A world of misunderstandings awaits all those who choose to go to Japan carrying their national preconceptions of "normalcy". I fell into a string of traps upon arrival. But, first things first: As an 18 year-old Law student I decided to pursue a long time goal and learn Japanese, unaware at the time of how this would prove to be the most critical decision I would ever have to make. One thing lead to another and at age 21 I found myself a grantee of a Japanese Government scholarship program, to spend a month in Japan, studying the language and traveling around the country. Coming back, I remember telling my Japanese language teacher: "We'll go on with the language courses, but going back to study for longer time is a non-issue". But, as the saying goes, when people make plans, God laughs. Having won the Japanese Language Speech Contest, earned a string of diplomas and distinctions I was so proud about, and with a law degree in my hands, I earned the MEXT scholarship; I packed my stuff, my hopes and my fears and, before I knew it, I was landing in Tokyo. I was crashing in Tokyo, to be more accurate.

One more advice: always cooperate with your supervising professor; he or she can be the A and Z in your studies and could determine their outcome. In the meantime, don't forget that the Japanese people always appreciate us foreigners respecting their culture, their habits, their modus vivendi, and speaking (or even trying to speak) their language will get you even further. And always remember that we are guests in a foreign country, we are the outsiders, and we should show respect; you might not have to always abide, but do show respect. In my view, bowing, politeness and using phrases such as o-negai shimasu, sumimasen and o-sewa ni narimashita, are always appreciated and they won't harm you anyway. To make a long story short, if you have to remember one thing upon arrival and during your stay, in my view it should be this: be flexible ; I learnt all this through trial and error, although in theory I knew it all in advance.

So, my advice will be, go for it. You will soon thank yourself you did. I had already traveled a lot before I went to Japan, but this has been the most eye-opening and soul-shaping experience in my life so far. Needless to say, my studies in Japan and my Asian experience were a sine qua non for the boost in my career and I can't be thankful enough to my Japanese language teacher and to my family, who have been my guides and inspiration all through these years, as well as to Monbusho and the Japanese Embassy in Athens for giving me this opportunity. I also need to thank so many people in Japan for everything we've shared and for lifting me up every time I felt like giving up. But most of all, I dedicate everything I achieved to life itself, for all the experiences and the surprises it offered me and for those that await me ahead.