One ocean and 4,400 miles separate Oregon from Japan. Their cultures are even farther apart and as different as apple pie and rice.
What would convince someone from Osaka, a city in the Saitama Prefecture, to move to Eugene and attend the University?
Twenty-year-old Rihito Okonogi, a sophomore pre-journalism major, chose Eugene and the University for several reasons.
“I was bored (in Japan),” he said. “Every day was the same. I want to see other countries and cultures.”
Okonogi first visited the States when he traveled to Los Angeles with a student exchange group during his second year of high school in the summer of 1999.
“Everything is so huge there,” he said. “Especially the roads.”
During his stay, he visited American cultural icons such as Disneyland, which he thought was “pretty small,” and Hollywood, where he said everything was too expensive.
However, something about the country appealed to Okonogi and enticed him back when he was choosing a school.
By the time Okonogi was in his third and final year of high school, he could not decide on a college major, as is customary in Japan. He also did not want to make a choice he might regret later.
“In Japan, it’s very difficult to change majors while you are in college,” he said.
Once he had decided to attend school in the United States, Okonogi had to find the one that fit him best. He did not want to buy a car, which he said would be necessary if he lived in a big city.
“I might kill someone” driving, he said.
He settled on the University because of its strong journalism program, because he would not become distracted by the many attractions of a large city and because the University is “a lot easier to get into.”
According to the registrar’s Web site, 289 students at the University are from Japan. That represents nearly 21 percent of all international students on campus, and the relative ease of admission could be
responsible for the large proportion.
Sakura Nakamura, co-president of the Japanese Student Organization, said that universities in Japan are much harder to get into, although academic success comes easier after that.
“Almost everybody graduates,” she said.
After coming to Eugene in 2001 and prior to registering for standard University classes, Okonogi took language classes at the American English Institute at the University. He said his speaking skills have improved, but he has further to go.
Okonogi said he struggles with essay tests because being unable to interpret a single word can prevent him from answering an entire question.
“We never have these kinds of tests in Japan,” he said.
In between classes, Okonogi treks back to his fifth-floor residence in Carson Hall, decorated with photographs of his friends and pieces of art. His bed is one mattress without a frame or box spring — he said it was more comfortable that way. Pairs of shoes are neatly arranged next to the closet.
For entertainment, Okonogi spends time with his friends. He said there are few alternatives for entertainment on campus. Takahiko Nishiwaki, one of Okonogi’s friends, said the two are usually limited to having dinner together, going to see movies and talking.
“I hope the University has more places for international students (such as) more International Night stuff, more international food (and) more international movies — Chinese or Japanese or Thai or something,” he said.
Nakamura agreed that outside the JSO, there isn’t much for Japanese students to do, but she said the University does offer cultural social opportunities.
“We have really great diversity, and we can meet people from all over the world,” she said.
Okonogi is not sure yet what he wants to do after graduating, but he is interested in television reporting because he would get to see the whole world.
He said that he plans on staying in the United States after graduation, but is not sure for how long.
“There is so much more possibility to get a job (in the U.S.),” he said.