Testimonials

At first it was hard to adjust to Minna no Nihongo because I had come from using Genki, but eventually I got used to Minna no Nihongo and prefer it now. Also, the English support class was very helpful and motivated me to do better in class.

—Ryan

The most interesting part to me was the immersive teaching style, I really liked that way of teaching. Even though it requires a lot of studying I really enjoyed that aspect.

— Aponi

Everything was extremely helpful, from speaking to other students in Japanese, asking teachers questions and drill practices were very fun and interesting.

—Venus

Classes were really great. The lower levels were particularly helpful for hammering home the basics of Japanese grammar, conversation and pronunciation.

—Nelson

かいわ practice was very helpful. Going over all the vocab and slowly building up conversation was very helpful. Having to write essays and and create your own conversation was also very useful. Also, focusing on the high and low pitches and intonation for words was extremely useful. I would honestly love to see more of it, even though I honestly disliked it since my American accent would mess up the pronunciation, I understood that it was very valuable in sounding fluent.

—Luis

The most productive and interesting parts of the program were the daily class supplemented by English class. It helped me retain so much of the information. I tried to come up with something that was uninteresting or not productive, but I really can’t think of anything. Nonproductive and KCP don’t fit in the same sentence!

—Megan Comerford

I really enjoyed our small group conversations and working with the other students. We were able to talk to one on another about the topics learned in class, as well as get to know one another after finishing our prompts.

—Shenelle King

I was surprised by how much I LOOKED FORWARD to class every day. Just sign up for it. The earlier the better. This was the best decision I made in my learning of Japanese.

—Grant Willey

I found the textbook, tests, and homework to be most helpful. I learn best from reading and writing, so these exercises really helped me to understand and internalize the material.

—Shannon Welch

I love the way the Minna no Nihongo textbooks were set up. It made finding my weak points in grammar much easier and provided a lot of practice, both in and outside of class. I also really liked the hatsuon readings we would do every day. They really helped improve my speaking and reading ability.

—Katie Penvose

Pair work was definitely helpful, all the textbooks we used were really helpful as well. The way that Minna no Nihongo is formatted really helps students grasp how to use new grammar and how to correctly use it.

—Brian Bergquist

Practice worksheets for the grammar was the most helpful. It allowed me to try and apply my knowledge that I learned in class to make sure I fully understood the way particles are supposed to be applied. Talking in groups in class was also very helpful for becoming less shy with the language, since it can be scary to try and speak a language which I didn’t know very well.

—Spencer Cramm

The materials that I found most helpful was the mini games and pair work. the reason I say this is because with the mini games helps you understand a little more clearer of what going on in the class and for the pair work it makes the Japanese language stick in your head.

—Kevon Martin

I found that the pair work was very effective, as it allowed students to work together in order to overcome obstacles that they would otherwise not be able to overcome on their own. Many students in class were very helpful in explaining concepts to me about the Japanese language that I didn’t understand.

—Zachary Fauquher

I liked how every day we had a three-minute conversation with a classmate, and when we had to craft our own conversations based on a picture using Level 3 grammar points. All of the textbooks provided are amazing at helping learn the language.

—Jordan Gonzalez

It was the most difficult part but writing 作文 was the most interesting and productive thing I did. It really allowed me to see my skill grow and develop really clearly by how well I could express ideas.

—Alexander Santese

I really in enjoyed pair work and small groups because we were able to utilize our language skills. If we did come across something that one student might not understand, the instructor was there to clarify any questions. It also provided a good setting for getting to know my classmates better without the stress of coming up with sentences in front of the class, which can sometimes be a little nerve-wracking.

—Brenna Morlock

I found pair work and small group sessions to be most helpful as I was forced to actually speak in Japanese with others and to learn how to listen to and understand what they were saying. Homework was also very helpful as I was able to discover my weak spots.

—Anna Seim

Pair work was very helpful to me, since it took some of the pressure off of going one by one around the room in front of the class, or even the anxiety of raising a hand to ask the sensei a question. Though there were quite a lot of tests, I felt they were helpful as well.

—Sarah Zakrzewski

I’d say the textbooks were effective, both the ones made by KCP and Minna No Nihongo. They’re thorough and provide a lot of useful information. I use them a lot even when just searching for grammar points or vocabulary. I like the games we’d play in class, too, like role playing about going on trips or eating out at a restaurant and the problems that can or cannot happen. It’s fun and stimulating and gets you thinking on your feet in Japanese

—Valerie Taylor

No matter if you are “悪い学生” or “日本語が上手” [good student or not-so-good student] KCP welcomes its international students and provides an amazing experience for learning Japanese. The class style is just like a Japanese school environment where students have responsibilities to uphold. Teachers are so kind and cool and inspiring. Studying at KCP made wish I didn’t have to go back home.

