© 2016 Journal of International and Advanced Japanese Studies
Vol. 8, March 2016, pp. 241-255 (ONLINE)
Master’s and Doctoral Program in International and Advanced
Japanese Studies
Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
University of Tsukuba

Research Note

Academic and Social Challenges of Japanese Students during Cultural
Adjustment to the Rural U.S.
Anya HOMMADOVAUniversity of Tsukuba, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Ph.D. Student

Takanori MITA
Minnesota State University of Moorhead, Faculty of East Asian Studies, Professor
This study explores the experiences of exchange and international Japanese students studying in a rural
American university. Inquiry is made into the challenges, emotional turmoil and deviation from expectation ofJapanese students through open-ended surveys and semi-formal interviews. The results suggest the two biggest
challenges the Japanese students face are academic ability and lack of deep positive interactions with American
students. Students indicate a deviation from the expected friendliness and interest in them from American
students. We argue that these problems and the problems of Japanese students studying abroad are deeply
rooted in the internal processes and general attitudes of modern Japanese youth. We explore the differences inself-perception of American and Japanese students and suggest the Japanese students adjustment challenges
could be effectively abated through academic preparation in general education while in Japan and by joining
extracurricular activities once in the U.S. We conclude this paper by providing suggestions from the keys tosuccess from similar programs and improving the experiences of Japanese students studying at universities in
U.S
Keywords: Japanese students, cultural adjustment, U.S. universities, Japanese-American interactions

Introduction
The United States hosts the largest share of international students studying abroad, serving as a temporary
home to over 1.13 million foreign students 1. Though this might seem just like a statistic to many, this is 1.13 million
emotional stories of the struggles that all of international students have to go through, often referred to as culturaladjustment, which is the process of adjusting to a new culture. The majority of these students are college students,
and while studying at American universities they not only have to overcome the same challenges faced by native
students, but additionally are faced with language barriers, culture shock, unfamiliar social norms, adjustment to
consumption of foreign food, different educational expectations, isolation, and inability to establish social networks(Church, 1985; Furnham & Trezise, 1983; Leong & Chou, 1996). According to the U.S. Department of Education,
the 2013 six-year graduation rate for first-time full-time undergraduate students who began their pursuit of abachelor's degree at a four-year degree-granting institution in fall 2007 was 59% 2, suggesting that undertaking an
undergraduate degree is not an easy task for American students, let alone for international students. Language is the1

http://www.wsj.com/articles/international-students-stream-into-u-s-colleges-1427248801 (Retrieved: November
30, 2015).
2 https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=40 (Retrieved: December 7, 2015).
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most commonly discussed problem that international students face. Individuals from Africa, Latin America andAsia were shown to have more difficulties with language than individuals from other countries, and this contributes
to the adjustment difficulties (Sodowsky & Plake, 1992). In the U.S., there are over 850,000 students from Asia,
however, other countries in Asia are also making efforts to attract foreign students. In 1997, over 47,000 Japanese
were studying in the U.S., and even though currently the number-one destination of Japanese students to Englishspeaking countries is undoubtedly the U.S. with around 19,000 students enrolled in American universities, overall
currently more Japanese students are studying in China than in the U.S. 3 This makes the assessment of adjustment
challenges faced by Japanese students in the U.S. as paramount as ever. Rural, mid-size universities can be an
attractive destination for Japanese students in the future with MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology-Japan) doubling its funding for Japanese college students to go abroad in 2014. 4
This study is part of an exploratory inquiry into the emotional experiences, challenges and strategic
techniques of Asian students during their adjustment process to American college life. In this study, the authors
focus on Japanese students, making an ethnographic inquiry into both Japanese students on short-term exchange
programs, as well as those enrolled in four-year undergraduate programs. This study’s purpose is to explore theexperience of Japanese students in a rural setting in a Midwestern university that offers in-state tuition for all
international students. By understanding the challenges these students face, we can better anticipate futuredifficulties and explore possible solutions to alleviate the Japanese students’ emotional and physical burden. We
suggest some possible preparations for students prior to studying abroad and suggest strategies of coping during theabroad experience that will positively affect the adjustment process for Japanese students.
1. Literature Review
The majority of the literature on the problems of international students in the U.S. point to language ability,
however, it is not rudimentary English fluency that is suggested to be the problem, but instead, it is the academic
language that poses a challenge (Gebhard, 2012). The complications that stem from academic language difficulties
include not understanding professors’ expectations, inability to express themselves in essay exams and oralpresentations, and limited interactions with fellow classmates during class discussions, all of which can lead to highlevels of anxiety and stress (Coward, 2003; Gebhard, 2010; Han, 2007; Huang, 2006; Kao and Gansneder, 1995;
Lin, 2001; Zhou, Frey, and Bang, 2011). Other obstacles that international students face are the differences incommunication styles and the unfamiliarity with American social norms (Barrat and Huba, 1994; Ingman, 2003;
Lee, Kang, & Yum, 2005; Rose-Redwood, 2005; Swagler and Ellis, 2003; Zhou, Frey, and Bang, 2011). The
differences that are profound in the communication styles of Japanese and Americans can be seen in the direct
versus indirect messages being interpreted based on a different set of standards. Furthermore, communication
apprehension (CA) also varies greatly between Japanese and Americans. This comparison suggests: “[R]eluctanceto speak in public settings (of Japanese) would not be expected to correlate with negative and problematiccharacteristics that have been associated with high CA in the United States. In fact, communication behaviors thatreflect low levels of CA, thereby conflicting with cultural expectations, may be more likely to correlate withnegative social perceptions” (Pryor, Butler, & Boehringer, 2005, p.250). Communication influences the perceptionof the interaction and is indispensable for mutual understanding.
Social interactions of international students with the local population is a major contributing factor to thestudents’ adjustment to the host culture. Numerous studies show this to be true: the more frequently the international
students interact with friends from the host country, the better they adjust (Furnham, & Bochner, 1982; Heikinheimo& Shute, 1986; Perkins, 1977). For example, the classic study by Sellitz and Hook (1962) showed that international
students felt a stronger connection to the U.S. if they have at least one close American friend. In a more recent study
done by Toyokawa et al. (2002), results suggest that extracurricular activities are positively related to Japanese
students’ experiences in the U.S. through increasing life satisfaction as well as better academic performance.

