your help will be really appreciated

[eric]

Hello Guys,

I've graduated from my postgraduate studies in Australia and decided to go to Japan to further study Japanese. Initially, I applied for the Intensive Japanese Language program at Waseda and Keio University as an independent full-fee student but unfortunately my application was unsuccessful. I am currently looking at different language schools in Tokyo that would provide a student VISA.

I often hear stories that language schools are generally targeted towards Chinese and Korean students, and Western students generally cannot keep up with their curriculum, because they expect you to be familiar with Kanji. This is what I am afraid of because my Japanese/Kanji level is only JLPT 2. I searched the forum, and came across a couple of similar topics, but there are just too many language schools to choose from. If possible, can you guys recommend good language schools (preferably in Tokyo). Also is it difficult to find an English teaching job once I'm in Tokyo?

I know there has been tons of posts like this, but your help is really appreciated.

Currently I'm considering Yoshida Institute of Japanese Language and KAI Japanese Language School in Tokyo. KAI seems to be my ideal choice at the moment, and some forum users recommended it.

http://www.yosida.com/en/index_en.html

http://www.kaij.co.jp/e/

Kind Regards,

Eric :relief:

[Charles Barkley]

A: that's bullshit.

B: that's bullshit.

I am a MEXT scholar at waseda and attending classes in the language school. They will break you up into level, so you will be placed with people of similar level, no matter where they come from. Even if others may be able to write more kanji than you, it will have little to no effect on your actual progress.

Most people here are korean and chinese. The chinese are excellent at writing kanji and will often correct the teachers. Those at my level can read them no better than I can. The koreans improve very quickly--their language is quite similar to Japanese, so you will see koreans make almost unthinkably fast progress if they really push themselves. Its a fact of life that one must simply accept and use as motivation--after all its better to see one's classmates progressing quickly than just piddling around.

Another thing (though it may be different at other schools): it is possible to attend classes here, and do well in them, without knowing how to write many kanji at all. I am completely indifferent to physically writing kanji and gave up the study a year and a half ago in favor of concentrating on other things (its not good bang for your buck since everyone does everything electronically these days). I can read about 1800 kanji and am in one of the upper level classes, but I can only write, I dunno, 300-500 without looking at my dictionary? Anyway, that has not hurt me whatsoever in my classes.

[eric]

Charles Barkley, I am really considering KAI at the moment, can you give me some comments about this school? or other language schools in Tokyo?

I emailed KAI yesterday about their application process, and surprisingly I got a reply this morning.

thanks

[Nall-ohki]

Although I know Tokyo is sexy, you might want to consider other places as well, especially if money is an issue:

http://www.yamasa.org/index.html is a place that I attempted to go to in the past (long story), but seemed to be the best bang/buck as well as having a large variety of classes.

[Charles Barkley]

Sorry, the only Tokyo schools I applied for and researched in depth were keio and waseda.

Ritsumeikan in Kyoto also looked decent. As did the aforementioned Yamasa. If you are mainly in it for the language yamasa sounded decent, but the location...meh.