Meiji Academy - Study Japanese in Fukuoka

I did a short term course for 3 weeks and loved every minute. The lessons were clear and structured, with lots of conversation so you pick up real life Japanese quickly. I stayed in one of their female sharehouses arranged by the school, which was clean and in a good location. The events were a highlight, especially the language exchange and karaoke nights. At the end I felt confident ordering food, asking directions, and making small talk. If you want a warm city and a supportive school, Meiji is a great choice considering.

I was lucky to spend a month in Fukuoka and it was an unforgettable experience. The lessons at Meiji Academy were well-structured, practical, and the teachers were friendly, respectful, and attentive to our individual needs. On weekends, I explored the city with colleagues, visiting Fukuoka Tower, the beach, the nightlife, and even Osaka, where we enjoyed the World Expo and Universal Studios. Only the frequent rain was a bit annoying, so bring a raincoat or umbrella! The food in Japan was incredible. From fresh sushi to hearty ramen and countless local dishes, every meal was a highlight. I highly recommend Meiji Academy to anyone wanting to improve their Japanese and truly experience Japanese culture. I'd love to return!

My experience at Meiji Academy in Fukuoka was amazing! The teachers and staff were super friendly and helped us discover the culture and the city. I especially enjoyed the cultural activities like visiting Fukuoka Tower and the Yanagawa Festival or many Food Festivals :) – such great memories! The accommodation was comfortable and well located. I met so many great people and made unforgettable memories. I can truly recommend Meiji Academy to anyone who wants to learn Japanese and explore Japan!

I spent four unforgettable weeks at Meiji Academy in Fukuoka, and it was truly a wonderful experience. The staff and teachers were incredibly kind, supportive, and always willing to help—both in and outside the classroom. The accommodation was comfortable and conveniently located near the school, making daily life easy and stress-free. I also really enjoyed the cultural activities organized by the school, such as trying on traditional kimonos, visiting shrines, and going on a boat trip in Yanagawa. These events made the experience even more special and gave me a deeper understanding of Japanese culture. I met people from all over the world and made some great friends during my time here. I would highly recommend Meiji Academy to anyone who wants to learn Japanese and experience Japan in a fun and authentic way!

I had an amazing experience at Meiji Academy in Fukuoka! The staff was so friendly and helpful, showing us cool places to shop, eat, and explore in the city. Living in the shared house close to the school was also a big plus, as the area was quiet and very comfortable. I loved the events the school organized, like wearing kimonos and visiting a beautiful shrine in Fukuoka, and the boat trip in Yanagawa was a real highlight. Overall, I’d definitely recommend Meiji Academy for anyone looking for a great Japanese learning and cultural experience!

The classes are small (6-8 people), so the teachers can really focus on each student’s needs. The accommodations are great and clean. Everyone has their own room with a closet, bed, and desk. Meiji also has weekly events where you can learn about Japanese culture, food, and people. It was an amazing experience, and I hope to see you again soon! A special shoutout to Moemi for throwing an incredible party, and Gabriel for planning and executing all the events!

Yes, you read it correctly. I've been studying with for the 3rd time and even joined their online lessons as an "Online student", I guess? I attended one month back in 2018 followed by another 2 months in 2019 and then during Corona I joined the online learners community at Meiji when I just decided last Autumn to join them again for full three months! And here I am as a 3.5 ongoing online on-side repeater or as they are called over in Japan (ripiitaa). lol Usually I don't write reviews but Meiji felt like giving me a bit of a hard time to ask me for writing up my impressions about them which are...ehmm....very good!! (for the most part) I don't really enjoy long writings and also don't know where to start but I reckon my time was good enough that they couldn't get rid of me after all. I guess good for me? Before becoming too sarcastic (excuse my Austrian humor) I'm going to sum up the most important bits that stick out to me while I was a student there. CLASSES The teachers, class size, study approach and even the follow up after lessons is well maintained with sometimes a few teacher changes during weeks (you can end up having 3 different teachers during one week), which I didn't find a problem. On the contrary having different teachers and also being exposed to different teaching styles felt like really opening up opportunities to see which teaching style suited me the best. One thing however that they all have in common is Meiji's curriculum which is pretty much centered on the Communicative Japanese. So you'll end up with practicing speaking and listening on each level in-depth and it can sometimes become a bit tiring if you want to focus rather on JLPT cram school style or are more into heavy grammar practice learning. Oh just to warn you; they do have these Grammar loving teachers as well. I had one during my time and the lady was super kind and friendly but once the textbook opened up, I felt like the grammar cavalry was hitting me hard with saseru and saserareru. Anybody who knows what I'm talking will share my pain I have about passive and causative passive practices. Thanks I'm not the only one struggling with that but the teacher really made sure that even I mastered it finally. A big thanks to her but I'm also happy that I passed this grammar topic. HOUSING I did almost all accommodation types during my almost 6 months in total over the last three stays and I think I would always go back to the sharehouse and if that one is fully booked (as usual...) I would stick with the private accommodation as it is really affordable, fully furnished and close to school. One thing I quickly learned is it can be a pain in the buttocks if you have to organize accommodation by yourself without the help of a language school like Meiji. I heard so many bad stories of students who went directly to Japanese real estates and were greeted with "So-ri- Japani-zu onri-" or "No English no English". To be fair there are good real estate agencies out there but I felt the language barrier was a hurdle or the prices were way overpriced (Airbnb is a last resort yet not the cheapest...) COMMUNITY I guess this is the part where you want to take out your handkerchieves as tears might roll. Sorry to be sarcastic again but seriously Meiji feels like home away from home. I know it sounds super cheesy but I think the staff is very supportive and always tries their best to accommodate students. Many staff and teachers regularly attend graduation dinners with students, go out for karaoke nights and also held so many cultural events together at school or other venues. It is there where I found my Japanese girlfriend through an international language exchange event from Meiji and this might result in me coming back for even a 4th time! Ok this gets a bit long already but to sum it up, I can wholeheartedly recommend anybody to study with Meiji Academy whos looking for more than just Japanese language studies.

