Impact that tells a story

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I started learning Japanese in High School and also went to Japan during that time, but I felt that my previous experience wasn’t enough so I decided to participate in Kyoto Program to improve my Japan experiences. The best experiences that I got from this program is all my previous expectations were met and host family matching was great!

I was so surprised and not sure how Canvas Gate could match students with host family accordingly. The matching created great memories for me and my host families. When I was asked if there is any suggestion for my host families, my answer was “none” because they were perfect. The program curriculum is great, I found most of the activities are amazing and nothing to complain about. Especially, Zazen meditation, Tea Ceremony, Temari workshop, Kabuki Performance, and Itsukushima Shrine visits brought me the best experiences.
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Besides, hotel arrangements were really great and convenience for us to commute. In addition, Canvas Gate performance was so great that even a slight problem arose, they manage to take care of it right away. If you had an interest in learning about, studying, or working in Japan, you would find this program to be amazing. I would highly recommend this program to other students.

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Due in part to my older cousin’s interest in Japanese anime and video games, I have been immersed in Japanese entertainment, most specifically Nintendo, since a very young age. As I got older, my gaming hobbies extended towards Japanese cuisine and anime, up until my college years where I turned to the language for both the sake of my major (I was an international business major) and my interest in Japanese culture.

My expectations extended no further than the hope that I would learn about Japan and its culture beyond what I had previously known, and those expectations were certainly exceeded. I was able to see firsthand the saturation of Japanese history, culture, and spirituality in the shrines scattered throughout the cities, the rice paddies lining the rail lines, and the immensity of traditional shops and restaurants when compared to more modern institutions. I didn’t have any specific place in the mind of where I wanted to go, besides Japan itself, when I signed onto the program, or even specifically what I wanted to do. However, this program was perfect in exposing students to Japanese life through professionally selected host families, Japanese history through lectures and visitation of museums and landmarks, Japanese business through both American and Japanese companies in Japan, and culture through the various shrines and temples. The field trips were well-organized and usually left plenty of free time to spend for the rest of day, besides the more distant trips to other cities, such as Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The host families have matched up accordingly to students, as both were interviewed and assigned based upon traits and expectations, and from my experience, were incredibly kind and welcoming, allowing us to be a part of Japanese lifestyle without being Japanese ourselves.

As I never studied Japanese history besides their involvement in World War II, I especially enjoyed these firsthand introductions to Temari, Haiku and Tea Ceremony workshops that I wouldn’t be able to experience back home in the U.S. I feel they were valuable in further compounding all that we were seeing and experiencing outside the classroom by reinforcing them through lecture and allowed us to see instances of these cultural values outside the classroom. As for the temples, the lectures acted only as preparation for what we were to experience, and it was only through walking the sacred grounds, standing beneath and within the structures and experiencing it all in person that we could fully appreciate its value.

It was interesting to see what teaching in Japan or being a student in Japan is like when compared to U.S elementary schools, especially since I am interested in possibly teaching English in Japan following my graduation. Rather than focusing on the individual student’s improvement and work, I felt that Japanese students were very much inclined towards working together and improving themselves through discipline (such as cleaning the classroom together) and collective involvement (such as serving lunch and distributing classroom materials). I certainly could see that English education in the schools was particularly lacking, however the teachers obviously cared for their students and their school, and worked hard at whatever lecture was to be given.

The high school was absolutely stunning and seemed to offer an endless array of club, sport and other extracurricular activity. The hallways and classrooms were immaculate and beautifully designed, rivaling perhaps a college campus, and provided an immersive yet comfortable learning environment. Although what I may say is biased, as we only saw this single high school and a single club, the students were all very respectful and involved when it came to club organization and welcoming of outside visitors. They were polite and focused, and incredibly patient when it came to our beginner’s knowledge of calligraphy and kanji.

I very much enjoyed our trips to Kyoto and Nara, however I think this is more because they were day trips, rather than overnight trips such as with Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Due to how much I loved spending time with my host family, I think I grew a bit homesick and irritated by other students due to constantly being in their company. However, on the other hand, it also provided an opportunity to bond with other students and become better friends. As for Tokyo, I had an incredible time, however I was also exhausted and found that had I not made such good friends in this program, I might have struggled to find things to do or motivate myself to explore a city that I had never been to before and didn’t understand very well.

The Hiyoshi company, for all it stood for in regard to environmental issues and offering opportunities to people throughout the world, regardless of their nationality, stood to alter any preconceived notions I had about Japanese companies. I could see equal opportunities were abound in this company, and it stood more for the improvement of employees and the environment rather than profit and growth alone. However, being located in a more rural part of Japan, the Hiyoshi company’s isolation from rail lines or freeways made for a long, and rather tiring, trip. It was well worth it, but I do remember that by that point, I was growing tired of the long hours of travel we often had to endure in order to reach certain destinations, and made me long for a more local trip in and around Uji and Kyoto.

