Partner Country of the Month: Japan

Everyone knows sushi and ramen, kimono and samurai. Japan's culture is so influential and popular worldwide that in 2015, Barack Obama thanked the Japanese president for the existence of karate, karaoke, manga and anime. Also beyond that, there is plenty to discover in the island kingdom of the rising sun - beautiful nature, seasonal celebrations of cherry blossoms and red autumn leaves, and a society based on kizukai (consideration). So let's enter - but take your shoes off first!

With the "Partner Country of the Month" campaign, we want to shine a spotlight on the wide diversity of countries, regions and partner universities of TU Dresden that our students can explore during a semester abroad.

© Dorothee Breyer / privat

General facts and figures about Japan

Capital: Tōkyō, largest metropolitan area in the world
Population: 125 million
Official language: Japanese
National holiday: Februar 23 (birthday of emperor Naruhito)
Currency: Yen (international: ¥, in Japan: 円)

You can find further facts, figures and information on Wikipedia, on studyinjpn.com, web-japan.org, or e.g. on wikivoyage and japan-guide.com.

Language matters

• Hello - こんにちは konnichiwa
• Nice to meet you - はじめまして hajimemashite
• How are you (formal)? (お)元気(ですか)? (o)genki (desu ka)?
• Excuse me - すみません sumimasen
• Where is ...? - ... はどこですか? ... wa doko desu ka?
• Thank you (formal) - ありがとう(ございます)
• Good-bye / see you - またね matane

Japanese is said to be a complicated language. When it comes to writing, this is definitely true. Japanese has a mix and match of three writing systems: hiragana (phonetic script for Japanese words), katakana (phonetic script for foreign-language words) and kanji (Chinese characters). While the first two are quite easy, kanji require a lot of practice. Additionally, you need to learn the right context for a diversity of polite phrases. On the other hand, Japanese lacks aspects that are difficult when learning, for example, German. Japanese has no articles, no grammatical gender, no cases and is easy to pronounce.

Our partner universities require basic knowledge of Japanese (A1 during application). You can usually study your courses in English, so your Japanese doesn’t have to be perfect. However, please check the exact requirements before applying.

You will also profit from knowing some Japanese in your free time. Japanese students learn English at school, but usually the focus is so theoretical that many Japanese people have a hard time using it. Getting to know people will be much easier when speaking some Japanese, and people will be happy to hear it. You can study Japanese in Dresden at TUDIAS or VHS (starting from German). You can also try and practice your Japanese at events organized by Deutsch-Japanische Gesellschaft Dresden e.V. (German-Japanese Society Dresden). There are also many online ressources for Japanese, e.g. Miku Real Japanese.

© Dorothee Breyer / privat

Did you know that ....?

• melons also fall victim to Japanese martial arts? Japan may be better known for kendo, judo, and karate, but don't forget the summer art of suikawari - watermelon splitting. Blindfolded and armed with a stick or wooden sword, players try to find and smash a watermelon. The winning team gets to eat first.

• 100-year-old objects come to life and play tricks on their owners if they were handled carelessly? They become Yōkai, mischievous spirits of Japanese folklore that remain popular in today's stories. According to the tales, carelessly discarded or neglected household objects, musical instruments or items of clothing seek revenge or simply get bored. Well-known figures include Bake-zōri, wandering straw sandals that make noise in the house at night, and Kasa-obake, one-legged paper umbrellas that like to scare people.

• Japan is a pioneer of earthquake-resistant architecture? The country is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which not only brings volcanoes and hot springs, but also frequent earthquakes. The traditional wooden architecture of Japanese pagodas has taken this into account all along. Their storeys are flexibly attached to a suspended central pillar, allowing the pagoda to sway and move during earthquakes. In this way, they can last up to 1,300 years. Traditional pagodas even provide inspiration for the design of modern skyscrapers.

• in Japan, people give souvenirs to family, friends and colleagues after every trip? It’s usually a snack and should symbolize the place visited. Omiyage (souvenirs) are sold in wide variety and beautiful packaging at train stations and popular destinations around the country. Every region in Japan is famous for something, be it food specialties or local crafts. There is always a meibutsu (specialty) to explore, and they make for great omiyage.   

