UH Hilo alum Ann Inouye credits study abroad with shaping her life

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Waiākea High School grad Ann Inouye says her study abroad experience shaped her mindset in lasting ways, especially through exposure to Japanese philosophies and values. “Those lessons still guide how I love, how I relate to others, and how I approach the world.”

Four people on a bridge with large mountain peaking through clouds in far background. Traditional thatched buildings are also in the background.
July 23, 2006, Ann Inouye (third from left): “Reconnecting in Japan with a dear study friend who I met while studying at UH Hilo who was on study abroad himself. I reconnected with him and met his family who were rice field farmers and took a picture from his hometown in front of Fujisan. From left to right, my UH Hilo friend, Ryuta, who studied abroad to UH Hilo and now lives in Japan, his mother, me, and my study abroad friend from Australia, Gabe. Gabe and I also backpacked around Japan, climbed Mt. Fuji from the bottom to top, backpacked around Korea, Taiwan, and also met up in Okinawa and Australia.”

By Lauren Aoki/UH Hilo Stories.

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo alumna Ann Inouye, PsyD, remembers her study abroad time in Okinawa and Saitama, Japan, as an experience not to be forgotten.

Now a licensed clinical psychologist living in Potomac, Maryland, Inouye recalls it as a formative time in her life, even more than a decade later.

“Personally, it expanded my worldview and helped shape who I am today,” she says.

Group of friends in a circle of faces, all smiling and happy.
July 27, 2006, Ann Inouye (bottom right in green): “Study abroad friends from Daito Bunka Daigaku in Saitama. We lived in the same international apartment building and shared classes, adventures, and experiences with friends from America, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Taiwan, Switzerland, and beyond.” (Courtesy photo, click/tap for full size)

Born and raised in Hilo, Inouye attended Waiākea High School and arrived at UH Hilo in 2002. She completed her bachelor’s in Japanese studies in 2007, but decided to study abroad before she did. She wanted to immerse herself in Japanese daily life and culture. She wanted to learn and experience things that a classroom setting alone simply couldn’t offer.

“Studying abroad felt like the best way to truly experience Japan beyond the classroom and better understand its people, traditions, and everyday life,” she says.

Saitama and Okinawa: New friendships, meaningful connections

In Japan, Inouye studied in two locations. In Saitama, she studied at Daitō Bunka University, and in Okinawa, she studied at the University of the Ryukyus.

While abroad, she became nearly fluent in Japanese. She also found the hands-on experience she desired and forged meaningful connections with the local community, including her own distant relatives.

It was in Okinawa where she truly got a taste of daily life, where she lived with a host family and worked at a traditional confectionery store.

Group poses in traditional Japanese structure, several in traditional Okinawan attire.
Ann Inouye (third row, second from right) with her Okinawan host family. (Courtesy photo)

“[It] was a meaningful way to engage with the local community and learn through everyday life,” she says.

It wasn’t just the locals she grew close to. Inouye also created a lasting friendship with another exchange student from Australia, who she went backpacking with across Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, the memories of which she still recalls fondly today.

“Those friendships and shared adventures became some of the most memorable parts of my experience,” she says.

The Japanese way of life

Three women in formal portrait pose, dressed in traditional Japanese kimono.
2006, Ann Inouye (at right): “Celebrating my 20th birthday in Okinawa with my host mom and close friend. My host mom, Ota-san, welcomed me into her home for nearly a year, taught me to cook, took me to rural islands, and shared so many cultural experiences with me. My friend in the middle, Emiko-san, also taught me traditional Japanese cooking from scratch- from making tofu from scratch to preparing puffer fish. We all cooked, danced hula, laughed, and learned from each other while I taught them English.” (Courtesy photo, click/tap for full size)

However, her study abroad wasn’t without its difficulties. Inouye missed her family immensely and was happy to finally return to them. At the same time, she was grateful for the growth the experience encouraged her to do. She learned how to be more independent, but also came to understand when she needed others for their help and support.

“It was an incredible opportunity to grow, explore, and experience life from a different perspective,” she says. “That experience taught me resilience, independence, and the importance of connection and belonging.”

Her study abroad also allowed her to connect with her own Japanese heritage.

Yet what perhaps stuck most with her were the cultural values she was exposed to. Even years later, Inouye says the Japanese philosophies she encountered still define how she navigates the ups and downs of life.

They changed her perspective forever.

“It shaped my mindset in lasting ways, especially through the Japanese philosophies and values I was exposed to,” she says. “Those lessons still guide how I love, how I relate to others, and how I approach the world.”

Where is she now?

Inouye hasn’t been stagnant since her graduation, in both her location and career.

After UH Hilo, she went on to manage her parents’ gas stations and even opened her own cafe. With her army spouse, she moved across the country, from Connecticut to Texas to Rhode Island and Virginia. During the journey, she attended Yale and Brown universities, earning her doctorate in psychology.

Ann Inouye business portrait, indoor setting.
Ann Inouye recent business portrait (Courtesy photo)

Today, she lives in Maryland and works as a clinical psychologist with specializations in anxiety, trauma, mood disorders, and high-risk behaviors.

She credits her study abroad for shaping her career. By broadening her worldview and deepening her understanding of human connection beyond culture and identity, it’s informed her how to relate to others in her line of work.

“Living in Japan taught me to influence how I relate to others both personally and professionally,” she says. “It helped me develop greater openness, adaptability, and cultural sensitivity, all of which have been valuable in my work as a psychologist.”

Even years later, Inouye attributes her study abroad to deeply impacting her with lessons she still thinks of today.

“It was more than just studying abroad,” she says. “It was a period of personal growth, independence, friendship, and cultural immersion.”

Today, though she lives thousands of miles away in Potomac, Maryland, Inouye still remembers the memories of UH Hilo and its study abroad program.

Story by Lauren Aoki, an English major with a minor in anthropology at UH Hilo. She is literary editor at the university’s student publications Kanilehua and Hohonu.

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