If someone from Iceland, Ghana, or Oman were to visit you in the States, wouldn’t you want them to understand some things about your culture before they arrived?

From popular culture, movies, YouTube videos, articles, blog posts, and travel guides, we can derive culture, cultural context and clues. We encourage you to do this as you prepare to visit someone else’s home country! Here’s a list of resources that may help you understand your host culture and ease the transition between home and host countries:

Recommended Books and Guides:

Japan Travel – Lonely Planet (website)

Diversity Abroad

Travel and Leisure

The World Factbook: Japan

Trip Advisor #CISabroadtip: check out their smartphone app too!

DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Japan

National Geographic Traveler: Japan

Japan by Rail

Cool Japan Guide: Fun in the Land of Manga, Lucky Cats and Ramen

 

Recommended Videos and Movies:

Travel Tips: How You Need to Pack to Study Abroad

Travel Tips: How To Not Look Like A Tourist While Traveling

Travel Tips: Best Travel Apps

Travel Tips: Why you need a U.S. Passport Card

 

Language Resources:

Google translate

Mango Languages

Learn a language for free: the five best websites

busuu

Memrise