This August I am planning to go to Japan for a couple weeks.
I thought it would be nice to follow a language school of some kind while I’m there, but the ones I’ve seen so far seem to be pretty basic/starting from zero.
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I have recently passed N1 and although my japanese is far from being advanced, going to a school that prepares for N3 or at best N2 would feel like a waste of time.
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Do you guys know of any international language schools that focus on N1 level or beyond?
Local schools are also fine as I can look into them myself, I just don’t know what to start searching for.
Thanks for your help
3 comments
If you’re only visiting for a few weeks, don’t bother, most courses are long term 3+ months and they only start during certain periods of the year
I do not know if they have intensive courses. They probably do, but this is my two cents.
I feel like if you passed N1, you have enough knowledge to understand the bulk of the context. It is the level where you have enough context to understand most of the Japanese books on market. There will be some gaps here and there, but you will have enough knowledge where you can handle most of the problems that you face.
If you feel like you lack in grammar, focus on grammar. If you feel like you have lower listening comprehension level, try to focus your study on listening. Use applications like HelloTalk or Discord to meet other people and talk more in Japanese.
If you do feel like you need some guidance, I feel like private tutor is probably better than a course. A course is one-size-fits-all, and I feel like if you are around N1 level, it is wiser to focus on your ‘personal weaknesses’.
Tl;dr try to find what you are lacking, and go for those ‘weak spots’.
Enjoy your trip. Buy some novels while you are there. It would be kind of ideal if you could make some language exchange friends ahead of time and meet them at a cafe for something out there, but I’m not sure the best app/site for making connections like that.