Japan: So THAT'S how their society is structured! Past Review
By Annie T (Economics., Wellesley College) for
Columbia University: Kyoto - Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies / KCJS
I came out of the experience understanding just so much more of how Japanese society runs. My interests are not just about popular culture anymore, but now more about the people and their lives. I became really fascinated by the gender, foreign/native, racial and class struggles within Japan. I really love the Japanese language and hope that I can do a job that uses it, but I'm doubtful because of my still, rather low ability (listening and reading are fine, writing and speaking are not so great.)
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I went more for the language than for academics. The afternoon culture classes in English were pretty terrible, except for the Families and Work one, but they were interesting... and honestly, when you're abroad, you want to be able to spend time exploring and not just studying all of the time. It was an educational, but not really academic experience. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The office was in the same building as all of our classes so the Administration was very accessible. They were incredibly helpful as well and were able to deal with a wide range of problems. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The house I stayed in was only 20-30 minutes away from campus, by bike. I loved having a bike to travel around on- Kyoto is such a fun city to explore on bike. My host family was nice enough to lend me one, and they lived in a very nice area. Since it's Japan, I hardly ever felt unsafe. Everything was provided for me (sheets, towels, etc.) I did bring my own toothbrush though. I was my host family's first host student, and I'm not sure if they should continue. The mother was nice enough, but the father and sister usually were too busy or just didn't want to have anything to do with me. I was grateful for their hospitality, but compared with other host family situations I've been in, this was very cold and became very uncomfortable at the end. I was basically living in the house, but not really living WITH them. |
| * Food: |
Finding vegetarian food seemed kind of tough for my friends, but manageable. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We traveled to Okayama to get a feel for rural Japan. This was a great experience since we were allowed to stay with a different host family. My group also got to attend a local festival. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Very safe, I would be outside well past midnight and felt more safe that I do in America. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Eating at the cafeteria is very affordable, around 250-500yen (roughly $3-$6.25, depending on what you get.) That gets tiring, though, and the restaurants around campus are a little more expensive. However, there is a cheap gyudon (beef bowl) place as well as conbini (convenience stores) on and off campus. There you can buy cheap food, though it might not be as filling. As for other things... I spent quite a lot of money on CDs, games, books, etc. so my weekly expenses shot up quite high, especially at the end. It's definitely possible to survive on much less than I did. Japan is an expensive place, though, and the exchange rate was pretty low when I was there (and kept creeping lower.) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | amazon.co.jp has great prices, just like the amazon here in the States. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 2nd year Japanese (202) |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Students at the university, my host family, people in my choir, and sometimes my fellow American students. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If you're not really confident enough in your Japanese language ability, then this program is great. If you are confident, then trying a more direct exchange program may be more rewarding. Regardless, I still had a great cultural experience. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Families and Work in Postwar Japan |
| Course Department: | KC3993:4 |
| Instructor: | Scott North |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Really amazing course for learning about the forces that drive Japanese society- all the cultural rules, expectations, etc. The, as Professor North liked to say, "unspoken truths that are taken for granted," the strategies, patterns, and styles that organize social action in Japanese workplaces and families. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
