Study Abroad in Japan

With KCP International, you can earn more Japanese credit than you would in an entire year at your university. Plus, you can pick your start date!

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KCP Summer Student Ean Smith on KCP and Japan

Summer alumnus Ean Smith reminisces about his time at KCP and with his host family. Thanks for sharing, Ean!

In the summer of 2013 I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in Japan at KCP International. With my love for the Japanese culture and a desire to learn the language, it would have been foolish for me to not be a part of this program. From the get go, the KCP staff in both the United States and Japan were incredibly helpful, answering all of my questions in a timely fashion. If learning the Japanese language is something you aspire to do, I cannot recommend the KCP immersion program enough. Though it was frustrating at times, I felt that this was the best way for me to learn a language, and many of the friends I met overseas will agree with me.

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 Sensoji Temple. | KCP Flickr

I chose to live with a host family during my time as a student at KCP. I wanted to experience first-hand what it would be like living with a Japanese family and see how their daily routine differed from that of mine. When I got the email saying that I would be living with a host family that spoke no English whatsoever, my stomach turned and I went into panic mode instantly. What if I couldn’t understand anything? What if they didn’t like me? I would be lying if I said there wasn’t an immediate language barrier when I arrived, but throughout the program, I found communication easier as the days went on.

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On one occasion there was a cultural difference that caused my host mom to call KCP to have them explain to me what was going on. My host mom was not okay with me doing laundry once a week. Being a 23-year-old guy living on his own in the States, that was pretty typical for me. My host mom wanted me to give her my laundry to do every day. Not that I’m complaining, but because where I lived didn’t have a dryer, when I gave her a week’s worth of clothes, it took a bit of time to dry because she air-dried my clothes. It was also wonderful to have breakfast and dinner cooked for me, EVERY DAY! I think the bond between my host mom, host dad, and I helped push me to become a better student to eliminate that language barrier. I still talk to both of them on a monthly basis. I am a little homesick for my host mom’s homemade tonkatsu from time to time.

Fun with host family. | KCP Flickr

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I found the Japanese nightlife to be incomparable to anything in the United States. Since Japan doesn’t partake in daylight savings time, it gets dark fairly early every day, so the nightlife gets going pretty quickly. My friends and I had plenty to do in Shinkjuku–from game centers, to the movie theatres, to frequenting izakayas, to venturing out to new restaurants, there is no shortage of entertainment in Japan. If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, there are plenty of historical monuments to visit. Attempting to explain all of this in a brief blog will do it no justice, so you’re just going to have to experience this for yourself.

I can’t recommend this program enough. An immersion program is the best way to learn a language. The staff at KCP is so dedicated in helping students learn and master the Japanese language. I’ve made lifelong friends and have a second family because of this program, and that’s invaluable to me.

Ean Smith in front of Matsumoto Castle. | KCP Flickr

If you have a question for Ean about his KCP experiences, please ask him.

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Read all about Japanese immersion learning and studying abroad. Check out our eZasshi archives for more articles!