Culture Filled Japan! September 14, 2026
By Lin Han L (Brandeis University) - abroad from 06/09/2026 to 08/07/2026 with
CET Japan
Super worthwhile! I made some new friends in the program and outside the program. There were many activities that the program had each week, from learning about tea ceremonies to making fabric with Saori weaving.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Rigorous and definitely intensive. They used a "flipped classroom" type of education where new content and learning is done at home while classroom time is used for reinforcing what you learned. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
School cafeteria is good; there are also surrounding restaurants near housing as well as convenience stores. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There were activities with local college students that gave us a more integrated experience from having a takoyaki party to asking them questions for our projects. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no experience with using healthcare during my study abroad. |
| * Safety: |
Osaka, Japan is generally very safe. I traveled to Kyoto and it can be a little disorderly at night in city areas. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Definitely would do it again. It gave me the opportunity to explore more of Japan even though I have previously been many times. I participated in all of the programs activities, which were all really fun and insightful. |
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) |
I spend a lot of time eating food from convenience stores (which were really yummy!), so the general cost on food was really cheap. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 7000 - 10000yen (food only because other expenses weren't essential) |
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 |
There was a pact to only speak Japanese in classrooms and in the building. |
| 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? | Japanese 40 (semester 4, year 2 of Japanese) |
| 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? | Daily practice, even a little bit, is really helpful! Especially when it comes to practicing speech, finding a friend or an opportunity to speak is really important. |
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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| 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? | A lot of the close friends that you make will mostly be your housemates. I wish I interacted more with them. Also, many people are open to making friends, so it doesn't hurt to reach out to other students in the program (same with the local college students). Though there is lots of homework for classes, I find that doing cultural activities made the program way more worthwhile and memorable. I would rather remember all the fun experiences I had rather than the homework I did. |
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 Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
