Winter Course

Classes:
The classes are small - my first week, there were 4 students. My second week, there were 6. The classes are lively, and the small class size provides lots of opportunity for speaking. For someone like me, who had studied Japanese alone at home, it was very helpful to get used to speaking in class. The textbook curriculum is logical, and the daily homework assignments are very useful for cementing each morning's lesson.

Teachers:
The teachers are uniformly lively, friendly, and supportive. We had a different teacher every day. In some settings, this might have been a disadvantage, but all of the teachers shared a daily curriculum, so we stayed on track no matter what teacher we had. Also, I found that I learned more by dealing with the multiple personalities and speaking styles of each teacher.

Location:
The location is easy to reach by subway, and is surrounded by lots of places to shop and eat.

Facilities:
The facilities are clean and modern, with lots of separate spaces for classes, private lessons, quiet study, and socializing.

Activities:
The activities were a fun way to get to know the students in other classes, and to learn about Japanese culture at the same time.

Housing:
For me, this was probably the best part of the whole experience. I stayed with a Japanese family, and got to know their friends and extended family, with several parties and outings during my stay. This gave me a much greater peek into Japanese life. Also, it forced me to speak more Japanese every day, because they spoke very little English. This really helped me get over my fear of speaking Japanese.