Just as the Hiyoshi company served to change my view of Japanese companies, Gap Japan gave me much-needed insight on what it would mean to work and live in Japan for an American company as an Expat. It was an informative experience and the presentation was professional and thorough, covering a variety of points and personal experiences from both Japanese and American perspectives. If anything, it was an encouraging experience and gave me more confidence in considering my interest in working abroad in Japan.

I absolutely loved taking the Shinkansen, it felt like a new adventure each time we rode it and at times felt more like were flying rather than speeding along a rail line. The exterior and interior were sleek in their design, in such ways as to ensure maximum comfort during the ride, and those hours spent in the train went by quickly. I especially loved plunging into the mountainside and speeding along the countryside, where just out the window you could see the stepped rice paddies and little townships settled between them.

Canvas Gate gave off an air of both professional and amiable quality, as all involved worked to ensure student comfort and maximum enjoyment of the experiences offered. The homestay families were paired up perfectly with their students, the day trips, workshops, company,and school visitations were exceedingly well organized, and gave students of all backgrounds something that could serve their interests. Never once did I feel unsafe or uncomfortable throughout our travels, as Canvas Gate was always there to offer assistance. I don’t think I could have asked for a better program for my first visit to Japan, and it has certainly convinced me that this recent trip won’t be my last.

Absolutely!

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The trip's schedule was structured so that pretty much every day was packed with activities. Yet, there was also enough free time for us to explore and have fun on our own. Canvas Gate, along with their leaders did an excellent job arranging the schedule and letting us know if there was ever a change. If someone is interested in Japan, I would definitely recommend this program to them. We had so much fun every day, and got to see things we had never seen before and may never see again. We all became good friends and even now still talk to each other. For me, this trip was a life-changing experience, and I will undoubtedly remember it for the rest of my life.

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I am so thankful and happy that I participated in the Kyoto Program this summer.  It was one of the greatest experiences of my entire life and I will cherish the memories I made for the rest of my life. I was the lone ranger from Cal State Fullerton and I literally had about 2 days to decide to participate in this program; I’m so glad I just went for it at the spur of the moment.

My interest in all things Japanese began at age 11 after I first saw Sailor Moon and I’ve been in love with Japan ever since. This program was ideal for my first trip to Japan because I didn’t feel overwhelmed or uneasy since I was with fellow students whom I befriended, competent and fun group leaders (Aoki-san, President of Canvas Gate, Inc. and Inaba-sensei), and my host family the Inayoshi’s.

Staying with a family that you don’t know may seem kind of scary at first, but in reality, it’s the most precious part of the whole program. From the very first day, I felt so at home and so included as part of my host family, in fact when we were going back to Uji after our weekend in Tokyo I felt like I was going “home” and it was such a comforting feeling. My host family didn’t speak English, so I had to give my Japanese skills and dictionary a good work-out, but we always understood each other and had entertaining conversations. My host parents were amazing, my host mother always made delicious food (my host father even whipped up some pretty tasty dishes sometimes), and I really enjoyed talking to them about our hobbies and our cultures for hours after dinner.

I loved having a 7-year-old host sister and a 4 year old host brother; it allowed me to experience what it feels like to be a big sister. The tickle monster game we always played was really fun and my host sister and I shared a love of Sailor Moon. I was also immediately included in their extended family, which was comprised of an aunt, uncle, 3 cousins, and the grandparents. I loved when I got to spend time with them too, and I really appreciated how my host grandpa always gave us lots of tomatoes from his farm after he found out they are my favorite. I felt so happy when my immediate and extended host family threw me a birthday party, when we all went to karaoke, when we went to the Agata Matsuri, when they took me to see fireflies for the first time… everything we did together, even the little things like taking a walk made me feel joy. I have so many happy memories because of them and I think about my host family everyday and keep in touch.

I also appreciated how my host family took the time to introduce me to lots of the neighbors; they were all so thoughtful, friendly, and generous. I was really touched to receive birthday and farewell presents from them. I also really enjoyed playing games with all the neighborhood kids; it was a lot of fun. Words cannot express how grateful I am to have had such a wonderful host family and to have met so many wonderful people.

As for the other aspects of the program, Aoki-san did a great job planning and executing all the outings and activities. I liked the format of learning about a particular aspect of Japanese culture or history in a lecture during the morning and then actually going to see an example of what we learned firsthand in the afternoon. We did see lots and lots of temples and shrines, and while I enjoyed it, toward the end I was starting to get a little tired of them. My favorites were Todaiji and Kiyomizu-dera because they both had lots of different unique components (like all the deer at Todaiji and the matchmaking shrine inside Kiyomizu-dera).

