University of Missouri–St. Louis students and faculty members arrive at Nagano Station. The students lived in the dorm at the University of Nagano for a week, where they bonded with Japanese students and sharpened their language skills. (Photos courtesy of Hiroko Yoshii)

Rachel Caywood wandered the grounds of Nikkō Tōshōgū, astonished by what she saw. She was captivated by a carving of the three wise monkeys – who speak, hear and see no evil – above the entrance to the Shinto shrine’s stables.

“Japan’s a very old nation, so I expected that coming in, but I was just blown away by the depth of culture and history,” said Caywood, a University of Missouri–St. Louis Japanese major.

UMSL students ride the Tokyo Metro.

This summer, the sophomore found herself at the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Japan’s Tochigi Prefecture as part of the two-week Japan Study Tour offered through UMSL Global and the Department of Language and Cultural Studies. The study abroad program typically runs every other summer, during even numbered years.

One of nearly 70 study abroad programs offered by UMSL, it provides a transformative experience for students to immerse themselves in another culture and cultivate a sense of independence and self-confidence.

Hiroko Yoshii, associate professor of Japanese and co-director of the program, said this year represented a renewal of the program after a brief hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the nation’s travel restrictions.

This summer 15 students took part in the trip, which differed slightly from previous iterations.

“In the past, we visited Nagano just one day, but this time, we stayed there for a whole week,” Yoshii said. “That was new and became a highlight of the trip for all the students. They stayed in the dorm of the University of Nagano, where they could interact with the local students and attend school and lectures.”

In Nagano, the students also visited cultural heritage sites such as Zenkōji, a Buddhist temple built in the 7th century, and Matsumoto Castle. During the rest of the trip, the group explored the greater Tokyo region. The tour included excursions to the Shrines and Temples of Nikkō and Kegon Falls in Nikkō; Kōtoku-in, a Buddhist temple known for its monumental Buddha statue, in Kamakura; and the Cup Noodles Museum in Yokohama.

UMSL students visit Kōtoku-in, a cultural heritage site known for the Great Buddha of Kamakura.

Caywood had previously traveled internationally to destinations such as Afghanistan, Belgium, England, Ireland, Germany and Norway as a tourist and as part of the United States Air Force. However, the opportunity to absorb Japanese culture motivated her to join the Japan Study Tour.

“I’ve always been really interested in cultural exchange,” she said. “I thought, ‘No better way to really immerse yourself in a culture, in a non-tourist setting, than to just be with other students, with peers, and get to see what life is like through their perspective.’”

Connor Armstead and Aiden Head both have an abiding interest in Japanese culture, which prompted them each to sign up for their first respective international journeys.

For Armstead, a junior majoring in international business, it’s been a long time coming. He first dreamed of going to Japan in high school, and at UMSL, he began taking Japanese classes in preparation for his eventual overseas adventure.

“I turned to my friend while we were still in the airplane and the wheels were touching down, and I said, ‘We finally made it,’” Armstead recalled. “We had been planning to go to Japan for about six or seven years. Finally being there, it was just mind-blowing. Walking out, feeling the heat of Tokyo, all the people running around, it was crazy.”

Head had never traveled by plane before, so he did a little research to ready himself.

“I watched a lot of YouTube videos ahead of time,” he said.

But there are some things you can’t prepare for when it comes to international travel. Head and several other students missed the first connecting flight in Dallas and had to maneuver their way onto another plane. Head said it was stressful, especially before a 12-hour flight halfway across the globe, but ultimately, that’s not what he remembers most about the experience.

In Nagano, UMSL students and their Japanese counterparts from the University of Nagano visit Matsumoto Castle, which was the seat of Matsumoto Domain under the Edo Period Tokugawa shogunate.

“We had one free day where we got to plan our own event and do whatever we wanted for the day,” he said. “I chose to go to Mount Fuji. I planned a day trip, so I got there the night before, and then stayed there the whole day at Mount Fuji. I got up really early to see it during the sunrise. That was my favorite part. It was in all its glory, and it was awesome.”

The most impactful moment for Armstead was a presentation about St. Louis to the University of Nagano students to foster cultural exchange, while Caywood most enjoyed her time embedded with the group’s Japanese counterparts.

“I think that the most valuable part to me was the relationships I was able to form with the students that I could have never had on my own,” Caywood said. “Us girls were able to integrate in the dorms with Japanese students and get to talk with them and live like them.”

She and Armstead jumped at the chance to sharpen their language skills outside of the classroom.

“It felt more seamless talking to other students, because it didn’t matter if you spoke in a broken way,” Caywood said. “Being able to weave English and Japanese, just trying to get your point across, was really exciting.”

As the students traveled the country, they appreciated taking in the small differences around them from traffic signs to foliage to konbini – local convenience stores. They were also pleasantly surprised by the warm welcome they received everywhere.

“I’ve heard that when you go out to the more rural places that elderly people don’t tend to like foreigners, but I had the opposite experience,” Armstead said. “So many times when we were out in the countryside, they would get so happy to see that we knew just a little bit of Japanese. They would just start talking, and it was really friendly.”

Looking back on the program, Armstead can only think of one word to describe it: life-changing.

“Those were probably the best two weeks of my life,” he said. “I’m already planning to go back.”