Week 5: Joining Sophia Circles

Now that I’m finally settling into my study abroad life in Japan and getting used to attending Sophia University, I decided to explore the different circles offered on campus. One of the groups that immediately caught my attention was the surfing circle. Seeing a Hawaiian sport represented at a Japanese university honestly surprised me. A few friends and I ended up joining, which felt pretty ironic since I’ve lived my whole life in Hawaii and had never surfed before, and yet my first real surfing experience was going to happen in Japan. I even met a few other students from Hawaii in the club, which made me feel connected to home despite being so far away.

I also joined a volleyball circle, which is a casual group that plays games rather than a competitive team that practices and competes for the school. As someone who had never actually played volleyball before, I never imagined myself joining a circle like this. But it turned out to be really fun, even as a beginner. It also became a great way to meet new people, make friends, and practice my Japanese.

A picture I took at Enoshima Beach

A picture of some of my friends and I at Enoshima Beach

We could see Mount Fuji from one of the bridges near the beach