Japanese courses in Japan

Features of admission to Japanese language schools

It is advisable to plan admission six months to a year before the start of classes. In Japan, obtaining a visa is a rather lengthy process.

First, you need to decide on the city and school. Then, choose a course and its duration. The type of visa and further admission directly depend on this.

For courses of less than 3 months, you need to obtain a short-term visa. To do so, you must pay for the course, receive an invitation by mail, and bring it to the embassy along with other documents.

If the chosen course lasts longer than 6 months, a student visa is required. You will need a certificate of residence status — Certificate of Eligibility (COE). An application and copies of your documents are submitted to the immigration service by the school.

After admission and issuance of the COE certificate, you need to pay for your studies and pass an entrance test for knowledge of Japanese, after which you will be assigned to a group according to your language level. After that, you can start preparing documents for a visa.

It is worth taking care of accommodation in advance. You can choose one of the school options or book your own accommodation several months in advance.

We also recommend that you learn about the conditions concerning returns. Guaranteed expenses are compensated in case of a COE certificate or visa refusal. In other cases, the conditions may differ depending on the school.

Taking language courses in Japan

Long-term courses lasting from 6 months to 2 years are most common. This is due to the peculiarities of obtaining a visa.

Recruitment for most long-term courses is held no more than four times a year: in April, July, October, and January. For short-term courses, admission is possible at the beginning of each month. Summer courses usually take place in July and August. At some schools, it is possible to enroll in a group in which classes are already underway, but only if there are vacant spots available.

There is an age threshold for long-term courses — at least 17-18 years old and preferably 11 grades of school. Children from 15 years old can study in short-term programs at some schools, and there is a younger group available for summer courses — 12-14 years old.

It will be especially difficult to get by in Japan with a beginner level, given that there are few English speakers in Japan. Is it worth learning at least hiragana in advance — it is one of the Japanese alphabets. Without it, it will be impossible to navigate the city and remember the first words.

Lessons are mainly based on a visual method using cards. Teachers speak only Japanese to students, so the first few weeks will be difficult to get used to. Despite the difficulties, language acquisition is effective and relatively fast due to complete immersion in the environment of native speakers.

In Japan, there are scholarships that can pay for language courses. Most often, they are offered by the Ministry of Education (MEXT), the Japanese Language Support Association, and JASSO, an international student support organization. Such scholarships are offered for long-term courses. They can pay from 140 USD per month and sometimes completely cover tuition fees^[4].

Upon completion of long-term courses, students receive certificates or diplomas — but only with an attendance of 80% and after successfully passing the exam at an A2 level.

Visa for language courses in Japan

Student visa

First you need to enroll and pay for your studies. Afterwards, the school will submit an application form to the immigration office for a Certificate of Residence Status (COE) on your behalf. Then, it will send it to you by mail along with an admission letter and permission to work part-time. All of this will need to be taken along with other documents to the Japanese embassy or consulate.

Required documents:

• Passport
• 2 completed visa application forms
• 2 photos
• Certificate of residence status (COE)
• COE certificate copy
• Admission letter
• Proof of financial solvency (approximately 13,982 USD/year in the bank account)

Depending on the chosen course and school, the list of documents may be different. Additionally, they may request a motivation letter, documents on previous education, and Japanese language level certificates.

Short-term category A visa

Short-term or tourist visas are issued for study purposes with a maximum duration of 90 days. First, you need to enroll at the school and pay for the course. After that, it will send you an admission letter and an invitation, which you will need to bring to the embassy or consulate.

Required documents:

• Completed application form
• Invitation letter
• Admission letter
• Trip schedule
• Flight booking confirmation
• Proof of financial solvency

Most popular language schools in Japan

International Study Institute (ISI)

This is a network of companies that includes five language schools, two colleges, and one university. You can study in Tokyo, Ikebukuro, Harajuku, Kyoto, or Nagano. More than 3000 students from 96 countries study at the school.

ISI regularly hosts sports or food competitions and festivals with Japanese students for cultural exchange. Students are also introduced to Japanese culture. They try on yukata, go to theaters, and even attend sumo classes.

Most of the courses are long term. You can attend for less than 10 weeks. You can study Japanese from scratch in General Japanese, prepare for university studies in Academic Japanese, or master business vocabulary in Career Japanese.

Shinjuku Japanese Language Institute (SNG)

The Shinjuku Japanese Language Institute was founded in 1975. It is located in the student area of ​​Takadanobaba, Tokyo. For over 40 years, the school has been using its own learning style — the Ezoe Method — with the help of special cards and gestures. The school also has an application for smartphones — VLJ — in which students can repeat the material after face-to-face classes and prepare for the next lessons.

SNG has Weekday Japanese Courses — general Japanese courses for any language level that take place on weekdays. See also:

• Preparation courses for the EJU and JLPT exams. They can be taken in addition to the main courses.
• Kanji is another optional course. It teaches the 111 Japanese characters needed to master the JLPT N3 level.
• The Summer Course focuses more on entertainment and tourism activities.
• Business Japanese — for employment and business. It teaches communication in the polite "keigo" style, giving presentations, and participation in meetings.
• Tourism Business Japanese — business Japanese for polite and professional communication with customers in shops, restaurants, and hotels, as well as advertising presentations and working as a tourist guide.
• Teacher Training — Japanese teacher training for Ezoe Method teaching.
• Saturday classes.

Asia Culture Institute (ABK COLLEGE)

ABK College Japanese Language School (Asia Bunka Kaikan) is located in the Bunkyo area of ​​Tokyo. The school has one type of course with a minimum duration of one year, which is suitable for mastering Japanese from a beginner level (N5) to an advanced level (N2). You can study for up to two years — the longer the duration, the lower the cost.