A wealth of new experiences awaits you during your time here. Unbounded by your own country’s perceived view of Japan, you can now see for yourself what Japan really is. In addition to having an enlightening cultural journey, you are very fortunate to have encountered, in KCP, one of the best Japanese language schools in the world.
Welcome to KCP International Japanese Language School.
From here on, if you have the discipline to study hard, you will learn Japanese at an unprecedented rate. KCP is so successful because:
Immersion training—Since Japanese is the only language used to teach Japanese, it roots out any notion that you need your English to survive. The more you can detach yourself from your dependency on English, the faster your Japanese ability improves.
Speed—Compared to any normal Japanese college class in the States, these classes easily move at around 3 times the speed. The speed at which you learn really makes the language come alive, because when you leave the classroom you can immediately use and understand such a variety of grammar that it’s nearly guaranteed that you’ll get a chance to use it, even on the journey home.
Teachers—I was personally so impressed by the teachers’ willingness to help students. They are always there for you. The teachers of KCP are tough, but they really want to see you succeed in learning Japanese.
This is an intensive Japanese Language program, so get ready. But if you put your best into it, you will be speaking Japanese faster than you thought possible.
My advice:
Coming to a foreign country for the first time is stressful, especially this far away from the States. If you can’t communicate well in Japanese yet, and you find yourself alone in Tokyo for a length of time, you will have a very natural reaction to find an English-speaking person to communicate with.
However, I have been studying Japanese in Japan for nearly 2 years and have seen that the biggest obstacle in developing conversational fluency in Japanese is to spend all one’s free time hanging out after class with English speaking students. In class you will learn everything you need to know, but if you don’t make an effort to use Japanese outside of class, your conversational ability will not improve.
Study, Study, STUDY!
At KCP, learning and remembering grammar constructions and vocab certainly requires study, but for me the toughest part of the curriculum was of course, kanji. My advice is to buy index cards. Write kanji on one side and hiragana on the other. Do not use English. Remember, it is your enemy here. If you keep those cards and review them on your walk or train ride home, you will find that learning kanji becomes less of the monster it seems.
I hope that you can see Japan with an open mind. I hope you can find all the little subtleties that American media never shows of Japan. I hope you make the most out of your educational and cultural experience. But most importantly, I hope you have a great time, and that you make some great lifelong friends.
Tags: Japanese immersion, KCP, opinion, study abroad
Posted in: Student Views | Comments (1)
Here’s an extremely witty, lyrical accessible Japanese artist from Japan’s Edo period. Katsushika Hokusai / 葛飾北斎 (1760-1849) was an artist of the uyiko-e / 浮世絵 school of painters. Uyiko-e means, literally, “pictures of the floating world.” They are mostly woodblock prints and paintings.
The Great Wave off Kanagawa
Hokusai was enamored of the artists’ practice common at the time to take a series of names–in fact, he took many more names than was customary. He was best known for his views of Mt. Fuji. This shot, the first in the collection Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji, is perhaps his most famous.
The Dragon of Smoke Escaping from Mt Fuji
Hokusai cultivated a personal obsession with Mt. Fuji. Religious beliefs at the time considered Mt. Fuji the source of the secret of immortality.
Travellers Crossing the Oi River
Hokusai was born into an artisan family; his father was most probably a mirror-maker for shogun. At 12, he was sent to work in a bookshop and lending library. At 14, he apprenticed with a wood carver, and from there he was accepted into the studio of a Uyiko-e artist.
Sumida River Seen from Azuma Bridge
Hokusai began exploring other styles of art, including European styles he was exposed to through French and Dutch copper engravings he was able to acquire. He was expelled from his studio, an event he considered inspirational. He said, “”What really motivated the development of my artistic style was the embarrassment I suffered at [my master's] hands.”
Self-Portrait at the Age of Eighty-Three
Hokusai also changed the subjects of his works, moving away from the images of courtesans and actors that were the traditional subjects of ukiyo-e. Instead, his work became focused on landscapes and images of the daily life of Japanese people from a variety of social levels. This change of subject was a breakthrough in ukiyo-e and in Hokusai’s career.
People Crossing an Arched Bridge
Though his subjects are the everyday and the ordinary, they all project a lyrical evanescence that draws me right in.
Village by a Bridge
About his aging and gradual diminishment, Hokusai had this to say:
“From around the age of six, I had the habit of sketching from life.”
Ancient View of Yatsuhashi in Mikawa Province
“I became an artist, and from fifty on began producing works that won some reputation, but nothing I did before the age of seventy was worthy of attention.”
