Hello, my name is Noa, I’m from Japan. I’m currently in the second semester of the second year, pursuing tourism management, specializing in hospitality at Asia Pacific University (APU). My journey at APU was wonderful, and I can say that it is the most vivid time in my entire life. As Malaysia is the No.1 country where Japanese want to immigrate to, I also became fascinated by Malaysia after coming here.
 

Malaysia is known for its friendliness and chill atmosphere, which are very different from Japan. Although the Japanese culture of hard work is our beautiful strength, many people get stressed because of that. For example, in Japan, we have a strict way of writing an Email, but in Malaysia, everything is done in WhatsApp, and I love this! Being very formal and respecting others is very important, but I feel it’s too much in my country. I also love Malaysian English, “Manglish”, and I feel I’ve been influenced a lot. Sometimes, I’m mistaken for a local because of the accent I got in Malaysia. Walao eh! How can it be!

The environment in which everyone uses English is also another point that I’m jealous of. Advanced diversity is making it possible, and I believe it’s very important in this era of globalisation. I got to know how closed off Japan is once I left there, which can also be seen from the ratio of passport holders in Japan. When I started classes and interacted with new friends, I felt inferior due to my English level. All my friends are fluent in English, even when they didn’t go to international schools. When I was studying in Japan, everything was in Japanese, even the English language was taught in Japanese, despite my country’s effort in encouraging everyone to know English well. I’m jealous of how everyone speaks more than one language from a very young age, and I also want my country to be like that.

Studying in Malaysia is such an eye-opening experience, and I love how I’m getting new knowledge day by day. Malaysia is now my second home, and I feel very comfortable, even when I come back from other places. I always strongly recommend coming to Malaysia when I’m asked, and I believe this journey is possible thanks to the support of my parents. I hope my country, Japan, continues doing a great job while being admired by other countries, and I also hope Malaysia keeps growing and maintain a stronger relationship with us.