Very friendly people all at Meiji and teachers also very experienced. I spent one month here and learned a lot. The classes were very small only 2 more students so we had strong focus on intense learning. It helped us speed up learning topics and learning more in short time. I love Meiji events as I made many friends with local Japanese and traditional events also fun. If you have time I recommend visiting Itoshima as they are a lot of nice nature spots to enjoy.

I'm not sure if this review will be helpful for anybody as I only had the chance to take part in classes at Meiji Academy for 1 week. But as my stay in Japan was mostly for my vacation, I just wanted to give it a short study break before continuing my travel in the southern part of Japan. I think the classes were very well organised and the staff was lovely in helping me with all my queries I had. I booked their private apartment which was very close to the school. Actually I ended up staying at the apartment for two weeks and also wanted to extend my studies halfway through but unfortunately the school was already fully booked... I am pretty sure I'll visit Meiji again for my next long vacation in Japan as I did really enjoy the friendly atmosphere and good relationship that all students seem to have with the teachers. Next time I'll make sure to apply in advance to avoid any full bookings:) Arigato gozaimashta

Don't know where to start but the last three months were a journey that changed my entire life. Even though this wasn't my first time in Japan, it was my first time in Kyushu and let me tell y'all this was a looot of fun. Didn't expect to turn out so well that after my four weeks of business japanese I just ended up to get to know a few people through some startup business networking events and Japanese business manners DO MATTER! Other than in the States where you might be able to get around certain things, when it comes to work then Japanese DO CARE a lot about keigo, proper Business card exchange attire and your overall business attitude in understanding the corporate mindset over here. Long story short, I got a job! And even though it wasn't directly through Meiji I do think they heavily contributed to the outcome. The Japanese Business Manner Workshop was very interactive and had a lot of practical usages for different business settings. I wasn't expecting that there were so many different refine differences when it comes to interacting and communicating with Japanese salary men. I felt the full 4 weeks gave me the best practice and outlook what I would expect when doing business with Japanese or working in Japan. I think combining your stay with also actively engaging in the many activities that Meiji holds will help you a lot not to run short on the social aspect of your time here. The only thing I didn't really like were that almost all my classes took place in the morning. I would have preferred afternoon classes but unfortunately my teacher and the specific Japanese level wasn't available for my time at Meiji. Will miss all the lovely staff and awesome teachers. I'll be back in June but not as a student but working in Fukuoka. Haha. Hope to see all soon. Big hugs and kisses to the whole Meiji Family!♡

Not sure where to start or how to sum this up. I'm not usually somebody who writes reviews but this considering the great work all teachers and employees at Meiji Academy did I feel like I should express my thoughts here:) I am Taiwanese so for me I was to Japan several times with my parents before, this time was my first time alone and my parents were a bit worried. The support and care of Meiji is definitely the thing that made my trip so good. I studied just 3 weeks but everybody was very friendly and teachers highly qualified. My main goal was to become independent and also study a lot for the JLPT I want to take this Autumn. So did 3 private lessons per week and also tried to join their language exchanges with other Japanese local students. I think Meiji did a very good job and most of students are from Europe and America so I could also practice my English sometimes:P

Japan and Fukuoka in particular was my most memorable experience for spending almost two months studyin Japanese and doing the business Japanese manner course. The classes were small sized with 3-7 people with very speaking focused lessons and grammar topics weekly revised from Genki textbook. I chose the program because some of my friends went last year with the university for the Meiji Academy Summer Group Program and I heard a lot of positive feedback. The accommodation was was awesome and the commute of around 30mins walk from the sharehouse to the school was also not too far away. There are many places to grab food around the school and downtown Tenjin is just across the street so we all hit the Karaoke on weekends or went clubbing. Fukuoka is definitely legit and I'll be back sometime soon. Peace!

