One of my favorite senryu says you know you’re no longer young when people start calling you young (looking):
Oh great, which one?
Haha can relate so much! Same for me with the exact same numbers 
I’m going to Meiji Academy. I was hoping to go to GenkiJACs but they were already full even though I contacted them months in advance! Meiji seemed like a good alternative; I’ll let you know how it goes.
Oh yes thank you! Curious to hear about another language school 
May I ask what the program was? And, when did you go and how did you like it?
I went to Yamasa in 2004 or thereabouts. I did 9 months (three terms) in their AIJP programme. I really liked it – I initially only planned to do six months but extended it. I think it pushed me up from “end of beginner” to a solid intermediate N2 level.
It looks cheap compared to language schools i’ve looked at. 30k yen per month for a room in the student village is so cheap and the term fees for the classes are cheap too.
Did you enjoy your time there aside from the great progress you made in your Japanese?
Yes, I had a great time there as well. (On costs, it helps that Okazaki is not a particularly expensive location and the school owns its own accommodation.)
Ah, a fellow Yamasa student! However, you were there long before I. Didn’t even know that Yamasa was around until 6/7 years ago. I did the 1st of 3 AIJP intermediate class during the last 3 month term of 2022 (oct-dec). My class had 9 students total, and it was a good experience as it helped surface my weak points and what I needed to do more of in the future (input - reading & listening - in my case).
As you mentioned, the place is not as expensive as the big cities and most students were studying in earnest as they hoped to work/study in Japan and many had been there more than a couple of terms already. Studying alongside such motivated youngsters was a bit of a challenge (comparatively, I was laid back and slower), but well worth it.
Couldn’t think of continuing with another 3 month term at this stage in my life. Besides, I’m thinking taking classes at schools in other places in Japan (Hokkaido, Fukuoka or Shikoku) so I can explore more of Japan and use attending school as the central activity that’ll help me to get to know the place and people.
In the end, Meiji was a good time! It is very small; apparently they are planning to expand their facilities to have a student lounge, but now it feels quite cramped. For the first two weeks there were only two of us in my class; by the end of the month we had expanded to four. We had a new teacher each day of the week, and 3/5 were excellent; the other two were ok. I met a couple of GenkiJACs students during my time there and it sounds like their experience was a bit more structured and rigorous (we never had homework, for example). I have kept in touch with one of my Meiji classmates who stayed on, and she’s decided to take another month of classes but at a different school because she felt the quality of instruction was deteriorating. I also met a couple of higher-level students at Meiji who felt that, because they weren’t interested in studying business Japanese, the school no longer had much to offer them. So YMMV. I had a good time, but if I were to go back I’d probably try a different school to make the comparison. Also: Meiji really encourages students to post positive reviews on Google, and although I was happy to do so, it does put their reams of positive reviews in perspective.
Thanks for your review! I’m happy to hear you had a good time there
May I ask what language level you were / what textbooks you used during your stay? Just to relate this, especially the “not much to offer going forward”. Thanks
I was at the “upper beginner” level (Genki 2 textbook). There were a couple of intermediate levels above me (I believe they were using Quartet, maybe) that were quite full and seemed to be having a good time. The students I talked to who were less satisfied would be qualified as advanced, I think, and so resources for them were limited.
Ah, I see. I guess it’s difficult for advanced students to find enough course offers anywhere, is my feeling - same with GenkiJACS, I think.
Maybe I missed it - were you in Fukuoka?
Did you stay in an apartment there?
What was your experience with extracurricular activities sponsored by the school?
I’m hoping to someday be able to go to a language school in Japan, and while Tokyo is attractive, I’d be open to alternatives.
Yes, I was in Fukuoka for the month of July. I stayed with a host family. I enjoyed the extracurriculars: I signed up for a Pop Culture course and a Traditional Culture course, and both were enjoyable. There were also occasional school parties, park tours, etc. It was a good time.
If I ever take the JLPT, I guess I should expect the same treatment. lol. I grew my beard out after leaving the military and it’s all grey.
I just hit 45yrs old a couple months ago and just got my 4yr anniversary here on WK earlier this month. Thankfully I got the lifetime membership early on. At one point, I was stuck on level 10 and couldn’t get past it for over a year and all the reviews kept piling up. Then I reset to level 1 and then went on vacation mode at one point, and tried getting back to it but “life” happens and this time I was stuck on level 6. The other day, I decided to just reset to 1 again, even though I know it very well, and giving it another go. I have physical flashards, the White Rabbit Press Series 2 ones, and organizing them by WK levels for now.
Overall, I feel like I should be half my age, but my body is twice my age and I don’t necessarily “act” my age. lol. I’m married and have 3 young daughters so I’m sure my progress will be slow but I’m still going at it. Maybe see about getting Genki in the mix of my studies too. We’ll see. Never too old to learn something new, even a new language. 
Wow we could be twins. Roughly same age, also married, with two daughters, also struggling against old-man body/brain to learn 
But I just keep at it. I just remind myself constantly of the adage that time is going to pass anyway, so might as well pass it while learning and keeping the mind busy!
That’s so cool! If I may ask, were you doing this just for the learning experience, or do you have plans to live/work in Japan at some point?
I don’t have any plans to live in Japan again, but I’d like to go back regularly to visit and study. Some people go on skydiving vacations; I like to go to school! Japanese is just a hobby, but I’m pretty passionate about it.