I’ve been thinking about this for at least the last ten years, and now I have the financial means to do it: What I could not fit into the title due to the character limit is that “at least 2 years with my current savings until I decide what to do with my future” meaning there is a large opportunity for growth / movement whether it takes place inside of Japan or outside of Japan & I do not have a fixed idea.
About me, as it pertains to Japanese, I am conversational but can’t read/write, and this is largely the motivation to enroll in a language school. I would like to be well-rounded and fluent, not for job placement, but to satisfy my own desires: because you are probably asking, yes, I do intend to take the JLPT, but this is for my own yard stick and not for somebody else or for an organization.
I am from an English speaking country and currently speak a mix of English and Japanese and Chinese. I like languages. I found out (from comment threads) that certain language schools or similar institutions teach ONLY in Japanese from the beginning, which sounds absolutely horrifying but it the recommend route to go if you are serious. Is this true? How does it work? I have done my own research and heard/read/watched YouTube videos that there are a few bachelor’s degree programs which teach courses in English & offer Japanese on the side, but I think that would largely defeat the purpose since what I really want to do is learn how to read & write (fluently) and improve my sentence structure while speaking and not focus on the language as an afterthought outside of the main course requirements.
As for locations, the reason I specified anywhere outside of Tokyo is that I lived there for 2 years about 6 years ago…and really didn’t like it; felt claustrophobic, really. Basically, Tokyo felt a Japanese version of New York City, and I don’t like New York City, so…I lived in Taipei after living in Tokyo, and that greatly shifted (or refined) what I want out of a living/social environment. I desire to live somewhere close to nature, specifically the mountains, where going for a hike on a weekday/weekend is not a big deal (farther than 45 minutes away). I need to live somewhere where I can regularly take kickboxing classes and yoga classes in order to stay healthy.
For the majority of my search, I have been looking at schools in Hokkaido, which people have very strong opinions about (due to the winter months) because of its proximity to nature, but the number of schools in this area is limited or at least it seems that way. The ones I’m leaning towards are [札幌日本語国際学院](https://www.facebook.com/JLIofSapporo?locale=ja_JP) and [北海道日本語学院 札幌本校](https://www.facebook.com/hjlanihongo/?ref=embed_page) but that’s it ATM. I’m VERY open to suggestions & any anecdotal advice you might have, preferably, if you’ve enrolled at a language program in Japan yourself on a student visa for at least 6 months or more…even if it was ten years ago I want to hear your story! Even if you have a friend with a story, please LMK (no one to discuss this with IRL).
If you mention a specific school, please include the website URL. 👍
It seems like all of the language schools in Japan use the exact same textbook (?) for homework & instruction so I am not overly concerned about the curriculum.
What I am more concerned about is the location. Plus, I may have overlooked something in my search in Hokkaido! Though nothing is guaranteed, if I become fluent in Japanese, I would immediately look for work/get sponsored (I’m leaving out part-time jobs) or enroll in a university program in Japanese to further my studies and maybe get a degree. Both are just options and the third choice is neither of these.
But basically: I would enroll in a language program with the intention to use it (Japanese) long term after I have completed my courses. I would like to do it next to nature. Thank You. 💚
P.S.
I also want to give a little bit more background information about my reason for making the decision since it is an emotionally charged one.
My biological Mother just died (Nov 1) ten days after her birthday (60) and about ten days before mine (30). It was a shock because she was seemingly healthy, or so I thought, but it turns out she (secretly) had high-blood pressure & I didn’t know about it. So, that’s devastating in it’s own way. I’m an only child, and I’m not close with her family at all, so the sense of isolation really sets in.
Additionally, I briefly touched on living in Tokyo and Taipei in the OP, for a total of four years, which is no amount of time at all, but I gathered the sense that it’s the place I belong after living there.
I have permanent reserve culture shock every time I come to the states, and this sick/depression feeling where it’s like “this is NOT my place”. So now my mother’s dead, I have no reason to come here ever again (I also have no friends or romantic ties to this country). So it feels like a huge chapter of my life is being permanently closed.
From my childhood days & early adulthood, she encouraged me to travel independently/abroad and I did an exchange program in high school so my earthly ties to the country have always been prescient but never established. If I take this “dive”, so to speak, I would be investing all of those past years into a new & unknown future. 💙 I left all that out of OP because it’s kind of devastating to talk about with a bunch of strangers (no offense intended) but that is why I am asking for advice. Thank You. 👍
by OGUN1990