I really loved the trips to Tokyo and Hiroshima, they were so much fun. Taking the shinkansen was a cool experience and it was nice to get a perspective of the different regions of Japan.  I would have definitely loved to have had more time in Tokyo because there is too much to try to see in that city in only 2 days and I would have loved to explore more of Yokohama too. I was really excited and happy that we got to go to the Studio Ghibli Museum in Tokyo because I love Hayao Miyazaki’s movies so much. Going to Hiroshima was a very moving experience, seeing the Genbaku Dome and the Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Museum was very sobering and important to me. I was disappointed that we had to rush through the museum because there was a lot to take in there, so next year’s group is lucky to have 2 days to spend in Hiroshima (and 3 days in Tokyo too).

Our visits to the Matsumoto Sake and Kyoto Animation companies were a nice break from the temples; however, they were a bit too brief to me. Especially Kyoto Animation, we were only there for I think less than an hour and I would have liked to have been able to see more of the animation process. I appreciated the explanation of the sake brewing process and the samples and discount we got on the bottles of sake at Matsumoto. As for the lectures, for the most part they were interesting, it all really depended on the lecturer for me. I liked the Bunraku lecture because lecturer’s passion for the topic was palpable and I really wished she had also done the Kabuki lecture. I also liked the tea ceremony, zazen, and ceramic arts because they were hands on experiences rather than lectures. I didn’t much care for the Noh-Kyogen lecture or the Kabuki lecture because the professor was a tad too long-winded and boring, and I was a bit upset that he talked about Noh and Kyogen again for about 2 of the 3 hours of the Kabuki lecture. I also thought the Haiku lecture was sort of unnecessary simply because we’ve learned about haiku in our English classes before. I liked the days when we got to have free time after the lecture, it was fun to be able to be free to explore parts of Kyoto and Uji on our own and it was a good way to bond more with the other students.

Overall, this was definitely an unforgettable and worthwhile experience.  My language skills improved, I learned so much about Japanese culture and history and about the country in general, I made friends and met lots of great people, and I had so much fun.  The program was also well planned and led by great and dedicated people who are a blast to hang out with too. Aoki-san also does a great job in the process of pairing students with host families, he puts a lot of thought and care into making sure you get a good match.  I would definitely recommend this program to other students, if you’re thinking about participating you should totally try to get the money saved up any way you can and do it!  As cliché as it may sound, this program really changed me and made me finally decide on a plan for after I graduate.  Next year’s group is pretty lucky to get to stay longer and go to Hokkaido on top of it.  This program is worth every penny and you will definitely be so glad you did it.  Who knows, I might just participate again next summer.

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When I first heard about the Study Abroad Program, I was very excited, because visiting and studying in Japan has always been my dream. Japanese culture has preserved many ancient traditions from China and Korea that were lost in those countries themselves.  Building on continental cultural influence mixed with native tradition, Japan has developed its own tradition that shines on the other side of the Pacific. That is the cultural value I see in Japan!

The Study Abroad Program is located in Kyoto, the ancient imperial city with history in every corner of its urban province. When I stepped in Kyoto the first day, I was already soaked in this place with thousand years of history. The staff was there to explain the value of the trip, and also to answer our questions. With the field trips, where we visited other famous spots in western region of Japan, we gained more experience and knowledge of the country. Not only history, traditional values, and folklores were expressed to us at Nijo Castle, Osaka Castle and summer festivals; also the scar left from World War II and modern Japanese values when we visited Hiroshima and the Japanese Company Horiba. I have great memories of all these trips. Hiroshima in particular was a valuable experience, as it showed us the cost of war, the negative side of humanity and its victims.

Besides the scheduled field trips, free time between classes were a great chance for us to have first hand experience with Japanese native life, people, family, and society.  Even though in this foreign city in a foreign country the kindness of staff and host families was amazing and very important to us, we also got some shopping and the necessary entertainment done during our stay in Kyoto.  I personally have been to Tokyo, Japan several times with native friends so visiting Japan was not strange to me. In advance, what worried me a bit was the prospect of staying in a host family. However, with the trustworthy staff and very kind families selected to be our guardians in Japan, the awkward feeling of relying on strangers almost immediately faded away upon arrival. At the end of the Study Abroad Program, the host families were probably the most valuable part of our experience. They treated us as so much more than houseguests, they treated us as family members.  We could pick the dinner’s menu as guests, we ate together like a family, shared house duties like a family and we felt we were being spoiled more than a home-stay student could experience.

In the end, being back in the U.S., I realize how valuable the experience was. Not everything in the trip was perfect; there was bad weather when we went to Fuji Mountain. However, as I recall these times, they appear in the most beautiful shape I have seen in years.  I would love to join the program again next year, if I have the opportunity.   However, when anyone asks me about how I think of the program and if I would recommend anyone to join or not, my answer will be extremely positive.