Academics:
The Japanese classes vary by level. I found my experience in NIJ500 much more satisfying than my experience in NIJ600. One pattern I noticed was that the number of kanji that you study in that semester may double in the following semester. I don't think this is the best idea considering you are getting the same amount of credits for more work. I retained significantly more kanji in NIJ500 than in NIJ600 partly due to memorizing more kanji in the same amount of time. Another reason was that the NIJ600 course curriculum is poorly scheduled. In NIJ500 you had a vocabulary quiz early on in the week. These words would appear in the reading for that week, repetition. Some of those vocabulary words would appear on the weekly kanji quiz later on, repetition. Therefore, you see and use the same words and kanji multiple times in that week. I find that repetition is one of the most important things to learning a language (use it or lose it). Unfortunately, NIJ500 did not significantly integrate more repetition into it's curriculum. After that week the majority of those words would not reappear until a kanji test much later on. The textbook, IJ, is partly to blame due to the reading being very focused. For example, orchard appears in one reading but never again in the textbook. In NIJ600 we would be weeks ahead in kanji (due to trying to fit more in) than the readings and vocabulary. 
The use of English in instruction in NIJ500 or higher is rare to nonexistent. This might be due to a lack of English proficiency among the Japanese teachers, which varies. This also goes for the office staff for the program even though it is run in English. (I will expand on how the Center for Japanese Studies, also known as CJS, later on.) This is problematic in my opinion because complex concepts are difficult to explain to non-native Japanese speakers. For example, when a Japanese teacher tried to explain part of a reading she used a word/ phrase that I did not know. I asked what that word/phrase meant because I could not understand the explanation otherwise. I received an explanation that I again did not understand. This question was easily answered when I just asked a friend in English to tell me what the word/phrase meant. So, if you notice that the Japanese teachers' explanation are completely unhelpful, just ask a friend. This also goes for other courses like Japanese Business where they teach keigo, formal Japanese. (If you attend UW - Madison, I recommend to take the Business Japanese course and literature courses at UW. They are superior to the ones offered at Nanzan University in my opinion.) The courses besides Japanese may be taught in English or in Japanese, so be careful when selecting them. For example, there is Business Japanese for NIJ~ and below and NIJ~ and above. If your level overlaps with both take the one where you are the highest level of proficiency. I found that some Japanese teachers aren't considerate to those at a lower level of proficiency. They might use kanji or vocabulary that you don't know, so you'll spend time just looking up words in your textbook.
In terms of grading, the philosophy seems to be different when compared to the United States. Many students complain about strict grading, where is difficult to earn a perfect score or an A. A friend of mine believes that she had one point taken off just so she wouldn't get a perfect score. (The teacher did not correct it in the rough draft but took off a point in the presentation.) I find this is due to a different mindset. I found that some Japanese teachers always blame the students. When the class average went significantly down for one of the weekly tests the teacher stated during class something along the lines 'I guess people didn't study that hard this week'. In the United States, the teacher might ask themselves if the grading was too harsh, did they not teach the content well, are the test questions not written well. They also did not like to admit when they erred. For a vocabulary quiz (which had an answer box) I had a point taken off for an answer that I was confident was correct. I confirmed my answer with a friend. She had a question for her Japanese teacher so we went to the office together. After she asked her question we checked my answer with that teacher (not mine, but taught the same level). My teacher later came out and said she would give me a point back, but just this time because my handwriting was too poor. I have great handwriting. She suggested that my ten-ten looked like an i (い). She was alone in that observation, and besides there was no answer in the box that correlated with that. Besides, one of my other answers had an i (い) where you can clearly see how I write them. 
The two courses I would recommend are Academic Japanese Writing and Japanese Language and Culture. Japanese Language and Culture, a linguistics course, is taught by Nanako Machida who earned her PhD at UW - Madison (and taught as a professor in the United States). I found her teaching style on the same level as universities in the United States. Her lectures, grading, and curriculum was all satisfactory. Academic Japanese Writing was a bit uncomfortable due to it being a small class and the majority being at a more advanced level in Japanese. However, the professor was considerate and helped me when I struggled in class, more so than most of the other Japanese teachers I encountered. I felt like I learned the most about writing Japanese in that course. I would lastly recommend taking art classes like Ikebana, especially if you are in NIJ600. One friend of mine, besides Japanese class, only took art classes. You will likely enjoy your year abroad more if you focus on social aspects than doing anything academic. I wanted to get some of my Japanese major requirements done while in Japan, which was a mistake because UW - Madison is better in that regard. (Why pay more money to study abroad to get a lesser education?) Housing:
One downside is that the students who stay at a dorm might be closer with one another, so making friends with other home-stay students is a good idea. Other students at home-stays will want to get out of the house, maybe more so than those staying in the dorms because they have a common area. One pro to staying in the dorms is that some are within walking distance of campus, so you'll save money and time when it comes to transportation. You also can walk back to the dorm and cook lunch, so you'll save money there too. However, they have strict rules when it comes to visitors (including they can't enter your dorm room).
Campus:
The campus has a couple nice new buildings, which includes the CJS building. The rest of the buildings look the same and aren't that pretty. If you wish to avoid squat-toilets then stick with the newer building. This reminds me with one of the most annoying part about Nanzan University: different classrooms everyday. You have seven different classrooms in one week. There are multiple places to get food on campus. There is one spot across from the gym that has the cheapest meals, so it is a favorite of the students. Which leads me to another problem: there is no place to sit during lunch time. Students eat in classrooms. The major reason this is a problem is that there is a set lunch period, so the majority of the student body has to get food and find somewhere to sit at the same time. Student Life:
In the end, I don't know if I would choose Nanzan University again. My friends at Keio didn't sound too happy about their experience either. I heard that Sophia has two kanji classes a week, which sounds like a good idea. The Japanese department chair told my friends who applying to spend the spring at Kyoto University to not go for academics. I don't think Japan is the place to go to study at the university level. Socially I enjoyed my experience. I would of liked it better if my friends weren't gone for almost half the year. Academically, it hurt my GPA and I don't think I learned that much. You spend so much time in class, so it is hard if you don't like your classes. I'm taking summer classes at UW Madison right now and I am a nerd in heaven (not really, but in comparison). I feel like I lost a year of UW - Madison level education (and another trip to the Rose Bowl).
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