East Meets West: Study Abroad in Japan

Ah, Japan ... home of Hello Kitty, Pokémon and ... heroes? Yes, everyone's favorite teleporter, Hiro Nakamura, is from the "land of the rising sun."

Study abroad programs in Japan are perfect for the student who wants options. And if you get homesick, your cure is a click of the remote away-turn on the TV and you're likely to see Brad Pitt hocking jeans, George Clooney endorsing Toyotas or Cameron Diaz telling you why you should study at Aeon Language School.

The Japanese eat up American culture, which you will see all around you. And if you study abroad in Japan, you can take a few bites of theirs. Throw on that kimono and brush up on your chopstick skills!

Evolved Education

When you study abroad in Japan, you will quickly realize that there are many other international students in the "daigaku," or universities-there are more than 100,000 foreign students studying in Japan these days, and for good reason:

• Japan has a near-perfect literacy rate and places great emphasis on its educated workforce
• Cooperation, discipline and creativity are essential educational ingredients
• You'll find the most cutting-edge facilities and technologies imaginable - do you know that they have video chat on their cell phones and technology vending machines?

It's no secret that Japan is way into technology, as the country has given the world VHS tapes, CDs, CD-ROMs and more. Japan boasts the second-largest economy in the world, thanks in great part to this tech savvy. It's no understatement to say students interested in a focus on technology will find paradise in Japan.

• Study a variety of technology fields at the prestigious Tokyo Institute of Technology
• Spend literally days exploring Tokyo's National Museum of Emerging Science and Technology
• Browse the Tokyo's Akihabara Electric Town for stores that sell gadgets the likes of which you have never seen

While technology is the center of many study abroad programs in Japan, the country's culture is also a fascinating study field. Japanese culture has influenced the cultures of so many other countries, including bits of our own. Also, in addition to anime, which is a famous Japanese art style, the arts are very much alive in Japan, and study of the arts is taken very seriously:

• Pay a visit to Mashiko, a pottery town with more than 400 studios and kilns that produce Kutani and Shigaraki styles
• Learning the language will allow you to read haiku, as well as works by famous Japanese writers like Murasaki Shikibu, Yoshida Kenko and Haruki Murakami
• Kado is "the way of flowers," Shodo is "the way of calligraphy" and Kendo is "the way of the sword"

Sword-making is an art in Japan, and many students studying abroad there try their hand at ikebana, or the art of flower arrangement (Scarlett Johanssen in Lost in Translation, anybody?).

Cutting-Edge Culture

There have been many films depicting Tokyo as a staggering neon forest, crammed with countless people and cars-and it's true-you'll find that frenetic energy is very much a reality in the capital city. Entertainment is king in Japan, and there is no better example of this than Tokyo, with the endless miles of options it offers students:

• Make the Kabuki-cho disco scene, indulge in karaoke (a Japanese obsession) or play around at one of the many "gemu-sentas," or game centers
• Roam the Harajuku neighborhood, made famous by Gwen Stefani, with its vendors, street cafes and boutiques

But it's not all bright lights and pop culture in Japan, not by far. Even in Tokyo you'll find some interesting historical sites, such as the Sensoji Temple, built in the year 628 in honor of Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy and happiness. The Sensoji is the oldest temple in the country, but it is just one of many other amazing must-sees:

• Covered in gold leaf, Kinkakuji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, was built in the 1390s
• Experience the awesome Mount Fuji, a dormant volcano and Japan's highest mountain-climb it, hike it or paraglide off of it!
• If you're seeking all the Japanese clichés alive and well (from pebble gardens to geishas), visit the former imperial capital of Kyoto

And we haven't even gotten to the food! You'll be expected to slurp your Udon noodle soups in Japan, and if you order pizza delivery, don't be surprised if it takes up to two hours! As for toppings, you can choose from ingredients including corn, sesame seeds and mayonnaise! You've got to try the fish dishes-after all, the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo is the world's largest.

Whether it is nature or culture you want, a study abroad program in Japan brims with both: mountains and volcanoes, temples and parks, islands and beaches, and architecture and museums. Experience this fascinating land and earn a top-notch education.