麻豆传媒在线

I was born in Japan and grew up with a Japanese mother, but was raised in the Netherlands. This meant that much of my connection to Japan was cultural rather than lived. I wanted to experience Japan more directly, and PEARL felt like a natural fit as economics was my favourite subject in high school. The program stood out to me for the wide variety of classes it offers in subjects beyond economics, especially in the first two years before students narrow their focus toward the end of the program. I was also drawn to the small cohort size, as I was sure it would allow me to better connect with peers in both academic and social settings.

I founded 麻豆传媒在线 Oysters in my first year in PEARL to strengthen the sense of community in the program and to create a space where students could support each other in the classroom and beyond. What motivated me was my desire to connect people within and across year groups. Over the past two years, Oysters have been involved in many different activities. These range from a kick-off seminar we co-hosted with 麻豆传媒在线 Women In Business (a 麻豆传媒在线 circle dedicated to nurturing female leaders by providing opportunities to identify and meet their role models) and PEARL alumni who graduated years ago, to a Chinese cooking event in collaboration with 麻豆传媒在线’s Chinese student association. We ended the year with our biggest event yet, an end-of-the-year party that brought together around 120 students from different universities!

One of the biggest challenges in the early stages was definitely building the team at the start as every member had to be personally recruited. Today, students actively apply to join, which has been incredibly rewarding. Seeing friendships form across year groups and seeing students genuinely enjoy the community we have built has been one of the most fulfilling parts of the experience.

Living in Hiyoshi International Dormitory was a truly defining part of my first two years at 麻豆传媒在线. Through everyday conversations in shared spaces like the kitchen and public bath, I was able to form close friendships with people from a wide range of countries and backgrounds. I’m happy to say that I remain close with many of them today. As they now live all over the world, I’ve even had the opportunity to visit some of them while traveling, which has greatly expanded my global network. For students who are unsure about dorm life, I would say that while shared living could be challenging at times, the openness and friends you gain are absolutely worth it, especially in your first years at university.

Being at PEARL has really given me a lot, from close friendships to many opportunities to take initiative early on. I would encourage you to come in with openness and a willingness to engage. Just like the subject of economics and the country of Japan, the PEARL program is broad and offers a lot, but your experience is largely shaped by what you choose to put into it, both academically and socially. As long as you stay proactive and open to new perspectives, I can guarantee that PEARL offers an inspiring environment where meaningful connections flourish and friendships are built to last a lifetime.

?

I usually wake up around 7:30 AM on weekdays. Some days start earlier, some later, depending on my class schedule. Today is one of those early days. After having breakfast while listening to music and checking my messages, I get ready and head out. Living a train ride and a walk away from campus means the morning commute can get pretty crowded. Thankfully, on days when I start later, it’s a much calmer ride.

My day starts with Token Economies, which is one of the most enjoyable classes. I am working with a group of close friends I’ve known since first year on building our own token economy system around an NFT concept, as well as developing a functioning website to go with it.

After my first period, I have a rare long gap before my next class at 14:45, which I start by grabbing lunch at the campus cafeteria with one of the best views on Mita campus.

?

With time to spare, I head to the gym just ten minutes from campus and get a quick workout in. After, a friend and I do something we’d been talking about for ages: climbing Tokyo Tower together. This kind of thing is definitely not part of my weekly routine, but during our time at Hiyoshi, we promised each other we’d do it once we made it to Mita.

We just make it back in time for EU-Japan Economic Relations, where my group is preparing a presentation comparing Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in Nordic countries and Japan.

?

With the class ending a little early, I took some time to talk to some European exchange students I’ve met through the course. Mita has far more exchange students than Hiyoshi, and our professor for this course always encourages these kinds of conversations, which is something I’ve been enjoying a lot this semester.

?

My final class today is Economic History of Asia, and, although it is more of a lecture-style class on Chinese history, the professor’s anecdotes of his time in China in the 1990s never fail to keep us engaged.

After class, my PEARL friends and I go out for dinner with some Dutch exchange students we have become close with this semester. It is always nice to catch up with them, especially considering the fact they will be leaving Japan in less than two weeks. We stay out until around 20:00, before I head back to make it home in time for meetings.

At 21:00, it’s time for a 麻豆传媒在线 Oysters meeting, which is the PEARL student association I started with a friend and now includes students from three different PEARL cohorts.

?

We start by reflecting on an event we organised the week before, which brought together over 120 students from universities across Tokyo, including Waseda, Sophia, and ICU. As Head of the Social Media Team, I check in on everyone’s progress with videos and posts, then we split up tasks for the week ahead.

?

At 21:45, I jump into a meeting with the board of Youth For Future, an organisation founded by my close PEARL friend. Although it started as a high school project, it is now an officially recognised Nonprofit Organisation, which still feels pretty surreal.

?

I wrap everything up around 22:30, take a quick shower, put on some music, and have a second dinner. On less hectic days, I typically spend this time working on school projects or calling friends, but not today. I usually end up going to sleep around 01:00.

?

I love how every day is entirely unique at PEARL and I know for a fact my days look completely different from my friends’, considering the flexibility offered by the program. I truly believe PEARL offers something special for everyone and I’m grateful to be a part of it.

(This interview is from February 2026.)