TE-YU HUANG

Source: https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250530094000.html Parent: https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/

Voices of International Students

May 30, 2025

TE-YU HUANG

School of Social and International Studies

From Taiwan

What sparked your interest in this university?

I have always been deeply interested in Japanese culture, such as anime, J-pop, baseball, and so on. It had long been my dream to study in Japan. When I started looking into universities during my 12th grade, I came across the University of Tsukuba. I was attracted not only by the affordable tuition compared to private universities in Tokyo, but also by its excellent location. Quoting the slogan from the Tsukuba Express: "45 minutes to Akihabara", I was fascinated by the opportunity to easily explore one of the hearts of Japanese culture beyond the campus. Despite my personal preferences, I was also drawn to the welcoming atmosphere described by one of my high school seniors who studied there. His positive experiences made me feel even more excited about the possibility of studying at Tsukuba.

What aspects of Japanese culture or customs surprised you? How did you adapt to them?

One aspect of Japanese culture that has bothered me for a long time was the use of different speech levels in Japanese. As I am often confused about when to use the polite form (丁寧語) versus the plain form (タメ口), especially when I talk with my Japanese classmates. Since we are all around the same age, I was never quite sure whether I should stick with the polite language to show politeness or switch to the plain form to help me build closer relationships. It was quite challenging for me at first to find the right balance, but after spending time chatting with my Japanese friends and people every day. I have gradually become more comfortable with switching between these two.

What do you enjoy about Tsukuba?

The pace of life in Tsukuba is something I genuinely enjoy, except on rainy days. The lifestyle and the atmosphere here are ideal for student life, especially the balance between academics and extracurriculars. I also enjoy the affordable cost of living here. On campus, we have Kasumi , and beyond that, there are supermarkets with relatively cheap prices, such as Lopia, Trial, Donki and 業務スーパー. Though some of them are far away from the campus, I still appericiate the variety of options we have for grocery shopping. And if you are seeking more entertainment besides Mt. Tsukuba or the iias shopping mall, just hop on the Tsukuba Express and Tokyo is 45 minutes away (only if you take the rapid one, of course).

What do you hope to achieve during your time here?

First and foremost, I am hoping to graduate successfully. But one goal beyond that during my time in Japan is to further improve my Japanese proficiency, not necessarily just to pass the JLPT, but as a way to genuinely be able to interact with local people and better understand Japanese culture that is not included in my JLPT textbook, like watching Japanese variety shows without translated subtitles. Alongside my personal development, I also hope to be able to share my experience with students who are planning to study here, or those who are going to study in Taiwan. I want to be a bridge, a bridge that helps people understand Tsukuba and Taiwan bilaterally, and support them warmly like a caring grandma, just like the help and kindness I received when I first arrived here.

What do you think makes the University of Tsukuba special?

The campus's size, openness, and internationalization make it stand out in my mind. The campus is massive, but you are barely surrounded by fences or walls, sometimes you would not even know you had entered the campus when you first arrive, it just seamlessly blends with the local neighborhood. When hanging out with my friends on campus, it never feels like school, rather feels like a neighborhood with libraries, an extraordinary bakery, some cafeterias with decent food, and lots of lecture rooms. The blend of multinational culture in a Japanese institution also feels refreshing. Though we are not an international school or language school, you simply catch the vibe, and it feels fantastic to study alongside Japanese people and people from other countries.

[SIYA JITENDRA DESHPANDE

From India](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20260226150549.html) - [RIBEIRO FALCÃO LORRANA

From Brazil](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20260209143407.html) - [VICTOR MASSAKI NAKAGUCHI

From Brazil](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20260202113333.html) - [RIYAM MOTEA AL-RAABEA

From Iraq](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20260120140827.html) - [ASYRAF KAZUKI BIN ABDUL ZAKI

From Malaysia](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20251106153458.html) - [CHUN PI HSIEH

From Taiwan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20251028142948.html) - [EI YADANAR MAUNG

From Myanmar](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20251016155616.html) - [LIANG LIU

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20251007101114.html) - [EMMA ROSE DANGERFIELD

From Australia](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250922090000.html) - [IBRAHIM AKID

