Language Programs in Sapporo, Japan

A very productive and fun way to spend time in Japan. Every teacher I've met had been very professional and passionate, making the most out of the curriculum. Every week is packed with different events and activities, especially Summer/Winter/Autumn/Spring Courses, and pretty much every one of them is worth doing. The location and school facilities are very convenient. Staff is amazing too. Nothing negative to say, really. Highly recomemnded.

I was in a bad place mentally before I decided to abruptly get on a plane to Sapporo. JALS was exactly what I needed at the time to once again find direction and meaning in my life. The community and staff are amazing and. It's my second family.

This was my first time abroad, and it was a very smooth and memorable experience. I was already excited to be in Japan and meet people, but I wasn’t expecting how quickly I made good friends with people from all sorts of different places. The activities were so fun and the lounge became the best place to spend time. Everyone at Jals, students, teachers and staff have all become my second family. I will never forget it.

I love the vibe Jals classes offer. Kind, caring & Hard-working teachers & staff deliver a quality language program in a beautiful campus setting. Each day is a challenge and the rigour is very effective in improving language skills.

The activities arranged by thre school are all super cool. I had a lot of fun and learnt a lot about japanese culture. We learnt the material a little fast for me but it was managable. My Japanese has improved a lot with he classes. I've gone from basically zero japanese to being able to understand a lot of basic sentences.

I started with pretty much nothing. After two months of studying everyday, following up on homework, learning vocabulary and taking private courses, I can really feel the progress. It was not exhausting at all, because everyone at the school is friendly and helpful - I had a lot of fun! とても面白かったです。ありがとうございます。

Kyoto JaLS is a unique Japanese language school. It allows you to tailor you Japanese study according to how much time you have in Japan on a weekly basis. I studied 4 weeks there, on my total 7 weeks of my last trip to Japan, and it was such a nice experience. First of all, the Teacher and Support staffs are very very supportive and friendly to everyone. It is not uncommon that you will be greeted and struck a convo in Japanese everyday. Second, the classes are very small, 8 students tops, which will put you in an immersive class study environment. In no time, you will feel that your classmates and teachers as your family members, and soon you will find yourself speaking Japanese, and you won't be afraid making any mistakes in doing so. Third, I joined Private Classes for 3 times a week. These private classes are tailored to what you would like to focus on in your study, be it Conversation, Grammar, Reviews, the teachers will help you in achieving them. Fourth, JaLS has very interesting after class Activities, which you can decide to join on weekly basis, Japanese cooking classes activities (i.e. Ramen, Soba, Sushi), Day sightseeing trips, Japanese Crafts and Arts. Conversation with Native Japanese speakers, etc. These activities will immerse yourself more in Japanese Culture and Language Learning. Overall i really enjoyed the experience very much. I made good friends with not only fellow classmates, but also the teachers and support staffs. I would definitely do this again in the future, and definitely would recommend Kyoto JaLS to anyone interested in learning Japanese during their trip.

I’m 4 weeks into my time at JALS, it’s been really fun. There are lots of fun activities and the classes are also really great for learning Japanese. I’ve had lots of opportunities to make many new friends during my time here. It’s a great combination of fun, cultural immersion and learning.

Everyone at JaLS is so supportive and friendly. The teachers are fantastic and make difficult content fun and easy to understand. This experience was fantastic preparation for the JLPT, and if you are able, I would highly recommend the private lessons. If I could continue those from my home country, I would. That's how much I got out of them. I absolutely love this language school and would love to return one day!

At first I went to here, just because I heard that their have less Chinese people and Taiwanese people(I wanted to force myself to speak Japanese), but JaLS gave me more than I expected. My Japanese speaking-skill got better very much in this two months, even some times I said some strange words, no one made fun of me, it gave me brave to keep trying. Teachers and some Japanese friends helped me to learned how to get a job in Japan, it was actually none of their business, but they are very kind to help. Not only Japanese people, I also made many friends from many countries. If anyone want to learn Japanese, this is a best choice.

