Language Schools in Kobe Help

Hi. I need your help please. I intend to study 6 months in a japanese language school in Kobe. My extended search for a good school finished in two schools. Communica Institute http://www.communica-institute.org/en/index.html
and Toyo Kobe http://www.jp-college.com/english/about.html
. Have you heard something good or bad about them? I cant decide on which one. And.. arent they in the same street?!

My second fear. I arrive in Tokyo, take the shinkansen to Kobe. Where am I suposed to go? To the dormitory or the school? How many days in advance I have to arrive to get myself prepared for going to school? If I already payed the tutuition how about the dorm? When and how I can pay it? I have lots of questions...

I feel like I am going to be in Sannomiya eki mae with my bags and everything and not knowing anything. guu

If anybody has studied in Kobe I would like to hear their experiences. Please!

Rei

Rei I can't answer the first part about the schools.

But the second part of your question you should ask the school you choose to go to. I believe they are the best ones to actually answer your questions on what the exact procedure is when arriving.

If you are still too unsure on how to check in, book a hotel/hostel in the area for 1-2 days so you can have somewhere to drop yourbags and sleep if you are not 100% sure, then go the the school and seek more information.

I agree with the above poster re: checking with the school to determine appropriate procedure. (And sorry, though I've lived in Kobe, I don't know anything about either of those two schools.)

Incidentally, I assume you're arriving in Tokyo and then going to Kobe to meet up with friends, but you'd be saving a time, money and hassle by landing in Kansai International Airport. Just a thought...

Thanks for your help. Well, I have already contacted the schools. C.I. replyed me very prompltly about the lessons and that stuff. Maybe they can tell me the detailed description when I pay de admission fee.

Yup, I will be arriving in Tokyo, unfortunately there are no flights to Kansai from my country. So, in Tokyo I have two options, shinkansen or connection flight. And I dont get along with airplanes, so I prefere a shinkansen.

Is Kobe a nice place to live? Where can I go after school or for weekends. I was looking for a not so big city, and close to other sightseeing places.

And I think it will be interesting if I can learn japanese and.. be able to talk in Kansai dialect. Ohhh

What country are you coming from? Kansai Airport has flights inbound from around the world.

Usually you pay the admission fee after the school reviews your documents and accepts you as a student. You probably won't pick up on any fluency with only 6 months.

Doing a connecting flight might be better, there is no direct shinkansen from Narita Airport in Tokyo, you have to take the train into Tokyo and do the connection, if you can make a connection at Narita Airport, it would probably be a lot faster.

I think both schools are nice.
Direction to these school?
Take shinkansen from JR Tokyo station to Shin Kobe and then take a taxi to your school. I don't recommend you to go to San nomiya St by local train. If you have more than two luggages, and it's morning or evening, I'm prety sure that you shouldn't do it;trains must be unblievably crowded.
The taxi may cost 3,000 yen or less.They will charge 660 yen for first 2Km and then 80 yen for next 300m.

I think you don't need so many days to make you prepared there. I really recomend you to buy a bycicle. There is a shop located by Kobe Station whitch is called Ko Nan like Walmart. You can get a bycicle there less than 10,000 yen.
Kobe is one of the most convenient city in Japan. You will have ton of nice stuff near by your house.
But be careful! You can't park your bycicle on the street nea r the station. It will toward and cost couple of thousand yen.

Hee hee. Actually I have been studying for 5 years japanese. I will be preparing for the big step of JLPT 3 to 2. I am not so bad at writing or reading or listening.. I stink in speaking! Thats why I want to go there. Because I speak.. or I don't eat! hee hee.

I also been at Kobe so I can move freely around there. Thats why I chose that city.

Oh yeah, rush hours.. and I will be part of them hee hee.
Yup, I wont park my bike near station.

Do you think its easy to get along with koreans, chinese, etc? Because they will group together, and I am sure I will be the only timbuctu girl and I dont want to be alone. guu And after school, what places girls from school go?

Kobe is a great place to live. Spacious, international, lots of green. I had a great time there.

Sannomiya and Motomachi are entertainment hubs and have plenty to keep you busy. The Chinatown is by Motomachi as well. You should definitely go explore these areas.