3

http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/ryugaku/1345878.htm (Retrieved August 28, 2015).
http://japandailypress.com/government-to-encourage-more-japanese-college-students-to-study-abroad-0728362/(Retrieved December 7, 2015).
4

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There is a vast amount of literature on international students’ adjustment to American life, however, few
studies are available on Japanese studying in the United States. American scholars focus on the international
students in the U.S., without focus or careful attention paid to how cultural differences between the U.S. and Japaninfluence the experience of Japanese students in particular. A few extensive studies done by Japanese scholars into
Japanese students adjustment to U.S. include research of Tanaka and Takahama in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013,
resulting in 12 publications in Japanese journals. In their most recent study, “Cross-cultural Adaptation and Use ofSocial Skills by Japanese Students Studying Abroad: Longitudinal Study of Students Who Participated in Predeparture Social Skills Learning Session” (2013), they stated the importance of learning social skills as part of the
preparations to go to the U.S., however, their findings were based on only two participants. In 2010, they did a studyof Japanese students in America by providing the students (n=4) with opportunity to do roleplaying with American
people, which they found to be effective in increasing social skills. The influential factor of success was the students’attitudes (Takahama and Tanaka, 2010). Another Japanese scholar who explored cultural adjustment of Japanese
students in U.S. was Noriko Nakagawa. Dr. Nakagawa (2013) conducted extensive research on one person who
studied abroad from Japan to find out what had changed after the student went to America and exploring concepts
such as a change of images of Americans/America, Japanese/Japan, study abroad, and self-identity, using the E.H.
Ericson theoretical framework. The author concluded that as a result of the study abroad, the student became morepositive and reconfirmed self-identity.
Kie Kawauchi (2006) conducted a study that addressed the anxiety the Japanese students felt associated withstudying abroad, making a direct inquiry into the problems of cultural adjustment and pointing to the reduction ofanxiety as one of the key measures of success. The results of this study indicate that 80% of the Japanese students
adjust to using English within two weeks, not because of the English language improvement but due to the reduction
in anxiety (Kawaguchi, 2006). Kimura (2009) made an inquiry into the specific characteristics of Japanese whichwere attributed to making the adaptation process to foreign cultures difficult for Japanese people. However, throughthe systematic analyses of previous literature done in Japan on Japanese adaptation difficulties to different cultures,the author found no evidence in support of such characteristics. The author concluded that Japanese researchers had
a negative view of Japanese, pointing to a bias and ultimately stating that the concept of Japanese uniqueness incultural adjustment was described very ambiguously and does not have enough evidence to be supported.
According to Hayashi (2002), the past research on Japanese students studying abroad is no longer applicabledue to the change of the demographic of Japanese that are able to go abroad. In the past, only the elite or
exceptionally talented were able to go abroad, however, at present time, almost anyone has this opportunity. The
purpose of their study was to explore the effects of studying abroad on Japanese students. Data was collected atthree times: Prior, during and after the study abroad to three English-speaking countries (the U.K., the U.S. andAustralia for nine months. Results showed that self-confidence and motivation increased during the study abroad
period and remained high after return.
Takeda (2009) discussed what Japanese exchange students feel are the biggest differences between Japanand the U.S., giving examples of classroom behavior that are different between Japanese students and the U.S.
students such as playing with cell phones and attitudes toward attending class. Japanese students in this study
perceived Americans to both study and play hard, actively using self-appeal to get good grades and asking manyquestions. Another finding was that the TA (teaching assistant) system was different between the U.S. and Japan. In
the U.S., there were many electives and undecided majors. It was easy to change majors, which some of the Japanese
students said was a better alternative to the rigid Japanese system; there is more freedom, but it is accompanied bya lot of responsibility for their academic performance. Teachers’ evaluation forms seemed to give the teachers a lotof pressure to perform well. In conclusion, American universities made students contemplate the point and goal ofuniversity studies and take on more responsibility with the support of an academic advisor. Takeda’s researchreflects the views of Japanese students which might be a bit naïve, as they ignore the darker side of the American
education system, which includes low university graduation rates and the large amount of debt that many Americans
incur.
Major limitations of most of the research described above done by Japanese scholars is that the studies on lifein the U.S. were conducted from Japan, the methodological tools relied on quantitative surveys limited the spectrumof the experiences into boxed categories, or the data heavily relies on interviews after the Japanese students returned
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to Japan (a year after the beginning of their initial experiences). Furthermore, there are two major themes emerging
from the research published in Japan, which are preparatory focus or post-study effects on Japanese students.
Therefore, the questions of inquiry are the effects of the treatment, such as social skills workshops, role play practice,etc., on the adjustment of Japanese students or how the adjustment process affected the Japanese students once they
returned home. This is partly due to the inquiry of the challenges being faced during their study abroad and would
require the researcher to be abroad with the students, during their study abroad. This leaves a gap in the literature
concerning the experiences of Japanese students during their study abroad. Another question which remains
unaddressed is that the majority of the studies look at universities in urban areas, giving no insight on how the livesof Japanese exchange students might be different in the rural U.S.
Gerbhard (2013) summarizes his 20 years of research in his book on the thinking and feelings of international
students studying in the U.S. and identifies five phases of adaptation: 1) Preparing to leave, 2) Initial experiences,3) Increasing interaction and challenges, 4) Culture shock, 5) Adaptation. In this exploratory study, we focus on theexperiences of Japanese students during the first three phases, addressing the following questions: What were thefeelings and experiences of Japanese students as they prepared to leave, and how could they have been better
prepared to meet the challenges of studying in the U.S.? What were their expectations and initial experiences while
studying in the rural U.S.? What were the challenges they met? How did they interact with local population? Our
goal is to address these questions and to describe their experiences from the students’ perspectives.
2. Methods
This study implements the qualitative method of inquiry and utilizes various tools of gathering data. Thoughethnographic in its nature in addition to the standard interviews, group discussions and observations, we have also
used open-ended-surveys. The sample population was selected from a university in the Midwestern U.S. located ina rural city with a population of less than 40,000 residents. To protect the identity of participants, the university will
be referred to as M University, and it has an exchange program with three Japanese universities. The exchange
program started in 2000, with an average of 10 Japanese students per year attending M university for a study periodof 10 months. In the span of 15 years of the exchange program, out of approximately 150 Japanese students, there
was never a case of a student not finishing the program. Besides the Japanese exchange students, there are another14 privately funded Japanese students enrolled in M University in undergraduate programs and one graduate
program student. The exchange students were contacted through a Japanese professor who explained the purposeand goals of the research before asking them to volunteer to participate in the study. The Japanese students enrolled
as regular international students were approached in various ways, such as through school organizations (n=2), andthrough introduction of friends. Initially 15 students agreed to participate; however, some students withdrew fromthe study, and one student joined later on who was on a five month exchange program, leaving the sample populationof n=15. The study ultimately was comprised of five males and 10 females participants between ages 18 and 34,
with the majority of the participants around 20 and 21 years old. Nine of the students were on short term exchange
and six were enrolled in the regular programs. The founder of the exchange program was also interviewed to provide
the perspective of a professor overlooking the challenges faced by Japanese students in the past 15 years.
In the ethical consideration of this study, careful attention was paid to protecting students’ identity throughanonymity; however, exchange students who were very familiar with the other participants requested to meet ingroups during a few sessions of the study. Informed written consent forms for interviews and focus groups werereceived from all participants which guaranteed the participants their right to privacy, anonymity, voluntarily
withdrawal at any time and protection against any harm. One of the students who kept a private diary gave consent
to use it for the study and provided photocopies of his diary from the first two months in the U.S. Study groups
were organized by some students, to which the researcher was invited bi-weekly. Observations were also madeduring social events where the students invited the researcher to participate. The open-ended survey included the
purposes, goals of the research, and the rights of participants, with implied consent to use the provided information
by filling out the survey.
The language of inquiry varied depending on the tools, situation and the participants. The survey was written
in English; however, some students replied in Japanese while others replied in English. During the group sessions
and interviews with exchange students, Japanese was the primary language, with a few English words or sentences244

