Looking for INTENSIVE course...

[David]

Hello,

I am currently looking for Japanese language schools in Tokyo which offer intensive courses for a duration of one year to one year and a half. Most of the schools I wrote to only seem to have courses with 2-4 hours of tuition per day.

Would anyone know of a language school which offers 5-6 hours of tuition per day?

Many thanks in advance!

David

[gaijin]

What level are you at in Japanese?

[David]

My level is beginner's.

[gaijin]

I think that 4 hours per day in the beginning is quite enough. Speaking Japanese is pretty easy. It is the reading and writing that are going to slow you down. Learning and REMEMBERING the Kanji is something that you can do in your own time/room. You really dont need to go to school specifically for Kanji. I found that not only learning the kanji takes time but constant review is necessary...the first 800 or so are ok, but after that it begins to eat into your day.

I would join one of the schools (not necessarily the most expensive one) for 4 hours a day preferably afternoon. Do your stuff at home and get on the fast track. Don't wait for the others to catch up. If the school is any way good they will let you take level tests and let you progress up thru the classes faster.

So, study at home in the morning -class in the afternoon- and then use your evenings to study and go out and soak up the culture.....get a job in a restaraunt, join a club use your newly acquired language skills.

Regarding kanji...... dont try to write them at the beginning. Learn to recognize them first (know the meaning) then the different readings and then combinations and then try the writing (it is a long road).......but don't forget that it is a very big investment in your time. The minute you leave Japan they just fly out of your head.

If you dont mind me asking .....how are you going to support yourself during the year or so?

[David]

Thank you very much for your help. It is very interesting to hear about someone else's experience on the matter.

I guess that you are right -- it's not just the time I am going to spend in a class that counts, but mostly the studying I will put outside those hours.

I don't mind your asking at all about how I am going to fund all this. Well, my parents will help me (I am 23) and I have some savings myself. I was also thinking about finding a small job in Tokyo, not so much for the money, but mostly to put into practice what I will learn.

Did you attend a course like the one I seek? If so, which language school did you go to? If not, would you know of a *good* language school in Tokyo? There are so many of them, and it is very difficult to know which one to pick simply by looking at their website... I got in touch with quite a few to ask specific questions about the duration of the course etc. but it is of course a great help to get feedback from a current or former student. I also got hold of a very comprehensive list of language schools in Tokyo, which mentions how many students they had last year based on the nationality. Not that I am racist, of course, but I seem to understand from some students' experiences that joining a class mostly composed of Chinese students can be very tricky, since they will of course know the kanji already, and this may quickly work against a non-Chinese student.

Anyway, thank you very much again for your help.

[Hiyodori]

I recommend taking an intesive summer school course at home first. Having a similar background to the rest of the students means having similar problems in kanji recognition, pronounciation, and grammar, instead of the mixed bag you will find in Japan. Learning is much easier. And more importantly, faster. Many large universities offer these programs, and the usually last for only 6 to 8 weeks. You could then come to Japan just after the summer class to continue your studies. These summer courses are very intense and taken seriously, and will keep you busy from morning to night. Good luck in whatever you decide!
Cheers,
Hiyodori

[gaijin]

Can you answer the Qs below. I might be able to give you some more advice if I know so more about your background.
Where are you coming from David. WIll you be looking for the Japanese School to sponsor your visa? This is very important. Your visa status will determine how easy or difficult it is to get jobs etc. What is your short and medium term goals regarding Japan?

[David]

Yes no problem.

- I come from the UK

- yes, I will ask the school to act as sponsor for a pre-college visa

- short term goals: learn Japanese as much as I can during one year and a half

- long term goals: work in Japan (I have undergraduate + postrgraduate in law) and live there (girlfriend is Japanese)