Since Chihiro has spent some years growing up in Venezuela, she has always felt like she was a stranger in Japan. These years spent abroad may not seem much of a big deal, but she feels that something has changed within her during that short span of time.

To find out what sets her apart from the typical Japanese youth, she has traveled and collected perceptions of her own country. But meeting people from various backgrounds made her feel ashamed of being ignorant of her own cultural nuances.

To overcome this, she has joined a group which introduces Japanese traditional events to international students at Waseda University. Seeing others experience the “Real Japan” has been a source of fulfillment for her– by helping others get to know her country better, she feels that she’s also getting to know herself.

Currently studying Management Engineering, Chihiro looks forward to share her knowledge of Japanese culture to the world someday. But for now, every day she spends in Tokyo is an adventure.