My motivation for studying abroad came from my desire to improve my Japanese and use it in real life. I believed that living and studying in Japan would help me develop my language skills more effectively than studying only in my home country. I also wanted to learn more about Japanese culture, ways of thinking, and university life through my own experience. Since the new semester started this month, classes have begun in earnest. In Japanese class, I have given a self-introduction and made a presentation using PowerPoint. I am also studying new grammar, reading texts, and practicing listening through news materials. Although I am still getting used to university life, I feel comfortable because the teachers are always kind and supportive. Through extracurricular activities such as workshops and visits to shrines, I have been able to learn more about Japanese education and culture. From now on, I would like to use Japanese actively not only in class but also in daily life, so that I can improve my Japanese ability and deepen my understanding of Japanese culture.

my classes have been going smoothly. My knowledge of Japanese grammar and vocabulary has gradually increased, and I feel that I am getting closer to the N2 level. However, I still find reading comprehension classes difficult. Although I have started to remember more grammar and vocabulary from the texts, whenever I see a long passage, my mind tends to go blank. My teachers have given me a lot of helpful advice, but I think the only way to solve this problem is to do a great deal of reading practice.

Recently, I found a way to enjoy reading practice. It is to read Japanese novels at the N2 level. I finished the novel I bought last month, and I think this was the best method for me. There are several reasons. First, because it is an N2-level novel, I can understand most of the grammar, vocabulary, and kanji. As a result, I can follow the story and enjoy the novel itself. Then I become more motivated to keep reading. When there are parts I do not understand, they become good points for study. In ordinary study, if there are too many difficult parts, it becomes troublesome to look up everything and studying stops being enjoyable. However, when I read a Japanese novel, I want to know what happens next in the story, so I can keep trying even when I find difficult parts. The novel I read was I Had That Same Dream Again by Yoru Sumino, and it was both interesting and very good practice. If younger students at my university ask me, I would like to recommend this way of studying.

Also, most of this semester’s classes finished this month, and I took my tests as well. My results were not bad. Next week will be the final class of this semester. I will continue to study hard until the end of the semester, and I also want to think about the next novel I will read.