It is finally the start of the long-awaited summer break for students studying at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU for short). Congratulations to the many APU students that finished their exams and final reports for the Spring 2021 Semester. As it will be summer break for 2 months now it is normal to wonder what are the typical plans of APU students to do?
Because APU is set in the beautiful country Japan, it is custom for both international and Japanese students do travel. Every prefecture in Japan has many things to explore such as natural wonders, museums, festivals, food, amusement parks, concerts and more. It is easy to book bus, ferry or plane tickets to anywhere you wish to explore. One thing that is quite common for APU students is to take the famous Ferry Sunflower which is a ferry that goes directly between Beppu (the city APU is set in) to one of the biggest cities in Japan, Osaka. The reason for why Osaka is such a popular place to go to is because of Universal Studios Japan, see the famous Osaka Castle, explore Japanese history, go shopping and do almost anything that comes to mind as it is a major city filed with many activities. Not only do APU students travel within Japan, but they might travel with the many international friends they have made. Because APU is an international university it is an amazing opportunity to make friends from all across the world and then visit their homes with them. Not only do you get to experience a new country, but you get to see the non-tourist side view of it as your friend will definitely show you places and tell you stories, they grew up with.
For many APU student’s family is a priority as well. It is quite normal for APU students to travel back home because they miss their family. At home there is comfort, but it is also a culture you are familiar with. Of course, it is fun to travel in Japan, but it is a joy as well to travel back home to see family and friends. In addition, as mentioned above, it doesn’t hurt to bring a friend or two to show you the country you were born and raised in. Furthermore, maybe going home can be a good option for helping High School students in what to do for University. It is common for APU to ask students that are going home for their break if they can visit the High School they went do. As a growing adult it is not always an easy option to know what to do for University. But getting a visit from a University student that decided to study abroad and hear the many things they have accomplished might be a fun and important lesson for those applying to University.
Lastly, being a University student can be financially tough, it is therefore always encouraged for APU students to get a part-time job. It is quite easy to get a work permit through the University and students can work up to 40 hours per week during the break. In Beppu there are many different part-time jobs for students to get such as working restaurants, convenience stores, tourist attractions and even work for APU! In addition, staying in Beppu for the summer vacation lets you relax by staying in one place, saving money and enjoy your time with friends that decided to stay as well. Beppu might not be a major city like Osaka, but it definitely has things to offer as well. However, if you do wish to get a part-time job, but not in Beppu then that is definitely a possibility. There are many APU students that decide to get a part-time job or apply for internship in major cities like Osaka, Kyoto and even Tokyo. It is a good way to get to know the working environment of other prefectures, but also a good way to further advance in the Japanese language as well. Furthermore, for those students that love studying and wish to enhance their learning further can take summer session classes or continue studying Japanese as it is always good to know the language of the country you reside in.
Overall, APU students do many different things for their two-month long summer vacation. It is their summer vacation so they can decide to do whatever they wish. Whether it is traveling, working or simply to just stay at home and play video games. As it is your time to relax, it is important to do things you enjoy in order to refuel your body and mind before the next semester.
We in the LEAF team hope you have enjoyed our 10 blog posts so far. We are very grateful to those that have read them so thank you very much! We will of course continue writing fun posts about Japan and APU, but we will be taking a 2-month break so we will be back in October. If you have stumbled upon our blog posts and wish to ask questions, then please contact us at our Instagram account. Although, our blog posts will be taking a break, we will still continue to post on our Instagram account and “Who is on APU Campus?” which you can above in one of the tags or on Facebook.
Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/apu.leaf/
Who is on APU campus? (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/Who-is-on-APU-campus-106866547935262
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