KCP International Japanese Language School

I have a friend from Japan.I have friends from other countries but Japanese are the best friend of by life I have found.They are really very good I want to learn there secret culture and life.

My understanding of the Japanese language and culture is much greater now, thanks to KCP. The backbone of any school is its teachers, and KCP's are some of the finest. They go out of their way to see that you truly understand. They are always available to give help and answer questions. They arrive at school early and stay late, preparing material and helping students. If you don't understand something or would like to learn more, the teachers are more than willing to help you. They will give you extra work if you need or want it, and then take the time to check it and explain your mistakes. Not only are KCP's teachers great, but also their entire staff is courteous, kind, and eager to help. With a dedicated employee to help American students, you will always have someone to ask questions concerning, housing, visa information, etc. to. This gives you a definite advantage, in that you do not have to worry about such things and can spend your time enjoying Tokyo. The culture class was well worth waking up early on Saturdays for. Whether we went on an excursion or had an in-class discussion, we learned a lot while having a great time. The lectures were quite informative. Without them some of the excursions would not have been as fun. For example, without a lecture before seeing kabuki, I would have been totally lost, but because of the lecture, I was able to follow the story and enjoy the show. Students at KCP come from all over the world. It is great chance to appreciate other cultures and make good friends. Having other Americans at the school, though, is definitely a bonus: you always have someone to talk to, especially about things you cannot express in Japanese. A friend of mine went to another language school where he was the only American, and he said he got very lonely. The ultimate experience in learning Japanese, at KCP, is living in Tokyo. Being in another country means everything is new and exciting, even riding the subways. One great thing about Japan during the summer is baseball. Going to a game in Japan is a little different than in America, and in some ways even more enjoyable. KCP is located close to both a library and an area with movie theaters and arcades. So whether you feel like reading a book or shooting aliens, you can be assured that fun is just around the corner. In all, I wholeheartedly encourage anyone thinking about studying in Japan to go to KCP. It is a great school with top-notch teachers and offers a fine opportunity to master the Japanese language.

I got the most out of the language program, with many helpful teachers who have really good relationships with students in and out of the classroom. I had a chance to meet many friends from all over the world who enjoyed studying Japanese. The most memorable experience was my homestay in Japan. This was the first time that I stayed with a foreign family for a long period; it was enjoyable practicing Japanese with my host mom and getting used to a Japanese lifestyle in a Japanese house. Of course, my Japanese language ability increased more than I expected, since I could learn Japanese both at home and in class. I am especially thankful to KCP for arranging such a nice family for me. It was an unforgettable experience during my stay-far beyond my expectations. The KCP program helped me to know how Japanese view themselves and the world. Much of the learning process came from my daily life in Japan, whether at school or at home with my host family. This really helps me in my current job. I am now working for Mitsui Bussan, a Japanese trading firm in Taiwan. Not only can I use my Japanese language here, but I can also fit in smoothly because I understand the Japanese way of doing business. I know what to expect and what to avoid when negotiating with Japanese counterparts. Those 2 semesters with KCP surely gave me a clear picture about Japan and its people. Studying at KCP was the best experience of my life! All of the staff at KCP should be proud of this study abroad program. Thank you.

I went to Japan thinking I actually knew something about the Japanese language and the Japanese people from having taken one semester of Japanese and watching tons of anime shows. Then after I got there I found out I knew next to nothing about either. People were speaking a language in which I knew maybe one word out of a hundred. Going to KCP was not just an eye-opener, but a learning experience about Japanese culture as well as the language. I went knowing nothing of the written language and in 2 weeks learned Hiragana and got a better grasp on Katakana. The teachers and staff do their best to help all the students, and they give extra help to people like me who are slow to learn. One-on-one attention and class activities helped me actually begin communicating. That's where the fun began. Through culture classes and class trips, you get a real grasp on what Japan is all about, and you practice the Japanese you've been learning in the classroom. Compared to learning Japanese in an American classroom, learning the language in its native environment is so much more beneficial. You have to use the language, and when you do you're more comfortable. I left Japan knowing 10 times more than I went there with. It isn't easy-learning any language never is-but if you take advantage of what KCP has to offer and of the people who work there, you will walk away knowing a lot and wanting to come back. I know I do. My host family really made me feel welcome. I learned a lot about Japanese by staying with them, and I had memorable experiences to last a lifetime. The relationships I had with my teachers were special as well. I got a lot of one-on-one help and encouragement from them. Everyone is helpful and considerate. The excursions are plentiful and interesting. It is an advantage well worth taking. I plan to teach English as a second language in Japan after I graduate. This program not only helped make that possible-it gave me the incentive to take on this goal in the first place.

