The best year of my life. I just wish it would've lasted forever. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The variety of elective classes is wonderful, especially for someone like me who's focusing on Japanese/asian studies. That being said, there are a lot of classes that are really easy, and quite a few that are really difficult and time consuming. Japanese language classes are the same, difficulty really depends on the teacher. My first semester was a breeze, and we really didn't have any homework at all. Then, in my second semester, I was swamped by kanji, vocab, and homework. The reason I give Gaidai 4.5 stars and not 5 is because the internet is ungodly slow. The bandwidth is split amongst the entire school, so during peak hours I couldn't even load up google or my email. That is one resource that they need to improve.

On-site administration of your program

No problems, and you can USUALLY find someone to help you if you have a problem. 4.5/5 because there was one occasion when I really needed to get in touch with a staff member, but if took a few days because they were on holiday. Everything else was great and they're really helpful

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

So there are dorms, homestay, and apartments: dorms: they facilities are nice and they are fairly close to campus (10-12 min walk) but there are a few downsides: 1) there are only a few Japanese students that stay with you in the dorms, and they all speak English really well, so you won't get too much language exposure this way 2) RULES. Oh man are there a LOT of rules, eg: no alcohol anywhere, no visitors after 8, no visitors in the kitchens (who knows), no videogames (again, idk), etc. I only stayed in the dorm for about a month. homestay: this is really a gamble. You could get a really great family that comes to love you like one of their own and lives really close to campus, or you could get some old woman with her cat who did homestay just for the cash and lives 2 hours away from campus. So when they give the homestay questionnaire, DO NOT say that you don't care how far you are from campus, because they will place you as far as possible if you don't care. I was about 50 mins away from campus--25 minutes by train, the rest walking. My family was pretty good, but there seemed to be something between us that kept us from growing really close to one another. I'll admit that I had unrealistic expectations because I had the PERFECT host family in Tokyo a few years earlier and I was thinking I'd be able to achieve something similar. Anyway, be aware that in the winter, Japanese houses are FREEZING cold. Also, be aware that air conditioners in Japan HEAT as well as cool! I only realized this well into winter, and it was a godsend that I was able to sit in my room and do some studying without a bunch of blankets. Anyway, I was privy to many activities with my host family that foreigners never go to, so those were some really good opportunities to experience Japan. Apartment: If you chose to get an apartment you have to do the entire process on your own. But there are resources available to help you, just look online. I was able to get a real-estate agent that was fluent in English to take to around various apartments around school. I settled with the cheapest one, which was tiny, but also 3 minutes away from campus. ManyJapanese Gaidai students also lived in the same area, so I had many opportunities to hang out with them and make new friends.

The school food is okay. There are three different cafeterias with different menus and some are better than others. Try going out to the cheap gyu-don restaurants like matsuya and sukiya. They're cheaper than the school food and they're more delicious!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

During my second semester I tried to hang out almost exclusively with Japanese student to really immerse myself; and for the most part, i was able to do it. This was taken on my own initiative. I wish the school did a little more to integrate foreign students and Japanese students. If you go to Gaidai, look for Dr. Peter Edwards. He teaches the Japanese students and is always looking for ways to facilitate interaction between the Japanese and foreign students.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Japan is ontop of the health care game. I was paying about $20 a month for coverage. I only used it to buy contacts, but MAN was it easy. The first time I had to use my insurance, I had gone up to Niigata with some Japanese friends for a snowboard/skiing trip, and, somehow, I had forgotten my contacts. I though the trip was totally ruined for me. To my surprise, we went to an eye clinic, and within an hour I was walking out with my contacts. It was awesome.

So Japan is basically the safest place in the world, but I have heard that Hirakata (where Gaidai is located) is the most dangerous city in Osaka Prefecture, and Osaka is the most dangerous prefecture in the country. Thereby, Hirakata is the most dangerous city in Japan. I really don't think this is true, Tokyo is much worse. But, in all honestly, I think any of the crime going on in Hirakata is sexual in nature; and, as a male, I really didn't have any instances when I felt unsafe.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Depends on housing. If you do homestay, the only thing you really NEED to pay for is lunch and commuting costs. If you live on your own you'll be paying for all your own food, rent, utilities, etc. But you can live in Japan quite cheaply. Eating out is dirt cheap. You can get a good meal for 4 or 5 dollars (400 or 500 yen). Train from Gaidai to Osaka or Kyoto is about 320 yen one way (you will most likely be going to both Osaka an Kyoto quite often). And if you want to go drinking with friends, there is no cheaper place in the world for drinks than Japan. When I was doing homestay I was probably spending about $500 per month (I had saved up a lot just for Japan and so I wasn't being thrifty), and $1000 per month + $400 for rent when I was living in my apartment.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

You have to make the most of it yourself though. There are student who go to Gaidai and really don't learn any Japanese at all. They live in the dorms, only hang out iwth other foreign students, and really don't experience Japan at all. But if you're up to it, you can really involve yourself, you have to take just a little bit of initiative and have some motivation.

Select all that apply

• Dorm
• Other
• Host Family
• Apartment
• Hotel
• Hostel

Select all that apply

• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students
• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• local students
• location (central to many cities)
• scholarship

• in the spring semester the local students start classes about a month after we do, no one knows why and it sucks! It really subtracts from the experience. So if they could fix that it would be really really really great.
• campus and dorm internet is god-awful