Hanging-Cloud Bridge at Mount Gyodo near Ashikaga
“At seventy-three, I began to grasp the structures of birds and beasts, insects and fish, and of the way plants grow.”
Head of an Old Man
“If I go on trying, I will surely understand them still better by the time I am eighty-six, so that by ninety I will have penetrated to their essential nature.”
Stage Properties for a Farewell Performance
“At one hundred, I may well have a positively divine understanding of them, while at one hundred and thirty, forty, or more I will have reached the stage where every dot and every stroke I paint will be alive.”
Fishing by Torchlight in Kai Province
“May Heaven, that grants long life, give me the chance to prove that this is no lie.”
Wow. Here are a few more prints; see many more at my sources, www.wikipedia.org and especially www.katsushikahokusai.org.
And if you’ve got a fire burning in you, don’t wait. Let it out now, so that you won’t need to hanker after immortality.
Three Ladies by a Well
Begging for Alms
The Strong Oi Pouring Sake
Get to Japan! For details, see www,kcpinternational.com. Cheers!
Tags: aesthetics, art, Japan lifestyle, Japanese traditions
Posted in: Japanese esthetics | Comments (0)
A great way to “explore” Japan, and to explore your own feelings about going there, is to read about it. These books may be useful to you in your exploring. They link to Amazon.com, so you can buy the books for low, low prices–as low as $2, in some cases. Also included are excerpts from reviews. Enjoy!
The one book you NEED to come to Japan
After spending about 3 weeks in Japan with this as my only guide book, I can honestly say you NEED to buy this book before traveling to Japan. It also serves as sort of a mini-travel dictionary in a pinch as well as a quick guide to cultural practices.
Better than Frommer’s
I recently bought both this book and Frommer’s most recent edition of its guide to Tokyo. I think the Lonely Planet guide is much better than its rival. Lonely Planet’s is shorter, but the information in it is much more useful–especially for my situation as a student with a place to stay and food being taken care of (though Lonely Planet does have information on hotels and restaurants for those who need to know).
Indispensable Atlas for a Traveler in Japan
I travel to Japan every 5th week or so to sell my company’s semiconductors to various manufacturers spread out all over Japan. This bilingual atlas is terrific for English-only speakers like me, as it has all the Japanese characters next to the English names, which is essential when navigating the train stations off the main lines. This Atlas has good city maps, too.
Innovative and upbeat, not your usual guidebook.
This is definitely not your average guidebook. Rather than just a listing of the usual tourist destinations, Tokyo for Free gave me insight into what living in Japan would really be like.
The greatest
Having lived in Japan for the past 6 years, I’ve had the opportunity to use all of the major guidebooks (and quite a few of the minor ones as well), and without a doubt, the most useful and informative guidebook is this one. Of course Lonely Planet has lots of information about restaurants and hotels, but what you really want is a purpose to visit the places that you are visiting. This guidebooks tells you the history of each place, so you can understand why each place is important.
Outstandingly beautiful book, yet information-packed.
If you glance through this book, you’ll immediately be stunned by the top-notch scenery shots of today’s Japan. National Geographic’s long experience in joining excellent information with outstanding images has given us a great look at Japan and its culture. I’m now planning a trip there for next summer!
Real-size images of Japan and Japanese
I’m a Japanese living in Japan. I bought this book to check if it’s worth recommending to my friends–and yes, I recommend this book. It’ll tell you real-life Japan and Japanese without exaggeration. It covers Japan from the inside–the life of ordinary Japanese people.
Tags: books, Japan lifestyle, KCP, learning Japanese, resources, study abroad
Posted in: Resources, Travel in Japan | Comments (6)
The April eZasshi is out! Travel resources (websites), “customary” fun at KCP, cherry blossom time, learn with a proverb.
Since we’ve started the eZasshi (Japanese for eMagazine), interest has grown steadily. It’s a great way to get a look at what goes on at KCP, see some of the excursions and special activities, enjoy students’ views through their advice, photographs, or videos, learn a little, and keep close to the dream of studying in Tokyo.
The eZasshi comes out once monthly, and it is for informational purposes only. We don’t use the mailing list for promotion; it’s just good information for you to have.
If you’d like to sign up, or to see the archive, go to www.kcpinternational.com.
Tags: eZasshi, Japanese immersion, KCP, learning Japanese, resources, study abroad
Posted in: KCP Program | Comments (0)