The people I met were terrific. At the airport I was greeted by a wonderful lady from KCP. Okay, now, I don't know about the rest of you, but going to Japan was my first time on a long plane ride, first time being far away from my parents, and first time begin truly on my own. So seeing Ms. Asanuma's warm smiling face made me feel a little bit more relaxed. But it didn't stop there. I made some really great friends not only among the American group, but with my other Asian classmates as well. Even now I still write them. I plan to visit some of my friends in their home country, and some plan on visiting me at my home. On the weekends, and before and after class, is your time. You can explore, and re-visit places that you went for the culture class and especially enjoyed. Culture class is extremely fun. Of course you learn things but the best part is that you have loads of fun. I saw parts of Japan that if it were not for the culture class I would have never seen. We went to the beach, saw Mount Fuji, and tons of other things. I have so much to say about KCP. I definitely can't say it all in just this letter, like about how great my host family was. I formed a bond with my host family that I don't think will be broken. To this day I write and call them. I like KCP so much that I will be going again next summer. Who knows? Maybe I will see some of you there.

I had already been studying the language for quite some time, and even though I was partially ready for my travels, it was still quite an eye-opening experience. There were always new places to visit, new things to do, and most importantly, new people to meet. My first few days in Japan were quite anxious, but once I had become acclimated to the heat of Tokyo and to its complicated train system, things eventually worked out-take it from someone who got lost for 3 hours on the first day! Class was a little strange at first. When I started, it seemed that everyone already knew each other, and the other students also seemed to be very experienced in Japanese. However, I used this to my advantage! Once I met some of my classmates, they were more than willing to help me with my studies, and they introduced me to more people. This is a good way to find activities to do during the weekend, because, believe me, staying in your dorm or at home is the worst thing you could do. Not only that, but since most of my classmates were Korean and I wanted to make friends with them, I spent almost all of my time speaking Japanese (our common language). By the way, from student to student, once you have had a chance to walk around Shinjuku, I recommend going to a place called Yoshinoya for lunch. You would not believe how much money I saved there by eating cheap. =) I cannot emphasize enough the benefits of staying with a host family. I stayed with an absolutely wonderful family, and even now, a year later, I have kept in contact with them via letters and presents to the children. This opportunity may be one of the best reasons to go through KCP and also the best way to experience Japan. Remember: the more effort you put into this trip, the more fun you will have. Currently I am a senior studying Japanese Literature. Graduating will mean a lot to me: I will be able to return to Japan. I plan to continue in-depth instruction in the Japanese language, and also begin my translation work on books and video games.

I studied at KCP for two years. It's been two years since graduating from the school and coming back to the United States. Thanks to KCP, I'm able to work as an interpreter and also write freelance articles about Japan. That's not to say that it was all fun and games. At the beginning it was difficult to be able to use only Japanese during class, but being able to meet so many different people and study together was a lot of fun. If your goal is to truly become better at Japanese, and not just to mess around in Japan, in my opinion there's no place better than KCP. That's IF you work hard, mind you. Through hard work you can get better at Japanese, become able to understand more about Japan, and in the long run experience Japan profoundly.