I attended this school for the month of November 2019. I enrolled in conversation classes in the mornings and the JLPT prep course in the afternoons. Both admin and teaching staff of the school were always kind and encouraging, always helpful and easy to work with. I really enjoyed spending break times in the common area, drinking delicious coffee, chatting with students and staff, and watching the beautiful snow. The study was challenging, with lots of texts and study materials provided, and nightly homework tasks. So I would recommend this school to anyone wanting to push themselves with their language study...although it is also possible to do classes in the morning only and cultural activities in the afternoons, a good option for beginners. The airport pickup and accommodation arrangements were perfectly suited to my needs. The school is in a great location near Sapporo Station. On the weekends I was able to explore other parts of Hokkaido, which is so beautiful and easy to do. For me it was great to be away from the big cities on Honshu. There is a different calmer vibe in Hokkaido, people living close to nature, indigenous culture, the finest seafood and agricultural produce, not as chaotic as Honshu, and it is such an amazing place to practise your Japanese.

The teachers were extremely friendly, small class sizes (I had classes with one other student, up to 6 others, and I stayed at the school for 13 weeks!), school staff was always there to help, and made a lot of friends with the other students from all over the world!

This language school is amazing, really great teachers and staff. Class sizes are small and makes learning and focusing on new lessons so much easier and so much more fun. If I could I would be going back to this school everytime I go back to Japan.

An important aspect of attending a language school is a correct class assignment. JALS is placing students according to the placement test but makes sure the difficulty is appropriate for a students and readjust the placement as necessary. The difficulty of my final class was perfect, i.e., with enough challenge to keep me improving while keeping up with the pace. Classes are maintained at a size where all students get enough attention and oportunity to participate. Teachers are patient and very supportive. School premises are adequate and pleasant. School also organizes a lot of fun activities so there are many opportunities to get in contact with other students and locals. One can therefore practice the language while having a good time. Great overall experience and easy choice for my next language trip.

JaLS was a great introduction to Japanese study. Although it moved much quicker than I would like, the instruction was excellent. Wonderful staff, very friendly. Nae really took care of me from the very beginning. The cultural tours were ok, but if you do not speak Japanese, you will find it difficult to blend into the group tours. Overall a good experience.

I studied Japanese language for 3 months at Jals school in Sapporo. It was a really super nice experience, I learned a lot of Japanese and made a lot of friends. In a matter of 3 months, my Japanese level increased high and I look forward to come back. The main positive points about Jals according to me: - Skilled teachers who are teaching Japanese in a efficient way, with a structured curriculum. - Small classes allowing interactivity and Japanese practice. - Lounge accessible during long times, even during weekends to study more (and discounts on coffees). - Super friendly staff, can help beyond the limits of school (daily life help for example). - Friendly environment to meet other students / Japanese locals. - Good return on value / money invested.

For the beginning of this summer I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to complete an internship with Kyoto JaLS for 7 weeks. During this time I took Japanese classes, gained many skills through interning and experienced the wonderful culture of the area with new friends. While in Kyoto, I lived in a sharehouse and absolutely loved it. My roommates and I always planned get togethers and would host things like pancake nights, curry night, omurice parties, and an okonomiyaki party. Life in the sharehouse made my time in Japan unforgettable- I will treasure the time I got to spend with all the amazing people I got to live with for 7 weeks! I definitely recommend living in a sharehouse because it’s a great way to engage with local people as well as fellow JaLS students. One thing I really appreciated was how small the class sizes were, because it ensured personal attention from the instructors. All of my teachers were amazing! They made the classes more interactive by including learning games and challenged us to converse only in Japanese. The teachers and staff members were helpful, cooperative, and always available for any kind of support. Additionally, they created a friendly and welcoming environment which made me feel at home! :) The activities organized by JaLS provided me with the opportunity to truly experience Japan on a deeper level, develop my Japanese, and make friends with other JaLS students and the locals. I became friends with many students from different parts of the world which allowed me to experience and learn about different cultures. Overall, my experience at JaLS was WONDERFUL, and I recommend it to those who want to experience Japanese culture while making incredible memories and gaining useful skills!

