Meiji Academy - Japanese Business Course

When I saw this course was on offer, I just had to do it! The Japanese work culture is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, and even if I don’t exactly plan on working in Japan, I was still really interested in learning more about the intricacies. We spent a good amount of time discussing in detail why certain things are important in Japanese business, and equally spent some good time sharing laughs about my awkward British mannerisms.

I came here before starting full-time work in Kumamoto. It would be my first time working for the Japanese company, so I needed to understand how to best know the culture of business. The classes taught me many useful knowledge that will ensure I make no mistakes at the office! I thank Meiji a lot.

I was sent here by my company as they had good results when sending previous staff here in the past. The location is great, it was a 5 minute walk from my hotel in downtown Fukuoka and easy to find. The staff and teachers were excellent, they made the most of our time together and focused on particular areas of my Japanese that needed to be improved. The lessons were 1-on-1 and I learnt a lot about not only Japanese business language but also the culture that goes along with it (for example the culture of giving business cards). The business course provided by Meiji Academy was definitely worth my time, and I now feel more prepared to work alongside the Japanese.

Let me tell you, working in Japan can be a bit of a minefield when it comes to business etiquette. I already had a pretty good grip on standard Japanese, but as I was about to start working within a big Japanese company I knew that wouldn't be enough. Meiji went the extra mile to ensure I was ready for my new venture. I learnt so much during my 2 week course that I totally would’ve skipped over if I hadn’t known, so I assume I basically saved myself from many future awkward situations. I definitely recommend Meiji for their business course - if you plan on working in Japan do NOT overlook the importance of business etiquette!

My company provided me the opportunity to move to Japan to work in their Tokyo branch this year, at first I was hesitant but I finally felt it was too good of an opportunity to miss. I did some research into what I should do to prepare, and getting familiar with business Japanese was recommended. I did some searching and decided to go with Meiji because they teach both business language and business manners. The lessons were professional and informative, the teachers were easy to get along with and they were interested in understanding what would be most important for me to learn for my new role. There was a lot to learn and I feel like I am now ready for this job. Therefore I recommend Meiji’s Japanese business course.

The time I spent at Meiji Academy was incredibly intense and wonderful. I met extraordinary people and made great friends. At Meiji, I got along with everyone, because we all had this common passion which is Japan. I found it beautiful that we did not all speak the same language, and yet we got so close. Speaking of language, my level of Japanese skyrocketed when I took lessons at Meiji. The lessons were incredibly interesting and easy to understand thanks to the skills of the teachers. They taught us Japanese and also Japanese culture, especially in business situations, because that was what interested me the most. I would love to come back to Japan one day, but then work there. It is for this reason that I decided to study Japanese seriously. Meiji Academy was a great experience which brought me a lot.

I studied some Japanese at uni, but I wanted to further develop my language skills in Japan, so I decided to go to Meiji Academy in Fukuoka. I was placed with students who had the same level as me and we could learn together. Every student was not staying for the same period, so we had to say goodbye to some of them, and welcomed some others. It was a great opportunity to meet many kind and open-minded people and become good friends. Meiji Academy not only offers Japanese classes, but they also help with accommodation, internet access, transportation card and they organized social events and activities every week. I was very satisfied with their services. Meiji helped me make my way from N3 to N2 - and if you have studied Japanese, you will now that’s the hardest step to take! My teacher at uni seemed amazed by it!

You should not hesitate and simply do whatever you want. I tended to think that Japan is really far away, and that I don't have enough money to go there. But it's not that complicated in the end. I had a lot of savings, bought a flight ticket, and eventually went to Japan. Experiencing the Japanese culture was fabulous, Japanese people are the best, very welcoming and always smiling at me. I made friends very easily because they were very curious about foreigners and always asked me a lot of questions. Learning Japanese under those conditions was enjoyable and fun. Meiji Academy is a really good place with nice staff, I had a great stay in Fukuoka.

I studied at this school in January for three weeks. I should have stayed longer, I am already missing it ! But in three weeks I already have a good idea of what is it like to study in Japan. I am doing a gap year before university because I was completely lost after high school and I didn't know what to study. I wanted time to think about it. I think I have a better idea now. I really want to study in Japan and maybe get a job there in the future. This business course was a good opportunity, I learned many things about Japan. I want to follow my dreams now and stop listening to people who say Japan is too far away !

After 3 months of laughing, studies, and friendship, my time at Meiji academy has ended. I already feel jealous of the students coming in after I have left, I would have loved to stay a bit longer! However, I also have duties back in my home country and can't stay in Japan forever. At least not yet. I hope I will be able to find a job in Japan someday, but I need some special skills for that. One of the (numerous) good points at Meiji academy is that there is Japanese staff, and Western staff as well. I could seek advice on how to work in Japan as a foreigner and how to obtain a visa. Meiji academy is not only a language school where you study Japanese. It is also a place where you find friends, where every culture is respected and kindly welcomed.