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when quoting Americans. However, the Japanese students enrolled in the regular undergraduate programs preferred
to use more English during the interviews. Overall the language used for the interviews was selected by theparticipants’ according to what they were most comfortable to using. The Japanese interviews and surveys weretranslated into English by the researchers.
3. Experiences of Japanese Students(1) Open-ended Survey
Out of the 15 surveys distributed, we received 11 responses. The survey consisted of basic demographic
information and 11 open-ended questions, with one question having five sub-points prompting more information
on daily interactions with local population. The questions were divided into three major categories: 1) reasons forthe decision to study abroad and at M University, 2) expectations, concerns and preparations prior to arrival, and 3)
experience abroad and interactions in daily life.
Table 1. Summary of Survey Responses of Motivational Factors and Feelings Prior to Arrival to the U.S.
Sex Age HomeWhy study Why M University? Expectations prior to arrival
Concerns prior toabroad?
arrival.
01 F 24 Tokyo
Failing exam Financial reasons
Nothing particular
Safetyin Japan
02 F 20 Yokohama Experience Established exchange Expected spoken English
Academic ability
program, classes of would not be a problem
interest
03 M 20 Chiba
Experience Financial reasons
I expected American people
Safetymore fashionable.
04 F 21 Kanagawa Experience Established exchange Americans image is of
Safety, English
program, classes of outgoing people
abilityinterest
05 M 20 Yamagata English
Established exchange There are a lot of fat people in Academic due toprogram, classes of U.S. Food is not so good.
English ability
interest
06 M 21
Experience Low scores needed,
Academic ability,
safety, financial
gaining weight.
reasons
07 F 20 Saitama
Experience American English,
No discrimination, Americans Safety
countryside location, friendly, more fun life,
financial reasons.
speaking fluently within a few
months.
08 M 21 Omuta
EnglishEstablished exchange I thought everyone would be Homesickness
programmore friendly.
09 M 34 Tokyo
EnglishFinancial reasons,
I expected Americans to be
Safetyclasses of interest
direct in what they say.
10 F 20 Kobe
EnglishFinancial reasons
Americans interested in other English skill,classes of interest
countries, actually not somaking friends
many
11 F 22 Tokyo
EnglishCountryside location Everyone cheerful and
Safety, academic
expressive
ability(1.1) Reasons for Decision to Study Abroad and at M University
In identifying the motivation of Japanese students going abroad there were three major categories (Table 1).
In the first category, participants answers revolved around the theme of experience (n=5), as their main goal. The
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students were inspired by people in their lives or by other aspects of American culture. One female student wrote,“When I was a high school student, my English teacher told me the story about her experience of studying abroad,and I’m interested in it. My family wasn’t surprised and easily accepted it because since I was a high school student
I had said that I wanted to study abroad when I was in the university.” Other students also mentioned that since ayoung age they wanted to go abroad. Another student said, “I had wanted to study abroad since I was 12 years old.”
In this category the study abroad was a long-awaited, pre-planned, mediated experience highly anticipated by theparticipants. Another student in this category describes how his brother’s experience influenced his decision, “Study
abroad was my dream. My brother has gone to Vermont State five years ago [and] that inspired me to want to do it.
My family knew that I would like to study abroad and I am learning English, so they did not stop me.”Though some of the students do mention English, it is a secondary motivational factor for the “experience”
category, contrary to the next category of students whose primary goal was learning English (n=5). Students
identified learning the language as their motivation and goal, and some students mentioned that the U.S. was nottheir first choice for learning English, while another student indicated that the U.S. was the best place to learn
English for her. Factors such as enjoying studying English since junior high school or the importance of English forthe students’ careers was the inspiration of this group. One student who aspires to become an English teacher wrote,“I want to be an English teacher for the future, and I wanted to study at the country that English is spoken. In
addition, English taught in Japan is American English not British English, so I decided to go to the U.S. I chose M
because there is the subject in which I can join the fieldwork at elementary, middle or high school in the U.S. In
addition, there are some classes that I’m interested in.” The third group consisted of one student, where the student
was unable to get acceptance to the university of his/her choice in Japan and decided to study abroad instead. Thisis a common reason why some Asian students come to American universities, however, not all students admit thisfact.
Three students mentioned being influenced by American pop culture, which made them interested in studyingin the U.S., and which seemed to have influenced their expectations of the U.S. Overall, all students received supportand encouragement from their family. Only one student mentioned that his family was against it at first. The reason
for choice being that this particular university had an established exchange program with their Japanese universities
and had classes in which they were interested. For privately supported students, the tuition fee being low(categorized as financial reasons in Table 1) was the reason that made them choose M University. Another
underlying reason for the exchange students’ decision was the university being located in the countryside andoffered classes of interest to them being taught at M University. Student 11 wrote, “One of the reasons I choose M
was that it is in countryside. There are two reasons I prefer countryside. First is safety. Countryside is safer thancity. Second reason is that I wanted to study in quite place, I believed it made me concentrate on studying because
there are not so many place to have fun. Another reason that I chose M is that I thought there were few Japanesepeople compared with other university.”(1.2) Expectations, Concerns and Preparations Prior to Arrival
In the expectations of Japanese students, there was disappointment in the limited level of interactions with
Americans, which is described in the next section. The two largest concerns that the students had were safety andtheir academic or language ability (Table 1). The safety concern was number one, with six of the students identifying
it as a major concern. As one student described, “Mostly my concern was safety, since shooting incidents were often
on the news.” Another student was concerned with public safety in relation to American law enforcement officers.
The second concern was with the ability to keep up with their studies and the English language. Two other students
worried about communication and ability to make friends. Other concerns included homesickness and gaining
weight.
In response to the prompt, “Describe your academic preparation to study abroad,” eight students said theystudied English, two students said they did nothing or they did not do enough, while one student read newspapers.
Overall the students did not have any clear ideas of how they could prepare to increase their chances of academic
success in the American education system.

