, history and politics that would have been difficult to research by myself. The classes at TUFS have allowed me to meet many professors and students in the communications field and further refine my research ideas and goals. The new perspectives and cultural knowledge I have acquired have shown me how important identity is and what that means in a globally connected world.
My Social Life
My stay at TUFS was not all academics. I have met wonderful people from different places, from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Taiwan and the United States, among others. And of course, I have connected to Japan emotionally through the Japanese friends I have made. I joined the acappella club, and not only spoke in Japanese but also sang in Japanese. Learning from the Japanese students at TUFS and the African Studies Centre made socialising easier.
Adjusting to the Culture
Living in Japan also had some challenges. Like many foreigners, I found getting around confusing at first. Getting lost on the trains and in the city was a common problem! I also had to learn how to sort trash and how to communicate when using Japanese. Knowing how polite to be (senpai and kouhai) and how to act with Japanese people was difficult to learn. But these challenges were part of the adventure, and I enjoyed learning how to navigate them.
Sightseeing
Seeing the cherry blossoms when I arrived in spring was a dream come true. That goes for visiting the city of Tokyo itself, taking tours of famous places like Asakusa and Tokyo Skytree, and seeing many shrines and museums. Practising my Japanese in real life while exploring the city was amazing.
I got to see Mount Fuji from a distance at the top of Mount Takao. I also visited the Shuga Shrine and the famous staircase there. This is a well-known spot from the hit movie by Makoto Shinkai called "Your Name." As a fan of anime, visiting this spot with my friend Lindah was very cool. It was raining that day, but it did not matter much to us.
Conclusion
My time has been short but impactful. This experience is life-changing. I will miss the wonderful friends and memories I have made here. This has been a big encouragement towards achieving future goals of being a researcher and communicator on a global scale. Thank you once again to TUFS and to all who contributed to making this possible.