Kansai Gaidai University

You can very easily meet Japanese at school as KG is basically a school where Japanese students come because they want to learn foreign languages and/or they want to go abroad.. so they basically want to meet foreigners. It is almost ridiculous how many people you will meet, you will have groups of people following you, asking directly: can I be your friend? Whats your phone number? etc Kind of ridiculous, as for the most part you will never meet those people again. But still, you have the opportunity to meet a lot of people on the campus, very easy and fun to practice your Japanese because that is how you will really improve your language skills, by having lots of stupid conversations, etc.

There is not much contact with the regular students; the ones who do get admitted to the international program are either very lucky or very smart. And, the reason they're there is to practice English, not use their native tongue. So, without a homestay family it may be difficult to get to practice outside of time with your language partner or through daily life (taking the bus and having to read the signs, asking people for directions, etc.)

The University did a really good job in terms of offering the international students the opportunity to learn Japanese. We had the chance to interact with the Japanese students and talk to them. The speaking partner program was one of them. This program is the most popular interaction program at Kansai Gaidai, and many local KG students sign up for the program, as they are eager to get to know the international students.

The Japanese classes were well designed and taught at a right pace. Communication with local students was also encouraged through the "Speaking-Partner Program". The social settings also gave me a lot of opportunities to practise the language. Basically it was due to the fact that Japanese people don't speak languages other than Japanese.

I had an easier time because I could read Kanji (Chinese characters) and I had some knowledge of Japanese culture before I came. But I know some students definitely had trouble with buying even basic things like groceries and soap, which were not only products manufactured in Japan but also all labels were written in Japanese.

I am very shy, so speaking a foreign language has always been difficult for me. However, as time went on, I found it easier to use the language I had learnt, and more confident. In fact, gaining confidence made more of a difference to me than gaining proficiency!