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Anya HOMMADOVA & Takanori MITA, Academic and Social Challenges of Japanese Students(1.3) Experience Abroad and Interactions in Daily Life
Almost all of the students have been abroad (n=10) either on vacation or a short-term exchange program.
Only one out of the 11 students has never been abroad before coming to M University. The first interaction thatnine out of the 11 Japanese students had with M University students was at international student orientation, which
two students were unable to attend. The experiences vary, but many students indicated that it was boring, though
the students were friendly. The orientation consisted of mostly international students and a few American students
representing the school. Some of the participants were still under the effects of jet lag and could not recall muchfrom the orientation.
In the section about interactions with the American students, most of the Japanese students said that it was
extremely rare for them to talk to their classmates and that the most common interaction was with their American
roommates. Three out of seven students who had American roommates indicated that there was some turmoil in therelationship. Student 1 wrote, “…[O]nly thing is senses towards cleanness or something tiny (of American
roommate), which if these have accumulated, Japanese can irritated with.” Four of the students directly stated thatthey had expected Americans to be different from what they have experienced thus far. One student wrote, “Iimagined Americans interested in other countries, but actually not so many (are)”, while another Japanese stated,“I thought everyone would be more friendly.” Other differences in expectations were about physical appearance, as
one student said that he did not expect to see so many “fat” Americans, and another student wrote, “I expected that
American people are more fashionable because my favorite clothes companies are from America and there are
American celebrities fashion magazines in Japan.” The impression of American professors was “nice,” however,some students commented that they speak very fast.
(2) Focus-Group Session
Eight exchange students participated in the focus group session. It was planned from 5 to 6 p.m. on August28, 2015, however, it continued until 7:20 p.m. Two students departed around 6:15, while six students remained
until the discussion ended. The experiences described are within two weeks after arrival to the U.S.
The first prompt was challenges in everyday life in the U.S. The biggest daily challenge was food: all students
agreed that the food in the cafeteria and in American restaurants was not tasty. The two of the most common words
that were used are mazui and oishikunai (both meaning not delicious). Most of the students ate at the cafeteria while
one girl cooked her meals herself. Though it seemed that most of the students were aware that American food might
not be delicious, as one of the participants, H.I., said, “American food is bad, and I knew that from the Japanese
who studied in the U.S. before.” Another student, K., said: “Before coming, I knew the food is not going to bedelicious, and it was exactly as I thought.” One student, T., said that the food was worse than he expected. Amongthe students, none came to the U.S. with positive expectations of food being delicious. When asked about what it
was that did not taste good, they all said everything did not taste good and was too oily. When asked to describe
exactly what it was in the taste that they disliked, after a minute of silence, one student said that it was the strengthof the flavor; anything sweet is too sweet and anything salty is too salty. The other students agreed that that wasmost likely the reason why they could not get used to the food, as, in comparison Japanese food was blander. The
canteen serves a variety of food in a buffet style, including salad, pizza, Mexican food, hamburgers, dessert and afull variety of dishes, however, the flavoring is for the American taste buds, which prefer intensity over subtlety.
Student E. commented that she was surprised that the drink refills were free in many restaurants and added that the
portions are very large, while the fish is expensive in stores.
The other cultural differences that students talked about were mostly concerned with the town and the people.
Most of the students did not expect it to be as rural as it turned out. Although they acknowledged that they knew
ahead of time that they would be coming to a rural place, they did not expect it to be such inaka or countryside as
it is. However, the majority of the students were more surprised by Americans themselves. Student E. said that theappearance of Americans was a culture shock to her, all the girls wore yoga pants to class, and she doesn’t remember
seeing girls in public in Japan wearing headbands, while here at M University is was common. Furthermore, she
did not see any girls wear skirts with black net tights, where in Japan that is very common. Student S. added thatthough it is cold, American students wore sandals; he also commented on the appearance of American
students,:“There are many fat people in the U.S. They are big, but they eat little. How did they get that big?” K.S.
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added, “Yeah, and because some of them are tall, I had an image that they would be good at sports. However, in
reality, I have a sports class, many Americans aren’t that great, they are big, but they can’t move.” A third student
added, “Do you think that I could play basketball with them too and keep up?” K.S. replied, “I think you could win,because they are slow.”
The students also discussed that the price of textbooks was extremely high in the U.S. compared to Japan.
Furthermore, the size of the textbooks and having the option of renting the textbooks from the bookstore were
unfamiliar to them. Another surprise was that some of the university events lasted late into the night and finished at
11 p.m. or midnight. All of the students agreed that there is a lot more discussion in the American classrooms thanin Japan. Student T. commented, “Students raise their hands and participate in answering questions, but somestudents talk without even raising their hand.” Manners was another point of heated discussion. Five of the six
students said that their classes started on time, while one student complained that his professors were always 5 to
10 minutes late. The students went back and forth discussing the Americans professors’ punctuality, while the music
major student insisted that they are always late, and even in the international student orientation people were late.
There was a consensus, however, that the classes ended on time and students started packing up their things
regardless of what the professor was doing one minute before class ends. It was noted that in Japan students slowly
pack up, hang around and chat after class, while in the U.S., the students rush out of the classroom. Most of thestudents had not yet had any personal interactions with their classmates, however they noted differences in manners,
such as taking too much space. “The American students put their feet up on the chair in front of them, even if there
is someone sitting there. In Japan this would be an unbelievable kind of behavior, but the American professors say
nothing.” The students who had roommates said that it was not easy to get along at times. K.S. said: “My roommateis always hot, he opens the windows and turns on the fan even when it is cold.” Other interactions with people
included an interesting account of an unpleasant incident where three Japanese students got scared of a local citizen.
They recalled the incident with disbelief, “So we were just walking around on the sidewalk in downtown when thisblack man started yelling at us. He got out of the car and came really close to us just swearing for no reason.” When
asked what exactly the man was yelling the students felt very uncomfortable and just said it was “racial insults.”
Despite some negative experiences that some of the students had, overall, the students said that their experience inthe U.S. thus far was positive. The session ended with all of the participants being thanked and, upon a request for
future interviews, the students suggested making a social group on Facebook and consented to being contacted
through instant messenger regarding the scheduling of future interviews.
(3) Interviews and Observations from Study Group Sessions and Social Events
Interviews and small discussions were held at M University’s commons area or at a nearby coffee shop. The
first interviews were conducted in May 2015 with three Japanese students who were about to go back to Japan after
completing a 10-month exchange program. In August and September of 2015, interviews were conducted withstudents who recently arrived in the U.S. for the exchange program, as well as with three students enrolled inundergraduate programs of M University. Another set of interviews was done in November 2015 focusing on thethird phase of cultural adaptation (Gebhard, 2013). All together 16 interviews were conducted each ranging from30 minutes to a few hours.
The interviews with the newly arrived students were all centered on their struggles to keep up with theirclasses and interactions with American students. It is important to note that two of the participants are from an allgirls’ Japanese university. The comments and concerns were about academic assignments and the inability tounderstand professors due to their English ability. Interviewees indicated that they did not have much interaction
with their classmates. One of the students joined the Korea Club and had a lot of interaction with the students there.
Another student described her interaction in a class group activity, “So, for speech class we had an assignment to
go to the library to look up some information in our group. We decided to meet on Thursday from 6 to 7:30 at thelibrary. I did not know what to do, and how or what to look up, and mostly stayed quiet. Around 7:30 everyone
started to pack up and leave, I was nowhere near being done, and some other students were not finished, but they
all left. Thankfully, Andrea emailed me later that night and said because she wasn’t finished either, the two of us
can meet up and finish it together” (Interview S3). Overall, not only the newly arrived students, but all of theinterviewees commented that the biggest difference between American and Japanese classrooms was the degree of248

