The basics:
* First-ever trip to Japan. (Early Jan to early Feb 2023)
* Been self-studying Japanese since Summer 2020. (Prior to that, I knew nothing about the language.)
* I attended an Intensive Course at Coto Academy in Iidabashi, Tokyo. (They also have a branch in Yokohama.)
* Current overall level is comparable to N3. (Specifically, I can read certain categories of manga and novels reasonably comfortably, but often still have to look up vocab/kanji as I go.)
* I’m a full-time working adult with a corporate job and took basically all my PTO for the last year for this trip. Whole thing was paid for out of pocket, so no fancy sponsorships or scholarships.
* Related to the last bullet, but I traveled as a “tourist” so I didn’t need to bother with a student visa, which would have been necessary had my stay been for 90+ days.
Rather than write a wall of text with a bunch of details, I figured doing this in AMA format would be more useful, based on other threads I’ve seen in the past.
With all that out of the way, feel free to ask me anything; I will do my best to accommodate all questions.
***Note:*** *In the spirit of keeping things on-topic, I will promptly ignore any questions unrelated to learning Japanese as the overall theme. Also, if a question would require me to reveal certain private information, I might choose to PM the asker rather than post a public comment (or choose not to answer at all). Thanks for your understanding.*
4 comments
Would you recommend Coto Academy after completing the course? I am currently early stages learning N4 material. I have been trying to find a school to go to for an intensive course but a few told me being older,43, wouldn’t a good fit.
Just how much improvement did you have during your course? How comfortable with spoken Japanese are you? While outside of class did you have difficulty with ordering meals, getting transportation or interacting in general? What level of Japanese would you recommend someone to be at before taking such a course?
That’s a pretty cool experience.
TY for sharing.
Did you find the host family stay helped you learn more? I’m doing a similar trip this spring & having second thoughts about the family stay vs just getting myself a hotel since I like my own space. Interested to hear what you think it added/changed about your experience.