I was moved by the superb academic environment and detailed care

2017年7月5日更新

Ms. G.L. (Italian)
Master’s program
Humanities and Sciences, Comparative Studies of Societies and Cultures, Japanese Language and Literature

The reason to study in Japan

Popular culture and my encounter with Japanese literature

I was in elementary school when I became interested in Japanese culture. Just like many others, anime and manga were my initial introduction to the culture, but I started to read Japanese literature that was translated into Italian after entering high school. In Europe, works of Banana Yoshimoto and Haruki Murakami are very popular, which have influenced me to major in Japanese studies at the university in Naples. The universities in Naples and Venice are especially famous for their long history in the studies of Japanese literature.

I studied Japanese culture for three years in the university and widely read a variety of works by different authors. Then five years ago, I had the opportunity to study at a college in Tokyo as an exchange student. The year that I spent in Tokyo validated my decision to be the right one. I was introduced to the author Fumiko Enchi through my Japanese literature class which stirred my interest enough to write about her in my graduate thesis. This experience stoked my feeling to proactively study about Japanese feminist literature.
 

The reason for selecting Ochanomizu University

Studying in Japan became a reality through the exchange of emails with a leading scholar.

I enrolled in the master’s program at the university in Naples momentarily, but after being lost in the works of the 70s feminist writers of Minako Oba and Yumiko Kurahashi, I felt a strong desire to study in Japan again. Consequently, I began to gather information by visiting various websites of graduate schools in Japan.

My research area focused on “Japanese Literature from the Gender’s Perspective,” and when I made my initial contact with Ochanomizu, fortunately, I got in touch with a magnificent researcher who was simultaneously studying Japanese literature and gender. The presence of that professor served as a catalyst that turned studying at Ochanomizu University into a reality. Not just in Japanese literature, but a superb gender studies course offered by the University assured me that this was the best setting for me.
 

Student life at Ochanomizu University and its support

Moved by the kindness of professors and fellow students

What was most memorable after joining Ochanomizu University was the initial guidance I received. Other than the Japanese students, there was another international student besides me, and the instructor asked the other Japanese s