Japanese Language School – full time

6 comments

1. JLPT focus will likely do you well as it makes you literate faster. Once you get to bar fluency, your general literacy will make or break your proficiency so depends on where you’re aiming.

2. Can’t recommend Naganuma in Shibuya enough. They mostly focus on promoting themselves in Taiwan so 80% of your classmates end up being students from there trying to get into Japanese university but gives you less excuse to slack on Kanji and imo seemed like a lot more people take it ‘seriously’ than people I met from my friends’ schools that had lots of European and American students who were just there for 1 semester to mess about because they liked anime or whatever. At the end of each term there’s a test and if you fail you have to repeat that 3 month term – and they don’t mess about, plenty of people failed and repeated in my classes. Class sizes are also very good, I think never more than 20 and usually more like 10-15. Joined with N5 and left with N1 two years later.

3. It was a long time ago (2008 I think) when I went 3 months to Genki Jacs in Fukuoka. They had small classes and good teachers. They have also long term study plans I think and are now also available in Tokyo.

4. I went to Human Academy. It was nice enough. Mostly Chinese students. The Japanese was good. The Kanji was light speed. Get some serious Kanji study done before you start or you will get left behind incredibly fast.

5. Kichijoji language school in near mitaka station.

   ISI

   Or TCJ

   I’ve been to all three.

6. Akamonkai if you want rigor. For conversation you’ll get what you need by combining language school and using it in the real world