<p>I have the option of studying abroad to Waseda University or Nagoya University's NUPACE program for a year or a semester (I'd probably do a year). My purpose would be intensive Japanese study; right now I'm leaning towards Waseda. </p>
<p>As the title suggests, I'm interested in hearing from other students who have studied abroad to Japan. Specifically Asian Americans, but whatever else is fine. I know discrimination is strong in Japan, even in major cities, and honestly it kind of scares me. Furthermore, I'm wondering how racism (overt and subconscious) plays into daily life and interactions with Japanese people. </p>
<p>Also, if anyone has general opinions on Nagoya vs Tokyo I'd love to hear those as well. Thanks.</p>
<p>I lived in Tokyo and worked, though was not a student. I am also Asian American. </p>
<p>My opinion of Japan became very negative, as their society is insular and inwardly turned, indeed parochial and self absorbed. It is a stalled culture, full of neurotic individuals unable to develop full personalities.</p>
<p>However, I don’t think “discrimination” covers how gaijin are treated - it is more that the Japanese don’t know and are uninterested in learning how to deal with other cultures, so they prefer their own. While this is something you could say about any culture, believe me, the Japanese take to an entirely different level in large part because their culture is so different.</p>
<p>That being said, I would encourage you to experience it for yourself. THere is more going on in Tokyo. Be careful not to get yoked to Japan because you have put the effort into learning the language - I know many people who are stuck there career-wise and feel they have no alternatives elsewhere and no longer like it.</p>
<p>I was actually searching about how Asian Americans are treated in Japan a couple days ago. I came across this interesting article: <a href=“Asian, but Not Japanese, In Japan”>Asian, but Not Japanese, In Japan;
<p>I’m studying at Keio University in Tokyo starting from this September. I’m also Asian American, specifically Vietnamese American so it’d be interesting to see how it goes. </p>
<p>I can’t speak to being Asian American in Japan, but as an American ex-pat who has lived in Tokyo for over 20 years and worked at universities, I’d like to offer some reassurance. It’s true that Japanese culture can seem insular–though that’s true of a lot of cultures–but I don’t think there’s anything to be afraid of. If you’re truly interested in learning the language, spending a semester or year in Japan is a great opportunity. I don’t know Nagoya, but Waseda is a famous school with plenty of exchange students, so even if you have trouble breaking into Japanese student groups, you should be able to make lots of friends going to the classes for visiting students that you will attend. And I think college students in Japan do tend to be more adventurous and open-minded than the population as a whole. I’ve seen plenty of students from Korea, Hong Kong, and elsewhere in Asia who seemed quite happy at Japanese university. (I also have Asian friends who have lived in Japan as a second country for years and love it.) Even if you do encounter some difficult or awkward situations, it’s only a year out of your life. Hard stuff can teach you a lot! I assume most of the difficulty you will have will be with the language, unless you are quite fluent, and these types of problems will mostly be comical or interesting, maybe embarrassing, but hardly scary. On the whole I think Tokyo is a great place to live for anyone. It’s very safe, people are remarkably polite and helpful, and there’s an endless array of things to do and see here. I don’t know that everyone should choose to live here indefinitely or marry into the culture, but visiting for a year is bound to be worthwhile.</p>
<p>Hey! I’m a Japanese student who lived in the States for 11 years. I came back to Japan for college. Although I have never lived in Nagoya, I would recommend you to go to Tokyo for many reasons. First, Nagoyans have a Japanese accent. It may throw you off if you are learning Japanese. Second, Tokyo is more globalized, so it is more English friendly. There are a lot of foreigner in Tokyo vs. Nagoya, so people know how to interact with foreigners better. BUT, even in Tokyo, unis will have discriminations. For example, a main part of Japanese college life is ‘circles’ or just clubs like tennis clubs, ski clubs, etc. They don’t advertise it for foreigners very well and many people at my Uni (international christian university) felt unwelcomed. The good thing is, they usually do like foreigners, but they just don’t know how to invite them. I would recommend you to look up Waseda’s clubs and join one for fun, even if you aren’t athletic or really into anything. They have drinking parties and activities that will allow you to explore Japanese college culture 
There’s pros and cons to those clubs, but they are definitely The Japanese college experience lol. Anyways have fun over here!! </p>