My best friend is doing an exchange year in Fukuoka at the moment so I came to see him and study Japanese at the same time. It was my first time in Japan. Meiji Academy is well-located, near the Tenjin area and there are some yummy restaurants around! Fukuoka is a quite big city but yet, everything is clean and quiet. Welcome to Japan! It's really gratifying to be able to exchange in Japanese with Japanese people. I only knew a few words when I arrived and now I can speak about easy topics. I will continue to study on my own not to forget all the things I learned at Meiji. I've always been interested in Japanese culture so now I'm considering to spend some time there in the future. I will have to do an internship for my degree in two years, so I will think about doing it in Japan.

The Japanese business world is so complex and sophisticated! But that's what makes it fascinating. We had interesting classes at Meiji Academy, where I could learn so many things! Now I feel more confident when I attend my classes at university, thanks to this trip to Fukuoka I gained a lot of skills and my spoken Japanese had become more natural. I've heard that Fukuoka is a good place for startups, that's why I decided to go there instead of Tokyo. I would like to start a business in Japan someday, so I have gained a nice overview of Fukuoka's lifestyle. The people there (in Fukuoka and at Meiji) are nice and welcoming so I spent a great time there! I know that going to Japan for one month and going to Japan for establishing a business is completely different, so I will find a way to come back for a longer time before going any further. When I spoke with the staff at Meiji, they gave me a lot of advice about that and what the options are, thank you for that!

I went to study Japanese at Meiji Academy for 3 weeks last month as part of my "Bildungsurlaub". I was greatly satisfied with the school. It was well located, and the teachers were very qualified. They were all different, bringing different approaches in their way of teaching, I appreciated that. As I'm working in connection with companies in Japan, it was a good opportunity for me to understand more their culture and get used to the spoken language in particular. I improved quite a lot in only 3 weeks and I realized Japan is an incredibly beautiful country!

Hello there! I studied for three weeks at Meiji Academy, and I chose the business course package (you have a bunch of different courses available). I packed my things, went to the airport, and the adventure started! I stayed with a fantastic host family! There were so nice, oka-san's food was delicious and it was a fabulous opportunity for using the Japanese grammar that I studied at Meiji. In the business package, I could learn about business manners, how to act in a business situation. We had a fun time speaking about how the "nihongo jouzu" 's culture is important haha (you will experience that for sure if you go to Japan!). But more generally speaking you will learn the business language and body language, for example how to bow or how to exchange business cards, the culture of going to drink with colleagues, etc. There are so many culture's shocks, and it's always a good idea to be aware of the dos and don'ts! I had a very good time at Meiji Academy, thank you!

Als Teil meines Business Studiums und Teilzeitarbeit habe ich mich für einen Bildungsurlaub beworben. Meiji Academy war sehr hilfsbereit mir alle wichtigen Information zu geben und die nötigen Dokumente meinerseits zu bearbeiten und mit Rat & Tat zur Verfügung stehen. Ich habe immer gedacht, dass sich ein Bildungsurlaub und die damit verbundenen Hürden als sehr hoch erweisen. Jedoch wurde ich eines besseren belehrt von den freundlichen Mitarbeiterinnen bei Meiji und dies dann auch noch auf deutsch! :) Die Japanischkurse waren sehr interaktiv, stark auf Konversation und alltäglichen Gebrauch der Japanischen Sprache konzentriert. Es war gut, dass es von Anfang an einen Japanischtest gab um genau der richtigen Gruppe zugeordnet zu werden. Da ich zuvor zwei Jahre Japanisch gelernt habe und den JLPT 3 besitze, konnte ich zunehmend Gebrauch machen von meinem Wortschatz durch individuell gestaltete Aufgaben und regelmäßige Tests. Einer meiner Highlights in den drei Wochen die ich dort war, waren die kulturellen Aktivitäten an denen ich teilnehmen konnte. Besuchen einer traditionellen Schreinzeremonie, Kalligraphieübungen und Meditationskurs in einem lokalen Tempel sind nur paar von den vielen Aktivitäten die Meiji für mich organisiert hat. An dieser Stelle nochmals ganz liebe Grüße an Hanada-sensei und Naka-sensei! Alles in allem eine Supererfahrung und Fukuoka als besten Standort zum Japanischlernen und Leben kann ich voll und ganz unterzeichnen!!

Awesome location: safe, many shops, literally in the city center, easy-reach transportation. Meiji provided a lot of social and cultural activities such as visits to shrines, grabbing local food together, Karaoke, traditional tea ceremony, etc. Singing Karaoke with the students and staff was my favorite thing. Some people have crazy good voices! I don’t, but it was still loads of fun! It was always loads of fun and cheaper than doing it by yourself. The staff is very helpful and even became good friends of mine! I can recommend the Intensive Japanese + Business Japanese class as it taught me a lot about both the Japanese language and work ethics. I especially enjoyed the small classes since it made getting to know people within the program (+ the teachers) very easy. Housing was great. Loved the Share House. If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change? I'd def bring more warm clothing. I expected Japan to be crazy hot in summer, so I mainly brought summer clothes. However, Fukuoka is still pretty cold in April, so I had to buy more clothes to match the climate.