Ryan Mahlmeister is a 2025 graduate of MSU, graduating with a bachelors in User Experience. His experience at JCMU helped him to maximize his own educational potential, as well as getting the most out of his time in Japan. 

The most enjoyable moments I had in Japan were in both my travels and my everyday interactions with Japanese people, friends, and more. During the academic year, I managed to travel and spend at least a day in roughly half of ALL Japan's prefectures, ranging from as far south as Kagoshima all the way north to Iwate. Yet, no matter where I went, and even on the super remote (and incredibly challenging to get to) island of Yakushima, there was always a quintessential feeling of Japan found in all the nature, food, and experiences I had.

Though, as much fun as all my travels were, the local lifestyle that I got to know in Hikone made it start to feel like a home away from home, and a local shop owner recognizing you every time you visit develops into a much more meaningful relationship that you never realize how much you'll miss until it's gone. It's a culture, lifestyle, and experience that challenged me to my wit's end at times, and an emotional one at that, but being open to change, pushing myself to go outside my comfort zone like never before, and showcasing unreal work ethic helped me to succeed in every aspect academically, socially, and more. It's not all fun, it's never easy, and it's overwhelming at times, but the second I left Japan it was nothing but the good times that stuck with me, and a longing feeling to return as soon as possible.

For students interested in potentially studying at JCMU, Ryan has three tips to maximize your experience: 

Socially - I cannot stress this part enough, but utilize the nearby colleges to meet and talk to as many Japanese students as possible (events, clubs, random chats in the cafe). Especially early on. I myself visited the University of Shiga Prefecture every day for 2 weeks straight at one point, making over 50 friends, and it not only led to a number of hangout opportunities, but also hours upon hours of invaluable Japanese speaking practice. Among other things, this also accustoms you to initiating conversations, cold-approaching strangers, and repeating a lot of "get to know you" information, which helps you come across as super fluent and improves your ability to make genuine relationships with people.

Academically - Advice changes quite a lot based on what course and level you're in. If you're a beginner, then you really need to dedicate an insane amount of time into the basics of grammar, reading, and writing, because these will compound in the future and halt your development if you don't have a super strong grasp on the core of the language (I would genuinely consider the book-smart aspect being more important than speaking early on). For people in higher levels, force yourself to use new grammar in conversations outside of class, speed up your speaking pace through conversation repetition, and don't be afraid to ignore some words or structures that you're not a fan of if you'd struggle to even use them (an equivalent) in your native tongue - no person speaks using 100% of everything that exists in a language.

Travel - This tip isn't for everyone, but solo travel in Japan is incredibly underrated (I did this on EVERY trip). It definitely adds a layer of stress, and you need to be careful depending on the location, but the feeling and atmosphere you get by having a once-in-a-lifetime experience all to yourself is incomparable. On top of that, you have so much freedom in switching up plans on the fly and spending every minute exactly how you want it that it makes for unforgettable adventures, hilarious stories, and can actually be less stressful at times.