University of New Orleans

This program has changed my life for the better. I always wanted to go to Japan, and I'm so glad I decided on this program. It offered may different courses involving Japanese culture, history, art, literature and language. Not only did I earn college credit for these courses but I got to experience Japan at the same time that I was learning about it in those classes. Everyday was an adventure as I would always explore Kyoto after classes were finished. This was my first time out of the country and traveling abroad, so I was pleased that they had optional group field trips to other cities in the area such as Osaka (love that food) and Nara (love those deer). I got to make so many new friends from my home country that I would have never met otherwise, and I even made Japanese friends from the university we stayed at. This program has a tomodachi partner program that lets you have a lunch time partner. I got to learn more about Japan and the lifestyle from my tomodachi partner Aki. This was an experience I'll never forget!

I really loved this program! I picked Japan as a study abroad location because all of my high school friends had chosen Europe and I wanted to be different and chose a country/region that people don’t usually pick. I did not know much about Japan or Japanese culture before going, but now consider my enlightened and truly appreciate Japan’s uniqueness and specialty. I was paired with a Japanese student for the entire length of the program, we became great friends; we ate lunch every class day together, did afternoon activities during the week, and she even accompanied me to Tokyo for a weekend! We still keep in touch and I hope that our friendship will last. Plus, the food is fantastic; my new favorite Japanese dish (which is hard to find in the southern United States) is Okonomiyaki!

What a wonderful 5-week program. The courses gave me a glimpse into certain aspects of Japanese culture that I hadn't thought about previously, but more important than that were all the connections with people I made. The Tomodachi Partner program is a massive success, pairing each participant with a Japanese student to help bridge the cultural gap. Even though I went on the program back in 2016, I still keep in touch with many of them. No Japanese language ability is required for this program, making it very accessible to anyone who wishes to learn more about Japan. I also really enjoy how the program, while providing field trips to various cities (Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara), still leaves you enough flexibility to do your own exploration of the country and lets you live life on your own terms.