You will have to dedicate some long hours and be quizzed regularly. However, the instructors and staff members are here to help you.
Which events or activities did you find the most satisfying and why?
The outdoor excursions to shibamata, odawara, and the bunraku show.
What were the most productive and interesting aspects of the program for you? The least interesting and productive?
Essay writing, and read along were the most productive aspects of the program to me. The least productive were the speaking to each other examples.
What activities or materials did you find most helpful (e.g., pair work, drill practice, tests, small group sessions, textbooks, games)?
The textbooks, games, drill practice, and small group sessions were the most helpful to me.
Any comments or tips for prospective/new KCP students?
This program is fast-paced and intense. It's not for the faint of heart. You will have to dedicate some long hours and be quizzed regularly. However, the instructors and staff members are here to help you. If you are willing to put forth your best effort, ask for help, and strive to do your best instead of the perfect grade. You will succeed, and your Japanese will improve by leaps and bounds. For practical advice: 1. KCP uses the Minna no Nihongo book series. So it's best to be familiar with the textbooks if you can. 2. Kanji, explicitly writing the kanji, is a significant part of KCP as you will be writing sentences for your homework and essays. Most Japanese language schools do not teach nor emphasize writing kanji, so this is the biggest challenge for US students at KCP. My best advice is to practice writing kanji from the Jouyou List (regular use Kanji List) or the JLPT List—practice writing kanji in vocabulary words and sentences to see how the kanji is used in context. Practicing little by little each day goes a long way. You can get the 15 minutes of Kanji Practice per Day books for studying, as these are the books that KCP uses. If not, any kanji books that teach writing kanji from the JLPT list will be sufficient. 3. For students not staying in the KCP-provided dormitories, I highly recommend finding a place as close to the school as possible. I've heard of students who have commute times as long as 1.5-2 hours, and the long commute takes its toll on them. They often come home late and finish their homework right before class. So the shorter the commute, the better. If you can, find a place as close to Shinjuku as possible.