Through them, I now have a family overseas which I consider to be real family, and I have friends all over the country who I regularly correspond with. The cultural excursions that we went on together will forever be etched into my memory. I plan to go back next summer, definitely through KCP. I am a junior. I began to take Japanese for a graduation requirement, and I planned to take only one year. After studying Japanese for one year, I began looking around and discovered KCP's Japanese program. I planned only to study there for the summer and then stop taking Japanese altogether. But after living in Japan and being immersed in the language and culture, I was hooked! I am now a double major in Japanese and American Ethnic Studies. After graduation, I will be teaching English in Japan while I complete my masters degree program in education.

Welcome to Japan! A wealth of new experiences awaits you during your time here. Unbounded by your own country's perceived view of Japan, you can now see for yourself what Japan really is. In addition to having an enlightening cultural journey, you are very fortunate to have chosen one of the best Japanese language schools in the world. Welcome to KCP International Japanese Language School. From here on, if you have the discipline to study hard, you will learn Japanese at an unprecedented rate. KCP is so successful because: Immersion training-Since Japanese is the only language used to teach Japanese, it roots out any notion that you need your English to survive. The more you can detach yourself from your dependency on English, the faster your Japanese ability improves. Speed-Compared to any normal Japanese college class in the States, these classes easily move at around 3 times the speed. The speed at which you learn really makes the language come alive, because when you leave the classroom you can immediately use and understand such a variety of grammar that it's nearly guaranteed that you'll get a chance to use it, even on the journey home. Teachers-I was personally so impressed by the teachers' willingness to help students. They are always there for you. The teachers of KCP are tough, but they really want to see you succeed in learning Japanese. This is an intensive Japanese Language program, so get ready. But if you put your best into it, you will be speaking Japanese faster than you thought possible. My advice: Coming to a foreign country for the first time is stressful, especially this far away from the States. If you can't communicate well in Japanese yet, and you find yourself alone in Tokyo for a length of time, you will have a very natural reaction to find an English-speaking person to communicate with. However, I have been studying Japanese in Japan for nearly 2 years and have seen that the biggest obstacle in developing conversational fluency in Japanese is for a Japanese Language student to spend all his/her free time hanging out after class with English speaking students. In class you will learn everything you need to know, but if you don't make an effort to use Japanese outside of class, your conversational ability will not improve. Study, Study, STUDY! At KCP, learning and remembering grammar constructions and vocab certainly requires study, but for me the toughest part of the curriculum was of course, kanji. My advice is to buy index cards. Write kanji on one side and hiragana on the other. Do not use English. Remember, it is your enemy here. If you keep those cards and review them on your walk or train ride home, you will find that learning kanji becomes less of the monster it seems. In closing, I hope that you can see Japan with an open mind. I hope that you can find all the little subtleties that American media never shows of Japan. I hope that you make the most out of your educational and cultural experience. But most importantly, I hope you have a great time, and that you make some great lifelong friends.

But getting the most out of a study abroad opportunity is about how much you put into your experience, which means it's not for everybody. Study abroad is for the student who is willing to live outside of his or her personal comfort zones and reach out to the people who live there. I gave my study in the Land of the Rising Sun all I had... full immersion. I actually didn't speak English for nearly 8 months! Initially, that is the most trying thing about living in another country-getting past the language barrier. But since I was determined to understand what everyone was talking about, I spent nearly 2 months nodding my head 'yes' to everything said to me (with an occasional no when it looked like trouble). I decided not to speak English at all, even if it meant a headache here and there. I volunteered wherever I could; went on trips with Japanese friends; got into many cultural events-kabuki, calligraphy, karate, sadou (tea ceremony); and even climbed Mount Fuji twice! Eventually it all paid off. My host family, as well as the many friends I had made, gave me credit for the effort I put in, and that led to much deeper and more meaningful relationships. That is the real goal of study abroad, I believe: to form deep and insightful relationships with people from other countries, causing one to grow inwardly and interpersonally. I recommend KCP study abroad to those who are willing to reach down deep within to gain a better understanding of the global village.

