Testimonials

Support Testimonials

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  • English Support classes was a life saver for me. There were times when Japanese sentences and particles wouldn’t make sense to me until it was explained in English. Once explained to me in English, everything would make perfect sense.

    — Luis

  • Being able to consult with teachers anytime was really nice and helped me shape what I want to do in Japan. There are also teachers in training, and they’re always around to talk to in breaks and after class.

    —Joseph

  • The English support sessions were invaluable at understanding Japanese grammar concepts.

    — Elisabeth

  • I think KCP is definitely one of the best options a student can choose for a study abroad program in Tokyo. The program throws us right into the Japanese language and living so we have the best chance at success. The staff is friendly and go above and beyond to help you understand class material, see how you are adjusting to life in Japan, and help you outside of class with anything you need. Especially Michiko-san who sat in the hospital with me for over 8 hours to translate and make sure I was all right. She is amazing and is always looking out for everyone. I feel like I can go to her about anything and she’ll help you until your problem is solved.

    —Catrin Ramsey

  • The experience was above and beyond my expectations. The staff and the people were all amazing.

    —Darian Lawrence

  • Balancing schoolwork and exploring Tokyo can be difficult as you’ll want to hang out with friends and discover cool places but also maintain your grades and study for tests. Take advantage of KCP’s resources such as the English support class and be sure to confirm things with your teachers after class.

    —Sophia Warren

  • Amazing. I really appreciate the amount of help and support given to me. I absolutely loved my time here, and I hope that someday I will be able to come back. There are no words to express how much this meant to me, so all I can really say is thank you SOO much.

    —William Housel

  • Go to English support. The chapter-related worksheets are excellent review for the grammar tests (that is, if you make sure to finish the worksheets so they can be corrected before the test time). Then you actually know what kind of mistakes to look out for.

    —Tess Kupel

  • Conversation practice was an extremely efficient form of practice and a reassuring confidence booster. KCP tests are extremely strict so that was a great way to perfect what we learned.

    —Allison Hoisl

  • Drill practices and textbook work were very helpful. Also pair work and group work were helpful for me since I don’t have friends to practice my Japanese on.

    —Demarcus Hann

  • Going over the explanations of the stroke order and different strokes of writing kanji was incredibly helpful. They did not teach any of that in the American schools I went to in the five years I have studied Japanese.

    —Brittni Hedstrom

  • Definitely pair conversations and occasional acting out of actual real life situations was most helpful because oftentimes, it is Japanese I have been waiting to use and enjoy using it out of the classroom daily.

    —Alberto Ossori

  • The grammar notes were extremely helpful for giving examples of new material. Pair work during class was really helpful as well, because it forced me to speak with people. It also gave me chances to catch not only my mistakes but others as well, so we were all helping each other become more fluent.

    —Benjamin De Angelis

  • I found the pair work and games to be most helpful, especially as these activities focused on my weakest area–speaking. With practice throughout this term, I have become much more confident in speaking.

    —Cristina Cano

  • English support with Ms. Kato. She’s has been extremely helpful all throughout.

    —Alberto Ossorio

  • Pair work has been the most helpful for me as within these interactions I can see my Japanese that I just learned come to life as it enters another person’s ear and triggers the desired response. To me that is truly speaking a language.

    —Alberto Ossorio

  • Games made speaking Japanese less intimidating. Many students are embarrassed and stressed about saying things the wrong way or forgetting words and structure, but the games allowed us to laugh at ourselves and feel more comfortable trying new things.

    —Catrin Ramsey

  • I think the pair work was very useful as it had us participating a lot rather than just listening, which I think improves our ability to produce the language rather than just understand it. It also keeps class more engaging.

    —Spencer Morris

  • At the end of my first term, I asked the teachers for conversation help and they sat down with me for a half an hour in the mornings for a week and a half and talked with me in Japanese. That was probably the biggest help I had, and really gave me confidence in speaking. I also bought the みんあの日本語 English grammar books from Kinokuniya, and those really helped me as well.

    —Dawson Zimmermann

  • I particularly liked how the teachers evaluate our pronunciation every week. Very helpful, especially when you are trying to get rid of your own language’s heavy accent.

    —Isabela Ronquini de Sousa

  • I found that drill practice and games were the most helpful. Drill practice required students to truly understand the material through constant memorization and utilization. It was especially useful when the teacher went around the class and asked each student to answer individually. Games were helpful because it sparked a friendly competitive spirit that also encourages students to know the material in order to win.

    —May Leung

  • I really enjoyed the occasional games. [They] really helped reiterate the vocab and grammar points [and] helped break up the day to keep me interested. Group sessions were nice and so were the drill practices. Drilling especially helped make the material click.

    —Marissa Ford

  • English support definitely helped clarify my questions about grammar points. As for in class, I feel the pair work was a good combination of being able to practice our conversational skills with new grammar as well as learning from your partner about their own experiences especially as we are all foreigners.

    —Aileen Deleon

  • The English grammar notes are priceless. However, I also scheduled 1-on-1 conversations with the head instructor of my class three days a week. This practice pushed me to make use of new vocabulary and grammar while allowing feedback on any mistakes I made.

    —Larry Vires

  • I found [the] English support sessions were the best way to get help for questions. Also, group conversation was really helpful because it not only showed my weaknesses, but also gave me an opportunity to improve my conversation.

    —Alexander Fu

  • The English Support classes really helped reinforce recently learned material.

    —Anthony Nguyen

  • The benkyou no oto was really helpful in assessing how well I understood that chapter’s grammar. The in-class drill practices were good for using the grammar and making its use more natural.

    —Dhairya Jarsania

  • Prepare to be very invested in the school! The staff is very friendly, helpful, and really cares about each student!

    —Taryn Cusick

  • KCP has the most caring and dedicated staff. When I was behind in class, my professor met with me every morning until I was able to catch up. When I hurt my wrist, staff from KCP escorted me to the clinic and translated everything. These are just a few examples, but the staff is so supportive it is amazing.

    —Lauren Finley

  • Being in class was always my most productive and fun times. It was a great environment to learn.

    —Damien Reed

  • The amount of experience and knowledge that exuded from the professors was really splendid and I loved learning more outside the classroom with the excursions. I know that the instructors have to take some time out of their weekend but we all really appreciated the guidance and time.

    —Brittany Crouch

  • If you can balance studiousness with some fun on the weekends or after school, then you will have the time of your life. KCP pushes you but offers the best support system (either English Support or talking to your teacher) of any language school I have ever seen. The direct method really encourages you to think in Japanese, rather than try to translate everything back to your native language. Don’t be discouraged and ask questions as soon as you have them – the teachers are all super helpful and try their best to explain the material in different ways.

    —Jennifer Wu

  • I thoroughly enjoyed events which brought together students to aid each other in learning one another’s language. Both Chinese and English teaching sessions provides the opportunity to learn more of another culture while improving one’s language skills.

    —Daniel Ruiz

  • The help that the American program people gave and the events they planned for us to do. Also, I found it very interesting how the classes are organized and enjoyed the challenges it gave me to learn more Japanese. I’m not sure if there was a least productive aspect, most things were very thought out as to help students in their studies and be worthwhile to education. I am very thankful for all the guidance and teaching of Japanese language and culture I have received. Thank you.

    —Kara Scharold

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Student Life

Past and present students share their thoughts and experiences on studying in Japan.

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Testimonials

Going to class every day, and the workload, gave me a sense of what living in Japan would be like. I was able to learn Japanese daily, as well as have enough time in the day to study and explore the country.

—Shannon Lynch