Summer

Summer Semester in Tokyo: something to remember

The summer semester program is a total immersion intensive Japanese language course of the same duration as a semester, yet it’s just short enough to fit into the summer of an academic year. The language course is offered at 8 levels with special emphasis placed on  balanced language education that stresses the 4 most important communication skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Since the summer semester is a robust culture and civilization program (including ground-laying lectures and excursions in and around Tokyo) you’ll get opportunities to practice your Japanese on the streets and during interest clubs.

SNAPSHOT

• 8 language skill levels
• 200 class hours
• Lots of excursions and cultural activities
• Special course on Japanese culture

Japanese Language At Its Most Intensive

Although there are plenty of drills, conversations, and writing activities, KCP’s teaching staff have developed a wide range of learning activities that go beyond the typical.  They include skits, debates, close pronunciation correction, speaking with Japanese guests in class, use of newspapers, images, television, games, and other materials to generate conversation.

Japanese immersion for an entire semester is intense. Every member of the KCP staff is dedicated to helping you improve your Japanese. With three teachers per class and English Support if needed, you are poised to make enormous leaps in your Japanese proficiency.

Special to the Summer Term: Cultural Immersion, For Credit

In the course Japanese Culture and Society, experience Japan firsthand. Culture, history, society, and language are integrated intricately, and we aim for a comprehensive approach to these elements to help you see the “real” Japan. Lectures on traditional and modern Japanese life are supplemented with guided excursions. This content differs slightly each term, but this sampling gives you an idea of what is awaiting you.

• A traditional Japanese tea ceremony, which you not only attend but take part in.
• A weekend trip to ancient sites in Kamakura—Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, a cave, lodged at a ryokan (Japanese inn)—and to nearby Enoshima Island.
• A lecture on psychology and religion, with visits to the famed Asakusa district and the Sensoji Temple (oldest temple in Tokyo) as well as the Edo Tokyo Museum.
• A close look at Anime/Manga.
• A Kabuki performance.
• This class takes place on Saturdays.

Summer short-term in Tokyo: jump-start your Japanese.

Drench yourself in Japan for 8 exciting weeks of intense, nonstop immersion.  Take class in the direct method—entirely in Japanese—which will make a big difference in your language ability and expose you to Tokyo’s summer culture, including the height of festival season.  Outside of class, you can speak Japanese in your everyday interactions, good times, and jaunts to more of Japan.  Dormitory or homestay lodging is available. Both students and recent college graduates enthusiastically favor summer short-term because it is fast-paced and a great way to absorb the culture.

Snapshot

• 6 language skill levels
• 160 class hours
• 10 semester language credits

What to expect

The KCP summer short-term program gets results: you’ll come back with the equivalent of a year’s Japanese language (over 160 hours) under your belt, for academic credit.  So, gear up for the intensity by learning your basic kana.  Each day, expect 4 hours of class time and 2 to 4 study hours.  That still leaves lots of time for strolling around the city—or taking the mighty train system—on your own sprees and trips led by KCP staff.

Plenty of language help is available, in English if needed. KCP teachers, highly praised for their skill and dedication, sincerely care about your success. The balanced curriculum includes language instruction, exciting excursions, and cultural activities, all at a lower cost. Students enjoy extra-curricular activities (which vary from year to year) like calligraphy, cooking class, Japanese tea ceremony, singing class, and so on.

Adventures Galore

Some regional trips are part of the summer short-term program; once you learn the ropes, take a few trip-lets of your own. You’ll have time on the weekends to take in the beautiful festivals of the summer which include the Sumida Fireworks Festival, the Tokyo Bay Fireworks, and the Koenji Awa Odori (the biggest dance festival in the country), all in Tokyo.

A day trip outside Tokyo is also part of the summer short-term program. In the past, trips have been to mountainous Nagano Prefecture; shrines, bridges, and temples in Narai-juku (an ancient trade-route hill station); Matsumoto Castle; or Enoshima Island.

Knowledgeable support staff

At the heart of the classes and excursions, students consider the language professors one of the pillars of KCP, which is good, since the program is so intense. The teachers really know how to awaken Japanese language skills in their students, and if you try hard, they are with you every step of the way to make sure you get the most out of this expedited summer program.