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activity of the students. The students in the U.S. were said to be interactive and were rarely observed sleeping inclass. The amount of group work and discussions was uncomfortable for the Japanese students. As Y. described, “I
was in this class where I didn’t know anyone, and the teacher said to make groups. I looked around, but… Then the
person who sat next to me to the right started talking to the person who sat next to me to the left, ignoring mecompletely, but I was sitting in the middle, I don’t know I somehow ended up in their group but I couldn’t talk andthey didn’t listen to any of my ideas.” Surprisingly the most challenging classroom activity was identified as group
work. Six students during their interviews said that group discussion and group work resulted in the most conflict.
One student described a situation during a group project where they had to take pictures, and his partner was satisfied
with mediocre photos. When H. asked his partner to help him redo the pictures, his partner said he was sleepy andneeded a nap. During this part of the interview, the outrage felt by H. was re-lived and he described this emotional
experience with frustration and disbelief, repeating, “I don’t know what he was thinking” concerning the behaviorof his partner (Interview H13). Another student described a group project in leadership class as very stressful forher: “I asked her [one of the group members who was taking charge] if I could help with the poster, and she
said ’Don’t worry about it…’ When I contacted her about helping with the fliers, she said she already did them”(Interview K15). One of the most traumatic experiences was described by Y.: “While we were preparing for thepresentation she, [my partner] was always busy, but I still tried to do all I could to do a good job. The day we were
supposed to present, I asked her to meet and practice together, but she was busy again. Finally, when we had to do
the presentation, she told me in class that she changed the whole PowerPoint. I asked her to change it back because
I did not know what is in the new PowerPoint, but she just said ’read the slides, you’ll be fine.’ My part of thepresentation went horrible. I cried at the end of the class and felt so embarrassed. English is not my first language,
I have to practice many times before class to do a good job on class presentations…” (Interview YA16).
When asked about what helps the students overcome academic challenges other than studying hard, threestrategies emerged during later interviews. The first is visiting the professors during office hours. All of the students
have met with their professors during office hours at least once. All professors teaching at American universities
have to provide office hours at a designated time during the week. The professors stay in their offices, available forstudents to come and meet with them on a one-on-one basis to discuss anything related to the class. The Japanese
students indicated that their home universities in Japan did not have this system, and some wished that they had
understood the benefits of office hours earlier in the semester. Some of the help the Japanese students received
included looking over homework assignment before submission, helping review for tests, and providing
explanations for concepts that were not well understood. The second strategy that a few students used was requestingtutors. The university provides a tutoring system for most classes wherein any student can request a tutor for any
class with the approval of the professor. The tutor meets with the students once or twice a week and helps thestudents with anything related to the class. Two of the Japanese students said they have developed friendships with
their American tutors and that they sometimes spend time together outside of tutoring sessions. The tutors get paid
hourly by the school for their tutoring services and have to have taken and received an A in the class for which they
are tutors. The third strategy is audio recording the professor’s lecture and listening to it outside of class to get abetter understanding of the lecture content.
Another difficulty that students were having was understanding American humor, though the ongoing themeof having problems with roommates was also common. One of the students, who did not have a roommate, met an
American girl who was studying Japanese. This girl offered to be her roommate, and the Japanese student was very
perplexed as to if she should consent or continue to live alone, as she heard that many Japanese students complain
about their American roommates. One student who was a transfer student and enrolled in the sociology
undergraduate program recalled her memories from living in the school dorms, “I have a dramatic story for you,”she said excitingly. “So when I first arrived at M University, I lived in the dorms and I had a horrible roommate. At
first everything was okay, we signed a roommate agreement, in which we agreed that her boyfriend could visit her
on the weekends. But then her boyfriend started to be in and out of the room all the time. Furthermore, I would
wake up and see him half naked laying in her bed. The worst thing was his snoring, here I recorded it.” She took
out her cell-phone and after a few minutes she played a 20-second recording of a loud snore, then giggling, she
continued: “So I talked to the RA (resident assistant) and the three of us had a meeting about it. After that our
relationship became worse. She would come home in the early morning and sleep. But I have to go to class, so I
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had to turn on the lights. My roommate yelled, ’Turn off the light, I am sleeping,’ but it was almost noon! Then,
when I got a boyfriend and he came to my room and said hello to my roommate, she just ignored him. Finally, thenight before the day we were supposed to move out she was packing all night. So I said, ‘Can you turn off the lights,
because it was really late,’ and I wanted to sleep. She said that when she was sleeping I had the light on, so I haveto get over it. We started to argue and she screamed ’bitch’ at me and slammed the door” (Interview S4). When
asked why she did not move out or change roommates, A. said that she did not want to lose to her roommate, as if
it was an endurance competition.
When describing the activities the students had partaken in with American students outside of class, it was
mostly going out to bars or house parties. One student captured the essence of the differences between Japanese andAmerican youths interaction: “I think there is a difference in the way people interact in Japan and the U.S.,
particularly different ways of hanging out. For example, talking for a long time at a family restaurant in Japan isvery common, but American people don't like that. How should I say it…When hanging out with Americans, theyusually eat at a restaurant very quickly and then go to another place, then another place, you can go to a bar or
bowling or to some other activity. The emphasis is centered on an activity they do together. But in Japan it is more
about hanging out and we sit around chatting for hours. Another example is the dormitory floor meetings whereresident assistant organizes an activity, usually some kind of a game. However, in Japan, this kind of meeting would
consist of just sitting around and talking about our problems” (Interview M8).
When asked about culture shock, the main points were the unfriendliness of Americans, or not being as
friendly as expected, as well as not being interested in foreigners. One student recalled, “This was my first timecoming to the U.S. one year ago, I flew using Delta Airlines, before I always used JAL, where flight attendants areslim and friendly. But on Delta, the flight attendants were fat and walked the aisles with folded arms and unfriendly
expressions. Other customer said ’Excuse me’, but the flight attendant was already talking to another customer, andthe attendant said loudly, ’Be quiet I am talking to another customer right now.’ She was shouting. I mean I know
she was busy, but this would not happen in Japan. This was my first culture shock” (Interview S5). Other students
also commented on the lack of smiles they receive from clerks and other people providing services. There was astudent who said that she feels Americans are very ignorant about other countries: “I was at the H. Center and thereceptionist asked where I was from, so I said ‘Japan.’ She asked me where that was, so I showed it to her on themap, and she said she wanted to visit it sometime. But I know she never will.” A student who was in a one-yearexchange stated at the end of her exchange: “Americans often talk to us like we are children because Asian females
look very young and they think we’re at least two, three or even five years younger than what we really are”
(Interview M2-7).
As can be expected, examining the interviews of students who were in the U.S. for over 10 months, the overall
attitudes toward the U.S. and Americans were much more critical. The students who were in the U.S. longer had
more stories about negative interactions. One of the students, Y., said that she felt a lot of discrimination anddescribed two of such experiences. First, at a party, one blonde girl said to her “I am quarter Jap” and all of theAmericans laughed, which made Y. very uncomfortable. “I think there is a lot of discrimination, and the locals don’t
like outsiders. No one really talks to us, probably because they don’t think we speak English” (Interview S5).
Another case she described was when she was walking with two American friends and their acquaintance stopped
them and said hello to the two American girls ignoring the Japanese student completely. M. also mentioned that she
felt like an outsider. She said that most local American students knew each other from high school and it wasdifficult to enter into their circle or to understand and follow their conversations.
Five of the interviewees felt comfortable enough to discuss their romantic relationships. Two girls said thecourting in the U.S. is very different, and that American males are more aggressive when approaching girls. Y. said,“At a party, guys would come up and flirt. Then when I would say ’I have a boyfriend back home,’ their response
is, ’I don’t care.’ But I care. Guys in Japan are less direct…” One of the girls had a relationship with an American,
and said she thinks that Americans are too different in the way that they think and that she would prefer not to datean American again. Interestingly, one of the male students who had a girlfriend in Japan was frustrated with otherJapanese students’ comments about his relationship saying: “They have become Americanized, and not in a goodway.” The local Japanese students made fun of his level of seriousness toward his girlfriend (Interview Sh13). Two

