Reviews

Just in these three months alone we have covered about the same material covered in nine months of classes back home. At this point I am learning new material that I never got to back home in my classes.

I found the class trip to be very satisfying because it allowed a day of rest and bonding. Students were able to use their new knowledge in a practical environment.

The Kamakura trip was fascinating, I really enjoyed seeing all the shrines and temples, and getting to stay at a ryokan.I loved the Edo Tokyo Museum, and would have like to go back (and will, if I get a chance to return to Japan).

I enjoyed the bus trip because it was a chance to interact with non English speaking students outside of class, as I might not have otherwise.

Just to push yourself harder than you would in America because this is the only time you have to vastly improve your Japanese – make friends with people who can’t speak English because it forces you to use what you have learned in class.

One of my teachers goes around the room and has everyone make example sentences with the grammar we are learning that day and i love it because it gives us practice but also because sometimes we can see the grammar used in ways we might not have thought of yet.

The U.S. Culture Class — getting the chance to go outside of the school-to-dorm bubble was absolutely invaluable to me as somebody who didn’t apply for a homestay, and the lectures, especially those by non-faculty, gave me a breadth of information that certainly piqued my interest in the history of Japan.

The program is tough, but incredibly rewarding. There are regular tests but it has really helped solidify everything I have learned so far.

We stayed the night at a traditional ryokan, went to an ancient village with a spectacular view of Mt. Fuji where were were able to dress up as a samurai or in yukata, see several beautiful, clear springs that come from Mt. Fuji, make our own noodle hot pot, explore a gorgeous temple, and experience Zen meditation there.

I found it very interesting how the classes are organized and enjoyed the challenges it gave me to learn more Japanese.