Hello everyone, and thank you for reading the ICT Journal. My name is Sena Takada, and I am a 3rd year student. Until recently, I used to count how many months it had been since I arrived in New Zealand—but now it feels faster to count how many months are left until I return to Japan.

In this journal, I would like to look back on some of my experiences during my study abroad. I hope this gives those who are considering applying to ICT even a small sense of what everyday life here feels like.

First, Dunedin, where we are currently studying, is a small city. However, it has great access to both the ocean and the hills (or mountains), so you can feel close to nature in your daily life. On a sunny day, you can go for a run on the beach and then enjoy a panoramic view of Dunedin from a scenic lookout. One of the best things about this city is that even without doing anything “touristy,” you can still find rich and beautiful scenery as part of ordinary life.

While living these kinds of days, if you travel just a little farther, you can also encounter the spectacular landscapes that represent the South Island. Around August 2025, I visited Lake Tekapo, one of the major tourist spots on the South Island, with my family who had come from Japan. As soon as we arrived, the area felt wrapped in silence and crystal-clear air. There are several restaurants and food trucks around the lake, so you can enjoy the scenery along with something to eat. We bought fish and chips from a particularly well-reviewed food truck, and it was delicious. The golden fish and chips looked perfect against the lake’s surface, whose colors kept changing from moment to moment. You can see stars from my homestay as well, but the starlit sky at Lake Tekapo—and even the stars seen from home—were both so beautiful that they were beyond comparison. It truly felt like a sky full of stars. (A perfect score ⭐)

As a side note, I use an iPhone 16 Pro to take photos of the stars. From a beginner’s perspective, the image quality is more than enough. Also, depending on the season, it seems that you may be able to see the aurora from Lake Tekapo, so I recommend aiming for that as well.

 

Lake Tekapo Petting Zoo

Next, many people associate New Zealand with sheep, and it didn’t take long after arriving at Dunedin Airport for me to understand why. When you drive around, you can see sheep scattered across the grasslands, and sometimes they even stare back at you. However, even though sheep stand out the most, this country is rich in biodiversity and is home to many different kinds of animals. In most households, dogs are welcomed as family members, cats are often allowed to roam freely, and in some gardens, wild hedgehogs relax as if they actually live there. That’s the kind of place it is.

Sleeping hedgehog in the garden, startled by children

 

By the end of January, once I had gotten used to this lifestyle, I experienced a farm stay in a place called Mosgiel, about a 20-minute drive from Dunedin. A farm stay is a style of travel where you stay on a farm and experience the daily life of the people who live and work there. It was full of “non everyday” experiences that you could never have in Japan. Since I was born and raised in Tokyo, I felt a strong contrast between what I had grown up with and what I was experiencing there.

My mornings began with the view from my bed—sheep, cows, and even an “invading” rabbit in the distance. I will never forget this experience. My happiness level was so high that returning to normal society felt difficult. Across the vast farm, the deep green pasture seemed to carry a concentrated scent of grass and soil. Luckily, the owner let us observe the work they normally do, and we rode a tractor out to where the cows were. I also got to see a sheepdog working up close for the first time, which left a strong impression on me. From the way the dog responded faithfully to the owner’s signals, I could feel the accumulation of daily training.

 

Suu the sheepdog and the cows

 

Suu gathering the sheep

Then, about an hour’s walk from where we stayed—past a steep hillside—there was a dog daycare facility for temporary pet boarding, so I went there out of curiosity to ask about it. It was a spacious property where about fifteen dogs could run around freely. The owner offered temporary care while owners were at work, and they were very friendly. The dogs’ playground felt like an amusement park, and honestly, it felt like a dream if I could come and play there every day. I felt like I became friends with many of the dogs.

I had heard that there is a kind of “hierarchy” in dog society, and I was thrilled to see an alpha leading the group up close. Since I rarely see so many dogs (especially large dogs) gathered together, it was fascinating. It also seemed that they were protecting a fawn that had been separated from its mother, and the little ecosystem inside the enclosure felt like its own miniature world.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

 

Finally, one essential part of studying abroad is the host family. Depending on the family, they may even take you on trips by car. My former host family (I had to change families due to circumstances), who are Fijian, once woke me up at 3:00 a.m. and drove me from Dunedin to Nelson at the very top of the South Island (roughly equivalent to the distance from Kanazawa to Kagoshima in Japan). They were the kind of wild people who would throw pear cores out the car window while yelling, “Compost!!” They were intense, but it is a great memory. I had the chance to visit around ten different homes, and because daily life can be completely different depending on the place and the people, I think it strengthened me mentally.

In this way, I believe one of the best parts of studying abroad is experiencing cultures that you cannot truly taste in Japan. Whether good or bad, I was given the chance to re-examine my own assumptions and fixed ideas. It may be a good idea to find something you can become deeply passionate about while you are still in Japan.

This became quite long, but thank you very much for reading.

Sena Takada