The summer season brought international travel experiences for many UT students. From Mexico to Japan and many countries in between, students took the Volunteer spirit across the globe to enhance their learning outside of the classroom. In this story, we highlight student perspectives from the Japan study abroad program. 

Sixteen students traveled over 6,000 miles to participate in the inaugural UTK in Japan: Applied One Health in Agriculture and Natural Resources study abroad program. While abroad, students visited Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nagoya. From visiting the Tokyo University of Agriculture to touring Mt. Takao and learning about the art of making and drinking matcha, each student had something different to look forward to.  

Landon Smith, a junior studying animal science, enjoyed learning from locals while abroad. 

Landon’s Perspective: Some of the biggest highlights on my trip were seeing the different agricultural practices across Japan, but the biggest one to me was going to a local karaoke place where I got to practice learning Japanese with locals while they practiced English. They were very welcoming, and it just warmed my heart to meet them; I keep in contact with a couple of them. 

Being in Japan made me really appreciate those around me and learn to love silent bonding. Talking with many locals and tour guides, they all brought up how they practice silent talk; this is where just being around people grows you closer and conversation isn’t always needed. Silence is a respected aspect in Japan, and I hope to try and bring that here. 

Environmental and soil science senior, Emery Nelson, was excited about the opportunity to learn about agricultural practices abroad.  

Emery’s Perspective: I was motivated to participate in this study abroad program because I viewed it as a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn more about the cultural atmosphere surrounding agriculture in Japan and how that differs from the United States. 

My favorite activity from this program was visiting the Nishio Tea Farm. This is one of Japan’s premier matcha tea farms. Not only did we, as a group, get to tour the farmland, but we also got to learn about the traditional way to drink matcha.