© Dorothee Breyer / privat

• you can find Dresden Zwinger in southern Japan? The Porcelain Park in the town of Arita contains a strikingly realistic copy, surrounded by German-style half-timbered houses with restaurants and sake bars. The two places are linked by porcelain production. Many of the pieces on display in the true Dresden Zwinger stem from Arita. Moreover, theme parks about foreign countries are popular in Japan. This includes the nation's largest themepark, Huis ten Bosch. It imitates the Netherlands with windmills, canals and even a tulip festival.

• Japan isolated itself for 200 years? From 1630 onwards, Japan strictly regulated its foreign relations out of concern about the worldwide spread of Christian mission and colonization. In Europe, only the Netherlands were allowed to trade with Japan, with Western science coming to Japan as ‘Dutch learning’. After the forced opening of Japan by the US in 1854, it rapidly and purposefully industrialised and restructured itself along Western lines. At the same time, Japanese art became all the rage in Europe and inspired modern styles. Instead of being colonised, Japan turned into a colonial power itself – a sensitive issue to this day. 

• the word ‘emoji’ is Japanese for ‘picture character’? The similarity to ‘emotion’ is pure coincidence. Emojis were invented in Japan in the 90s, and are partly based on typical manga symbols, like a drop of sweat for embarrassment. The three wise monkeys 🙈 🙉 🙊 go back to an old Japanese pun. Emojis that seem cryptic to us often have a Japanese background, like carp streamers 🎏, which are flown on Japanese Children's Day, with a fish for each family member.

© Dorothee Breyer / privat

Cooperation with TU Dresden

You can find all cooperations of TU Dresden in our database. Professors at your faculty may have direct contacts to your partner university of choice and can advise you.

Many of our partner universities are ranked among Japan’s most prestigious universities. Take a look at the experiences of our previous exchange students here. 

Interdisciplinary cooperations via TUDworldwide

• Kyoto University
• Yamanashi Daigaku in Kofu
• Tohoku University in Sendai (currently on hold / Sept. 2025)
• Waseda University in Tokyo
• Keio University in Tokyo
• Yokohama National University

Discipline-specific cooperations with Japanese universities

• Faculty cooperations
  • Nagoya Institute of Technology: Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
  • Kyoto University of Foreign Studies: International Relations
• Cooperation via Erasmus+ worldwide
  • University of Tsukuba: Chemistry and Food Chemistry
  • Shinshu University in Matsumoto: Medicine

Don't miss...

© Dorothee Breyer / privat

 Kyoto is the ancient capital and cultural heart of Japan. There are literally thousands of picturesque temples, gardens and shrines to discover, from tiny ones on street corners to world-famous landmarks. Every July, the city becomes the scene of Japan's largest summer festival Gion Matsuri, celebrated with parades of ornate floats, a festive atmosphere and plenty of delicious food stalls. The most stylish way to enjoy it all is while wearing a yukata (summer kimono) that you can get from a kimono rental.

© panthermedia/leungchopan

Gachapon. Japan has one of the highest densities of vending machines in the world, and although most of them sell drinks, there is also a more fun kind. Gachapon vending machines sell charms, anime, manga or game characters, hats for cats, tiny food replicas, and other curious knick knacks. There are no limits to the imagination. There is an element of chance that determines which object you will get. You can discover Gachapon everywhere in Japan, with places such as railway stations, department stores or museums being typical locations.

© Dorothee Breyer / privat

Matsumoto Castle, one of only twelve original Japanese castles, not only looks extremely good in pictures, but also lies right in the center of one of our partner cities. The castle tower contains an informative exhibition about Japanese castles and offers great views of the surrounding area. Another place worth visiting in Matsumoto is the City Museum of Art, where the works of world-famous artist Yayoi Kusama can transport you into a hallucinatory world.

