Location
  • Japan
    • Osaka
Term
Academic Year, Fall, Spring, Summer
Subject Areas
Art History Arts Asian Studies Cultural Studies East Asian Studies Visual Arts
Need-based funding, Merit-based funding, General grants/scholarships, Payment plans, LGBTQIA+ funding, BIPOC funding
Health & Safety

Program Details

Program Type
Provider
Degree Level
Bachelors
Housing
Apartment
Language
Japanese

Pricing

Price Details
The CET program fee covers tuition, housing with a Japanese roommate, activities and excursions (including an overnight excursion), visa fees, medical insurance and course materials/textbooks.

The program fee does not include transportation to/from Japan and to/from campus and meals.

Still wondering how to budget for your time abroad? CET offers scholarships, and CET staff is happy to provide advice on keeping discretionary purchases to a minimum (ex. they can tell you where to get cheap eats).
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Classes Wifi
Mar 27, 2024
Aug 25, 2024
59 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Enroll in an intensive language class. Live in a furnished Japanese share house with local roommates. Take on out-of-class projects and interview locals. The CET Japan program is designed to maximize language improvement and covers at least a full year of university-level Japanese each term. The flexible curriculum includes options for electives in Japanese or in English. The cozy campus is just 15 minutes from downtown Osaka. Weekend trips and group excursions take you off the tourist map, to hot springs, a re-created ninja village, or a ropes course in the mountains. Japanese language learners of all levels and majors are welcome to attend the fall and spring programs. The summer program has a full-time language pledge and is open to students with at least 2 previous semesters of Japanese language.

Video and Photos

Diversity & Inclusion

CET believes in making study abroad accessible to students of all races, religions, origins, abilities, gender identities, and sexual orientations. We’ve gathered experiences from BIPOC students to share as resources such as the Identity Abroad pages, Perspective Pieces, and Identity Abroad Support Networks. We are also dedicated to becoming a more anti-racist organization by transforming our workplace, programs, and industry with our Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (JEDI) Action Plan.
CET supports and welcomes students of all identities on our programs. We provide program-specific information under the cultural climate section of our Identity Abroad webpages for LGBTQ individuals in each of our program locations.
CET makes every effort to offer accommodations comparable to that of the students’ home institution. Disclosing early helps us to make proper preparations. The accommodations offered at each program can be found on each program location's Identity Abroad page. These pages can provide a good idea about what classes are like in terms of workload and class time. Initiating one-on-one conversations with Student Service Coordinators can also help inform students' decisions and determine if a program will be a good fit.
CET makes every effort to offer accommodations comparable to that of the students’ home institution. The levels of accessibility, from wheelchair accessibility to extra time on exams, are under each program location’s Identity Abroad page. Initiating one-on-one conversations with Student Service Coordinators can help inform students' decisions and determine if a program will be a good fit.

Impact

CET is an environmentally conscientious organization at our headquarters in DC and programs all around the world. In each of our centers, we adopt local measures to reduce our carbon footprint and contribute to sustainable practices. As part of our ongoing efforts towards sustainability, we’ve partnered with Cool Effect, a nonprofit focused on reducing carbon emissions through scientifically-proven, hand-selected carbon projects worldwide. For each trip taken by one of our staff members, travelers, or students, we donate to support three carbon projects chosen by staff volunteers every year.
When we set up a program overseas, we become a part of that local community. And as a community member, we are responsible for contributing to local initiatives in meaningful ways. Our website lists some local philanthropic organizations that help us fulfill this responsibility—they host our students, and we support their missions.

Program Highlights

  • Small, intensive language classes
  • Cover a year's worth of Japanese each semester
  • Electives in Japanese or English
  • A unique elective opportunity (Studio Arts Course: Character Design in a Japanese Context)
  • Apartments near campus with local roommates from Osaka Gakuin University (OGU)

Program Reviews

4.55 Rating
based on 44 reviews
  • 5 rating 63.64%
  • 4 rating 27.27%
  • 3 rating 9.09%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Academics 4.6
  • Support 4.45
  • Fun 4.35
  • Housing 4.05
  • Safety 4.9
  • Housing 5
  • Support 4
  • Fun 5
  • Value 4
  • Safety 5
Showing 41 - 44 of 44 reviews
Default avatar
A.Knight
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

CET Osaka Summer 2013

After having a few study-abroad options prove untimely or too expensive, a friend informed me of CET's Intensive Language and Culture Program in Osaka for the summer. After having approval from my Japanese teacher, and researching the program, I applied for CET Osaka. The price was right, and the length of the program gave me plenty of time to do other things during the summer. It helped fulfill several of the requirements for my major, and counted as 2 semesters worth of Japanese class in only two months. The academics of the program are very intense- unlike other study abroad programs that involved barely any work. My knowledge of kanji was greatly increased and reinforced, as we went through most of the textbook. If you want to learn a lot of kanji in a short time, and are serious about improving your verbal ability in Japanese, this is the program for you.
As for the learning environment, there may be a bit of a learning curve in understanding and fulfilling the standards the Japanese teachers have. They can seem a little strict; and unlike American professors, they do count absences against you, so it would behoove you to attend every class. But the teachers are all very kind and willing to help you, and I am still in contact with my former teachers today.
Osaka is a great city, and should totally be considered on par with Tokyo in terms of culture, shopping, and general enjoyment. Though me and many of my classmates and friends did not get to do much traveling outside of the Kansai region, we had a blast making Osaka our home and becoming familiar with the local culture. Overall, Osakans are very funny, and easy-going people, so it's easy to reach out for help, or extend the hand of friendship. Get out of your comfort zone and immerse yourself in this wonderful place. I can't wait to go back there someday!

What would you improve about this program?
I would make the class schedule or the syllabus available to students ahead of time, perhaps so they would have a better idea of what to expect academically.
Also, a calendar of local events, like summer festivals and holidays might be nice, so that students can better maximize their enjoyment of time outside of class.
71 people found this review helpful.
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Default avatar
Mackenzie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best Summer of My Frickin' Life!!!

ALL of the Japanese roommates were amazing people to get to know!! The beauty of CET is that not just your roommate, but all the other roommates too, are your friends and want to hang out with you just as much as you want to hang out with them. Moreover, program participants are welcome to interact with non-CET OGU students as well. Because many students at the university are majoring in foreign language, hospitality, or international studies, they really enjoy getting to know foreigners. I felt like a superstar on OGU's campus because of the very friendly reception. I can honestly say I've made lifelong Japanese friends through this program and communicate with many more even today.

What would you improve about this program?
The CET program requires students to go out into the local community and engage in research that will presented at the end of the term. While, in theory, this does not seem like a bad concept, however, the time necessary to complete the project could be better and more enjoyably spent on other ways to integrate students into the community, like joining an extracurricular club at the school. Between daily homework, the project, and personal travel there wasn't much time participate in a club because the program length (8 weeks) was so limited. This review pertains to the summer program specifically.
71 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Ishani
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

CET Osaka (Fall)

I picked CET's program for convenience (it lines up with the US school year) and because of the appeal of the housing situation. And indeed, the housing situation was easily something I wound up being hugely grateful for. We, the foreign students, were neither isolated in an international student dorm, nor treated as guests by a home-stay family. Within our houses we were equals, roommates, and ultimately, family. As such, during the times when homesickness or culture shock might have otherwise been overwhelming, we had immediate support right outside our doors. The only problem with housing is the variation in residences - some homes have drying machines, others don't; some have large common areas, while others are much more cramped. This can also change how you interact with your roommates, so you might have to make more of an effort if you don't have a common space.
Similarly, the program staff was very supportive, especially the Resident Director. The local teachers could, however, set expectations rather high, and they were not always as understanding of failure - in Japan it is seen as a result of simply not working hard enough. This could be very stressful, especially in the more advanced class levels, though in my case I'd been lucky enough to have covered a few chapters of our textbook in my previous Japanese class. Classes tend to be quite small, so they are intensive - but they also help hone your language skill quickly and efficiently.
In terms of having a good experience outside of class, Osaka is a great place to find yourself. My roommates and I made friends with a group of old men who walked along the path we biked to school, and their smiles and high-fives were a wonderful part of many mornings. Kobe and Kyoto are both easily reachable by train, as is downtown Osaka, and whether you like sightseeing or clubbing or shopping, you certainly won't run out of things to do! Plan carefully though, since as the semester draws to a close it gets much busier academically. As much as I enjoyed an early winter trip to a mountain onsen, I would have been a lot less stressed if I wasn't also worrying about my final project at the same time.
Ultimately, of course, I had a great time in Osaka with CET. I still keep up with my roommates, I learned more Japanese than I'd ever hoped to, and I came away with a lot of great memories. If I could do it all again, I would!

What would you improve about this program?
I think this was more relevant for the advanced class, but it would be really good if someone from an American school perspective (the RD, for example) was able to look over the curriculum and monitor in-classroom behavior a bit more closely. At times the Japanese teachers could get very harsh when expectations weren't met, and American students tend to take those kinds of criticisms very personally, leading to a lot of hurt feelings and frustration.
69 people found this review helpful.
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JenMB
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

CET Osaka

CET's Japanese Language program in Osaka offers a tremendous opportunity to improve your language skills while learning about the culture through the people. From day one you begin to build relationships with your Japanese roommate, who not only gives you insight into the culture and cool places to go, but can also be a means for you to meet more Japanese people than you may be able to in a program with just foreign students. In my experience I hung out with more Japanese students than actual foreigners for a majority of the program. They were even able to tell me how much my Japanese improved. I remember one day me and my roommate were on our way to Tokyo and he said that he's impressed with my language skills because initially it was difficult for me to understand him but now he is able to speak quickly and I would pick up everything he said. So your skills will definitely improve a lot.
In terms of Osaka, the city is AMAZING and probably has a great mix of traditional Japanese elements and very modern city experiences. The people are probably amongst the most friendly of all of Japan. I became very good friends with a group of people outside the program on a random trip to Osaka Castle. They struck up a random conversation with me and I ended up hanging out with them for the next 4-5 hours and I still keep in touch with them today.
Some of the difficulties are that being so immersed into the culture and lifestyle from day one can be overwhelming initially. But I think this is where the strength of the program is; you become quickly accustomed to being constantly out of your comfort zone to the point where after the entire experience you feel 100% confident in your language and interpersonal abilities and apply this confidence to other aspects of your everyday life.

What would you improve about this program?
I think there should be more of a balance between the rigorous academics and an outside of the classroom experience. At times balancing the two put much stress on students.
68 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers

I believe it is possible to get through the program without knowing any Japanese. The program can be overwhelming due to the language pledge and not being able to communicate effectively at first can be hard, even for people who've studied plenty of Japanese language but not gone to Japan before, but I know there was a student in my program (Fall 2019) who went in with no Japanese and passed the...

I participated in CET Japan's Summer term which ended in early-mind August, so I was able to return to my home institution for the Fall Semester and continue like normal right after. My university has a credit checklist for study abroad students which will show what programs and classes are approved for credit at the home institution. So, after making sure that the courses I was in were on the...