From Tunisia](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250902110146.html) - [LEYUN HUANG

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250728113623.html) - [HYOWON LEE

From Korea](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250718102403.html) - [ZACHARY JAMES YOSHIOKA

From USA](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250707114426.html) - [NIMISH SUDHIR GODSE

From India](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250627133322.html) - [HASINI NIMANTHI KATIYAPE SAMARASEKARAGE

From Sri Lanka](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250619133000.html) - [MURAN XU

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250612140000.html) - [YANG HU

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250606103000.html) - [TE-YU HUANG

From Taiwan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250530094000.html) - [SHAFIQULLAH YOUSAFZAI

From Afghanistan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250225105959.html) - [QI SHI

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250204110000.html) - [MYLES

From USA](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250131113000.html) - [ISRAT JAHAN

From Bangladesh](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20250121133053.html) - [SOTHEARITH ENG

From Cambodia](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20241029114315.html) - [FELIX COOMBER

From UK](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20241017104601.html) - [WAI PHYO THU

From Myanmar](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20241011140751.html) - [SRINITHI ASHOK KRISHNASWAMY

From India](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240919133000.html) - [SACHI JOCHI

From Japan/India](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240716140000.html) - [PING HUAN WANG

From Taiwan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240712140000.html) - [NGHI NGUYEN BAO

From Vietnam](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240711133000.html) - [GUANGQI AN

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240710150000.html) - [HELIO NONOSE

From Brazil](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240528092344.html) - [TAO LENG

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240523151907.html) - [INSYIRAH

From Malaysia](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240514152825.html) - [ARAMAKI, CAUE SINGO

From Brazil](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240430095237.html) - [SUHARMAN

From Indonesia](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240227114125.html) - [NG RAY SHAN

From Singapore](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240226133548.html) - [DU XIN

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240117102400.html) - [YINA SHIN

From Korea](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20240116154326.html) - [JOOEUN YOON

From Korea](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20231102090000.html) - [REN YIHAN

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20231023134514.html) - [MENG LIYUAN

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20231013131944.html) - [WU BOQIAN

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20231012154418.html) - [YU, CHENG-HAN

From Taiwan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230725103018.html) - [PARK KIWON

From Republic of Korea](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230721105324.html) - [CHEN MIN

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230719132452.html) - [CHAEYEON LEE

From Republic of Korea](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230718143142.html) - [ELIZABETH BERGEN-BARTEL

From USA](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230706133924.html) - [LIAO, HSIN-YEN

From Taiwan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230705103506.html) - [PAKORN WANGSUEKUL

From Thailand](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230703120649.html) - [NGUYEN THUY ANH

From Vietnam](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230630105343.html) - [LAN CHI

From Vietnam](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230602095633.html) - [NADIA HASNA KARIMAH

From Indonesia](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230322094500.html) - [HNIN OO

From Myanmar](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230307090437.html) - [KAWTAR

From Morocco](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230224102000.html) - [NA

From China](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230215090000.html) - [AFSARI

From Bangladesh](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230208090000.html) - [REZA

From Indonesia](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230131154914.html) - [YOLANDA GRAÇA

From Angola](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230110090000.html) - [ADOM

From Ghana](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20230105090000.html) - [SUDHIR

From India](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20221214095228.html) - [MIKI

From Mongolia/Japan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20221213105143.html) - [AISANA

From Kazakhstan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20221125101929.html) - [VITHOR SILVA

From Brazil](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20221122095714.html) - [CHINMAY

From India](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20221118111537.html) - [JEE

From Thailand](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20221117140614.html) - [ISLA

From Taiwan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20221021141022.html) - [MIVE

From Turkmenistan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20210426132421.html) - [LAURA

From Argentina](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20210420132735.html) - [SERGIO

From Colombia](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20210416143645.html) - [LENNY

From India](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20201022151142.html) - [ZHANAR

From Kazakhstan](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20200911020140.html) - [PENG

From Malaysia](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20200909030142.html) - [RAVI

From Nepal](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20200909020143.html) - [SUNITA

From Nepal](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20200909010141.html) - [ATOM

From Thailand](https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/voices/20200907020144.html)