Personal Statement:Oriental Studies - Japanese

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Oriental Studies Personal Statement

Growing from a fascination with the different and distant, my interest in Asia has developed into a passion. In choosing to pursue my studies in this area, I hope to gain experiences far removed from my own life and experiences. I have been attending weekly Japanese lessons with a native speaker for around a year, which I hope will provide a solid grounding for both my travels and university career. I have always loved reading and using skills honed during my A level course began to explore Asian authors. Haruki Murakami was my introduction to Japanese literature and since then books like Yukio Mishima’s ‘Spring Snow’, Natsume Soseki’s ‘Kokoro’, and Chinese authors like Mo Yan and Yu Lianke drive me to further explore Asian writers. History is central to my interest; Japan’s post war relations with America and China, and the development of the current political and economic situations in Asia continue to fascinate me. History at A level taught me the importance of an open, but critical mind when assessing historical sources and events, and I have tried to utilise this in my reading. Alan Macfarlane’s ‘Japan Through the Looking Glass’ has further opened my mind to the study of anthropology, an interest which flourished in my study of Geography. Whether it be the dependence on imports for cereals Japan has developed, largely due to its harsh topography and now service based economy, the population issues of China and Japan or the art and craft of Asia which I experienced recently at the British Museum’s ‘Crafting Beauty’ exhibition, I hope to explore every facet of Asian society.

Taking a gap year has always been my intention and, designed to challenge myself, this year will provide the opportunity to experience new situations, people and places. I will spend 6 months working and 6 months travelling. From February, I will spend 2 weeks in India, where I will be introduced to Indian culture and history through contacts in Delhi. Then in Shanghai, through the company Travellers Worldwide, I will spend 2 months as an English language assistant. I intend to fully experience life in China, learning the language and challenging myself in a new environment. I will then spend 3 weeks visiting places like Hong Kong, Xi’an and possibly Tibet, broadening my experience. Then on to Japan, where I intend to gain as much language experience as possible, testing my own knowledge and enhancing it. I aim to travel widely, in urban centres like Tokyo and rural regions like the Akan National Park, seeing sites like the Ise-jingu Shinto Shrine along the way. Travelling will allow me to experience the languages and societies of countries in which I am deeply interested. I was awarded a travel scholarship by my school for well thought out and valuable plans.

Part of the appeal of university life is the freedom to pursue my other interests. Music has been a huge part of my life for years. I play guitar to a high level, performing with a band and, I am learning classical piano. Performance is central to my love of music, and in 2005 I organised and performed in a charity concert for school bands. Film is a growing aspect of my life, and I actively participated in the various film societies at my school, from classic to avant-garde, and attended the Premiere Japan film festival in September 2007. Cricket is my favourite sport and I look forward to continuing this at a higher level, while exploring a wider range of activities.

All of these things have prepared me for the next stage in my education, where the desire to learn and understand is what drives me.

Universities applied for:

• University of Oxford - Unconditional Offer accepted. Now studying at Oxford.
• SOAS - Unconditional Offer
• University of Edinburgh - Application Withdrawn
• London School Economics (Social Anthropology) - Application withdrawn

Grades achieved:

• English - A
• History - A
• Geography - A
• Chemistry - b (AS level)

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