Welcome to Kyoto

Hi everyone! My name is Izumi Wada and I am the Senior Program Coordinator at CIEE Kyoto. I appreciate this opportunity to write about myself so that you can get to know me a little bit before we meet in person in my hometown, Kyoto!

As I just mentioned above, I was born in Kyoto (more specifically, Fushimi District in Kyoto City) and spent my childhood here until my parents moved to a neighboring prefecture, Shiga. After graduating from college, I lived in Gifu, Kanagawa, and Osaka then came back to Kyoto when I began working for CIEE in 2023.

Like you all, I was once (actually a few times) an international student. When I was a junior in high school, I studied abroad in the US, California for a year and then another year in the UK during college. I also did a 5-week course in Australia when I was doing my master’s degree. What I have experienced and learned during my years as an international student, I know how impactful and meaningful studying abroad can be. That is why I am so passionate about what we do at CIEE and I hope that we can help you guys in any way to support your time in Kyoto with us.

Let me tell you a little bit about myself. Besides being a fan of very basic things (being in nature, traveling, reading, eating good food, spending time with friends and families, etc.) I like experiencing changes in life. It makes me appreciate different things and provides me with new perspectives. That is one of the reasons why I enjoy my job at CIEE. Being able to meet a new group of students every few months, go to different places with you guys for excursions, and have a peek at arguably one of your most prominent experiences in your life inspires me daily.

Since Kyoto is my home, I may be slightly biased, but after traveling to multiple countries in the past, I can confidently say that Kyoto is one of the best cities in the world. However, I also know that that there is no such thing as “a perfect country/city.” You may go through difficult times even in Kyoto. But I hope that we can support and help you during your stay here so that your time here may not be necessarily easy but worthwhile.

I am so excited for what you will experience in Kyoto and cannot welcome you to this beautiful city!