Wondering what it is like to learn Japanese on a teen summer language course in Fukuoka, Japan? Our new language student, Katarina Guillot, has just arrived and shares her video of the adventures from her first, five days abroad.
Check out some awesome language camp activities, a few cameos from our Greenheart Travel correspondent scholarship winner, Duke Takeno, and her three pieces of advice at the end of the video!
Hi my name is Kira and I’m 16 years old . I’m really interested in the Fukuoka program and it sounds like fun! from watching the travel videos and I was thinking about maybe going next summer because I’m going to be busy this summer. I do know some Japanese but not a whole lot and do you get to choose how long.. you can stay in Japan?
Hello, Kira! It sounds like you’re well on your way to studying in Japan. How exciting! You can stay up to six weeks with our program. This is one of our most popular Teen Summer Language Camps. Keep studying Japanese to prepare for next summer!
Hello! I’m Nakia, I’m 16 and I’m really interested in the Fukuoka program but I might have a few questions XD
Like how do you get to your host family from the airport?
Are you supposed to bring gifts when you get there if so what kind?
Also do the host families in Fukuoka know English? Like if not how do you communicate with the host family if you don’t know Japanese?
I’m really sorry if that’s a lot of questions XD
Hey Nakia!
No worries, there are a ton of details to work out before you arrive so we understand that there are a lot of questions to ask haha. 🙂
1. Either your host family or a local representative will be at the airport waiting for you (with a sign with your name on it) when you arrive in Japan! They will then take you by car to your host family’s house.
2. Yes, gift giving is definitely a cultural expectation in Japan to express gratitude! We usually recommend bringing small tokens from your hometown/anything that represents who you are/what your interests are. It’s always best to bring something that makes them think of you when they look at it in the future!
3. Host family English proficiency varies wildly, but usually there are at a basic enough level to not necessarily have in-depth conversations with, but enough to understand if you are in need of assistance or are having a problem with something. Either way, Greenheart Travelers who don’t speak Japanese typically figure out how to communicate through translation apps or by flailing your arms around in a sort of charades type maneuver. 🙂
I hope this was helpful! Feel free to reach out to me via email ccargill@greenheart.org with any additional questions you may have.
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