Friday, October 28, 2011
Which is better for students, Japan (Kyoto) or Hong Kong?
Which is better for students, Japan (Kyoto) or Hong Kong?
In 2011 I have the option of going to either Japan or Hong Kong for a year, as part of my course at University. I'm currently enrolled for the year in Hong Kong (Uni of Hong Kong), but am considering asking to change to the year in Japan (Kyoto University) for a year. Which is a better place for a student to live for a year? Quite into anime and can speak some Japanese, but also into Chinese culture (minus the communism) and can speak some Mandarin (I know - Hong Kong and Cantonese). Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Studying Abroad - 1 Answers
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1 :
Wow, what a difficult question. It really depends on what you consider "better for a student" as these cities and cultures are very different from each other. What are your goals as a student? Are you simply looking for an international experience or do you intend to study the language? In Kyoto, you can obviously study Japanese, but in Hong Kong, you could study Mandarin, Cantonese, AND Japanese. You don't say where you are from but I assume you are a native English speaker, how much Japanese do you speak? Can you manage if most people outside your university do not speak English? In Hong Kong, pretty much everyone speaks English. This is not the case in Kyoto where the language is primarily Japanese although most signs at railway stations and tourist areas are in Japanese and English. In Kyoto many young people study English and are eager to practice their English skills with Westerners, but it is far different from Hong Kong where most people are fluent in English. Something to think about. Japan is the center of the universe when it comes to Anime, you can find it in Hong Kong as well but nothing like Japan. Hong Kong is the financial center of Asia. What are you studying at University, have you chosen a major yet? If you are a finance major, Hong Kong may be better for setting up future career options. If you are interested in art or history perhaps Kyoto is a better choice. It's hard to answer your question because so much depends on what you like. Do you have any possibility of visiting these two cities before making a decision? That would be the best advice I could give, because only you can know what feels right.
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