Studying abroad is a unique experience that can shape how a student views their time at college. My time abroad in Tokyo, Japan changed how I view my schooling and time in America completely. These opportunities only grow for students to explore as new campuses open and the possibilities tied to them grow as well.
Campuses in Japan are in Tokyo and will soon be in Kyoto, which is a moral historical and rural side compared to the bustling city of Tokyo. Temple Rome will be switching their location to the historical area of Piazza di Spagna located within the Eternal City. This change will be put into place in September 2024, giving fall students the chance to explore a whole new world of Temple Rome.
To me, there is nothing more enjoyable than learning about a culture that is unfamiliar and extremely different from your own. That is exactly what I got while studying at the Temple Location in Tokyo Japan. The school is located in a neighborhood called Sangenjaya which is filled with food, thrift shops, beautiful scenery, and students covering the streets.
Temple Japan shares many aspects of campus with an all-girls college called Showa Women’s University. The teachers and students alike are hospitable, kind, and always willing to help new students experiencing the life Japan has to offer for the first time.
The campus itself is six stories high, filled with classrooms, facilities, a small cafeteria, a lounge area, and a library. There is also an outdoor area where students can be found playing games in the spring and having snowball fights in the winter. Most of my time during the weekday was spent amongst these students, inside these walls, making friends I am still close with today, and building relationships with professors who made my time there worthwhile.
This campus is a 4-year, full-degree school, so many students attend the university full-time. This made coming in a bit intimidating, but I found myself quickly becoming friends with these students as they showed me the ropes and gave me places to try and explore.
With my new friends and eagerness to wander around as much of Japan as I could, trips quickly kicked off. I ventured around Bunkyo-City where my dorm was located, looking at the stores around Tokyo Dome, and admiring the infrastructure of Hakusan City. For the K-pop fans out there, I was able to see all the hype, pop-ups, and merch for the BlackPink, Stray Kids, and AugustD concerts that were occurring during my time there.
I found myself in either Shibuya or Harajuku practically everyday shopping, getting my nails done, or grabbing dinner with friends. One of my favorite places to shop was Shibuya 109 which was filled to the brim with clothes, shoes, and snacks. Harajuku gave me one of my favorite dinner spots as well as my favorite nail salon. The ladies at the Nail Cottage speak English and never say no to a challenging set.
They were sweet and accommodating, always providing insight into where to go and where to be for the best fun. Chun Shui Tang became one of my favorite quick eats, having Chinese style dumplings, noodles, and bubble tea.
Besides being in Tokyo, I was able to explore the area of the new Temple Japan location of Kyoto, Japan. During our spring break, my friends and I decided to travel out to Nara, Kyoto, and Osaka taking in as much as we could with our long weekend. Starting out in Nara, we explored the streets and played with the famous Nara Deer, who bow at you.
Bowing is a sign of respect in Japan, the deer have learned over the years that bowing to the people often results a delicious treat for them. They are the sweetest deer in the world! We also had the chance to try yomogi mochi, which is a traditional style mochi covered in peanut dust. Be careful around traditional snacks if you have allergies, as many of them have peanut dust.
From here we moved on to the beautiful historical city of Kyoto, walking the streets filled with beautiful wooden houses. We went to a Buddhist Temple called the Ryozen Kannon that had a massive Buddha sitting atop of it, the monks were kind, making the space quiet and peaceful in contrast to the tourist filled city below.
On our way back around the city we met a kind man who sold us bunches of dried fruit, letting us try as many as we wanted. We headed towards a small bamboo forest, taking pictures and sitting in its peace, we ended our day with pork buns and exhausted feet.
Our last few days were spent in Osaka, this city was my favorite, the people here were beyond inviting, starting conversation, complimenting, and filling the space they lived in with positive energy. We ventured around more temple grounds and visited the Gilco Running Man once the sun had set.
We even made new friends who were playing baseball with a bat and ball made from paper in the hotel next to ours. Everyone was kind and easy to talk to despite any language barriers that occurred.
Japan is a world that has endless possibilities and I recommend visiting to anyone and everyone. The people, food, fashion, and rich culture is worth the price of the plane ticket. I covered much more ground and places during my time there, I could write a book about all the stories I have. However, we have a whole other campus Temple University offers to talk about.
Temple Rome, located in the beautiful Italy has endless architecture, art, food, shopping, gardens, and ruins to explore. For this, I wanted to get the perspective of someone who had been through the program. My dear friend, Yulia Sterowski-Heck, lended her voice and experience to me. Temple Rome has an amazing art program, offering many specialized classes to try out and find your own artistic voice.
Temple Rome runs off semester and does not provide the same 4-year program as the Main and Japan campuses do. However, their specialized directions in history and art make it all the worthwhile. Not only can you learn new languages, but you can learn to paint and explore the city for school. Field trips are common, giving students room to immerse themselves in the history and culture during their time abroad.
Yulia described an art show that happens at the end of the semester showcasing all the work from the students over their time in the art classes. The hard work and talent of the students at Temple University get the chance to reign in their glory before everyone heads home or starts their next semester.
The campus, before switching to its new location in September 2024, was located in Palazzo, the Villa Caproni. There is gorgeous architecture everywhere, giving a taste of ancient Italy around every corner. Transportation from school is simple, making traveling around a breeze at students go to museums and restaurants using all the senses to make their way through Rome’s offerings.
Yulia spoke about her favorite place that she traveled outside of Rome, a place located in Southern Italy called Positano. She said that “Positano is like an oil painting made with ocean water”. As she perfectly stated, Positano is a must see, places right on the cliffside filled with ocean water and clear air.
The coast side is filled with a pebble beach, but be careful it’s a steep walk down! The city is made up of narrow streets that are brimmed with boutiques and rich in culture. It is known for its 13th – century Byzantine Icon of the Virgin Mary.
Italy is a huge country, and Rome on its own has enough places to explore to fill up an entire semester. It is also much easier to bounce from country to country while there, the options are endless and are only restricted by you. With the new Rome location coming soon, there will be a whole new generation of people that will have their own unique time.
Studying abroad is overall a fantastic opportunity that Temple University makes as accessible as possible for as many students as they can. If you are not interested in either of these locations, you can also do partner study abroad programs depending on the location you wish to travel to.
Whether you go for a summer semester or a longer fall and spring semester, you will have hundreds of stories and pictures to share with friends and family. You will have built new relationships and will have friends around the world who will stick with you long after your return!