Anika in Tokyo

Konnichiwa! I'm Anika and I'm from France, originally. After moving to Berlin, my next (temporary) stop is Tokyo! There, I plan to further my M.A. studies in Economics and Management and also experience Japanese culture. I'll report on both on my blog, so come along!

Woman with long loose hair wearing a sleeveless patterned top standing in front of a historic building with columns and multiple windows.

Multi-lane city street lined with tall buildings and illuminated billboards at dusk

Thinking about a semester abroad? Learn from my mistakes — do your research! Here are key lessons I learned the hard way, covering essentials like SIM cards, ATMs, public transport, and the weather, so you’ll be fully prepared.

Historic building with clock tower behind a pond and benches in a park with trees

After studying at a Japanese university for several months, I’ve begun to understand how things work. Compared to my experience in the French and German education systems, I’ve noticed many differences and unique aspects worth sharing.

View down a small grocery store aisle with shelves stocked with fruits, vegetables, and packaged foods, two people with shopping baskets browsing the shelves.

You would expect Japan to be expensive for an exchange semester — but you would be wrong! I found student life in Tokyo cheaper than in Berlin. In this post, I share what to expect and tips on how to save your yen.

Vier Personen stehen auf einem gepflasterten Platz vor einem großen historischen Gebäude mit Säulen und einer ukrainischen Flagge auf dem Dach.

As students at HU Berlin, you can apply to spend a semester abroad at partner universities across the globe. To inspire, encourage and inform you, our HU ambassadors will blog about their experiences throughout their stay. New posts every other week.

Anika in Tokyo

The exchange student’s survival kit: Tokyo edition

How university is different in Japan

Japan on a shoestring

HU ambassadors

Registered office

Links

The ex­change stu­dent’s sur­vival kit: Tokyo edi­tion

How uni­ver­si­ty is dif­fer­ent in Japan

Japan on a shoe­string