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other students, Sa and K., were not in relationships but were attracted and starting to go on dates with international
students from other Asian countries.
(4) Observations and Data from Study Group Sessions, Social Events and Personal Narratives
In the weekly study groups organized by the researchers for the Japanese students, the students eagerly studied
and asked questions. It was obvious that the students cared about their academic standing, however their struggles
with grasping the material were also obvious. During the observation of a few student social gatherings, the Japanese
students’ behavior and comfort level varied depending on the situation, number of people they knew and, most ofall, the amount of time they had spent in the U.S.
One of the students in the study group had an assignment for a class wherein fellow American classmatesoffered written comments on the Japanese student’s behavior during group work. The assignment was for the
students to reflect on those comments. During one of the study sessions, this Japanese student offered to share her
written assignment with the researchers and consented for its use in this study.
There are three kind of comments I got from my group members: How did I work for the task, how did I
communicate with group members, and what can I improve. First of all…. I got comments such as “Committed tothe project,” ”Doing her best to understand the text,” “Slides were done very well,” ”Portion was always done ontime,” and “Great job speaking in front of the class.” When I worked for the group, I thought that all I could do
was doing my best. Because I knew I could not speak English like other group members did, I believed I shouldhave made up for it. That is why I decided to finish all the job on time and understand the text book. Also, I did mybest for the presentation. For example, I made a slide which was easy to understand by using few keyword, andmade a script for the presentation and practiced before the presentation. From their comments and my perspective,
I would say that I committed to the project by doing [my] portion on time, practicing speeches for better speaking,making understandable slides, and understanding the textbook.
Secondly, I would like to talk about how I communicated with group members. My group members said that
I was a “Very kind group member,” “Struggled to understand what the group members were saying,” “Always
communicates through messages if she was struggling or had any questions,” “Asked for help when it was needed
and always asked for someone to look over her work to make sure it was correct,” “Helpful and positive,” “Hardworker, tried hard to involved during group meetings,” “Praised those who helped me” and “Best fit under thetask-related role of the information/opinion seeker because she was great about asking questions if she was unsure
or didn’t understand something.” During the group work, I kept my mind that I should not have left something
without understanding and asked anything until I fully understood what they said. This is the reason why I said that
I asked for help and [was the] best fit for information/opinion seeker. I also attended all the meetings even if I could
not talk to them a lot since I need to understand what our group member thought about. On top of that, I got
comments that I was positive and praised those who helped me. Actually, I tried to be positive because it I got
through by my attitude. Overall, I believe that I communicated with our group members by asking for help, attending
every meeting, and being positive.
Finally, I would like to talk about suggestions I got from our group members. They said that I should speak
more, such as “Should express [her] own opinions and thoughts,”” Speaking more in person and showing us what[she] was working on so they could help in person for better understanding on both sides,” and “Participation ingroup conversation about ideas and brainstorming about the project as a group.” This was the hardest part for me
because all I could do was keep up with their conversation. But I think I should be conscious of expressing my own
thoughts and, at least, say something.
The struggles of the student and the reactions of American students in its natural environment is clearly
demonstrated by this narrative. During group communication, American students saw K. as struggling and actively
asking questions, demonstrating that the Japanese student did not have a totally passive role, however the focus ofsuggestions for improvement revolved around “speaking more.”(5) Accounts from the Exchange Program Related University Staff
More data was provided by the Japanese staff who supported the students in the form of written materials andinterviews. Through the observation of the exchange program with Japanese universities that started in 2000, the251Journal of International and Advanced Japanese Studies

