Hello everyone, I’m looking for recommendations for language schools in Japan. I’m partial to schools in Tokyo, but I’m happy to get suggestions of good schools elsewhere.
This is probably redundant to say, but the two things I’m really looking to get out of my experience is:
* Advancing my Japanese as much as possible. I’m okay with a more rigorous curriculum if I can reap the benefits.
* A good social atmosphere. I’d like to actually have friends to spend time with outside of class.
As the title states, I’m at an advanced beginner/intermediate level. Knowledge wise, I’m around N3 when it comes to vocabulary and grammar, but God knows I could probably barely pass an N4 exam. I just have so little practical experience with actually using the language. This is arguably my biggest motivation for attending. Of course, I’m hoping to improve these weaknesses before attending, as I’d hate to test into a class that’s too easy.
That said, I know that even within the same school, not all difficulty levels are created equal. For example, having done some research on GenkiJACS, it seems many learners loved their experience early on (first year or so), but found that the quality and consistency of their classes fell off as they advanced to harder levels. Based on this, it seems like it’s not the school for me.
I’m from the US, so I’d like whatever school I attend to have a reasonable population of westerners, since—to my understanding—it can be very difficult, if not impossible, to socialize with your asian classmates.
Additionally, I’m wondering if there’s a “best” time to join as a new student. I know most schools break up the year into 4 terms, but technically a new school year starts in April. As a new student, how does this affect your ability to integrate with your fellow classmates and actually establish connections? If each term is treated like a new semester in college, then I’d imagine this isn’t much of an issue. I simply have no idea how often students are shuffled around, new classes are formed, etc.
In an ideal world, I’d love to stay for 6 months, but 3 months seems more financially realistic for me at this point in time. I could be convinced, though.
Thanks in advanced!