APU has been conducting classes online since last semester and this semester a hybrid
system was also introduced which meant that some classes were held on campus as well and were streamed on Zoom at the same time. The pandemic has halted the regularity of on-campus classes almost entirely but the Professors and staff at APU have been consistently striving to continue holding classes on zoom and give students a similar experience of on-campus classes. International students have been juggling with different time zones since borders were closed entirely.
Recently, the ministry of foreign affairs has slowly begun the process of easing border controls, and students holding prior residence status can come back to Japan. There has not been a surge of students returning to Japan, but the easing has meant traveling is possible for new and current students.
At APU Times, we spoke to some students and tried to find out more about their individual experiences of coming back to Japan.
Rizquana Najma Pratama, a 3rd Year student from Indonesia reflected on the process of coming back to Japan. He came back to Beppu in the first week of October after spending two weeks quarantining in Tokyo. The process took about one month from acquiring the letter of confirmation from the Japanese Embassy in Indonesia until the day he returned. There was a flight ticket available during the summer break even though the price was double the normal cost of flight tickets. Rizu had no choice but to take that flight since he was eagerly waiting to come back to Beppu. It took 4 days to acquire the Letter of confirmation from the embassy, which confirms the resident’s eligibility to travel. Then he had to do the COVID-19 rapid test at least 72 hours before the flight. With all the test result paper, passport, flight ticket, and all meticulous paperwork ready, he was assured that he was ready to fly back to Japan. “My journey was unforgettable since I traveled amidst a global pandemic”, Rizu said.
The travel ban situation in Indonesia might be on the rise again, should cases increase. Rizu described the airport as being horrendously empty, compared to the otherwise busy corners of the airport and he was scared to sit with strangers and wait for his COVID test result that was conducted at the airport. His overall journey was okay. Overall, the journey for Rizu was smooth since he was well prepared for his journey but he does reflect on it and wished that he had known someone in Tokyo so he would not have to rent Airbnb for the two weeks quarantine requirement as per MOFA (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan).
Rahul Veerabangsa, a 3rd Year student from Sri Lanka came back to Beppu on November 1st. As opposed to other countries, flights are running in Sri Lanka and it was comparatively easier for Rahul to book his flight for Japan. He spoke to people who have come back to Japan before him and then he prepared accordingly for a letter of confirmation from the embassy which confirms clearance from the embassy that the said person can travel and he also arranged for a COVID test 72 hours prior to his flight. There are not any travel bans in Sri Lanka as of now, but if people travel to Sri Lanka, they have to quarantine for two weeks as a requirement.
Rahul describes his journey as “The thrill of traveling being taken away by the vigilance of my personal health”. His overall journey was better than he expected, given the circumstances since he was prepared with all the necessary documents beforehand and he also landed in Tokyo first and is quarantining in Tokyo.
Students taking on-campus classes have frequently described the campus as looking isolated or deserted. Maybe, the return of students will bring back the liveliness of Beppu. Are we ready to start on-campus classes again?
Once students start returning to Beppu after completing quarantine and once new students enter Japan, it would be different but a new normal nonetheless.