Hey all,
Anyone have suggestions of where to study in Japan for serious but not university-entry level serious students? I’m interested to go somewhere aside from Tokyo since I will ultimately be moving to Tokyo. I figure getting first-hand knowledge of a second part of the country could only be beneficial in the long-run, no?
Happy to hear all ideas!
I have a good teacher. I’m sure there are good teachers all over Japan. A lot of the teachers I know work out of buddhist temples or shinto shrines, as a kind of volunteer/low-fee service. If you have time when you arrive I would just walk around and ask people you meet, along with looking at flyers. Probably be able to find people offering to teach Japanese within a day or two.
Getting in touch with the foreigner community in the area you are in will also be beneficial, since they will obviously be the ones most likely taking the classes.
Good luck
Depends on your budget if you’re looking at schools. I spent two years in Osaka studying at a language school. I definitely got my time and money’s worth out of it and Osaka is my favorite area. I also really like the dialect. Picked up a good bit of it from my fiance.
The school I went to is ARC Academy. They have locations all over Japan, though. Staff at the Osaka location are amazing people.
I have several friends who went to Kansai College of Business and Language. If you have two years to spend they can give a diploma that counts towards a working visa, which is neat.
You could also try to find people to teach you, but most of the time that means language exchange. You teach a little bit of English, they teach you some Japanese. I’ve never had much luck with this method but that’s not to say your experience wont be different.
Let me know if you want to know more. I could talk about my time at school in Osaka for forever.
Also, from Osaka everywhere is easy to get to. Best city.
I enjoy Sapporo. It’s relatively cheap, more laid back than other place a in Japan and the countryside outside the city is incredible. I’ve been attending Hokkaido JALS school when I’m there which has small class sizes, which is good.
Classes are good but drinking in izakaya is better for actual fluency.
Hahaha
good luck finding a school!
Once you arrive check your local ward office. I’m in Kanagawa and I’ve found a number of low cost language courses taught on a volunteer basis offered at the local ward office near my house and in the different ward near where I work (actually it’s in the same building, which is a great deal).
Actually im going to Osaka next year in October to Kansai collegue of business to take the 2 year course! Wanted to go to Fukuoka or Miyazaki in the south but the 2 year course only starts in April.
That’s awesome. I hope you have fun. It’s in a really convenient/fun area of Osaka. And the degree is useful if you decide to live there further. I’ve got friends working there on a work visa going on 7 years because of that program.
This topic was automatically closed 365 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.