—Rishab Bhatnagar

The most productive and interesting aspects of the program was actually going to class, which isn’t usually the case —haha. The teachers were very funny and down-to-earth, while also teaching a lot of practical sentence structures and giving us plenty of opportunity to practice spoken Japanese. I feel that I’ve had THE best teachers to learn from and the best classmates to study with at KCP for a language learning environment.

 —Jin Su

I really enjoyed the lectures. Every single one of the lecture guests explained their Japanese culture and history points it was super interesting and informative. I am glad I got to learn about all these interesting culture facts and points through someone who cares and knows a lot about the subject.

—Marissa Ford

Other students may hate me for saying so, but I feel that having frequent, small tests was very helpful. It’s a little stressful, but having frequent tests helped keep me on my toes as far as studying. When tests are spaced apart, it’s easy to get caught up in everyday life.

—Colette Kinder

The lecture we had on Japanese psychology was definitely my favorite because it helped me better understand how and why Japanese people think the way they do.

—Hector Santiago

The first day of class may seem a little intimidating, especially due to the fact that most of your classmates won’t be able to speak English. However everyone is there to learn and have a fun time doing so, so just remember to take it easy and make a bunch of friends! By the end of my quarter here at KCP, everyone in my class were friends and whenever we had presentations it didn’t seem like such a big deal because we all knew each other.

—Brian Bergquist

I enjoyed taking the conversation class because the instructors chose interesting topics that also translated well into real life situations. It didn’t feel like practice without a purpose.

—Brenna Morlock

Tests were actually very helpful. They provide the pressure for me to more extensively study the materials that we were given, and if I get questions wrong those help point out to me which concepts I need to strengthen or have memorized incorrectly.

—Nathan Wong

I thought that the Japanese psychology lecture was one of the most interesting and eye opening into the culture and differences between Japanese culture and my own.

—Mary Davison

Don’t be afraid to explore and always do the homework! The classes are challenging but manageable if you are willing to do the work.

—Stephanie Falsone

The everyday classes are the most interesting thing for me. KCP is a place where many cultures intersect, and learning how to talk about that intersection in Japanese (sharing your own culture and asking about others) is really fascinating.

—Tess Kupel

The tests and daily assignments in Level 4 were very good in helping us prepare for the midterm exam and final. The daily kanji tests helped improve my reading ability immensely.

—Erin Longstreet

The vocabulary and grammar learning I find fun and useful. It is amazing to see one’s progress first hand as you are able to carry out more and more complex conversations. KCP was great and lots of fun I’d love to come back and continue to take courses.

—Alberto Ossorio

Classes were always very informative, active and used plenty of examples to help me remember things. The conversations that were staged with native Japanese speakers were very good.

—Michiel Sikma

I think the best aspect would be how quickly the class moves. Also, activities that allow students to meet native Japanese speakers is a very good idea (i.e. the curry class). I would actually rather have more events like this even sacrificing tour-type excursions because meeting native speakers and befriending them can open up far more opportunities.

—Anthony Patton

The best is definitely the class environment, I always feel comfortable with either of the three teachers that cycle in a week and I look forward to practicing my Japanese every day.

—Alberto Ossori

There was just a ton of information to take in and absorb, and it was all useful to me. It helped me to better understand Japanese culture and it was all very interesting.

—Benjamin De Angelis

The program is pretty amazing. I learned really fast.

—Jessica Hoyle

I loved the fact that teachers cycled out, we weren’t stuck with one teaching style. I also enjoyed the essay writing on Fridays because it allowed me to have a visual of the parts of the language I didn’t understand.

—Brittany Crouch

I found the conversation class to be rather enjoyable as I learned a myriad of terms for specific situations. 

—Daniel Ruiz

I learned not only about Japanese culture but also about Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese and Americans. It was interesting to communicate with different cultures and to learn something new.

—Sigute Bacinskaite

The Japanese business etiquette co-curriculum classes were most satisfying. I was able to learn a lot of words through the material that was given in class, and I liked the chance to discuss and give my own opinions, even if I couldn’t fully express what I wanted to say.

—Marjorie-Fleure Etienne

I felt that class in general was very productive and that everything I learned I could apply outside of class. I found the conversation practice to be particularly interesting since I got to speak with other students from different countries and hear different perspective on topics.

—Terry Chan

I enjoyed being able to participate. I really liked it when my teacher told us to come up with our own examples to share. I thought that was very engaging and very fun.

—Jaking Kong

What I like most about this program is the fact that there are multiple teachers for each class. This enables the students to benefit from each teacher’s style of teaching rather than only being exposed to one. I also like how interactive the classes are.

—Francesca Marino

I liked how classes are divided into sections. So, one day we focus on speaking and reading and the next day it is grammar and new vocabulary. I didn’t feel overwhelmed.

—Jose Mendoza

One of the most interesting aspects of the program was being in a classroom with students from across the world. This forced us to use Japanese and not rely on our native language. In addition to learning about the Japanese culture I was also able to learn a lot about cultures from China, Korea, Brazil, etc.

—Chase Morimoto