IES Abroad Nagoya

I got the opportunity to study overseas in Japan, thanks to IES Abroad and I can say that it was a wonderful experience. The immersion and activities that this program provide were amazing. Everything from spending a weekend in Kyoto, to watching the incredible TAO drums which took my breath away and more. One of my favorite things that I got to do was making souvenirs, I loving things and this program gave me the opportunity to make a furoshiki (something like a traditional japanese handkerchief) and my own chopsticks with a little carrying case. There was the added benefit that I knew that even though I was overseas and away from my friends and family, that I had a group of fellow IES students who were there to help me out and join me on my adventures. The program coordinators were informative and ready to answer questions and were some addition peace of mind while overseas. All in all, I had a great time with this program and would recommend.

I can easily say that the 5 months I spent in Nagoya were the best of my life. I wish I could have stayed for the full 10 months, and I was incredibly sad to return to the states. The intensive courses were challenging but very rewarding; by the end of the program I had made noticeable leaps in my language abilities. While I enjoyed going out on my own cultural excursions, the trips arranged by IES were incredibly enjoyable. I was able to visit places that I never would have on my own, and got to interact with locals during origami and pottery workshops.

The biggest downside I faced was my living situation. I was set up in an international dorm, which was conveniently close to Nanzan's campus. I was lucky in this sense; everyone else in IES had a 30+ minute commute and had to pay for their subway passes. However, my dorm had incredibly strict rules, and was quite different from the American dorms I've lived in. The dorm had 24 hour surveillance, with a security guard on the premises at all times. Any guests, even from the same program, were explicitly forbidden. Due to these rules, I spent very little time in my dorm.

GO TO JAPAN! It's an amazing country filled with its own exquisite charms and surprises. Studying abroad in Japan through IES Abroad is the best decision I've ever made. Throughout the whole journey, from applying to being on the program, I've been supported and cared for by my advisors off-site and on-site. I met amazing people, some of whom became my close friends and mentors, and improved my Japanese along the way. Nanzan University was a perfect choice for me as their rigorous Japanese language program pushed me to speak Japanese wherever I go and their cultural activities always promoted more interaction with Japanese locals. IES Abroad also did a great job with arranging diverse and interesting cultural excursions, through which I received much more than I ever expected. Learning about history of how Japan was formed, making soba noodles from scratch, trying out pottery and calligraphy, walking through the Atomic Bomb museum in Hiroshima, eating fresh oysters and other delicacies of each visited city, befriending friends from Australia, Korea, Japan, China, Malaysia...I can't even count those endless times I've made a great memory. Everybody should hop on this train with IES Abroad Nagoya because you won't regret it! Be prepared to eat the weird stuff, use a language 24/7 that is not your own and just immerse yourself in the culture and the people. Good Luck!

I studied abroad in Nagoya for a spring semester through IES Abroad. In short, I would definitely recommend the program to anyone considering study abroad in Japan.

The IES orientation in Inuyama was a great way to brush up on the language and be eased into the different culture in an informative and supportive environment that also allowed me to meet people and make friends before being sent off to Nanzan proper. The two IES representatives were incredibly helpful and genuinely seemed to care about the well-being of each individual in the program. Even if you don't go to Japan, I would recommend working with IES since they provide so much support.

The Center for Japanese Studies at Nanzan was staffed by universally nice and helpful people. The entrance process to determine what level of Japanese class you should be in is very extensive, so you'll most likely be placed in the best level for you. The language instructors were also very nice and supportive, and I thought the packets made for the classes were very helpful (oftentimes better than the textbook). I wish that the other academic courses would be given the same level of consideration as the language classes (the other ones are hit-and-miss as far as quality), but this ultimately is a language-learning program. The Japanese methods of teaching are something to get used to if you come from a Western country, and it can sometimes be frustrating. I have my complaints about it, but they're very subjective complaints, and it's more of a cultural difference than something being overtly negative. For those of you looking for a low-stress school year, though, Japanese universities are famously laid back, and the CJS program is no exception. Around mid-terms or finals you may scramble around to remember your kanji, but, for the most part, you have the leeway to put classes on the back-burner and just enjoy being in the country.

