Choosing a Japanese language school

Hi,

I want to attend a Japanese language school for a long term course (after that I plant to continue to a Japanese university). So far the schools I found with the most reputation are in Tokyo, the only problem with Tokyo is that I don't think I will be able to afford staying there.
I have found the following schools outside of Tokyo:
Human Academy Japanese language school - in Osaka.
Kyoto Institute of Culture and Language - in Kyoto.
ARC Academy - in Fukuoka
Fukuoka Foreign Language College - in Fukuoka
Do any of you know at least one of those schools and have an opinion on it?
Also, are Kyoto, Osaka and Fukuoka much more cheaper than Tokyo?

Thank you very much!

If you are OK with Kyoto-ben ( which is a lovely dialect ), I highly recommend Kyoto Institute of Culture and Language, specially if your aim is entering university.

Probably in Fukuoka, accommodation will cost less than in Tokyo or Osaka.

I have seen Yamasa Institute mentioned as a good language school - though I have not been there and none of my personal acquaintances have been there, they are located away from city center (in Aichi prefecture, so the nearest big city is Nagoya), and they seem to have reasonably-priced student accommodation. You might want to look into that.

Yamasa is definitely worth looking at. I took some private lessons there a number of years ago and was completely satisfied (the instructors were outstanding), although that didn't put me in a position to rate their classroom programs. They seem very solid.

One particularly good thing about Yamasa, if you're really serious about learning the language, is that it's located in a town that doesn't have too many distractions. If I were in Kyoto or Osaka or Fukuoka I would find it hard to buckle down and study all the time, but there's not much else to do at Yamasa in Okazaki. And they do have student housing at an affordable price.

If you want to have fun and experience the culture, then the big cities are better, but if you're genuinely serious about gaining the proficiency you need to attend college in Japan, then you're better off in a place like Okazaki. You can still have fun when you want to, and there are some school-sponsored excursions and cultural activities, but the many attractions found in the big cities are easier to resist.