Nikita Akimov about his internship at Hosei University

2nd year student of the master's program “Socio-economic and political development of modern Asia” Nikita Akimov talks about the exchange semester at Hosei University, Japan.

I have been studying Japanese for 6 years, but the desire to visit Japan at least once has not left me since childhood, when I first saw the classic samurai cinema. In my bachelor's, I majored in Japanese history and Japanese language, which left my passion towards Japan kindling.

Unfortunately, the pandemic has also made its own corrections, and going on an internship either at the end of a bachelor's or during my master's seemed hardly possible. What was my surprise when, at the beginning of 2022, I and my fellow groupmates received a message from the Faculty of World Economy and Politics about an ongoing competition for an internship in Japan. The list of universities with which the HSE had an agreement included Akita University and Hosei University. Everywhere the quota was no more than 2-3 people, but I was lucky to pass the competition in both universities and get the right to choose where to go for an internship. As a result, I have agreed to be nominated in Hosei, and, as it turned out, I did miss out!

Submission of documents, both to the Japanese university itself and to the embassy for obtaining a visa, was quite simple - the procedures were clear, and the representatives of Hosei University promptly answered all the questions that I had along the way.

Another pleasant surprise was that Hosei offers a room in a dormitory for all of its international students regardless of the length of their stay in Japan. As a result, the biggest difficulty was not to collect the necessary documents or find housing, but to pay for the accommodation. Alas, at that time most Russian banks were already under sanctions, which seriously hampered the payment process. In general, I can advise everyone who goes to study in Hosei not to worry about accommodation - the university will help with everything.

As far as the internship itself, Hosei offers you a plenty of flexibility when in comes to study-entertainment balance.  Each student is required to choose at least 6 academic disciplines to maintain a visa - which, by the way, is not such a big load - and ad infinitum. Different academic disciplines have different quotas for the maximum number of students, and some recruit Japanese students in the first place. I originally chose 8 disciplines, but I couldn't get into Film Theory due to the huge competition of 4 people on the spot with priority given to Japanese students. However, all my other disciplines turned out to be extremely interesting in the end and even helped me in writing my dissertation. Moreover, some professors at Hosei even recommended relevant literature to me, which also proved to be extremely helpful.

Now a little about the university and the country as a whole. Hosei is located in the heart of Tokyo, a 10-minute walk from Yasukuni Shrine. With such a convenient location, you can simply walk around central Tokyo and visit many local attractions. The main campus, although small in size, contains 5 buildings, one of which is a tall tower, from the 26th floor of which offers a beautiful panoramic view of Tokyo, and in good weather - Mount Fuji. The buildings themselves boast contemporary architecture, open balconies, some rooftop gardens, combinis as well as bookstores, an electronics store and even university merch. There are also several cafeterias on campus where you can eat very tasty, dense and, most importantly, cheap (500 yen, or 200 rubles on average) to eat.

Hosei also offers a huge number of clubs and hobby groups, however, 90% of them required a strong knowledge of the Japanese language. Fortunately, in the same year I received my JLPT N2 certificate, and enrolled in the Russian Language and Russian Culture Club without any barriers. I was very surprised at how interested the guys from the club were in Russian culture and language, and I was very happy to tell what I know and help in learning Russian.

Education at Hosei feels more like Western universities, with an emphasis on student self-education. Each course begins with a lecture where professors give basic information on the subject, followed by reading material or writing assignments. Lectures alternate with seminars where items from home reading and lectures are discussed together, or written work is being assessed.

In general, the academic process is very motivating to educate yourself and look for answers to questions yourself. At the same time, professors are always ready to help, give advice or just consult on any questions that students may have.

This format of the academic process made it possible to free up more time for travel. During my internship, I managed to both walk around Tokyo and travel around Japan. Perhaps Kyoto left the most impressions - the contrast between modernity and antiquity, proximity to nature and the reputation of the tea capital of Japan makes up for itself. Other cities in Kansai did not leave me hanging as well - Osaka and Nara, where I managed to try takoyaki, famous throughout Japan, or a special ramen in Nara, where lemon zest is added to the broth.

I want to express my gratitude to the Faculty of World Economy and World Politics, as well as the program "Socio-economic and political development of modern Asia" for such a unique experience!