Halloween in Japan

Japan does not “celebrate” Halloween per se, there is a definite consciousness of the holiday throughout the country. When you go to the convenience stores, you can see little end-caps full of Halloween themed candy, a lot of cafés and other businesses will put up some cursory Halloween decorations in October, and Halloween costume parties are a fairly popular pastime among younger Japanese people. 

That being said, it is not nearly as major an event here as it is in the United States. (Indeed, I get the distinct impression that it’s not as big anywhere as it is in the United States). Some stores, like LOFT, sell Halloween costumes, but on the whole it is uncommon for people to dress up in costumes, even if they are going to a Halloween party. Likewise, Halloween parties are mainly an event for young adults here. There are rare exceptions, such as parties for expats, but there is no such thing as door to door trick-or-treating, and young children would rarely participate in any kind of Halloween festivities.

I don’t know for certain, but I suspect that the widespread awareness of Halloween has something to do with Japanese government initiatives (such as JET) to bring native English speakers into their public schools to teach English. It is very common for these teachers (usually called ALTs, short for Assistant Language Teacher) to teach lessons about holidays. So by the time they have graduated high schools, they have been taught about Halloween at least 9 or 10 times. The widespread dissemination of Western media probably also plays a role.

In any case, most Japanese know about Halloween traditions, even though they haven’t personally participated in them. I was asked at least a dozen times in the week leading up to Halloween, “In America, do they really go out and get candy from strangers?” To which my response was, “Not everybody, but a lot of people do. I went trick-or-treating every year until I was 11 or 12.”

I miss handing out candy and doing Halloween stuff in my home community in the US, but I did do the next best thing: I went to Universal Studios in Osaka, Japan with some friends. USJ here has a Halloween Horror Nights event very similar to the one at Universal Orlando, and basically everyone there is dressed up. There’s a very strong cosplay vibe to the event in Japan; you see a lot of groups dressed in matching costume. We even ran into basically the entire cast of One Piece (a popular manga and anime) as we were entering the park.

So, it’s not nearly as fun as, say, Hanami (Flower-viewing, which takes place in the spring), but it’s definitely an interesting example of the way that Japan integrates Western culture into its own.  

My first two months in Paris (and some practical advise)

It was a friend I met at American University during my first semester of graduate school who gave me the final encouragement I needed to apply to the exchange program in Sciences Po. She was an exchange master student herself from Geneva and was really helpful in answering all my questions, so I hope I can do the same for you with this post.

I can start by telling you that if you are hesitant on applying  to an exchange program at Sciences Po, you should not think about it anymore and just do it. Coming to Sciences Po and living in Paris has been one of the best experiences of my life so far.

The Academics

School in France is different than in the U.S. You will be taking 5 or more classes so be ready to juggle a lot of reading, group projects, presentations, essays and exams.That being said, it is all manageable and worth it. I was a bit concerned that I wasn't getting enough development economics classes at AU so I loaded my schedule with classes of that sort at Sciences Po. I'm extremely happy with my classes and feel like I'm learning a lot.

Tips

* Because Sciences Po master exchange students have last pick on registration day I had to register in classes I didn't want to because all the other ones were full. The official version is that once the registration day is over, you can't register in a class. This is not true, if you go to the right person, they will do everything to help you and will enroll you in the classes you wanted as long as there is room. I was able to drop 2 classes and enroll in two others that were full at first but became available after some other students dropped them.

* The library is PACKED!!! Be ready to study in whatever corner you can find in the floor of the library. There is an overpopulation problem at Sciences Po so it can be hard to find room to sit down and read or use a computer.

The Sports

At Roland Garros- The French Open Venue

One great thing about Sciences Po is the huge list of sports/leisure activities they offer for a manageable fee (50-90 euros per semester). I signed up for tennis and swimming but have friends that are taking ballet, Pilates, etc. Each class has an instructor so they help you improve in whatever sport/activity you pick.  Definitively take advantage of it!

Tips

*If you like playing tennis, the district of Paris offers an online reservation system that is open to all people with a Paris address. There are a lot of public tennis courts throughout the city and they cost 5-10 euros an hour. I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to play tennis while in Paris but I managed to find a tennis partner and now I play every week! www.paris.fr/tennis

The Living in Paris Issue

Versailles

It is hard to find housing in Paris, especially if you are not French. The best thing to do is to come and live in an air bnb or something like that for the first few weeks to get to know the city and the areas. A lot of people at school live at the Bastille or Montmarte areas.

Tips

*"Take my flat" is a website where the Sciences Po community can offer or rent places. You need a Sciences Po email account to access it. I found my studio there and it worked out perfectly. No agencies, or paperwork.   www.takemyflat.fr

French People

I was told I was going to have a hard time in France because people weren't very nice. This is absolutely not true. On average, people are friendlier in the U.S. than in France but French people are friendly and nice. Try to come to Paris with an open mind and you will be pleasantly surprised.

The Language

Take advantage of the language classes Sciences Po offer, they are included in your tuition and are really good. The university facilitates a language exchange program among students, just like the one at AU. On top of that a lot of French students are eager to practice English or Spanish (or any language you speak) so it won't be hard to find language buddies. Finally, Sciences Po offers 20 minutes-tutoring sessions. I went last week with a pronunciation question and they were very helpful.

Tips

*If you speak a bit of French don't hesitate to practice, French people really appreciate when you try to speak in French. They might switch to English right away but they will definitively appreciate the fact that you are trying.. Also, when I speak in French and don't know a word, I just ask the person I'm talking to how to say a word in French. People will help you.

The Friends You Will Make 

Nuit Blanche

Ever since its last director, Sciences Po has made a huge effort to make its student body as international as possible. You will meet French students but you will also meet students from all over the world.  It has been an incredible learning opportunity to do group projects with people from different countries such as Gambia, Israel, India, Venezuela, Germany, England,Morocco... All these cultures have different approaches to learning, group work and academics in general. Is has been so helpful to gain experience in this matter because as someone who wishes to work in International Organizations, working in multicultural groups will be a daily  experience.

Also, because all these students come from other countries they are just like you in the search for new  friends. I though I was going to be alone all the semester but in fact I have always something to do!

Tips

*Everyone knows someone who knows someone who lives in Paris. Make sure to ask your friends if they have friends living in Paris, reach out to them and ask them to have coffee. You will meet great people who will give you helpful information about the city and you might make new friends too!