As for the weekly schedule, I was in the language intensive program, not the language and culture program, so it may be slightly different. In addition, I was in the program in Fall of 2012, so it may very well be different now. The weekly schedule with a host family was like this: Japanese language class from 9 am to 12 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday Classes in the evening on...
After classes, which are Monday-Friday 8:30am-12pm, you are free to do as you like. There are a couple field trips organized by IES Abroad, only a few of which are mandatory. So, if you prefer to pass on the non-mandatory field trips, you are allowed to do so. Weekends are usually free so you can make your own plans. Short answer: you have a lot of free time and the freedom to explore and do your...
As for the weekly schedule, I was in the language intensive program, not the language and culture program, so it may be slightly different. In addition, I was in the program in Fall of 2012, so it may very well be different now. The weekly schedule with a host family was like this: Japanese language class from 9 am to 12 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday Classes in the evening on...