My daughter is planning to spend a semester abroad in Japan and I’m trying to get a sense of her 2 program options in Tokyo, Temple University Japan and Sophia University. She’s a creative writing major who has never studied Japanese but plans to take one semester before going.
Some questions …
TUJ’s online reviews seem to be really lousy. Does anyone know if the bad reputation is deserved?
Is anyone familiar with the predominant teaching style at Sophia University? Japanese schools used to have a reputation for memorization and regurgitation. Would that hold for classes at Sophia?
She prefers Tokyo, but there are 3 options in other cities (Hiroshima University, Nagasaki University of Foreign Studies, Kwansei Gakuin University). Are they superior enough to consider forgoing Tokyo?
Feel free to weigh in with anything else you think would be helpful!
Tokyo is really big. In my visit to Japan, I really liked Niigata on the northwest coast of Japan as a city with things to do and see without seeming so large. Really loved Nagasaki and was important to opening Japan to other counters. Edo was wonderful, historical and conveniently located. Major jealous!
As a TUJ grad, I can assure you that going to Sophia will have a better Japanese College experience. Sophia has its own campus and it is an actual Japanese University. TUJ currently is located in 2 office buildings with limited resources and a half Foreign and half Japanese student population. She will get a better experience at Sophia because it has more resources and offers more cultural experiences than TUJ. Also, since Sophia is a foreign university, the grade will only show pass or fail and it wont count on her GPA.
I have visited both schools and agree with @TokyoGrad. Sophia has a lovely campus right at Yotsuya station in the heart of Tokyo. It is a popular destination for study abroad in Japan; the two students I know who did a semester in Japan were both at Sophia. My daughter’s friend who did study abroad there made a nice group of study abroad friends and lived in a dorm with them. The dorm was a commute from the school, but it worked out fine. Temple is office buildings and not a campus and I wonder what kind of support they would give with daily life things.
I don’t know much about the other universities. There will be less English spoken in those cities, and if your daughter were at the stage where she was trying to become fluent, one could argue that she would be better off being someplace outside of Tokyo. Since she is still a beginner, I think the advantages of Tokyo including easy access from the US, extensive public transportation for traveling within and outside the city, English-speaking doctors and dentists if needed, museums, concerts, restaurants, etc. outweigh the disadvantage of a less than complete language immersion.
@TokyoGrad and @ciervo - Thanks so much for your helpful insights! You’ve both convinced me that Sophia is the best choice. Unfortunately we’re now running into timing problems because of the differences between the academic calendar at Sophia and my daughter’s school. I’m still hoping she can make Sophia work, but if not the question will be whether TUJ is worthwhile for one semester abroad despite the drawbacks, or if she should pursue her other backup plan, which is the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).
Sophia is like the Georgetown of Japan. The premier Catholic uni in Japan (by far). Just a notch below the very top unis. Known for foreign studies (English).
Sophia is a great experience and living in Tokyo is a must!! Granted, I attended back in the early 90’s so many things have changed since then. The teaching style is NOT the typical Japanese rote-memorization. Professors came from all over the world so teaching styles varied but classes were intimate enough to interact directly with them. The friendships and connections are world-class. My friend group went on to become ambassadors, corporate leaders, internationally acclaimed journalists - just to name a few. I met people from all over the world and still maintain contact nearly 20 years later. Living in Tokyo is an adventure in itself - extremely fast-paced, frenetic and high stress. Therefore, the best time to experience it is when you are young and have all that extra energy! Don’t expect students to come home during breaks - there is too much travel to experience throughout asia and many Sophia students travel together over the breaks. Money is a huge issue - expect to spend $20-$50 a day for transportation, food and incidentals. Overall, Sophia University and living in Tokyo is an excellent experience!
@hockeymom2000 , thanks so much for weighing in. This has been one of the most difficult decisions of her life. Going to Sophia for the spring semester means she’ll be giving up her last summer at home with friends as a college student, and she’d also have to cancel the internship she accepted in NYC for that summer. And yet, Sophia sounds incredible. I wish I could advise her, but this one is really tough!