Hi everyone. For the last couple of years I have been saving up the money to go to a language school in japan for atleast 1 year minimum and the year has come where my plan is starting to become more of a solid reality then some faint idea thats too far away to even seriously comprehend.
For some reference, I originally planned on studying at [Yamasa Institute] (https://www.yamasa.org/en/index.html) in Okazaki, located in Aichi. I thought this would be a nice place to study for a couple of reasons:
– I think that it would be nice to live in a smaller city then a larger one because it would be cheaper and I would be forced to immerse more due to less english speakers. I also prefer living in middle sized cities over large cities like Tokyo (although I do like travelling to larger cities).
– Aichi prefecture is pretty central in Japan, which means it would be great for travelling, especially since I would like to travel to many parts of Japan as I can. The fact that Aichi is relatively close to Tokyo is a nice plus, especially since I do want to be able to go there semi regularly.
– Yamasa Institute also has a wide variety of accomodation available which is something I have noticed not many language schools offer (admittedly with my little research). Sure, many places offer different types of dorms but because I am planning to stay in Japan for a year minimum, having an apartment would be amazing. I have heard that finding accomodation can be a nightmare as a foreigner so the fact that the school has a wide array of apartments to rent is a big plus.
Now the reason I made this post in the first place is because Yamasa is increasing the prices of accomodation and tuition fees by approximately 15% which is pretty big. This has also made me doubt if I am picking a good school in the first place because I havent been able to find any recent reviews talking about this school.
For reference, this is my current ability and goals:
– Right now I am past N5 but I’m not quite at N4. My biggest weaknesses are easily grammar and listening. Currently, Im about halfway through my tango N5 deck and my stats in Anki mention that I know approximately 400 Kanji. I’m hoping to get to N2 Level minimum in 18 months (6 months before I go to Japan, 1 year in Japan).
– I would like to have a somewhat intensive studying course for learning Japanese in school but I would like to have enough time to have a small part time job and socialise with others.
– Job support would be nice. I want to be able to work in Japan for a year or two after I finish my studying.
To be honest I am not too sure what I am even asking about anymore. Does Yamasa Institute seem like a good idea for me? Should I do the Defacto and study In Tokyo/Osaka/Sapporo even though I think a smaller city would be nicer and a lot cheaper? Are there more things I should consider? Am I overthinking this too much?
Like I said, I’ve spent years saving up for this so I want to make sure I don’t make a stupid decision. I felt so confident in what I wanted to do but now that I’m actually getting close to going my confidence has crumbled lmao. ANY kind of help/advice/ general discussion would be awesome.