Why did these international students choose Hitotsubashi University?
December 27, 2022
Hitotsubashi University attracts excellent international students from around the world. As of May 1, 2022, more than 800 students from 54 countries and regions admitted to the university are hard at work on their studies and research projects. What are the reasons they leave their own countries to study at Hitotsubashi University? We asked three international students.
Enjoying Japanese literature and the quiet life at Hitotsubashi
Year 1, Master’s Program, Hitotsubashi Graduate School of Social Sciences
Mathias Boone from Belgium
To relive the meaningful experience of life as an exchange student
In Belgium, the official language may be French, Dutch, or German depending on the area where you live. Born and raised in a French area, Mathias felt close to Japan from childhood thanks to his parents’ love of Japanese literature. He studied Japanese at Ghent University in Belgium.
“My parents were particularly fond of the works of Yukio Mishima and somehow I also became interested in Japanese literature. I felt attracted to the Japanese language for its depth of expression and the beauty of its sounds, so I studied linguistics and Japanese at university. That’s when my interest broadened to the history and classical literature of Japan. When I was studying Japanese, I came to the conclusion that living in the country would help me understand the appeal of the language. I came to Hitotsubashi University as an exchange student while still enrolled at Ghent University. I mainly attended lectures on Japanese language education and enjoyed life as an exchange student for six months.”
After returning to Belgium, Mathias found employment as a French teacher, but he could not refrain from exploring the Japanese language. After three years, he resigned from the teaching job and returned to Ghent University where he enrolled in graduate school and resumed his research. After that, he decided to study at the Hitotsubashi University graduate school.
“I decided to study abroad because I wanted to start a new line of research in a different academic area and to bring the linguistic research I had done for so many years to a close. I also thought it would be an opportunity to relive the meaningful experience of life as an exchange student.”
Optimum environment for exchange students who are concerned about their Japanese
Mathias arrived in Japan in August 2021 and enrolled in the Master’s program at the Graduate School of Social Sciences where he joined the seminar of Yasuhiro Sakaue, Specially Appointed Professor in sports social science. Currently, Mathias is researching portrayals of Paralympic athletes in society.
“Compared to when I first came to Hitotsubashi University as an exchange student, my Japanese has improved a lot. I am now able to communicate effortlessly with teachers and students in Japanese. Since Hitotsubashi is a small university where there is little distance between teaching staff and students, or between students, the opportunities to speak Japanese increase of themselves. There is no need to feel hesitant about asking questions and consulting with the teachers. Being in this environment is a major advantage for any exchange student who is concerned about their ability to communicate.”
Mathias says that Hitotsubashi University is appealing because it is possible to build close relationships. His research keeps him busy every day, but he still finds the time to read Japanese literature.
“Since coming to Japan, I have read books in the original Japanese. I have been pleasantly surprised to find that my impressions of a book after reading it in the original Japanese are totally different from the translated version. I am really happy that I have continued to learn Japanese.”
Mathias says that linguistics is more of a hobby these days and that he has recently been learning Chinese. We asked him about his plans after completing the Master’s degree.
“The quiet life in the green surroundings of Hitotsubashi University has really whetted my appetite to experience more of life in Japan. I would like to find employment in Japan after completing the Master’s program. I am proficient in several languages and my current goal is to take advantage of these skills to work in a global capacity for a foreign company or a trading company.”
The best choice I made was to quit my job and go back to university at Hitotsubashi
Year 2, Faculty of Commerce and Management
Choi Yerin from Korea
Back to university with the aim of switching from the hotel industry to the financial industry
A student at the Faculty of Commerce and Management, Ms. Choi has had a unique career. Before she decided to enroll at Hitotsubashi University, she worked in the personnel department at one of the world’s largest hotel chains. We asked about how and why she decided to leave the hotel and tourism industry and return to university to prepare for a career change.
“I left Korea after high school graduation to study tourism management at university in Australia. After I graduated, I found a job locally at a hotel where I worked in human resources and recruitment for two years. However, the hotel and tourism industry was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of this experience, I started to rethink the future. I have long been interested in finance, so I decided to quit my job and to go back to university to study finance starting from the basics.”
