Charlie Carver ‘25 was awarded a Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) award to Japan. At Oxy, Charlie was a Diplomacy and World Affairs major, and an Asian Studies minor. Charlie’s CLS experience began in summer of 2025 and has recently come to an end.
We asked Charlie to share details and takeaways from his CLS experience in Japan, and here's what he said:
I lived in Okayama, Japan over the summer of 2025. Okayama is a medium-sized city in the central region of Japan, definitely not the most well-known or touristy city. When I told my friends from Tokyo that I was going there beforehand, they all asked me why I would end up going there instead of a bigger city like Tokyo or Osaka. Honestly, I think being in a smaller and less international city made a huge difference in both my language and cultural gains.
I really enjoyed Okayama because the lifestyle was a much more relaxed pace from Tokyo. Although the public transportation was not as extensive as in many other Japanese cities, everyone rode bikes. Getting the chance to ride a bike to school, social events, grocery stores, and other places really brought me back to my childhood and was an unexpected part of the host country that I ended up loving. The university campus felt more suburban/rural, yet within a 15-minute bike ride you would reach the center of the city, which had all the necessities of a major Japanese city.
I lived in a dorm on Okayama University's campus. The dorm housed both international and Japanese students, and each room included two Japanese roommates and one other American roommate. The dorm also held events every week or so where residents could meet and spend time together. While many CLS programs do homestays, and I am sure there are many benefits to that experience as well, I really enjoyed living in a dorm because it helped me spend a ton of time with other students, make friends, and have no choice but to constantly use the language.
It is difficult to pick one specific memory as my favorite because I really had an amazing time. If I had to choose, I would probably say my trip to Tokyo. Originally, it was only going to be me and my American roommate, but we were lucky enough that our Japanese roommates, my language partner, and our neighbors all decided to come as well. We got a tiny hotel and spent the weekend building our friendships and spending time together. We went thrifting, visited public baths, and even went to DisneySea. The entire trip was a great opportunity to grow closer while experiencing Tokyo from their perspectives.
CLS was honestly a pivotal moment in my experience with Japanese language and culture. My first experience studying abroad, when I was a junior in Tokyo, was also amazing, but CLS's immersive nature and emphasis on language and cultural learning made a huge difference. When I arrived, I could barely hold a conversation, and everything I said came only after what felt like minutes of thinking. By the time I left, I had essentially no hesitation in normal daily conversations. I was able to understand the conversations my Japanese friends were having and contribute to them. When someone asked if I spoke Japanese and wanted to talk with me, I no longer had to think twice before responding and having a conversation.
In terms of culture and tradition, the CLS program offered a variety of excursions that allowed us to connect more deeply with Japan. We visited a community center, where we participated in a tea ceremony and practiced calligraphy. We also went to a Buddhist temple and practiced meditation, and during the final week of the program we attended the city's famous summer festival. These experiences allowed me to connect with Japan and Japanese culture on a much deeper level than I had before and motivated me to continue my language-learning journey.
Since returning home from CLS, I spent a long time job hunting, and I recently began a role at the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations. In many ways, the position allows me to combine my CLS experience with my previous experience in Occidental College's UN program. I have really enjoyed my time so far, and because many of my colleagues are from Japan, I have plenty of opportunities to continue practicing my Japanese every day.