A Taste of Tokyo That Inspired Confidence! Past Review
By A student (Cedar Crest College) - abroad from 09/18/2017 to 12/21/2018 with
Kyoritsu Women's University: Kyoritsu Japanology in English Program
Overall, the experience allowed me to experience a culture far different from mine, meet lots of new people, practice language skills, learn how to live on my own, and I felt I gained a great swell of confidence from traveling to the other side of the world by myself.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The intensity of the classes isn't bad at all. It's just a lot of information I'd never encountered before. The schedule was pretty busy, but I was certainly able to get all my work done. Any textbooks and other materials were provided by instructors. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The primary administrator was Miss Yumi Hatsuhara and she was incredibly kind and generous. She made me feel at home by checking in with me and made sure she was available for any questions I had. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I split my time between a host family and a dorm. Both experiences were great. You should consider if you thrive better in a family environment or independently in order to choose your arrangements. |
| * Food: |
My host family made incredible meals and my school offered pretty good lunches. Honestly, anywhere you go in Japan, you'll be able to find delicious, high-quality meals. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Japan is a great place to visit because locals will go out of their way to help you. Learning about Japan in my courses helped me understand the cultural colloquialisms and helped me feel more comfortable. But Tokyo is pretty Westernized, I think, and most foreigners won't have a hard time there. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't have any experience with healthcare, but I was offered a travel insurance by my home university. An American classmate who had a toothache visited the dentist and was able to find a bi-lingual office and her insurance covered the costs. |
| * Safety: |
Japan is well-known for its safety for travelers. Just be careful with your money if visiting night-time districts in the big cities, and use common sense and you should be fine. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
The courses were all interesting and my teachers were kind, engaged, and helpful. The administration was incredible. The school was fairly small, but beautiful. I feel I gained a lot from this program. |
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) |
The nice thing about Japan is you can find great meals for fairly cheap, and it's easy to shop smart for personal expenses and souvenirs. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | about $100/week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you don't feel like cooking, you can buy cheap meals at convenience stores! Japan's version of Walmart is the Seiyu. You can find 100 yen shops (dollar stores) almost everywhere, like Daiso, and the quality of the products are a lot better than American dollar stores. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
I had a Japanese class and tutoring every week that was extremely helpful for a beginner, and the rest of my classes were in English. However, living in Japan and being in a Japanese environment really encourages you to speak and study Japanese. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I'd never taken a Japanese language cause before. |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | It can be challenging for a beginner, but if you're studying you're learning, and you're in the best place to put to use what you're learning. The more you practice, the quicker you'll pick it up. Japanese people are quite accommodating. Classmates and teachers are always there to help. Even though this was probably the most difficult aspect for me, I always had someone to help me. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | The extracurriculars were all in Japanese. So I had to rely on my tutors for help with those. And I was the only student in the KJE program. So I had to get used to learning in a mostly one-on-one setting with my instructors. I had to get used to taking trains as well. You can use world.jorudan.co.jp for route options in English. Make sure to buy a train card for convenience at the stations. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
