To experience firsthand the culture she had spent years studying from a distance, third-year East Asian Studies student from the University of Seville, Marta Sofia Rodríguez, chose to pursue a one-year exchange at the University of Tokyo.
The Todai Shimbun interviewed Marta to talk about what it’s like to finally experience a culture she had long been interested in, navigate language barriers, and reflect on her own culture by being in another. （Interview by Nguyen Tung Nguyen Pham, Photos by Mutsuki Tanabe)
──Why did you come to Japan?
I have always been interested in Japan. I’ve been watching Japanese films, documentaries, and anime my whole life.
──Are there any specific films that left a lasting impression on you?
I saw “The Last 10 Years” and the main character, played by actress Nana Komatsu, was really good. I was crying ten minutes in and didn’t stop. Besides that, the Studio Ghibli movies. When I was four I had lice, so my father sat me down to remove them. To stop me from moving, he put on Princess Mononoke. I just stared at the TV. These movies have been with me my entire life; I’ve grown up with them.
I really like the pace of Japanese films because there is space for silence. Maybe nothing is happening, but then everything is happening. Similarly, although everything is going on in Tokyo, you also can find quiet neighbourhoods where elderly people just sit on a bench staring at a tree. I like that.
──How does the academic culture and environment at UTokyo compare to Spain?
I’m still trying to adjust. In Spain, we don’t have weekly assignments or anything similar, so it’s more chill. Since most classes are preparing you for a final exam that is most of your grade, instead of going to class, you can prepare by yourself.
However, I don’t mind having to come to class and do weekly assignments. It’s easier to remember previous things you’ve studied and the learning style is well planned and organised. However, the transition from Spain was hard.
──So far, what are you enjoying the most about your exchange life?
In my university, there isn’t a campus—only buildings all over Seville. I have some friends in different majors, but since they live an hour away from where I study, there’s no university community.
Now I am enjoying being on a campus because every time you walk around, you bump into someone that you know and can meet new people from other classes.
──Tell me about your friends at UTokyo.
Primarily, the people I meet and go out with are international students. Most of my Japanese friends I met at my past residence in Mitaka, a dorm for both international and Japanese students.
One Japanese student helped me a lot in the beginning. It was refreshing to have someone I could go to with all my doubts about Japan. “Can I eat while I walk? Can I drink coffee in the street? Should I do this or that?” And he would just tell me straight: “Yeah, that’s fine,” or “No, maybe don’t do it that way.” That guidance was really valuable while I was figuring everything out.
──How has the language barrier shaped your daily life here?
I’m at a beginner-intermediate level of Japanese right now, but I just started. I’m learning much more than I ever did in Spain, since I have more opportunities to practise and the pressure to use it daily. My Japanese ability has shaped my experience the most.
I understand basic information and people when they talk to me, but I still find it hard to reply. It can also be frustrating when I’m trying to practise, since as soon as I don’t understand something and ask someone to repeat themselves, they switch to English.
──What is the hardest thing about living abroad for an extended period of time, and how do you cope with it?
Obviously, I miss home from time to time. Right now, there’s a big fair happening in Seville—Feria de Abril. If you’re from there, you know it’s one of the most important events of the year. I’m having a lot of FOMO (fear of missing out)—it’s hard seeing your friends having fun while you’re far away. This is also my first time living outside of Seville and by myself.
While these feelings are better now, at first I was constantly thinking, “My friends are having fun and I’m in Japan trying to figure out how to buy something I don’t even know how to say.” Eventually, I had to tell myself, “Okay, you have to change your perspective. Stop seeing it as a nuisance, accept that this is what you have and try to enjoy the process.”
──How has this experience deepened your understanding of East Asia
In my classes, we learn a lot about East Asian and Japanese culture, history, and philosophy. I also get to witness these things firsthand, for example, how Japanese people view things.
In addition, social media often paints Japan as an incredibly difficult place, full of unspoken rules. While I didn’t believe everything I saw, you can’t help but form an image. Coming here completely changed that preconception.
In fact, I’m thinking about doing my master’s here. I think this experience has helped me overcome doubts and anxieties I didn’t know I could push past. Taking this step, moving abroad and immersing myself in a different culture, has helped me grow a lot as a person.
──Has this experience changed how you view Spain and your identity as Spanish?
There was a time during my teenage years when I almost despised my own culture. But over the past few years, I’ve been reconnecting with it. Coming to Japan has really helped me in that journey. When you’re immersed in another culture, it’s almost impossible not to compare it to your own. You notice things you never paid attention to before, for example, “Oh, we do this back home, and people here don’t.”
Coming to Japan has made me appreciate Spanish culture more than ever, and at the same time, I’ve fallen in love with Japanese culture. I’ve genuinely learned a lot about myself through that comparison.
──What advice would you give your past self before going to Tokyo?
The first thing that comes to mind is to give a hug to myself. I remember when I first arrived, I felt very vulnerable and anxious. I’d tell her not to be scared of talking to people and to reach out to them; you’ll learn the language, and you’ll adjust. Just be yourself, and everything’s going to be fine.
This interview was conducted in English and has been edited and condensed for clarity.
The post Marta Rodriguez (USTEP): From Studio Ghibli to Tokyo Reality first appeared on 東大新聞オンライン.
Marta Rodriguez (USTEP): From Studio Ghibli to Tokyo Reality 2026 IUSTITIA.BG – Investigations 2009-2025 2026-05-02 02:00:15
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