For many international students, coming to IU can be quite a culture shock. Student organizations such as the Japanese Student Association exist to make it easier for students to acquaint themselves with life in the United States, as well as to practice their English and become active on campus.\nAccording to International Student Services, Japanese students are the fifth largest international minority at IU -- 194 students enrolled last fall. \nCommunication barriers facing Japanese students consist of more than simply learning to speak English. Students have a tendency to feel shy and intimidated in large classes, said Mee-Young Kim, interim director for the Asian Culture Center. \n"Many people judge students by how they talk," Kim said. "It's very frustrating when you get here."\nOpen discussion in classes is not common in her native Korea, she said.\n"You only speak when it's very important," Kim said. "As a graduate student in America, I found it so hard to express myself."\nJapanese students sometimes find the amount of homework in American classes to be significantly more than in Japan. Doctoral student Aki Murakami said Japanese schools have few daily assignments, only term papers due at the end of a semester. \n"When I was a university student in Japan between 1992 and 1996, the professors were less strict and less demanding compared to what I see at IU," said graduate student Tamiji Muto.\nCollege-level work in Japan is different from the typical American style. \n"Things are more focused on transmission of information and not creative analysis," said Susan Furukawa, outreach assistant for the East Asian Studies department.\nThis is where groups like the JSA come into play. One of the main goals of the group is to help students gain confidence not only as English speakers but also as American students. \n"The JSA is really an American idea -- the idea of giving students a voice in the school," said club president Graham Chi-King Chung. Through the JSA, freshmen also learn about other organizations on campus. In Japan, students can typically only join one club from elementary school through college. At IU, Japanese students have many extracurricular opportunities, so the JSA encourages student involvement on campus.\n"Support for international students is much better in the United States than in Japan," Murakami said.\nJSA's diversity also helps students integrate. Chung stressed club members are mixed socially -- some come from American high schools while others come directly from Japan. \n"The students really help each other adjust," he said. "Completely westernized Japanese like me help new Japanese students get used to American life."\nHowever, as Muto noted, more and more Japanese universities are changing their policies and styles. Many universities are introducing the U.S.-style law or business school, he said.
\nYet organizations like the JSA continue to help students overcome the cultural gaps that still exist. \n"We act as a bridge between Japan and the United States," Chung said.
