Voices from Abroad: Matteo Lolli

Tokyo (Japan), Campus Abroad, Keio University

Since I was a child, I've always loved travelling, and I had always aimed to study abroad in the future. This hope came true last summer, when Bocconi gave me the chance to join the Campus Abroad Program at Keio University, in Tokyo.

Meiji Shrine, near Tokyo

I had already spent some time abroad attending high school, but this experience seemed to be something very different. The chance to spend a month in Japan, a country which is rightly considered a "western outpost" in Asia, has been a great way to better know and (hopefully) understand the culture of the fascinating "land of the rising sun." Plus, this experience was an opportunity for me to compare Japanese culture with Chinese culture, because of a trip in China two years before.

Since the first days in Tokyo, I've been able to appreciate the differences between our culture and Japanese culture, from the way the students approach studying to the their manner of spending their free time or socializing. Meanwhile, I had the chance to discover Tokyo, a fantastic metropolis which combines skyscrapers and streets very similar to American ones, with foreshortening on the ancient and centuries-old Japanese culture.

At the same time, the course of Management Information Systems provided us with the chance to improve our skills since we were requested to work in small groups on different projects, with the participation of some local students; it has been an exceptional way to understand how people of that culture are used to facing problems during a workshop with other people of other countries, and I definitely can say that it will be helpful for my future job.

View of the Rainbow Bridge on Tokyo Bay

But Campus Abroad wasn't, of course, only an experience of study. It was an opportunity to visit different companies which operate in Japan, such as HP and Giorgio Armani, and also the very active Italian Chamber of Commerce in Japan and the Italian Embassy (which is a "neighbor" of Keio University Mita Campus). Plus, we had the chance to meet members of the Bocconi Alumni Association at a dinner hosted at the Armani privè in the Armani Flagship Store at Ginza, Tokyo's counterpart of Milan's Montenapoleone; this was an opportunity to make my personal network bigger and, never say never, it could be helpful for the future.

This experience also provided me with the chance to make a lot of new friendships, both with some Japanese students and with my Bocconi pals, with whom I always keep in touch. I would like to reserve a special mention to our academic travelmates, Professors Leonardo Caporarello and Ferdinando Pennarola, and ours group managers Francesca Moschin and Laura Calvi, who made our Campus Abroad a very pleasant experience. I strongly recommend this to all students who would like to have an experience that's not too long, with study and fun abroad, in a stimulating context, which they will remember all their lives.