Hiroshima - land of history

The location wasn't where I thought it would be, Hiroshima University is actually located in Saijo, about 30 mins outside of Hiroshima - so that took a little getting used to. But it was better in the long run - more country, more traditional, and known for its Sake! It's a small city, so don't expect city life like Tokyo.

The program was pretty good, lots of opportunities, and they were very accommodating - I even took judo, which was run by a world champ, and ended up scaring me to death! But I would do it again. The Japanese classes also taught me a lot - in one year I went from being able to say "I like to swim" to "The travel company furnished us with all the details of the tour."
The living accommodations that were available during my experience did not include homestays(we lived in dorms, super cheap, great way to meet students, but small!), but the program did provide a few short homestays that were probably some of the most valuable experiences for me learning about Japan and its language. I was very grateful for them providing these. However, if I were to do it again, I would make sure I lived with a family - even though you don't have as much freedom, you really learn so much more, and much faster this way.

It's a great location being in the middle of the Island - you can easily get to Tokyo, Kyoto, and Fukushima, and if you wanted Okinawa or Hokkaido. Hiroshima city itself is huge - It has a great Castle, tons of shopping, and the A-Bomb museum. This Museum really teaches you about the importance of Peace, and what the Japanese people went through. No matter where you are in Japan, you have to visit this museum. And the program employees will do as much as they can helping you with travel plans!