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staff provided us with the following information about the Japanese exchange students. The university has had aregular exchange with three universities in Japan and, as of 2015, has accepted over 100 students. The American
students who are sent to Japan study in special Japanese classes. As long as the placement test correctly measures
the students’ levels, they experience no major difficulties while studying in Japan, because the Japanese classes aredesigned for foreigners and their classmates are foreigners as well. Conversely, the exchange students from Japanenroll in regular classes at M University with American students, which leads to major problems. The problem lies
deeper and is more serious than just their English ability: It is the knowledge of the subjects they take. In Japanese
universities, if one has some basic knowledge, it is possible to follow along in class, read the textbook and otherliterature, and soon be able to participate in class discussions. As college students having general public knowledge(such as politics, economics, and social problems) without having academic knowledge, the student at best can get
average marks such as Cs.
The study abroad experience is a challenge beyond imagination for Japanese students who believed that theexchange program is just a language study exchange. There have not been any examples of failure so far. Before
arriving, students were equipped with prior knowledge of the classes they were going to take at M University, and,furthermore they had good study habits. The results were clear, demonstrating that the key to predicting academic
success of the Japanese students was their academic preparation beforehand. The study groups were organized by
the Japanese staff who advised students in order to help the students better understand the course subjects undertaken
at M University. Students who came regularly to the staff for academic advice or participated in study groups allreceived over 80% in their classes. This shows that motivation and sincere desire to learn and receive advice areother key factors for academic success.
According to the Japanese staff at M University, students who consider the study abroad as a mere funexperience exerted their efforts at making friends and seemed to finish their study abroad thinking that studying isuseless. For the purpose of finding employment in Japan, the “study abroad” is perceived as merely a kind ofexperience and not as evidence that a large amount of knowledge available abroad was attained through the “study
abroad.” However, students who have an extensive overseas experience and utilized it to their advantage were able
to become English teachers in public and private schools as well as attaining jobs at large trading companies. Also
their job hunting in Japan yielded wonderful results. Even though due to the study abroad they started the processof job hunting later than their Japanese cohort, they still found jobs.
Regarding interactions with American students, the Japanese students who assisted in teaching Japaneselanguage courses were able to use this experience to make American friends. Other cases when friendships sparked
and Japanese students became close to American students include living on the same floor in the dorms andattending sports events or participating in a Japan Club. Though the staff refrained from commenting on theinfluence of romantic relationships of the Japanese students with Americans, they did state that the case of Japanese
female students dating Americans was indeed common and that it usually did affect the Japanese students’ studies.
4. Results
From the initial analyses of the data gathered, it is suggested that the two major problems that students faced
are academic ability and difficulty in having deep meaningful interactions with American students. The students
that had been in the U.S. a few months, as well as students who had been in the U.S. for over a year, indicated an
indifference or lack of friendliness from the American students. This was caused at least partially by the discrepancy
between the expectations of the students prior to their arrival to the U.S. and their personal experiences once they
were in the U.S. The strong image of “how Americans should be” in the descriptions the students provided clashedwith the reality of regular students in the rural U.S. who seemed distant. The expectations were partially caused by
the portrayal of Americans on TV and with the students’ firsthand interactions with Americans in Japan. The
Americans in Japan most likely already had an interest in Japan and therefore are different from the average
American who has little knowledge about Japan (Ishii et al., 2015). The Japanese students could not pinpoint exactly
how Americans were distant: Interviewees noted through instances of not exchanging greetings and not caring
enough. We suggest one logical explanation is in the personal space theory first proposed by Edward Hall (1966).
Japanese students come not only from a country that is heavily populated, but are also from major cities such as
Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe, while America is less populated and Americans are known to need a lot more personal252

