World Campus - Japan Program

The most distinctive part of this program is the people you meet. Everything from the support staff, fellow participants and the Japanese people you meet along the way. Particularly the host family's. I've made connections for life with multiple family's and experienced a part of the Japanese culture most people know nothing of. I especially enjoyed the food and the surrounding culture alot. All the connections I've made, not just in Japan, has made me alot more motivated to travel and study Japanese. If possible, I will go back next year to spend more time with them. The academics score of 4 is mostly my own fault for not knowing enough Japanese. If you're higher than N5 you'd probably learn a lot more from the locals.

I first applied to this program on a whim. The website was relatively lackluster, but the pictures, dates, homestay locations, and reviews were completely different. I don't know what kind of expectations I had before coming to Japan, but as I left for Asia for my summer vacation, nothing could quite prepare me for what was to come. I ended up getting COVID and joining the program late, but the program coordinators were overly understanding and accomodating despite the headaches that caused. Despite my late arrival, I was placed with an amazing and kind host family. Of course, I had four equally amazing host families throughout the program, and I experienced different aspects of the culture with each of them. Even more than the culture I experienced during the three-and-a-half week program, I value the connections and family-like friends I've made with other participants, the staff, and the host families that I hope will never fade for many years and decades to come.

I am so happy I participated in WCI and got to come back to Japan after 18 years of being away. I was born in Japan but moved to the United States at the age of 4 and have not since returned until now. I forgot a lot of my Japanese when I moved to the US. Staying with host families in different cities really motivated me to relearn Japanese and surprisingly I picked it up again within the month I was in Japan. All of my host families were kind and made sure I was comfortable at all times. I felt as though they really made an effort to accommodate me and the connections I made with my host brothers and sisters are irreplaceable. I enjoyed doing various cultural activities with the other participants and getting to go places I would not have gone to on my own. I recommend this program to anyone who is interested in learning about Japanese traditions, culture, history, and of course the best part of it all... the food! I'm also grateful for the friendships I've made with people from other countries and I will treasure these relationships. If you are considering joining, I would say be open-minded, vulnerable, and willing to step outside of your comfort zone!! It's worth it!

I believe World Campus Japan is the most profound and comprehensive exchange program to experience and learn about Japanese culture. Since I wanted to experience Japan and its culture, I joined WCJ in 2019 where I participated in the first session of its Japan summer program which took place in Kyushu. At WCJ I was part of a group of diverse young people frow all over the world with whom I shared enthusiasm for Japanese culture. With these amazing young people, I made one of the strongest and closest friendships in my life, and we stay in contact and meet up even now, 2 and half years later.

The number of cultural activities and events in WCJ is enormous. I got to experience Japanese martial arts like kyudo, kendo, karate or shorinji kenpo. I was amazed to witness the environment and flow of Japanese education through several interactive visits of elementary schools, high school and even a university. I could also feel Japanese spirituality through various shrine and temple visits and many other activities like learning about Japanese traditional theatre. The activities of WCJ are incredible not only for its content but more importantly for the wonderful warm interactions with local communities which was unapparelled.

The activity program was simply amazing, however the thing that had the largest impact on my life was the time spent with Japanese host families. The wonderful families I stayed with embraced me as if I was their own child and treated me with such kindness I didn’t know existed. Even though I did not know Japanese language, I created the strongest and deepest relationships in my entire life, particularly with one of the families. These interactions changed my life in unimaginable ways and showed me what life is truly about, those beautiful human interactions. WCJ completely changed my view on life and world and defined me as a human being. The values I have now were born from that unforgettable life-changing experience. Thanks to WCJ I understood who I am and what things are important for me in life. In other words, I found myself through that experience.

WCJ is the most amazing program in terms of feeling and getting to know Japan and Japanese culture. It is also best in nurturing beautiful and lasting relationships and connections all over the world. I can honestly say that WCJ was the most meaningful and best thing that happened in my life. The things that are my greatest happiness now were all born from that very experience.

I first heard about World Campus through a friend of mine who worked as staff member back in the early 2010’s. I had made a comment how I’ve always wanted to visit Japan, and the way he described World Campus it sounded like the perfect way to do so. After looking into the program, I decided I wanted to get the full bang for my buck and was determined to take all three sessions. After graduating high school, I worked for a few years, applied and dropped out due to lack of funds, and worked until 2019 when I finally had enough to go. I spent almost every dollar I had to join World Campus, and I can safely say It was worth every dollar.

You experience not only the culture of Japan, but so many sights and sounds. I visited cultural sites, schools, cultural fairs, and almost everything in between. And everywhere I went, I felt welcomed by the incredible communities we worked with. And beyond the fact that you’re in the beautiful country of Japan and experiencing the culture first hand, you make connection with fantastic people who will be apart of your life for as long as you live. In the nine weeks I spent in world campus over the course of the three 2019 sessions, I made so many new friends who were either other students from around the world, or amazing community members whose greatest desire was to show us their amazing country and culture.

