Nice to meet you!

Written by Miki Hattori

Thanks for stopping by!  

My name is Miki Hatori and I’m the High School Program Manager at CIEE Kyoto.  

I manage all the high school programs, together with three coordinators.  

This past summer, we welcomed over two hundred students for our programs in Language and Culture, Game Design, and Creative Writing for Manga. This fall, nearly 30 students have just arrived in Kyoto and have started at local high schools and language schools – It is really exciting job that I support young students’ once in a lifetime experience in Kyoto!  

My passion for study abroad comes from my own personal experience.  

I grew up in Japan and at sixteen travelled to Australia and stayed with a host family for two weeks. That experience was one of those moments that changed my life forever. In university, I knew I wanted to learn from being abroad again and to grow from being outside my comfort zone. I returned to Australia and spent my third year at a university in Brisbane, studying subjects such as anthropology and political science. Keeping up with assignments in a second language was difficult—I remember many all-nighters—but those struggles have become important memories for me. I also loved the great coffee and remember a lot of potato wedges with sour cream and chili sauce (a staple of a student budget!). Most importantly, I learned about being independent, building a community, and a new perspective of seeing my own culture from an outsider’s point of view. 

After these experiences, I’ve prioritized travel and exposure to new people and ideas in my career and in personal life. I’ve traveled to more than thirty countries and visited many of them by sea! I lived in Singapore for more than a decade before my family and I decided to move to Kyoto. I love anything vintage and antique, so moving to Kyoto was a dream –Treasuring and preserving history is in the DNA of Kyoto; there are many crafts / flea markets, and antique markets across the city, any time of the year, which is fun to explore.  

 

Like many people, I love the history and the natural environment. What has impressed me most is the connection between those two things. It’s not just that there are amazing historical sites throughout the city, but they are connected to the hills and the rivers, and everything keeps changing with the seasons. That’s why many visitors come to see spring or fall in Kyoto especially, and living here allows my family and I to see all the subtle changes in our daily life. 

One of my favorite places is Kurama-dera. It is a temple north of the city, at the end of a small train line. It’s a nice ride up there and a beautiful hike to the temple with a view at the top; remember to pack snacks or a picnic! It’s a Buddhist temple dating from the 12^th century, and the mountain itself has other legends and histories associated with it. It’s the birthplace of Reiki (a form of energy healing) and known for the appearance of tengu (a magical creature from folklore). There’s an onsen nearby too, and a fire festival every October, but it’s great in every season! 

We hope you get to come and explore Kyoto! It is truly a beautiful city, and you get to call this place home when you study with us!