One of the most rewarding study experiences I had so far I could've chosen to do. Kyushu is an amazing tropical island down south of Japan and its main city Fukuoka is a bustling hub with so many things going on. It's the best place to study and all people at Meiji made it priceless. Studying Japanese for the past six weeks was so much fun and I loved the diversity of teaching styles I could encounter with the 6 different teachers I had during this time. Most of the classes were scheduled in the mornings so I had the afternoons to explore the city. Ohori Park and strolling through Daimyo were one of my favorite places. I recommend checking out the cute little pop up shops hiding in the small alleys along Daimyo and Tenjin. If I could change one thing I would say to do the sharehouse experience as many fellow girls told me the female sharehouse was so much fun. I stayed in an accommodation I organized by myself close to Meiji and I can say prices on Airbnb and other local housing companies were quite high with around 40,000 Yen per week for Hakata or Tenjin for furnished apartments. So I would advise to consider some of the deals that the school offers. Anyway I still did not regret my choices as it was a good learning curve.

My stay nears to an end and looking back to my last 2 weeks I loved Fukuoka so much though I'm not used to big cities. When I joined classes first I felt a bit scared of the cultural shock and language barrier but the teachers made me feel comfortable right from the beginning. As a beginner my Japanese was and still is very limited but I think these two weeks taught me so much. Moemi and Tone-sensei are so lovely people and they made me feel confident and comfortable during my whole stay. The classes were mostly focusing on verbal excercises and Japanese that can be applied in real-life situations with Japanese locals. I also liked they were using Genki as this is my main textbook I use back home. The private apartment I stayed was also very close to the school around 5 minutes by foot. Just the accommodation provider does not provide any towels so I had to buy my own one which was fine as there are 100 Yen Shops anywhere and it also helped me getting accustomed with my new neighborhood quickly. I am very glad I did this program and hope other people will consider Fukuoka as an alternative study place than the common cities like Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Might do Hokkaido next time, let's see.

My studies at Meiji were a blast and I couldn't think of it turning out better without the help and support I got from all the staff. The Meiji team is extremely dedicated and very much concerned about you having a good time during your studies. I felt that the 4 weeks I was there passed by so fast. I think you should count in the Japanese conversational and traditional culture modules as a must if you really want to get most out of your stay. I found the sharehouse to be the best place for making friends and also not feeling lonely. I also advise anybody to chill in their student lounge where they also host many language exchanges and cooking parties. Fair to say there is no family like cozy study alternative in Fukuoka besides Meiji. I'll be back folks!

Just finished my studies in Fukuoka and looking back at the last two months I can say for sure that this school has it all right. Great vibes, lovely teachers, interesting extracurricular activities and a lovely team that you can call a home away from home. The focus on communicative classe paired with intense study focus on grammar and other practices was just about the right mix for anybody who wants to further improve their Japanese. I had a few private lessons which I found very useful. Thanks for everything and hope to see you soon again.

I studied with Meiji Academy for 1 month in Fukuoka. I had never studied Japanese before coming apart from the study materials they gave me for hiragana and katakana, so I was basically a beginner. I was put in a class of a couple students who had a similar level of Japanese to me, which was great because we could learn at the same pace. They also rotated the teachers around so we never had the same teacher two days in a row, this really kept things refreshing. The other students all came from different countries, so it was nice to see some cultural diversity at the school. Even though I was there for only 1 month, I learned a lot of Japanese and made a lot of good friends.

I was super happy to attend this school. the lesson are always so fun and im learning a lot. the teachers are interesting and always friendly in their presenting. staff is ready to help you every time if you have question. I will be so glad to return again and I would like to thank you very much for all you did !!!

I seriously love Japan. Everything about this place is soooo kawaii. Studying at Meiji every day was so amazing and I can't believe how fast it went :( I hope to return to Fukuoka soon for some oishii ramen, and more importantly to meet all my tomodachi again at Meiji x Arigatou gozaimashita!!

I have studied at various Japanese language schools across Europe and also in Japan, Meiji Academy from my experience was definitely one of the best. The atmosphere at the school is great, and this is primarily thanks to all of the staff. The teaching methods adopted by the teachers are first class, in my opinion they were all very attentive and generally just top quality. The location of the school is something else to be admired, it’s in the downtown area of Fukuoka, so it’s easy to locate and easy to travel to. There was a great mixture of students in attendance too, there was a range of ages, a range of nationalities, and a range of Japanese ability. It made every day particularly interesting, and I really enjoyed going out to eat with my classmates after class. I would consider myself as relatively older (late 30s) but despite this, everybody was open to socialising and I made friends of all ages. In a nutshell, Meiji Academy has created a fun little community in the heart of Fukuoka, and studying there is an absolute joy!