JaLS GROUP

I stayed at this school in summer 2013 and really enjoyed my time there. The staff are very friendly and if you need anything they are very happy to help. The teachers are fantastic and they encourage you not to use any language other than Japanese in the lessons, so if you get stuck you need to try and ask what your problem is in Japanese first which really helps you to learn quickly. The city of Sapporo and the surrounding areas in Hokkaido that are accessible from Sapporo are amazing. There are lots of things to do in Sapporo and plenty of unique foods to eat that are only available in Sapporo and Hokkaido. Examples of activities include onsen, lavendar fields, zoos, and much more. The school arranges many cultural activities if you are interested in that, while I was there this included things like flower arranging, manga drawing, sushi making, and more. At other times of the year there will also be other activities, such as in the winter when the city is covered in snow as winter activities such as skiing and snowboarding are only a coach ride away. In the summer the temperature is very nice in contrast to Tokyo and other areas of Japan which are too hot. It is also worth noting that the price offered by this school is very reasonable because things tend to be a lot cheaper in Sapporo than the large city of Tokyo. Additionally every day costs such as food and rent are much cheaper than in Tokyo. In summary I would say that if you are looking to go to a language school in Japan, this school is very very good. I encourage you to look outside of Tokyo and at this school.

The program consists of two parts: three hours of intense japanese language classes a day and immersive and fun activities. The language classes are very classic and at my level we did one chapter of Minna no Nihongo a week. The classes are very focused on speaking and listening. And yes, there is homework. All in all very solid and absolutely necessary even though it's not very exciting ;-) The fun part are the many activities. Often joined by local volonteers, I could many times put into practice what I'd learned a few hours before. At the same time, I've made many new friends and had just a ton of fun. Thanks again to the great team at JALS for being so very welcoming.

My experience in japan was amazing. After 5 hours from New York to California, I finally met a few of my fellow experimenters, and I was so surprised that a few of these people would become some of my best friends. We traveled to Tokyo, Sapporo, Nanai, and Kyoto. All of these places influenced me in different ways. This was the greatest experience of my life and I hope that other enjoy