Japanese language programs in Japan?

Parents Forum
1

<p>Anyone have any experience with one or more of the programs available for college students to study Japanese in Japan, either summer or semester long? Are any suitable for the beginning student?</p>

2

<p>I think Sophia University has a summer program.</p>

3

<p>ICU - International Christian University, has what is reputed to be an excellent, if not the best, summer program in Japanese. You can easily find details by googling. Summers in Tokyo are very humid though I'm sure most of the classrooms are airconditioned.</p>

4

<p>My older daughter, a college senior this year, enrolled in the International Christian University program last summer. She is a near-native speaker, so took the highest level that was offered last year, the C7 course. She had a wonderful experience with the program & I'm sure would recommend it to others. The program has beginning level Japanese available. The website states that beginning students should learn hiragana before arriving on campus. However, there are no other prereqs. </p>

<p>We don't have personal experience of the Waseda & Sophia programs in Tokyo but they are well-known and we have had acquaintence with students in those programs. </p>

<p>Our family has a lot of Japan experience, inTokyo, so if you have specific questions, feel free to PM me.</p>

5

<p>If you are considering a full-year program, this one looks like one of the more interesting ones I've seen:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.associatedkyotoprogram.org/welcome/theakp.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.associatedkyotoprogram.org/welcome/theakp.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Depending on the student, I think Kyoto would be a more relaxed city than Tokyo for nine months. Kyoto is one of the most beautiful places on the face of the earth. It's quite a contrast to Toyko which is one of the most intense places on the face of the earth (hustle and bustle). Love them both, but Tokyo is a very demanding place.</p>

<p>You really have to spend time in both places to get a sense of Japan.</p>

6

<p>Thanks for the suggestions.</p>

7

<p>I highly recommend the AKP program, but applicants need to have studied at least a year of Japanese. AKP's the junior year abroad program of choice at my college for students taking Japanese language courses.</p>