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Most productive was learning and using new grammar.

Janet from 2012

Which events or activities did you find the most satisfying and why?

The best was having the chance to talk to native Japanese in a conversation class or cooking class

Which co-curriculum classes did you find most satisfying?

Go-Gyo-Ka

What activities or materials did you find most helpful (e.g., pair work, drill practice, tests, small group sessions, textbooks, games)?

Most helpful I think was repeated chances to use the new grammar we were learning.

What did you find most valuable in the Culture Course?

The culture class helped me think about the differences in Japanese culture from American culture and it was very helpful to learn about it in a class before finding out in some embarrassing way on my own.

What did you find least valuable in the Culture Course?

There was nothing least valuable. It was all valuable.

Where did you live?

I lived in Edogawa for the first 3 terms in a dorm with meal plan. It was great. I lived in a furnished monthly apartment for the last 4 terms.

Any further thoughts or tips for those considering the program or new KCP students?

I really think dorm with meal plan is a good option. In my dorm you didn't have to eat all the meals, you could choose how often you wanted to eat there. Buy an umbrella with UV protection, it is worth it. Get the English Minna No Nihongo books. They are worth the money. If you are going to do laundry in the dorm and use a dryer, bring some bounce fabric sheets from America. These are really expensive here. As for a book type Japanese English dictionary, I really liked Challenge Japanese English Dictionary which is basically written for Junior High students. It had lots of example sentences for each word. KCP has a rule about electronic dictionaries and the tests in the higher levels so you can't use a dictionary linked into a cell phone, you can only use a stand alone electronic dictionary. A dictionary that lets you draw the kanji to find out what it is is expensive, but if your goal is proficiency, you will eventually need this type of dictionary. (I wish KCP had a recommended dictionary because I felt kind of lost when I tried to figure out what to buy.)

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Testimonials

If you’re looking for an intensive course, then KCP is the place to go! Although it was hard work, it was also a lot of fun and I’m very pleased with my current language skill – and I’ve only just finished Level 1! Going out with the class for a final dinner really showed me how much we’d learnt as we had no problems in conveying our feelings even though our only common language was Japanese. I’d come back in a heartbeat.

—Aleya Thompson