International Student Testimonial: Michele Carolina Inoue

I’m a Nikkei Brazilian, with roots in both Brazil and Japan.
I lived in Japan until the third grade of elementary school, then moved to Brazil.I came back to Japan when I started high school. People in Japan tend to be hardworking, and the infrastructure and healthcare system are well developed, so I’ve found life here very comfortable.The next thing I knew, I had a growing desire to study in Japan.

Because the university has a solid system in place for accepting international students, starting from the entrance exams, and because it offers courses where I could study culture.
That’s why I chose the Major of Multicultural and Tourism Studies in the Faculty of Global Culture and Communication.

The professors are kind and easy to talk to. hey explain things in a way that’s easy to follow, even for students who aren’t native Japanese speakers, and the class materials are also easy to understand.
There are a lot of technical terms in university classes, and I sometimes don’t understand certain words, but when I ask the professors after class, they always explain patiently.

As a first-year student, I’m taking mostly required courses, but I’ve also enrolled in classes I’m interested in, like Japanese I, history, and intercultural studies. One of the main reasons I chose ASU was because I wanted to study intercultural communication, so I was determined to take those courses. Writing reaction papers and reports is challenging, so I ask questions whenever I’m unsure about something.

What is your day-to-day university life like? I commute to campus five days a week. It takes me two hours to get there from home, but I use the train time to review class material. This semester, I don’t have any first-period classes, so I study on campus before class starts. On weekends, I work part-time at a restaurant, helping with food preparation.

I’d like to work in international trade. After coming back to Japan, I became very aware of cultural differences and developed a strong interest in interacting with people from different countries. I don’t plan to return to Brazil. I want to work in Japan. I hope to build up my expertise in intercultural studies at university and move step by step toward my career goal.

I believe ASU is a place where you can grow into the person you aspire to be and pursue the things you really want to do.
Especially if you’re interested in intercultural communication, I highly recommend it. I hope to see you at Aichi Shukutoku University!