I studied at Yamasa recently, and would like to share my thoughts on it. I never really heard about this school online and it is not one of the ones partnered with those sites that reach out to language schools on your behalf.
It had been some time since my last Japanese university course, and at that point I had never even been to Japan. I placed right under intermediate as I was really rusty in every category. Never got much speaking time in uni courses.
Some points:
-Accessibility: I decided to apply suddenly and within 2-3 months I took a break from work and was headed to Japan. The whole time they were very helpful and responded quickly and much faster than other schools I was looking into. They schedule a conversation test with you and you have to take an online grammar test for placement. I believe I was placed accurately. They give you a lot of information for when you arrive and if I recall correctly they also offer a pick up service from the airport, maybe. I decided not to take that up and upon arriving at Chubu airport, having never taken a train in Japan, and being unfamiliar with everything, asked the man at desk at the airport for a ticket to Okazaki station via the Meitetsu line. Stayed at the nearby AB Hotel (cheap) for one night, and I was set to get picked up in front of the school the next morning to be taken to the dorm in which I stayed for the duration of my studies.
The course: I was in the intensive AIJP course. I would place it above the university experience in my case. A quick google search shows that I graduated from a top 50 worldwide uni, and I would rate the Yamasa experience (in Japanese) above that in many ways. The main reason being the immersion. The course content goes by fast, but one big negative is the period dedicated to kanji, when you do have to go through it, but not without something to take from it. The instructors were all helpful and direct, quick to point out if something you said was wrong, and thorough. But, it’s not a university course and there is not that kind of diploma at the end of the course, so you get what you put in and nobody is forcing you. However, going back into my studies after leaving Yamasa felt like I was able to take in everything so much easier than before. You are expected to communicate in Japanese because you are in Japan and although you are not “forced” to do anything, they were pretty strict on only speaking Japanese in class. And you will likely be in a class with people from various countries with maybe two people being from the same one. I was the only one from the my country in my class and so I had to speak Japanese most of the time (I knew another language fluently that I could speak with another person besides English). I cannot speak for the SILAC course, but it seemed so much slower paced and one student complained that it was not the same as before, but they could not take the AIJP course because they could not leave work for 3 months. I think this school’s language program is honestly very good. The facilities where you are taught are standard, nothing showy or flashy, but what mattered most was the education and experience. I got what I wanted from it, and it exceeded my expectations. But, since it’s not a university course, there are things that are going to be relaxed, maybe like an assignment seems like it’s not as serious as you would see within a university course with group projects and heavy research, but the content that tests your language skills and has you produce sentences, both oral and written, and sakubuns had me learn anything quicker than before. Because of immersion and focus on the content rather than having many different courses going on.
The dorms: Small room but really cheap. Every room had its own router, you get unlimited shower time, gas ranges, and all utilities are included. Bed is a futon. Pretty standard, not that bad for what you are paying. Next to a Ministop, which had an atm for when I needed paper money, north of a small shopping mall, not too far from the school, a good curry place just up the road.
The city: It’s a decent place to be, but you can take the train anywhere. Nagoya is right there, sometimes I’d go there every day of the week. Japan is really convenient and everything seemed cheaper than what I was used to. Took the shinkansen a few times to go elsewhere. You can find everything you might need at any place nearby or in Nagoya, except for something that might be specific to your country. I had no problem with getting something from the UK in a reasonable time frame shipped to my dorm. Living in Okazaki is cheap. It’s a nice town to be in.
-Cost: Honestly really cheap, in my case and opinion, for the 10-week duration. The tickets to Japan were probably one of the if not the most expensive item/service I paid for, taking into account tuition, rent, and other things.
Overall experience: like no downsides overall. That’s just me. Extremely positive. I had to bring in some long term medication and that was really easy too. Made some good friends while I was there and just hung out. I’m a pretty easygoing and relaxed person so I never was doing anything crazy, so that’s my perspective. Like, I never went to anything stereotypical like a “maid café” or whatever, just wasn’t my thing, but I enjoyed a good bit of karaoke and several pints (CHEAP) at the izakaya with classmates.
I know there is more I could say but I appreciate any questions that might open up the conversation. I am worried I provided little substance, so I hope I can expand and elaborate on the comments.
by Solid_Row_9435