{"id":5165,"date":"2023-10-04T12:02:45","date_gmt":"2023-10-04T10:02:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/fdef-en\/?post_type=news&p=5165"},"modified":"2026-03-31T00:57:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T22:57:53","slug":"learning-beyond-borders-elise-lacourt-about-her-summer-school-experience-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/fdef-en\/news\/learning-beyond-borders-elise-lacourt-about-her-summer-school-experience-in-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning beyond borders: Elise Lacourt about her summer school experience in Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Elise Lacourt is in her second year of pursuing a Bachelor\u2019s degree in law at our faculty. She was among the top 10 students at the University of Luxembourg’s three faculties, who were selected to take part in a three-week summer school<\/a> in Asian studies at Sophia University in Tokyo in 2023. We had a chance to talk with Elise and hear about her recent experiences in Tokyo upon her return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have just returned from the Japan summer school. How did it go<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The amazing month I spent in Tokyo went by so quickly! Between attending classes and visiting the largest city in the world, I didn\u2019t have time to get bored! My head is filled with great memories, from my desperate late-night attempts to improve my Japanese accent before class to evening walks through the city\u2019s flashing neons with friends from Uni.lu and other universities that I met during the exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Elise LACOURT is on the right, holding the flag of Sophia University.<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What courses were included in the program, and which classes did you particularly like?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had the choice between a Japanese language program or an East Asian studies program for which I opted. I particularly enjoyed studying Japanese popular culture and analysing how trends always reflect society’s values and beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u00abFirst Steps in Japanese\u00bb class was challenging, but I loved experiencing the Japanese way of teaching! Also, being able to use and understand a few sentences during my stay in Japan felt really rewarding!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did you experience student life in Japan? What was the most exciting part?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From what I experienced, studying in Japan implies an important workload, but Sophia University also organises many activities to help us connect with other students. For example, we attended the yearly organized Yukata day, and wore this traditional outfit along with the regular students who helped us to put it on!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my opinion, the most exciting part was meeting summer school students, teachers and locals who each had a different background, but who all got together respectfully and with an open mind!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Would you recommend the program to future students, and why?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Definitely! Whether you are a Naruto, Haruki Murakami, or Edo period fan, or whether you feel concerned about environmental issues and want to learn more about sustainability practices in Japan, you will find a class you\u2019ll enjoy. Even if you don\u2019t have a huge prior knowledge of the country but are curious to experience a totally different culture and make friends with people from all around the world, this program is ideal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you have any advice for future participants?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, you should be willing to adapt to Japanese customs, respect their traditions and rules even if they sound strict or weird compared to our Western way of life, and maybe learn a few words of Japanese in order to have the best possible experience with locals! Always be curious about places, people\u2026 and food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PS: get some good walking shoes and a factor 50 sunscreen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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