Challenge Yourself Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I learned so much about Japanese culture and the language. My teachers were awesome and straight-forward, but kept me interested.

On-site administration of your program

On-site administration was pretty decent. Just so you know, the campus is actually an office building where Temple owns the first 6 floors. So hallways are very narrow and crowed and the classrooms are average sized. Anyways, the administration was helpful but could have been more attentive.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I did a homestay and it was the best decision I could have possibly made. My host mom was great and spoke a little English so we could teach each other our native languages. I joined her gym and got to meet her friends. We had breakfast and dinner together everyday and we even went out to karaoke. The apartment wasn't too big but very "home-y" so I loved it. She was super understanding of late nights, hanging out with friends, traveling and so forth.

There are at least 3 convenient stores on every block. Very cheap meals that I practically lived off of. But there are a lot of restaurants not only around the school, but around Tokyo that aren't that expensive. Since I did a homestay though, I didn't have to worry about breakfast or dinner. Just know that fruit is quite expensive here.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I honestly didn't feel that integrated since Temple is full of non-Japanese students and my host mom spoke English, but I did go out of my way to meet more locals and participate in the culture. So if you really want to be integrated, try not to speak English/learn the native language, Make friends with natives whether you are at school, online, in your neighborhood, etc. For me it was church. Find activities going on and try to travel around Japan as much as you can.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Japan is literally the safest place on Earth. I could walk the streets at 4am and not have to worry about a thing. And if you are ever worried or don't feel safe walking home, there are places(pc bars, karaoke rooms, etc) you can stay in until the trains start running again at 5am (they stop running around midnight-1am). There are also "kobans" or police boxes you can go to if you're ever in trouble. For women, honestly the only thing you would have to worry about is men touching you on the train (this didn't happen to personally, but I have met people who have experienced this). Trains can get super crowded and you will be pressed up on the people around you so just be diligent. Of course hands will touch you accidentally because everyone is so close but if you are sure that someone is groping you or touching you in a poor manner, you can try to move away or shout "chikan" (someone who sexually harasses you).

I would probably try to study at an actual Japanese University. Temple is still technically an American school so I wasn't around as many locals as I wanted to be.

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

I was a little easier because I did a homestay but if I wan't hanging out with friends or traveling, i easily would only spend about $100. I always made sure I had money on my commuter pass though and cash because some places in Japan don't take card.

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

Speak it where you can. Even if Japanese people try to speak to you in English, try to respond in Japanese so that you have that practice and they can correct you.

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• My classes
• My host family

• The building is still pretty small and barely fits the students so hopefully they can find a larger building

The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer