The idea: gather a bunch of American, Korean, and European students together to live in Japan for a year and experience firsthand the rich cultural makeup that defines the people, the foods, and the history of an internationally misunderstood nation. The result: well, for our group it was sometimes disastrous, but overall we had one hell of a time and lots of good memories to take back with us. And we certainly got our money's worth, considering the program didn't cost us a cent. I've given a brief introduction to the program below, drawing on the few facts I can remember about the program from two years ago.

JTW is a relatively young program founded in the early 1990s by a group of professors and administrators at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan. Its goal is to bring together students from around the world to gain a better understanding of Japan. With scholarship assistance provided by AIEJ, a branch of Monbushou, and exchanges set up with universities in America, Europe, and Korea, students from these exchange universities are able to study in a one-year program focusing on various aspects of Japan taught by a predominantly Japanese faculty in (broken) English. It is the first program of its kind in Japan.

Certainly one of the best parts of the program is the generous scholarship provided by AIEJ and the tuition waiver given by Kyushu University. As Japan is one of the most expensive countries in the world to live in, most students participating in this program every year would not be able to pay for their expenses themselves. With a monthly stipend of 100,000 yen (which I believe was recently reduced to about 80,000 yen, equivalent to about US$800) and plush accommodations provided at the ryugakusei kaikan (international student house) for only 10,000 yen/month, however, amenities such as ramen, beer, Mos burgers, and (for a few students) an occasional prostitute become easily attainable. Also, for those who choose not to blow their entire scholarship on beer the first week after they get it, there is plenty of money left over for traveling. As if this weren't enough, there are also plenty of opportunities, though completely illegal, for students to rake in plenty of extra money to take back home with them by teaching English to cute little kids or completely clueless adults for upward of $30/hour. It's really a fabulous deal.

Not only are the financial aspects of this program splendid, but there is minimal red-tape involved (by Japanese standards at least) and plenty of other benefits to be enjoyed. The hard-working staff of JTW (you know they are hard-working because why else would they all get piss-drunk in the ISC office after work every single day) does almost all the dirty work getting the students into the country, and after their arrival the staff does their best to help with any initial problems. The students are actually quite babied during the first few months. On top of this, JTW provides the students with a wide variety of exciting field trips throughout the year to places like the local dump, a robot manufacturer (where students really just learned how to operate a VCR), a Toyota plant, sake factories, and even a nuclear power plant. Not only that, but several trips are taken to some of the most beautiful places in Japan, including Kyoto, Nara, Mt. Kuju, Mt. Aso, Kumamoto, Yanagawa, and various other places. All of these trips are completely funded by JTW and do not even require the use of the students' scholarship money.

One of the best aspects of the program for those wishing to attain proficiency in the Japanese language is the high quality of the language classes offered through the International Student Center (ISC). These classes are open to all JTW students, and all students are encouraged to take them during their stay in Japan. Several of the teachers in ISC are known throughout Japan (and some internationally), and classes are divided into many different levels to accommodate all levels of learners. Also, most classes have less than 10 students, and the teachers are very accessible outside class.

So what's the catch, you ask? Well, first of all you have to sell your soul to Mito-sensei, the coordinator of the program. It also entails a 30+ page research paper and volunteering your time to help the Japanese professors practice their English by sitting in on their classes. And for a few unlucky students, you will be despised and beaten by your language teachers. Ok, so actually there is no catch. That's right, this program really is aimed at helping students from around the world better understand Japan. It does have its drawbacks and it certainly has plenty of room to improve: the JTW classes really are NOT up to standards found at the students' home universities, many of the teachers really DON'T speak very good English (making for some rather dull classes), the campus is horrendous (though quite 'functional' the faculty of the university will often remind you), and Ohta-san does have a preference for small fat boys. Despite these shortcomings, however, this program is one of the best opportunities around to truly experience the beauty and mystique of Japan firsthand.