© panthermedia/Euphorbia72

Jigokudani Yaen Kōen. Bathing in Japan's countless hot springs is a popular way to relax - even among monkeys. A group of Japanese macaques in the mountains of Nagano discovered the pleasant possibilities when a young monkey fell into a hot spring in the winter of 1962 and promptly wanted to stay. Since then, the monkeys have spent the snowy winter months bathing. You can visit the monkey park and watch them relaxing and splashing. If that makes you want to take a dip yourself, you can visit the hot springs in nearby Yudanaka Onsen or Shibu Onsen.

Let's get cooking...

In the island nation of Japan, much of the cuisine revolves around the sea, and the basis of most dishes is formed by rice. So it’s no wonder that sushi is the symbol of Japanese food culture - fish or seafood on rice takes center stage. But there is also plenty to discover beyond sushi, like savoury pancakes, Japanese schnitzel and octopus balls. Noodle soups are very popular, not only the well-known ramen, but also the more traditional soba and udon noodles. By the way, did you know that instant noodles were invented in Japan?

Green tea is a long-time favourite among Japanese drinks. Matcha, green tea ground into powder, plays a particularly important role as the centerpiece of the tea ceremony. It’s also a popular flavour for sweets such as matcha ice cream, matcha cookies and matcha chocolate. For another especially delicious snack, try strawberry mochis.

Karē Udon

While relatively unknown abroad, Japanese curry is one of Japan’s most popular everyday dishes. Karē has little in common with Indian curry – instead, it’s inspired by the curry powder-spiced meat stews of the British navy, copied by Japan during the Meiji era following the forced opening of the country. Therefore, Japanese curry is rather mild, creamy and sweet. It’s usually eaten with rice on the side, but is also delicious when combined with Japanese noodles. Curry with a soup of thick udon noodles makes for a real comfort food.

© panthermedia/akiyoko51

Ingredients for 2 people:

• 170g of the protein of your choice - thinly sliced meat, tofu, ...
• 1/2 onion
• 2 spring onions
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp sake
• 720 ml dashi – Japanese soup stock
• 50 g Japanese curry roux, e.g. Golden Curry - about 2 cubes
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 servings of udon (preferably bought frozen)

Dashi, sake, curry roux and udon are available at Asian supermarkets, e.g. Go Asia.

Preparation:

1. Prepare the dashi from the dashi powder according to the instructions on the packet.

2. Thinly slice half the onion and the spring onions. Set the spring onions aside for later.

3. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pot and fry the onion for about 2-3 minutes. Then add the protein of your choice and fry. If you are using meat, fry it until barely pink. Then add 1 tbsp sake.

4. Pour the hot dashi into the pot, reduce the heat and cover the pot. Simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to the boil for the noodles. When the water is boiling, add the udon and cook according to the packet instructions. Drain the water afterwards.

6. Switch off the heat for the dashi pot. Take a ladle of stock from it, add a curry cube to the ladle and mash it with chopsticks or a spoon to dissolve the cube. Then add the curry stock to the rest of the soup. Repeat with the second curry cube. There should be no lumps of curry mixture in the soup.

7. Add 2 teaspoons of soy sauce to the soup and stir well.

8. Divide the noodles between 2 plates and pour curry soup on top. Garnish with spring onions and serve. Itadakimasu!

(Many thanks to justonecookbook!)

Contact

Have you had a great time in Japan? Do you have tips for places and experiences that are not to be missed? We would be happy to share your experiences here, on social media or, if you want, in information events for other TUD students. Get in touch with us:

© Sven Ellger/TUD

Advice on studying abroad

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Ms Federica Serra

Infocenter/ Study abroad; TUDworldwide: America

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Do you want to get first-hand information?

Would you like to know more about Japan? Ask our regional ambassadors - TUD alumni who are active in many countries around the world and can give you information and advice for your stay.

Getting in touch is very easy: On this interactive world map, markers indicate the cities where our regional ambassadors live. There is a short profile with contact information for each one.

Partner Countries Archive

Have you missed a partner country? No worries! Here you can read up on all articles.