Contact
Mr. Chhayankdhar Singh Rathore
- From
- Madhya Pradesh
- Degree
- Master's Program in International Language Education:TESOL, SOKA University
Message
Please give a short introduction of yourself.
My name is Chhayankdhar Singh Rathore. I am from Jaipur, India. I am currently pursuing my graduate degree in International Language Education: M.A. TESOL at Soka University. I am 23 years old.
What is your favorite thing about Hachioji City?
Hachioji is one of my favorite places in Japan. I love it because of the abundance of nature – the beautiful mountains at the horizon, the Asakawa river, and the abundant greenery everywhere. I like it because I feel close to nature and my heart is at peace. I don’t like living near skyscrapers.
In what way has your impression of Hachioji City or Japanchanged since coming here?
When I had just arrived in Japan I would look at things from the eyes of a tourist but now, I look at things from the perspective of someone who has been living here. I look at the deeper sociocultural meaning behind things. However, I still find Japan and Hachioji to be as beautiful as I found it on my first day.
What attracted you to choose SOKA University as a place to study?
I came to Soka University as an exchange student in 2013. At that time, I didn’t have any specific reason for selecting it. However, over a period of one year, I made up my mind to pursue my graduate studies at Soka University. There were four primary reasons behind it – firstly, the support and warmth extended to the international students by the administration and the student community. The international affairs office, the dormitory staff and fellow students at Soka University are committed to making international students feel at home and help is always easy to find. Secondly, the students are very hardworking and the study culture is founded on supporting each other and pushing our limits. Thirdly, the university actively follows its founding principles and is committed to spreading humanistic, international education. Lastly, the campus offers both excellent infrastructure and beautiful scenery with a lot of nature for relaxation and rejuvenation.
In what way did you adjust yourself to Japanese culture?
For some reason, I did not face many problems in adjusting to Japanese culture. I attribute this to three factors – the Japanese students in the dorm who are kind and explain and introduce aspects of Japanese culture through a friendly approach, the network of international students at Soka University who have been in Japan for some time and support the new comers by sharing their experiences and knowledge, and lastly, my inherent ability to adapt to new cultures.
Please give a message to students or researchers in your home country who may be thinking about studying in Japan?
While Japan and India do share some core cultural values, most of the cultural practices and behaviors between the two countries are very different. I advise fellow students to always have patience, a positive outlook, a sense of adventure and a sense of humor. Japanese people are very kind people but the culture can be very complicated to understand. I would encourage fellow international students to make a lot of friends from Japan as well as other countries.