KCJS Group Trips

Each semester, KCJS students take an overnight trip outside of Kyoto. Past destinations have been Okayama, Hiroshima, and Tokyo. A trip to Kanazawa is scheduled for Spring 2024.

Doshisha and Kyoto University Classmates

In most of your afternoon classes, you are likely to have 2-3 classmates who are native Japanese speakers enrolled at Doshisha and/or Kyoto University. These students are eager to interact with students from the United States and exchange points of view.

Conversation Partners

As a KCJS student, you will have the opportunity to be paired with a conversation partner for the entire semester or year in order to further strengthen your language skills and extend your social network here in Kyoto.

Student-Centered KCJS Activities

Most of your classes will have field trips to places in and around Kyoto. In addition to events that are regularly scheduled to bring you in contact with your peers from Doshisha and Kyoto University, KCJS has organized activities like:

• Volunteering to share language and culture to elementary school students
• Dyeing fabrics using a technique called yuzen
• Exploring Kyoto on foot with Japanese students
• Student Clubs and Community Circles

Guest Lectures & Alumni Talks

KCJS organizes special lectures and on-site demonstrations by guest speakers in various fields. Our morning Japanese courses also invite guest lectures who can speak about the topics related to the course materials. Typically, these lectures are given in Japanese, to deepen your disciplinary-specific skills in the language.

KCJS also hosts Alumni talks featuring former students who describe how they have put their Japanese language and cultural skills to work in their professional and academic careers.