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space than Japanese (Hall, 1966). However, Americans from rural areas that are even less populated needconsiderably more personal space than even an average American. Japanese students are likely to feel that
Americans are distant on a subconscious level due to their trying to keep physically further away from the Japanesethan they are accustomed. One student commenting that people seemed friendlier in California, but unable todescribe how so, can further support this argument. We believe that expectations prior to arrival and the culturaldifferences in personal space can be plausible explanations to why Japanese students perceived American students
as distant and unfriendly. However, further inquiry is needed for any definitive results.
The concerns prior to arrival were safety, however the murder rate in the city where M University is locatedis slightly lower than of Tokyo. Though it is true that the crime rates in the U.S. are very high compared to Japan,
the concern for safety in the location this group of students chose were unfounded. Furthermore, it is even safer tolive on campus as the campus is patrolled by security 24 hours a day. Daily problems of the students revolved
around American food; however, in the later interviews the students did not mention the subject and talked more
about difficulties in classes and interpersonal relationships. Most likely after a month of living in the U.S., the newstudents were used to American food, though they do not consider it delicious and instead reported just getting used
to it. According to the students, the problems with their academic performance stems from their English language
ability. However, we suggest the explanation lies in a lack of proper preparations prior to arrival and their attitude.
The majority of the students indicated that they prepared by only studying English, but according to the staff of theexchange program office, students coming from Japanese universities that teach more general subjects performed
considerably better academically that Japanese students from universities that concentrated on major subjects only.
The problem is not only the language, but knowledge of the subject and the style of teaching that the professors inJapan and U.S. use, as well as the students’ study habits. Furthermore, as previously noted by other scholars,international students are often impaired by the academic language; however the Japanese students themselves
might not be able to differentiate between their inability to understand academic language and label the problem as“just English.”
Another issue that can contribute to the Japanese students’ struggles is their motivation and self-identity
compared to American students with whom they are studying. In 2014, an International Survey of Youth Attitude
was published by Cabinet Office of Japan on the attitudes of Japanese youth compared to six other countries 5.
According to this survey, Japanese youth scored lower across categories that play a key role in academic success inan American college environment. Looking at the self-reported ability to clearly express one’s thoughts to others,
83% of American youth indicated they were able to do it, while majority of Japanese youth (52%) said that they did
not think they had this ability (p. 12). In the American college environment, where a lot of focus goes on criticalthinking, class participation and discussion, the ability to express yourself clearly to others is imperative. Anotherfactor is making decisions and having willpower: 87% of American youth felt proud of being able to do so, while
the majority of Japanese students (57%) disagreed with the statement (p. 18). An even graver outlook is given by
the responses on the motivation factor: 77% of Japanese youth felt unmotivated and bored, compared to 50% of
American youth; furthermore over 70% of Japanese youth felt sad and depressed (p. 23-24). In the comparison ofyouth from seven other countries, Japanese youth scored the highest across three categories: unmotivated, depressed,
and sad.
The lack of motivation by the majority of the youth in Japan is one thing to consider, however the motivation
to study hard in the U.S., instead of enjoying American life is another. The value of the “study abroad” experienceon a Japanese resume during the jobhunting period is not valued as gaining knowledge from a foreign county, andinstead according to Dr. Pharr, “has no positive evaluation—and if students spend over a year abroad, it is liable tohave a negative impact on their prospects for finding a good job after graduation. The companies do not makeexceptions for the deadlines of job applications and tests that are required for the job application process in Japan.
The students studying abroad are often at a disadvantage as they return from U.S. to Japan after the jobhunting
period has already begun.

5

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5. Conclusion and Direction for Future Studies
The results indicate that the Japanese students studying at M University struggled the most with their studies
and in their interactions with American students. Their biggest concerns prior to arriving in the U.S. were safety
and the ability to keep up with the classes. Overall, the students’ success is largely dependent on their preparations
prior to arrival in the U.S., their attitude and their ability to create meaningful relationships with American students.
Though most of the students prepared by studying English prior to their arrival, more effective general knowledge
is one of the keys to success in the American academic environment. Our results on Japanese students’ preparations
prior to coming to the U.S. were consistent with research done by Tanaka and Takahama (2013), in that the Japanese
students did not know or have a good plan to follow on how to prepare for their study in the U.S. The social skills
workshops suggested by Tanaka et al, (2013) could be effective, but we suggest academic preparation, as well asfamiliarity with the American student support system, can significantly help Japanese students to adjust to their new
environment. According to the Japanese students, visiting class professors or Japanese professors during officehours and utilizing the tutoring system helped them improve their academic performance as well as gain confidence
in their abilities. Awareness of these services prior to arrival could have eased some of their anxiety which,according to past research shows to positively contribute to the adjustment of Japanese students (Kawaguchi, 2006).
Furthermore providing more basic information about food, limited public transportation in rural areas, buying or
renting textbooks, asking professor’s permission to audio record lectures will all help reduce uncertainty and anxiety
of students coming to the U.S.
This study is exploratory in nature and was designed as a case study, therefore we advise to be cautious of
using any of the data for generalization purposes. The student sample was relatively small, but we were committed
to getting rich and descriptive data of Japanese students’ experiences. As few studies are available on theexperiences of Japanese students studying across the U.S., we hope more scholars will explore this phenomenon
with larger samples utilizing various tools of inquiry. In the field of Japanese companies’ perceptions on the study
abroad experience as well as the perceived value of “studying abroad” by the Japanese public, little information isavailable in English.
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