She picked Japan as the destination for studying abroad because of her interest in the culture and lifestyle of Japan, which had grown out of anime. In terms of returning to employment, she was also attracted to Japan for the size of its market and the large number of foreign companies operating here. So, she decided to study at Hitotsubashi University.
“I think almost all Korean students who are considering studies in Japan know about Hitotsubashi University. Another reason for choosing Hitotsubashi is my interest in corporate finance and the work of Professor Makoto Nakano, who is renowned in the field.”
An environment of friendly rivalry and close communication
Although she enrolled in 2021, Ms. Choi participated in the classes online from Korea during the first year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She arrived in Japan in April 2022 and is currently improving her understanding of corporate finance.
“When I attend discussions and groupwork, I feel that my fellow students are highly motivated to learn. Hitotsubashi University is attractive because the learning environment allows students to communicate closely with each other while engaging in friendly rivalry. For me, this is the ideal style of learning. There are many opportunities to listen and to speak, so I think it is a wonderful environment for exchange students who are studying both Japanese and their specialty subject.”
Her Japanese language skills are already at the level of a native speaker. She has probably improved quickly as she also participates in a group at Hitotsubashi University that collaborates with TED Talks, the internationally famous platform for hosting influential speeches. Currently, she is looking for employment in Japan. She would like to be involved in corporate M&A and to make use of the skills she has learnt in the seminars.
“I think that the best choice I made was to quit my job and go back to university at Hitotsubashi.”
I wanted to develop the power to change the world through business, so I chose Hitotsubashi
Year 4, Faculty of Commerce and Management
Selma Lovisa Oertqvist from Sweden
Coming to Japan in search of a kind of stimulation she couldn’t find in Sweden
Many young people in other countries are inspired by Japan’s pop culture and animation in childhood. Selma, who grew up in Sweden in Scandinavia, is one of them.
“I was crazy about manga. I wanted to read them in the original, so I started attending a weekly Japanese class when I was in the first year of junior high school. At one time, I used to look for Japanese people with similar interests on social media and learnt Japanese while exchanging messages online.”
As Selma’s understanding of Japanese improved, she became interested in Japan as a country.
“When I first visited Japan I was in second grade of high school. I applied to a short-term exchange program of one month and experienced the Japanese lifestyle and culture during a homestay in Yokohama. The memories from that time made me decide to study at university in Japan after graduating from high school.”
In the same way that Japanese people are attracted to life in Sweden’s natural environment, Selma was fascinated by Japan, particularly the vibrant Tokyo lifestyle. Full of curiosity, she was impressed by the wonderful climate and a lifestyle that felt unpredictable. Hitotsubashi University was her first choice of destination to study in Japan.
“I wanted to study commerce to contribute to society in a broad sense because I think business has the power to change the world. Hitotsubashi is a top level national university in Japan and I wanted to study here because I knew that the origins of the university are in commerce. Another reason is that the classes are relatively small. The educational environment is similar to Sweden, so I thought that my studies would get off to a smooth start at Hitotsubashi.”
Preferring to take action without making long-term decisions
Selma moved to Japan in 2018. After a year of preparation, she started her life as a student at the Faculty of Commerce and Management in April 2019.
“Attending lectures and seminars at Hitotsubashi University is attractive because you can study theory at a high level, but you can also acquire practical and useful knowledge. There are plenty of opportunities to test your skills. For example, I have participated in a joint business competition with students at Peking University and Seoul National University.”
Before she enrolled at the university, Selma was a little shy, but she says that the environment has changed her because there is little distance between teachers and students and it is easy to talk to people here. Now in her fourth year, she is busy working on her graduation thesis.
“The thesis focuses on the so-called Benefit Corporations (B Corporations), which originated in the United States. The system certifies corporations that emphasize the social good, such as consideration for the environment. I am investigating the level of consumer recognition of this system in Japan.”
Selma has already decided to accept an offer of employment in Japan. She has received a tentative offer from the Japanese branch of a Korean corporation that is developing a global foods business. The plan is to work in human resources after she joins the company. We asked her about her vision for the future.
“I hope to work in marketing within a few years. The ultimate goal is to start up my own business. However, I haven’t settled on a clear career path or even the country where I will work. I want to be flexible and not make any firm decisions about the future in order to keep my options open.”
