The Different Way of Studying

I found that how students in Australia study is completely different in comparison to Japan. For instance, I have more time on disccusion and group work with desk put together. This makes me contribute to the class of my own accord and also brings about high quality of the class. In my country, Japan, I hardly put desks together during the class because there is few group work which is required to talk to someone. Rather I just need to copy what my teacher write on the board. Furthermore, the classmates who come from other countries does not hesitate to ask any questions anytime even the teacher keep talking. Also, the teachers are so nice that explain more clearly and slowly as they see if their students understand with no hesitation. On the one hand, most Japanese students are unwilling to interrapt their teacher especially during the class. Because some are afraid of  asking the question which they do not understand and others hate being seen by other classmates. Culturally,  Japanese people are said to be shy so this is also one of the reasons. In western countiries, the students learn in a small group and are encouraged to ask any questions from the early age, while in Japan, they are trained to listen to teacher and take notes rather than thinking by themselves. This is the biggest difference between both countries.

I saw many students bring computer with them and dress casual clothes on the road. This is also the big difference. In Japan, few Japanese students have the table computer with them, let alone they do not have their own computers. This is because we are not required the computer in the class and basically, the teachers distribute handouts to the students. Besides, we put brand clothes on in daily life and bring expensive bag, which makes us pay attention to apperance athough we go to university. On the one hand, in Australia the students literally use them to take notes. They are neccessary for the students.  They seem to enjoy casual clothes in contrast to Japanese students. I prefer casual sporty clothes so I love Australian style.

The most interesting and surprising differences I have experienced between Australia and Japan

I have been here for five months already and got used to Australian life though, I am still surprised by unfamiliar culture sometimes. Today, I am going to tell you one of the most obvious differences I have experienced between Australia and Japan, which is punctuality.

Basically, Australian public bus does not arrive on time and the bus driver does not apologise for passengers, while Japanese transportation is so punctual that seldom delay. I tend to wait for the bus before five minutes but it always came late so I decided to be there on time. However, the bus started to launch early since then and moreover, the bus driver don't even apologise for it. Although I was surprised and got a little annoyed, I was more surprised to the locals for not getting mad about it. I would never be able to understand and accept the bus drivers rudeness though I thought how passengers always greet to the driver is a great concept.

Another interesting difference is time schedule of restaurants etc. Australia is very inconvenient. For example, shopping mall in Japan closes around 10 but in Australia it closes at 5. This is because Australian people tend to cherish the time with their family. On the other hand, most shoping mall in Japan opens until at least 8pm and when it comes to convenience store, it opens 24hours. Although I knew Japan is extremely convenient, I did not expect that the gap of work time between Japan and Australia is huge.