The KCP program was terrific! Everybody was very nice and helpful. When I first arrived I really couldn't speak Japanese, but with all of the support from KCP (especially Tanaka San and Nakajima San!), I still felt relatively comfortable. They would do everything possible to help us in school and living in Japan. I really could tell that everyone genuinely cared. In fact, I remember thinking that I wish I could have had teachers who paid that much attention to students during high school and university here. I think that going to study abroad in a foreign country can be pretty scary, especially for the students who can't really speak the language. But with KCP you don't really have to worry about it. I was relieved to find a lot of other American students in my position. In the beginning, we all stuck together pretty tight: we would all go out after school together to explore Tokyo. After about a month we started speaking enough Japanese to go out with some of the other classmates who weren't American. This was fun-you start making a lot of new friends and improve in Japanese a lot quicker, since it is the only common language. Actually, I still keep in touch with some classmates by writing emails in Japanese, and I even traveled around with one for about a month after school had finished. With the KCP program I learned Japanese surprisingly fast, made a lot of good friends, and greatly enjoyed my experience of a foreign country and culture. I would definitely recommend KCP to anyone, whether absolute beginner or almost fluent, who is thinking about doing language study in Japan.

Tomorrow officially marks two weeks since I returned from Japan. The experience was so remarkably surreal that I wonder if my stay in Tokyo the past two months was all just a fantastic dream. The eight photo albums overflowing with pictures, however, suggest that I was actually there. The KCP Language Program in Tokyo, Japan is of excellent caliber; here are three reasons why. The first reason can be summed up in two words: conversation opportunity. There is no more appropriate place to study Japanese than at a place where you are immersed in it, day and night, in and out of class; so, what better location than Japan's capital itself? KCP classes are all conducted in Japanese; this is necessary because most of its students actually come from non-English speaking countries like South Korea and China. Tests, textbooks, grammatical explanations, and even school announcements are given in Japanese every day. These normal classroom activities are supplemented by ample conversation practice during class hours. I stayed with a Japanese host family, so I was able to develop my conversational skills not only at school but at home as well. The family spoke almost nothing but Japanese to me and helped me with any impromptu questions in a very friendly, informative way. Opportunities like this are quite rare in America, so it was a definite advantage to have to speak Japanese both in and out of class. Even if students choose the dormitory option, the need to speak Japanese around town still provides plenty of practice. The second reason I highly recommend KCP is the dedication of its staff and faculty. The student program coordinators in the main office are efficient, friendly, and competent people who are always ready to help. As for the teachers (of which each class has three), never in my life have I received more personal concern about my progress and difficulties in class than at KCP. The teachers are extremely organized, knowledgeable, and dedicated people who are always available for questions. I really appreciated knowing that my learning was truly important to the teachers. The third reason I believe KCP is an excellent school is that I was able to skip Japanese 2 at the University of Florida and enter Japanese 3 this fall with little trouble. I attended KCP this summer so that in May I will be able to graduate with a degree in East Asian Languages and Literature. Although I have only been attending Japanese 3 for about a week now, I have noticed my kanji and vocabulary are almost equal to those who studied Japanese 2 in the past year. In addition, since at KCP we were forced to speak only Japanese, the same rule in our Japanese 3 class here is easy to follow. In short, KCP allowed me to achieve my goal of a smooth transition into Japanese 3 this fall, for which I am very grateful. I have no negative reactions other than the program being too short (which is obviously not a fault of the program, rightfully entitled the summer short-term program). I wanted to improve my Japanese beyond the beginning level I have stayed at for so many years, and KCP has the resources to allow students like me to do just that. I am very happy with my progress, and I recommend KCP to anyone serious about reaching a higher level of proficiency in Japanese.

After completing 2 years of school I enrolled at KCP to study Japanese for 6 months. Toward the end of the term we had a school Christmas party which I wrote this song for. When I returned home I created the music and video about my Japanese language experience with KCP. Currently I'm back in Japan finishing my degree at Temple University in Tokyo with a major in Business and a minor in Japanese.