Wealthy Chinese students are on the rise
"My parents in China send me 300,000 yen (about 14,200 yuan) every month, and my apartment rent is 135,000 yen (about 6,390 yuan). I chose an apartment with soundproofing to practice my instrument, so I stayed in a bachelor apartment. ”
A 23-year-old Chinese exchange student at a conservatory said the name and why. I met her in an interview, and she was elegantly dressed and had an air that she had been familiar with since she was a child. I also met a friend of the international student, a lady who attends another conservatory, who said that she sends about 250,000 yen a month, and that she also pays the rent of an apartment with the same soundproofing facility.
I felt that it was a lot of money, but I wanted to know what to do with international students from other universities, so I followed the tips of an acquaintance and indirectly asked several Chinese students studying at Waseda University and the University of Tokyo how much they would send me. Then, the answer is also 200,000 ~ 300,000 yen per month. In addition, he said, "I have a friend who sent me more than 500,000 yen. ”
Another said, "I don't decide how much to spend each month, but my parents come to Japan to travel and work almost every month, so I asked them to summarize the amount of money they needed at the time." ”
I hadn't heard much about their parents' careers, but some of them were business owners and seemed quite wealthy. Some young people have already gotten real estate (apartments) from their parents.
I have known for a long time that Chinese students can afford it now, but again I am surprised by the money. Of course, I only interviewed a few people, but according to a survey conducted by the National Federation of University Cooperatives of Japan in October ~ November 22, the average monthly remittance amount of Japan university students is about 67,650 yen. This seems to be quite a lot compared to that.
I remember 10 years ago, about 2014. I often interviewed Chinese exchange students, and at that time even the more affluent international students didn't have that much money to send to them.
At that time, there were a lot of young people who brought their UnionPay cards, which are often used in China, and many of them said, "I only use my parents' UnionPay cards for big purchases." ”
Students who have never had a part-time job
An international student was shopping at "Anime Ito" (an anime merchandise specialty store) in Ikebukuro, so I accompanied him to buy a figurine worth 100,000 yen there with his parents' UnionPay card. ”
I think times have completely changed, and people buy so many things that are not necessities of life, such as household appliances, but there are not only such international students, but there are also many international students who were still working part-time at the time. It's not that they're hard-working students, but there are quite a few people who work as clerks in izakayas, Chinese restaurants, and convenience stores.
Perhaps because of this, I have come into contact with "Japan" and "Japanese" outside of schools and universities in Japan, where I have experienced various things and developed a high level of interest and interest in Japan. Many of them are studying, hoping to get a job at a well-known company in Japan, and seem to be struggling to adapt to Japan society.
However, over the past few years, the "affluence" of Chinese students has increased dramatically. At the same time, their behavior patterns and thinking have changed a lot. Of course they live in Japan, but I feel that their interest in the real "Japan" is waning, and their contact with "Japan" is greatly decreasing.
An international student from Shanghai I recently met said, "I've never had a part-time job. The international student said that he goes to the Japanese language school every morning and the Chinese Student Preparatory School in Takadanobaba three times a week, and because he can afford it, he uses his spare time to go out and eat with international students, chat online with friends who live in China, play games, or participate in the activities of his favorite idol. ”
Not only that, but perhaps because I spend most of my free time with Chinese friends and browsing the Chinese Internet at home, I have lived in Japan for more than two years, but I don't speak Japanese in my daily life. The only contact I had with Japan was when I was in Japanese lessons, and I had few friends or acquaintances in Japan, so it wasn't surprising.
You can only live in Chinese and make a living in Chinese alone
When I told this story to a Japanese friend, he was a teacher in Japan:
"Before, even if I couldn't make Japan friends, I would watch Japan TV shows to learn Japanese phrases, learn how to think about Japan, and I had the opportunity to speak Japanese while working part-time, but now I watch Chinese social media all day, so I rarely have time to experience real Japan. Therefore, I think that not only the speaking ability is weak, but also the listening ability is also weak. Of course, not all students are like this, and there are individual differences. ”
The above-mentioned international student from Shanghai said, "I came to Japan because I like Japan anime, games, and Japan idols," and his goal is to go to university in Japan. If you go to a Chinese university entrance exam preparation school to study "test knowledge", it is possible to enter a university in Japan. ”
However, if you only master Japanese and only Japanese universities, you will have a hard time getting to know Japanese, you may not be able to integrate into the campus, and you may continue to hang out with Chinese.
It would have been easier if my financially wealthy parents had given me enough money, I lived in a comfortable luxury apartment, and I ate "Gachi Chinese" every day, just like when I lived in China. If it's "Gachi Chinese", even the order is Chinese.
However, I find it a little inexplicable. As the saying goes, "let the lovely child travel", it may be an old way of thinking that it is better to have a certain hardship when studying abroad and gain experience that can only be done in that country, but when I see the now wealthy Chinese students, I think I am not the only one who thinks there is a sense of separation.