An Autumn of New Growth in an Old City Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The Japanese teachers of KCJS are skilled and experienced; we all came out having grown and learned a lot. While the workload varied from the level of Japanese one was placed into, I found it to be quite manageable, even with the addition of the two non-Japanese subject courses. KCJS is known to have a more rigorous Japanese language program when compared to other study abroad programs in Kyoto, yet the director also emphasized that they wanted us to be able to have time to enjoy the city itself and immerse ourselves in the local culture--that is a big point of being abroad, after all!

On-site administration of your program

KCJS's administrative staff are really on top of everything! They do a lot of things for you, like setting up your health care and registering you at the ward office, which was a huge relief. The program also had a new director this semester who was very engaged and helpful. He helped a number of students connect with professionals and academics related to their interests and is very efficient in finding the answers to any questions you might have, ranging from your own research curiosities to course questions. He's also very open to feedback on the program, and already changed some things we thought could be better.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I originally lived with a host family during the beginning of the semester, but for a number of reasons including my own dietary concerns and a rather lukewarm relationship with the host parents, I requested to move out. Living in an apartment became a highlight of my experience. The staff moved me into an apartment within a week of me telling them I wished to switch, and since KCJS chooses apartments within walking distance of Doshisha, I was right in the heart of Kyoto. The apartment was on the smaller side, but certainly ample space for one person, and very clean and new. Living on my own in a foreign country and learning to navigate grocery stores and my neighborhood gave me a confidence I would have never expected, as well as a different view into Japanese daily life.

Mostly I cooked for myself in my apartment, and made little bentos for lunch, but the cafeteria food on campus is quite good and cheap, and you can always get yummy things at conbinis. Food in Japan is cheaper than my hometown, so I was very happy!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I also participated in KCJS's summer language intensive right before the fall semester, so I had a couple Japanese friends before the new term started. KCJS had a couple events with Japanese university students, but much less in comparison with the summer (the small number of these sorts of activities seemed to be the most common complaint among program participants). Our required CIPs ("community involvement projects") provide a wonderful opportunity to be engaged within Japanese society, and many KCJS students made lots of friends through their chosen project (joining a club, music lessons, etc.). I'm more on the introverted side, and didn't push myself as much as many of my peers to make Japanese friends and go to their events, which is certainly my biggest regret. I think I'll talk about this more in a different section, but the difficulty about scoring something like "local integration" is that the program can only do so much--ultimately, it is your responsibility to engage with the local culture, and of course some people will succeed more in this respect than others. Still, living for months in Kyoto, rather than passing through it as a tourist, naturally provides many opportunities to feel "more integrated"; even though I wished I had pushed myself to make more Japanese friends, I still finished the semester with a much more intimate perspective of Japanese culture and daily life.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I have no experience with Japanese health care.

Kyoto's safety was a relief to both to me and my family while I was abroad. Even when walking back from karaoke late at night and alone I still did not feel in danger at any time. This does not mean you should let your guard down entirely, but especially as a young woman Kyoto is one of the safest cities you could be.

KCJS isn't perfect, but it provides some wonderful opportunities for linguistic and cultural growth. I wish I could have stayed for spring semester!

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

Living in an apartment is more expensive than living in a host family, since you have to cook your own breakfasts and dinners, but grocery stores are well-priced (at least, compared to what I'm used to at Wellesley). KCJS does give generous lunch stipends; you can easily have some money left over each day if you just get something cheap at the cafeteria.

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

As other reviewers have mentioned, KCJS tries to enforce a "Japanese-only" rule within the class building from 9:00-12:00, with some success. Unlike the summer program, which assigned us a "conversation partner" (a local Japanese university student with whom we had to meet weekly to practice the language), the fall program did not have this requirement, so I felt we were left more on our own to find outlets for practice. However, this is partly due to my section placement, I know that the higher Japanese classes would have sessions and activities with the. Japanese university students.

Select all that apply

• Host Family
• Apartment

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Local Students
• Americans

• The workload balance
• My apartment location
• The staff's approachability

• More opportunities for engagement with local university students
• More group activities and excursions

The Academic or Linguist