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Schools in Tokyo 2020/8/10 05:17
Hi there,
I'm planning to apply for language school in Tokyo therefor I need to apply for 2 years visa with Japanese government & requirements are to have bank account balance of $40000 which is ton of money just to lay around.
So I don't want to make a mis-take in choosing a school I will apply for. It is very serious life changing move I'm not going there for 2 years to have fun & dilly-dally. I will need to learn language for my life & to be able to find job there and in 2 years time I'm thinking to stay there longer on work visa. I want to live in Tokyo.
I'm asking for suggestions for best school in Tokyo that can give me life skills to live & communicate comfortable in Japan.
Right now I'm at beginner level with my Japanese got alphabets, learning 2-3 kanji every day. My vocabulary keep growing. I also use Pimsler. And books. But I got no-one to practice my conversational skills with. And as full-time worker & 13h time difference with Japan is quite hard to find someone for real time conversation. And you know that all Japanese say that they will teach you Japanese but actually just want to practice only theirs English... Tried few times & didnt learn much from actual native speakers.
Japanese is going to be my 5th languare. I'm German born & fluent in German, Russian & English I also can speak on Greek & read on Korean. So I dont see an issue for myself to pick up even Japanese with right school & enough motivation to learn. And I got tons of motivation. Just need the right school.

Can anyone recommend GREAT school??
Thx in advance!
by Rina (guest)  

Re: Schools in Tokyo 2020/8/10 13:22
I went to Naganuma school in Shibuya and liked it. Very school like with kanji tests every day and grammar tests every week and a bigger test every 6 weeks which if you fail means you need to repeat the last 6 weeks. Which ultimately makes that everyone has a comparable level. And most of their teachers are good.
But their class size is quite big. I think around 14.

An other school that I had a test lesson at and about which I heard good things is KAI.

I had test lessons at a number of other schools in Tokyo including one that was one of my worst hours of my life. (The students were incredibly noisy during the entire lesson not paying any attention). It was in Shinjuku close to the station. But I donft remember itfs name.

A third school which I know from my husbandfs and a friends experience is good, BUT not good for your purpose is COTO. COTO is the one that is clearly geared towards westerners (at Naganuma I would say that about 60% of students are Taiwanese, which isnft bad, because it means you start speaking with your classmates Japanese instead of English). But COTO focuses mainly on getting people to speak. Which is fine, but I guess you want to learn to read and write as well.

Btw, as you just started with kanji, try Heisig method. Itfs the most logical learning method for an adult.

You also write that you want to later on work in Japan. Only knowing Japanese will not be sufficient. You need the qualifications to fulfill work visa requirements. (And find a job). The requirements are different per job category but very generally speaking you need to graduate from university. Have you done that already?

Enjoy learning Japanese.
by LikeBike rate this post as useful

Re: Schools in Tokyo 2020/8/10 16:11
Yes I gave a degree in economics
by Rina (guest) rate this post as useful

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