Hi! I’m planning to go to study Japanese in Tokyo for 6 months and I only have a few days left to choose the school.
Looking for a school where you can learn fast, initially I wanted to go to the ISI which seemed like a good compromise. Then I decided for the Akamonkai, but reading on the internet I started to doubt the choice (mainly for the teaching method). I want(?) to learn really fast so, I was wondering, how is the Shinjuku japanese language institute (SNG)? I feel like it can be a good compromise between study and free time (I think?) and the teaching method seems more suitable for me. But how long does the courses of this school last? (I saw that the duration of the course at akamonkai is 2 years) Is the pace fast? I saw that there is an intensive course.
I’m not very good at explaining myself in English so I hope you can understand something(?)
I’m really worried about making the wrong choice help: ‘)
5 comments
I went to SNG. The teaching there is pretty standard. They have their own method of teaching using shapes to represent parts of speech that they use to teach grammar/syntax at the entry levels, but after you get to intermediate level they drop that and it’s just a regular Japanese class. I doubt that makes much of a difference anyway.
I came to the school with some level of Japanese already, so they had me do a leveling test and skip some of the introductory courses. I hear the first levels are the most fun, they put their most empathic teachers there, so everyone has a pretty good time at first. There’s also a lot more outdoor activities in those levels compared to the most advanced ones.
As you already know, there’s an intensive class and a regular class, and you get to choose which one you prefer. You can also start with the intensive one and fall back to the regular one if you’re having trouble keeping up (but not vice-versa). Both go over essentially the same contents, but the intensive one picks up the pace a lot more, I think the regular class is roughly 2/3rds the speed of the intensive one IIRC.
Another notable difference is the ratios of Western/Asian students in each mode. The intensive class has a lot more young Chinese/Taiwanese/Vietnamese students who are trying to get into a Japanese university, for which they need to pass the JLPT N1. Those students usually don’t speak English, and tend to cluster in groups by nationality, so it’s a bit harder to make friends with them if your or their Japanese isn’t at a conversational level yet. Students with Chinese as a first language also generally fly through kanji, and if you’re not as quick at picking them up you may start feeling pressure every time they ask you to read in class and you’re the slowpoke of the class. The regular class usually has a better mix of nationalities, and it may be easier to make friends there, if you care about that. Take this paragraph with a grain of salt though, YMMV.
As to how fast you learn though, that will depend entirely on how much effort you put in, no matter how good the school is. If you’re expecting to just attend class and do homework and become fluent, I’m sorry to tell you that will most likely not happen. I’ve seen people become really fluent in about two years, and I’ve seen people really struggle to the point of having a mental breakdown when asked to “say a few words” in Japanese at graduation. Different people may find learning a new language easier/harder, but there’s one thing in common with the ones who become really fluent: they obsessed with the language and would study many hours a day on their own, as well as going out to the world and putting their language skills to the test constantly (getting a part-time job that requires talking to customers for instance).
Sorry for the lengthy comment. Hope this is of any help, and feel free to ask any specific questions.
JASSO TJLEC sponsored by govt is attended by prospective univ students from abroad and they legit get N1 within 1.5-2 years even coming from non east asian language backgrounds. Also cost wise it might be cheaper than private schools and pretty close to shinjuku
Honestly I picked away from Tokyo because they seemed more expensive
Hello. I went to ISI in Takadanobaba for 9 months, without knowing japanese at all. Can’t say I love the experience but it’s not a bad school. Now I’m going to KAI in Shinokubo and I totally invite you to check out the school. The staff and the senseis are all great!
I went there for six months but personally I hadn`t a good experience. Expecially the enviroment, with americans or european was impossible speaking Japanese because it looked like they came just for fun and the asian ones to much focused on work. Then I moved with my exgirlfriend in Naka meguro and looking for a japanese school this one came out. Ill leave here the link [https://www.evergreen-ls-jp.com/](https://www.evergreen-ls-jp.com/)
The staff was young, not many students in the classroom and I had a very straight relationship with the teachers. I`ve been there for 9 months and my Japanese really improved!