The Essentials
All Programs
- AFS Japan Welcome Booklet
- AFS Participant Guide
- AFS Medical Guide
- Safety Tips
- Sim Card Information (Review before Departure)
Year/Semester High School
- Host School FAQ
- Characteristics of Japanese High School Life
- Arrival Information
- Visa FAQ
- Arrival Letter (Review before Departure)
Summer Language Study
Global Prep
Japanese Language Lessons
Listen and Practice Japanese – Workbook
Listen and Practice Japanese – Audio Lessons 1-5
Listen and Practice Japanese – Audio Lessons 6-10
Listen and Practice Japanese – Audio Lessons 11-15
Listen and Practice Japanese – Audio Lessons 16-20
Listen and Practice Japanese – Audio Lessons 21-24
Listen and Practice Japanese – Audio Lessons 25-30
Listen and Practice Japanese – Audio Lessons 36-38
Listen and Practice Japanese – Audio Lessons 39-43
Digging Deeper
Additional Language Resources
- Memrise: Japanese
- Rosetta Stone: Japanese
- BBC Language
- LiveMocha: Japanese
- Japanese-Online
- Speaking Japanese
- Japan Foundation Language Learning
- Tsukuba University E-Learning
Cultural Resources
- Religious Considerations
- Hofstede Center: Japan
- Asia Society
- Japan Society
- BBC: Japan: Earth’s Enchanted Islands Quiz
- Culture Grams
- –Username: afsusa – Password: cgrams
News and Media
- The Japan Times (English)
- The Japan News (English)
- NHK World (Japanese and English)
- Japan International Broadcasting Inc.
Movies and Documentaries
- Spirited Way (2001)
- Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
- Kikujiro (1999)
- Our Homeland (2012)
- Hula Girls (2006)
- Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)
- The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (2013)
- The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom (2011)
- 21 Up Japan (2007)
Books
- The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
- The Makioka Sisters
- The Doctor’s Wife—Sawako Ariyoshi
- The Woman in the Dunes
- The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire
- Kimono: A Modern History
- The Roads to Sata: A 2000-Mile Walk Through Japan
- Japanese Soul Cooking
LGBTQ Resources
Heritage and Ethnicity Resources (Diversity)