Japanese was always on the top of the list of language I wanted to be acquainted with. Last winter, a chance came to me to do so in Sapporo and with an amazing staffs in jals’s guidance I made a decision to finally dive into learning a new language. And that game me incredible depth and knowledge of Japanese that I thought I could never acquire before. Teachers was opted to Handle various backgrounds of students and had a incredible work ethics during the cold winter season. I never felt that I was forced to learn. I was naturally motivated and nurtured by staffs and students from abroad. Every week, there were new students coming in, accordingly activities were given for students to choose from. I went for fishing, snowboarding, sake tasting and tea ceremony. After 6 months, I could read Kanji and Japan news from TV. I also, took private lessons to enhance the speed of learning process and it was worth it. I don’t know how they create environment in a way that is never bored or mundane.

Hello everybody, I’m Marina and I had a pleasure of attending the short term Japanese language courses in JAL’s over the period of April-May. And I would really like to tell you about the amazing experience that I’ve had there. First of all the location, I chose Hokkaido because I really like cold and snow, although I wasn’t really expecting to see any in the end of April. Sapporo is a pretty big city that’s got everything you might ever need and at the same time not too big for you to get tired of it. Secondly, the school, I’ve done some research before choosing a school, since it was a Golden week and a lot of school were closed for this period. But not JAL’s. I’m pretty sure this is the only school that was open anywhere in Japan (or at least of all the schools that I’ve contacted). My emails were answered at the speed of light and the guys were always there to help me with any documents that I needed for my visa. And last, but not least, the school itself. I was pretty nervous being “back to school” again, but all my worries have disappeared once I got to know the guys. Everybody is so cheerful and helpful and just full of light. There was a welcome lunch held when new students (myself included) arrived. We got to introduce ourselves and to know the rest of the students, teachers and the staff. It instantly brakes the ice. The program is not just about the Japanese grammar, we really got to practice our Japanese speaking skills. Everyday teachers or staff would try to speak Japanese with you, and even if you know absolutely nothing, somehow, you realize that you understand the questions you’re asked and you don’t really notice how you start to reply in Japanese. I really found it so helpful! The whole studying process was never about memorizing the kanjis (because let’s face it, you don’t really need a teacher for that). It was about making you comfortable to be in Japan, to apply your knowledge in real situation, speaking with real Japanese people. It was priceless! Plus all the cultural activities provided. From the chopsticks making to a group izakaya event. Loved every second of it! I got to stay at the shared house - and I’m pretty sure it was the best decision I could have made. We all became like a small family. We were helping each other studying, having dinner together, bringing sweets for each other, watching Netflix together. Honestly, the experience that I’ve had no amount of money can buy. It was pretty tough coming back to “real” life after having so much fun! If anybody is ever in doubt - please don’t be! I highly recommend JALS! I’ve been there and I honestly had the time of my life! ♥️

This was my fourth time in Sapporo and my second time in Winter - i came there again for 3 weeks to enjoy the nice Hokkaido winter and at the same time improve my Japanese. In preparation for the course i had to make a placement and so the lessons started with repeating some topics that i had learned and already forgotten before. The class was very small so the lessons were very intense - and my head was filled pretty well with new stuff (new grammar, new words, speaking...) everyday before i went to lunch. Usually i also spend some time at school lounge in the afternoon to do my homework while enjoying a coffee. I also enjoyed the additional activities that were offered in addition to the lessons for example, we visited (and tasted) Nikka Whisky, had delicious Ramen together and enjoyed the world of Japanese Gaming at Round 1... What i really liked where those activities were had the chance to speak with Japanese people and exchange our languages. In addition i have to say, that this school has the nicest facilities of any school i know so far. The main book that was used in the lessons was "Minna no Nihongo 2" I'm already thinking about returning there next winter.