Private Intensive Japanese Lesson in Hokkaido or Kyoto

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.

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!

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.

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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.

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!

The Kyoto JaLS Internship program was a wonderful experience for me. I learned a lot and made wonderful memories while working, making great friends and meeting new people from all over the world. I specially loved the opportunity to study Japanese and get some work experience at the same time. I love how this program really caters to your needs. They want every customer, whether intern or language student, to be satisfied and they really do come through with their promises. I decided to try this Internship on a whim, not really expecting much, but my time here at JaLS was better than I could have hoped for. I wish I could have stayed longer. Thank you so much for a great summer! Will definitely want to come back soon! :D :D :D

This is my second time at studying at JaLS and both times it has been fantastic for my Japanese studying. The teachers are very knowledgeable and friendly, and the atmosphere of the lounge is perfect for relaxing or studying. The activities provided by the school provide great opportunities to meet new people and practice Japanese. If you are looking to learn Japanese in a casual, international environment in Kyoto, I highly recommend Kyoto JaLS.

I was lucky to have the opportunity to experience a 6-week internship with Jals. The program is perfect for those who want to get to know the working culture and environment of a Japanese company. I am also able to study and improve my Japanese, and working as an intern at the same time. I got to allocated to different works every day including working as a cafe staff, doing event planning for the company and learn to serve at the front desk, with keigo lessons on every Thursday that prepare me to work in Japan. I would like to come back if I have a change!

I came to Japan to gain some experience interning in a company to build up my resume and I can honestly say the Kyoto JaLS Internship program was perfect for me. Japanese classes in the morning and working in the company in the afternoon still left the weekends for travelling and evenings for friends. The tasks were different everyday so I was able to learn and hone many new skills over my 6 week period. Everyone was so friendly and kind, I had an amazing time and am very grateful I could experience this program.

[Eng/Deu] Hello, I am a Hokkaido Japanese Language School student from Germany coming to Japan with a working holiday visa. I planned to work in Japan and looked for appropriate schools. After evaluating different options, I chose JALS because they offer internship courses to prepare you for working in Japan and put you in classes that suits your skill level. In my case I was not a complete beginner but not yet intermediate. I studied Japanese at JALS from November to March (14 weeks) with an internship lasting for 6 weeks and staying at a host family. I had a wonderful and joyful time and made many international and Japanese friends. What I treasured most is the friendly and welcoming atmosphere. I was really scared at the beginning coming to Japan by myself. But not only the host family but the staff at JALS as well made me feel at home in an instant. Furthermore, I was really amazed how skillfully JALS’ teacher can convey grammar comprehensively without using English or another language beside Japanese. The many activities, the patient and helpful staff members and teachers as well as the flexibility makes JALS perfect for a short time language experience. I was able to improve my Japanese from ”throwing a few words at Japanese” to “having casual conversation with patient Japanese” in 14 weeks. Even though I recommend anyone, who wants fun language holidays, to go to JALS, it gets really crowded during seasonal courses. With 8 people in one small classroom it can get noisy and the time being able to talk Japanese in class is reduced. With longer stays like mine the teaching methods can also get a bit monotone. I think, with increasing the free talk time during classes the learn experience could be heavily improved and the fear of talking to Japanese taken away. All in all the Hokkaido Japanese Language School taught me a lot of valuable language skills and helped me start my working holiday trip thoroughly. It’s an experience that will last, especially because of all the great people I met at the school. ------------------- Hallo, ich bin deutsche Schülerin an der Hokkaido Japanese Language School und bin nach Japan mit einem Working Holiday Visa gereist. Vorab habe ich mich über geeignete Schulen informiert, mit der Intention später in Japan zu arbeiten, und entschied mich letztlich für JALS. Grund für diese Entscheidung war der Praktikumskurs und die flexible, individuelle Kursauswahl entsprechend des Sprachlevels. In meinen Fall war ich zwar kein kompletter Anfänger mehr, aber auch noch kein Fortgeschrittener. Ich schrieb mich für November bis März (14 Wochen) ein und belegte die ersten 6 Wochen den Praktikumskurs. Während dieser Zeit lebte ich bei einer Gastfamilie. Die Zeit bei JALS war wunderbar und voller freudiger Erinnerungen. Ich konnte viele internationale und japanische Freundschaften schließen und wurde vom ersten Tag an mit offenen Armen in einer herzlichen Athmosphäre empfangen. Vor allem da ich zu Beginn große Sorgen hatte, allein in ein Land am anderen Ende der Welt zu reisen, war ich erleichtert, sofort so warmherzig in die Familie aufgenommen zu werden. Weiterhin war ich erstaunt, mit welcher Leichtigkeit die Lehrer an der Schule auch schwierige Grammatik ohne den Gebrauch von Englisch oder einer anderen Sprache neben Japanisch vermitteln konnten. Die vielen optionalen Aktivitäten, das gedulige und hilfsbereite Personal und die Lehrer, als auch die Flexibilität des Unterrichts machen JALS zu einer idealen Schule für ein Kurzzeitspracherlebnis. In den 14 Wochen war ich in der Lage mein Japanisch von “wir werfen einzelne Wörter in den Raum” nach “wir haben ein Alltagsgespräch mit einem geduldigen Japaner” zu verbessern. Ich empfehle jedem, der einen Sprachurlaub machen möchte, sich bei JALS einzuschreiben. Während der Saisonkurse sind die Kurse jedoch etwas voll. Auch wenn die Klassen mit 8 Schülern sehr klein sind, kann es gelegentlich sehr unruhig werden und die Zeit, sich während des Unterrichts auf Japanisch zu unterhalten, sinkt. Ideal sind Klassen mit nicht mehr als 6 Schülern. Der Unterricht bei längeren Aufenthalten wie meiner neigt dazu, auf Dauer monoton zu werden. Ich denke, wenn man die Zeit, in der man freie Unterhaltungen führen kann, erhöht, würde das den Unterricht wesentlich verbessern. Trotz allem denke ich, dass Hokkaido Japanese Language School eine sehr gute Schule ist, in der man wertvolle Sprachkenntnisse erlangt und ohne Sorgen sein Working Holiday starten kann.

If you have had the pleasure of attending Sapporo JaLS, you will be thrilled to know that the quality education, activities, and social life that you know from up north have made the jump to Kyoto JaLS quite well. I attended for 5 weeks as a trial period student in January and February 2018, just as Kyoto JaLS opened, and was thrilled to see the direction that the program is headed in. I have made great friends, both other students and Japanese, thanks to the programs that JaLS organized. I also cannot say enough about the level of effort and attention put in by the staff. They would always speak with me in Japanese on breaks while I ordered coffee. They liked to ask what I was studying and always tried to match my level, but were happy to switch back to English when my skills weren't quite where I wanted them to be. The instructors were attentive and I very much enjoyed the small class sizes. They really give you a chance to practice the language instead of just listening to a lecture. If you're looking for a place to really advance your Japanese, meet great people, and experience all of the fun things that Kyoto and Kansai have to offer, I cannot recommend Kyoto JaLS highly enough. -Ben from the US