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

By (International Letters and Visual Studies, Tufts University) - abroad from 08/25/2012 to 07/31/2013 with

Kansai Gaidai University: Hirakata - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I can't even begin think about what I learned from this. Was it worthwhile? Yes. Every minute of it.

Review Photos

Kansai Gaidai University: Hirakata - Direct Enrollment & Exchange Photo

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

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.

* Host Country Program Administration

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

* Housing:

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.

* Food:

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!

* Social & Cultural Integration:

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.

* Health Care:

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.

* Safety:

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.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

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.

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? You can save on train fair by getting a monthly pass for students (but only do this if you're using the train nearly every day).

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

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.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Intermediate
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? I dropped Japanese 22 at the last moment
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? Make Japanese friends. Don't just stick around the other foreign students. Join an extracurricular club. Explore Osaka and Kyoto. Go to bars. Make a Japanese boyfriend/girlfriend. Just just lock yourself in you dorm room, get out there.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
  • Other
  • Host Family
  • Apartment
  • Hotel
  • Hostel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 10+

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • local students
  • location (central to many cities)
  • scholarship
* What could be improved?
  • 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
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Air conditioners in japan HEAT as well as cool. If you do homestay, your family might assume you know this and not tell you. In the meantime, you'll be freezing to death in your room.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Manga: The Graphic Fiction of Japan

Course Department: Center for International Studies (CIE)
Instructor: Berry
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The material is really interesting and Berry is extremely well-read. However, in my opinion, he is not a good teacher. While I know he's passionate about manga, it really seems that he's not at all thrilled about teaching it. He seemed really bored in class. I don't really understand what he's looking for in papers either. He loved some of mine and hated others; and forget about trying to read his notes, they're completely illegible. Then, for the final paper I wanted to do a paper on Miyazaki that involved some of my own original ideas about the man, however, Berry completely shot down my idea. Berry told me that I couldn't simply infer ideas about Miyazaki by analyzing his work, but that I'd have to interview the man himself and ask him directly. I really couldn't believe he had such an expectation like that. It kind of goes against the principles in all the other writing I've done in my undergraduate years.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Monsters, Ghosts and the Making of Modern Japan

Course Department: Center for International Studies (CIE)
Instructor: Hollstein
Instruction Language: English
Comments: I recommend any of Hollstein's classes. I took this one my first semester, then "Geisha, Gangsters and Samurai: Japan in Western Film" second semester. He's a good teacher and teaches these sort of unusual classes. Yet I learned a lot about Japan through his classes, and from some really interesting perspectives. However, I will admit I did have a tendency to doze off in his classes. This is not because it was boring! I thought his lectures were really interesting, but his classes were always in that sweet spot in the afternoon when it should be naptime. This, combined with the facts that he always closed the blinds, turned on the powerpoint machine, and spoke in a deep voice, made for a situation in which it was hard to not doze of without a caffeine kick (at least for me). However, I liked his use of powerpoint. He didn't simply want us to copy notes from the presentations. In fact, he would give us the powerpoints to download so that we wouldn't have to waste time taking notes on the slides. Rather, he used powerpoint as a visual aid, which is what I think it should be used as. He's a pretty understanding professor, and if you have any troubles, he's really approachable.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Spoken Japanese 4

Course Department: Japanese
Instructor: Saigo
Instruction Language: Japanese
Comments: Saigo sensei is the best! I've studied Japanese with eight different teachers in my life, but none of them come close to Saigo sensei. No teacher has ever motivated me for Japanese the way Saigo did. I participated more in his class that I probably had in the past 5 years of Japanese classes. He was enthusiastic, and made every class fun. So somehow, try to get him! You'll be glad you did ^o^
Credit Transfer Issues: