Hello,
I’m looking to come to Japan to study Japanese for a year (maybe more, maybe less, but at least 6 months). I’ve been looking at a few schools, and I was hoping to get some advice and help in choosing one from people who have been to these schools.
Firstly here is what I am looking for:
- I would prefer somewhere that caters a bit more to Westerners (I'm from the UK). I have heard quite a few people say that some schools are large majority Asian (particularly Chinese or Taiwanese) students and than it can be a) quite difficult to socialise because they all just talk to each other which can feel quite isolating and b) that they breeze through kanji because of their native language and students without that advantage are left behind. I’d say this is probably the most important factor for me.
- I took 1 year of Japanese classes at university although that was a few years ago and was only 3 hours a week, I would say that was to about an N5 level, so I’d want somewhere where I wouldn’t have to start as a complete beginner, but I wouldn’t have to go in at too high a level either.
- I’m looking for somewhere with a medium level of intensity. The intention is for this to be a fun/exciting year abroad/very extended holiday rather than having a particular goal of fluency or staying in Japan long-term. I’d like to have a decent amount of free time to explore the city and other parts of Japan.
I’ve found a couple of schools that meet some of these criteria but I have a few reservations about certain aspects:
- GenkiJACS: ticks a lot of boxes and probably would be the one I’d go for but unfortunately from their website it seems like their Tokyo school does not offer long-term courses with student visas, those are only available from the Fukuoka and Nagoya schools and I really have my heart set on Tokyo. Also even if it was available in Tokyo I’d still be hesitant because the 360 pictures on the website show the classrooms are very small – I know this might seem like a little thing but if I'm going to spend a year there I’d really rather not be cramped into a tiny room for all that time!
- KAI: Definitely seems to be geared towards Westerners which is a big plus but the ipads are kind of off-putting. People have said you can rent one but it’s cheaper to buy (I don't own one and have never really seen the appeal). Apparently they are only really used to access their digital textbooks? But correct me if I am wrong. I have also heard that the first three courses are good but it drops off in quality after. It also seems fairly intensive which is not the worst thing but something I am bearing in mind.
Others I am looking at are Yoshida Institute, Intercultural Institute of Japan, and Shinjuku (SNG), but I have seen less info about these so if people have experiences of these schools (and whether or not they seem like what I'm looking for), please share!
Any help or advice you could give would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
by Hjt454