I really love the city of Nagoya. I'm not a city-kid. I would not have survived in Tokyo (good place to visit once, though). If you're someone looking for a huge, bustling city, Nagoya may be a bit too quiet for you. For me, though, it was the perfect size. Sakae and Kanayama have the night life you want. Fushimi has a very interesting science museum even if you can't read the signs. There's a zoo; there's the Boston Museum of Art (free for students, by the way); there's an aquarium; there's a huge park with My Neighbor Totoro references that is constantly holding festivals; there are shopping centers everywhere for any need you could possibly have. You can get manga extremely cheap. There are nooks and crannies with very interesting bars and restaurants and shops. And you still have to take the subway everywhere, so you still feel like you're in a city. I had about a 40 minute commute by subway from my homestay to Nanzan, which was typical from what I saw. You get used to it, though. It's also extremely safe, or I at least felt extremely safe. Walking home late at night from the subway station wasn't in any way unpleasant. I had to go to a clinic twice while abroad -- once for getting sick and the second time after twisting my ankle -- and, even if they don't speak English and you haven't memorized your "trip to the hospital" Japanese vocabulary, I found that the doctors really try their best to help you to the best of their capacity, so don't be afraid of getting medical help if you think you need it either.

I am an introvert, so making friends or having a vibrant nightlife were not things that I've found easy doing in the past. But it was surprisingly easy to build a social circle and have things to do on Friday and Saturday nights while I was in Nagoya. My host family was wonderful -- home cooked family dinner every night, trips to museums and zoos, etc. As I said above, the IES orientation was a great way to establish a friend group in a foreign country full of people you've never met.
As a note, Japanese social lives tend to involve bars, alcohol, and lots of karaoke. You will go out for karaoke more in one month in Japan than you've ever thought possible. Drinking isn't a necessary thing, but be warned that it's going to happen around you if you're out late enough. I also taught English (it's incredibly easy to become a tutor if you want to) in my free time, which was a wonderfully rewarding experience. My going away party with my students was one of the happiest moments that I had abroad.

Overall, though there were negative points, as there are with anything, I still love the city and I love the friends I made there. If you have reservations about being a gaijin in such an ethnically homogeneous country: Yes, you do tend to stick out like a sore thumb if you're not on campus with the other study abroad students, sometimes people stare, but I didn't experience anything hostile or mean-spirited for the entire time I was there, and I'm a black woman. So no worries. I definitely want to return to Japan soon.

All host families are different and all my friends had different experiences with their host family. I originally thought I would be spending a lot of time with my host family, such as going out with them on their daily errands or learning Japanese culture from them. Instead, my experience was very mundane. They spent the majority of their time watching television, going over assignments with their children and preparing for dinner. It was a bit difficult to communicate with them because my Japanese level was not as high and elaborating on topics was very difficult on both ends. But, before you think about seriously applying to IES Abroad for Nanzan University, you should check if their Japanese courses are align with yours. For example, Nanzan University of second year Japanese does not start off with GENKI 2, it starts off with GENKI 2 chapter 15.

I was glad I chose IES, because they took us to various locations that were popular in Japan. Fushimi Inari, which is a shrine in Kyoto, was probably one of the best ones in my opinion. Also, just be prepared to have a jam-packed schedule whenever you go on your trips. You do have a short breaks in between activities to rest, but at most we got around 2 hours to rest, which is not a lot when you are always on the go.

I improved my language abilities greatly during staying with host family and studying in Nanzan and passed N1 level in Japanese Language Proficiency Test. Field trips were great, and dinners provided were just beyond my expectation! The courses provided by Nanzan were satisfying that Japanese Traditional Art was offered, which I took Ikebana (The Flower Arrangement) and it was amazing! Language courses were pretty intensive but helpful if you truly want to improve your Japanese. Teachers were humorous,kind, and always love to help students when they have problems. IES staffs in Nagoya also helped me a lot. Host family was very friendly and I got a lot of care and love from them. Living with host family will be a good choice if you want to have more chances to practice spoken Japanese. Love 4 months with IES, Nanzan and Nagoya! Sincerely hope to stay for 1 year in Nagoya rather than 1 semester.

Nanzan University is known for its great international program. They have a wonderful intensive language program that really challenges you to improve your language skills. The program is very structured and have some of the best staff leading it. The program will help you improve all aspects of your language skills from reading and writing to listening and speaking.

One the greatest gains I think I received from studying at Nanzan was the lasting friendships of both local and fellow foreign students. The University's Center for Japanese Studies (CJS) hosts students from a wide variety of other countries, and there's no bond like the one forged from learning a common language, and the amazement that that language is a somewhat unexpected bridge. I would not only communicate to Japanese students in Japanese, but also to mainland European comrades who did not speak English very well. The multi-cultural exchange was as entertaining as it was illuminating, and I don't think I could have picked a better program for my needs. Apart from extensive improvement in my language skills, I gained greater insight into the daily life and culture of Japan, and the cultures of my fellow foreign students. I found it easier to interact with local residents the more my language skills improved, and my confidence improved greatly. I gained many friends from, not just Japan, but around the world, because of this experience, and I will never forget it.