I recently visited Korea and met someone 37 going to a language school for a short term. Now that I am 40 I had kinda given up on the idea but now it’s got me wondering if it’s not too late to go to a Japanese language school as I had always intended when I was younger. I’ve worked on my Japanese on and off forever but never in a proper environment or with immersion so it’s still something I’d like to try.
Anyone have any experience with something similar or know of some schools in Tokyo/Osaka where a 40yr student wouldn’t be that weird? Within a 90 visa is fine and so would be something longer 1yr or so. Time/Money not an issue.
7 comments
It’s never too late. If you have time and $$ to make it happen who cares if most of the kids are in their early 20s? People get stuck on completely arbitrary numbers for no reason. This question has been asked by many 25 year olds too. The reality is a lot of people are tied down and have put themselves in situations where it would be less feasible to pull it off but if you haven’t why the hell would you limit yourself?
I’m 44 and currently going to a language school in Tokyo. The age range is all over the place, but I think there are only 2 or 3 students that are older than me. Who cares. I say go for it.
40 is definitely not too late, but there are some additional factors to consider.
Once you’re over 30, there’s more scrutiny / paperwork to get a student visa in Japan. This is just to satisfy immigration that you’re a bona-fide student and not coming to Japan to work on the side, but don’t be surprised if they want a printout of your bank balance, etc.
Also, unfortunately many Japanese language schools have a cut off at age 35. Some schools can waive this restriction if you consult with them, while for others it’s a hard limit.
[KAI Japanese Language School](https://www.kaij.jp/) has plenty of students in their 30s and 40s ([breakdown](https://www.kaij.jp/news/2021/01/25/631/))
[ISI Language School](https://www.isi-education.com/) accepts students up to 55 years old (requiring visa) or 65 years old (without visa)
[KCP International](https://www.kcpinternational.com/) accepts older students at least upon consultation
**NOTE**: I believe some visa deadlines for next spring enrollment are coming up soon, so if you’re thinking of coming in Jan-Apr 2023 you may want to contact a few schools asap.
If you don’t need a visa (so 6 months max), then there are other options as well. Many language schools here in Japan have courses catering to foreign ex-pat professionals who are already in the country under a working visa, spousal visa, etc.
Often these are less intense semi-private or part-time classes, but that might actually work to your favor. E.g., on your off days you can travel in Japan, take additional private classes, etc.
p.s., once I took a beginner Mandarin course in Beijing and one of the students was a Japanese guy in his mid-60s. Almost everyone else were in their 20s (I was in my 30s) and no one cared.
I took Japanese lessons in Yokohama in a language school by the name of Coto. As others have said, my classmates and I were in our 30s and a friend of mine was in his 50s, no one cared.
I’m studying in a language school in Tokyo and one of my classmates is 40ish AFAIK. The rest of the class is anywhere between 18 and 27-28. If it’s something you want to do, go for it!
You should try! I’m renting a room in my house out to a guy who’s attending a language school full time, he’s in his mid to late 30’s or something. He had a good full time IT job for several years so he has a good stock of savings and he’s renting a room from me for pretty cheap. He seems to be having a great time, and there are plenty of other students at his school (ISI, for reference) that aren’t like, new uni or high school grads or something. Go for it!
One solution to find a school with diverse age range is to look for School that do not grant student visa. Then it self-select people who could come to Japan by other mean, like work visa or for family reason that are typically a bit older. For example in Tokyo I went to a school called Coto Academy for one year and I think the average student was in they thirties.