But more than all of that were the host families we stayed with.

I’ve never experienced such hospitality in my life. Every week, we move cities and stay with new host families who graciously take us in and treat us like one of their own. And frankly, by the end of the week, we were a part of their family. I think that’s the thing I loved most about World Campus. Yes, I got to experience a country I’ve been fascinated with my whole life. Yes, I got to make close friends with people from across the globe. Yes, I came home with enough stories to write a book or two. But more than that, I found a family I never knew I had. In fact, I found several families, all of whom mean more to me then any experience I had (not to say the experiences weren’t phenomenal).
In World Campus, you get far more than just a trip to Japan, you get the most in depth experience you can possibly get. I stayed for 3 sessions, which took me to 9 different cities in Nagasaki, Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Osaka, Nara, Kanagawa, Ibaraki, Chiba, and Tokyo, and in every city we saw amazing sights and did amazing activities.

I’d recommend World Campus to anyone who wants to experience Japan in the best possible way. I will always remember my experiences in it, and I’d defiantly say that this program is worth every dollar.

At first I was afraid and didn't know, what to expect. As a japanology student I knew a lot about Japan already, soI was starting the program with lower expactations. But I was wrong. It was the most amazing and exciting experience of my life! The people, the opportunities, the community... everything was absolutely amazing and it took my breath away! Living with host faamilies and sharing each others culture and opinions and different perspective is very exciting and it opens your mind. Also getting to know other participant's and their differences, I've learned so many thing about various countries which you would never learn at school. You get to do thing you would normally never have a chance to and you get to know Japan and other countries from it's core- Highly recommend!

For a long time Japan has been on my mind. It is a country that has rich tradition, beautiful nature and interesting popular culture. These and a few other reasons led to me wanting to visit the said country.
And so I did. Last summer I finally managed to find time to accommodate a trip abroad and I have absolutely no regrets. I stayed in Japan for a total of 6 weeks out of which three were with World Campus Japan program and while the solo travel allowed me to see some places the program was not able to (like the top of Mt. Fuji), there's only so much you can experience by relying on your own decisions in a foreign country. This is where the program shines. I could just trust the staff and locals to have made their very best to provide me with experience like no other - one that truly let's me get a look at the Japanese society from the inside, whether it's in the form of living with them or visiting the governing facilities.
And this brings me to the one thing that I personally found the most important part of the whole program. Yes, you can visit many places and see many sights on your own - you might even be able to meet up with other tourists visiting from around the globe, but the one thing this program really provided me with was a family in Japan. With each city visited I got one more reason to re-visit this country as the host-families became so much more than just a place to sleep. Three cities visited, three families gained and soon, with Christmas almost knocking at our doors, it's time to prepare some cards and small presents for my new younger siblings on the island country just across one small Russia.

From July 24 to August 12, 2019 I participated in the World Campus Japan program. During my time I explored Mito, Abiko, and Tama with the program, but I also got to see Tokyo and Asakusa with my host families. Although my time in Japan was rather short, it was the best three weeks of my life and I think about it everyday.

When you participate in the World Campus Japan program you get to experience Japan in an entirely different way, almost as a local. You get to experience home stay, which is the most exciting part of the entire program. You get to experience home cooked Japanese meals, which are delicious. You also get the chance to see how your host family lives, what they do for fun, etc. Even though I only stayed with my host families for a week, I bonded with them all and I still talk to them to this day even though I've been home for two months now. I'm going back to Japan in a couple of months and I've already made plans to visit all of my host families again and I can't wait to see them.

My review of World Campus Japan wouldn't be complete without mentioning the participants, the counselors, and the program director. My group was rather small, I think there were around twelve of us. We were from all over the world and after spending three weeks doing almost everything together, you get incredibly close with each other. I still speak to some of the participants to this day and I hope that someday we see each other again.

The counselors in the program were amazing. The other participants and I noticed how hard that they worked for us and we all greatly appreciate it. The counselors have a tough job of running the town/cities that you visit and organizing it all. They also have the job of translating the language so people who can't speak Japanese know what's going on. The counselors are also there for you if you need to talk to them about anything. They are incredible.

The entire program wouldn't be possible without Hiro, the program director. You have your interview with him before you get accepted into the program and you will be communicating through him all the way until you arrive to Japan. When I participated in the program, it was my first time traveling abroad. Hiro makes everything as simple and smooth as possible. If you have any questions or issues, you can go straight to Hiro and he'll help you. Just like the counselors, he is incredible.

World Campus Japan is an amazing program that everyone should participate in. You get to make connections in Japan that can last a life time as well as making friends with the other participants. If I could do it all over again, I would.