Meiji Academy - Study Japanese in Fukuoka

Even though my course was just for two weeks, I really enjoyed my Japanese language studies at Meiji Academy. The staff was really helpful with a lot of insider information on where to go for cheap and yummy places and also their sightseeing walking tours in Tenjin were a lot of fun. I liked the strong focus on conversation that they applied during the classes. Sometimes we even took the lesson outside the classroom by interviewing people on the streets and ordering food with the staff at restaurants. Good practice, but it took me quite a while to adapt to that "real-life" classroom practises ^o^;;

I took the standard Japanese course for five weeks and I can say that my Japanese improved from literally zero to a decent conversational level. I still have a lot of difficulties to talk Japanese (obviously I have only studied five weeks so far…) but my overall understanding of conversational Japanese is pretty good. Some notes about this great city… Before coming to Fukuoka, I haven’t really heard of the city. Now I realize how underrepresented this lovely cozy city is. Beautiful beaches, great nightlife, abundance of events, and the food…really craving for a bowl of Toncoutsu-Ramen! I really miss the cute little cafes and of course this LINE café in downtown Tenjin ☺

I studied at Meiji Academy in Fukuoka for 6 weeks and I loved it! Although it's a full-time course, having only 4 hours of school per weekday gives you enough time to study and explore the great city. You can do so much sightseeing by visiting the beautiful beaches of Momochi and Jigyohama, go shopping in Tenjin or Hakata or just grab a bike and explore all the hidden small alley cafes scattered around the whole city. If you are really genki and have enough power, I recommend going for a day trip to Shikanoshima and the nearby park Uminonakamichi. Absolutely gorgeous! I went there with friends on bicycles, but I don't recommend anybody to do it without some proper exercise before (3+ hours cycle ride...). If you're staying in Japan for a couple of weeks, but still want to brush up your Japanese level, then Meiji's programs are a very good bargain. Their accommodation options are also very good and not expensive with several options to choose from. I went for the private apartment as I do prefer to have my privacy, but I had the chance to visit my class mates who stayed in the sharehouse and it was really clean and nice. The classes focused primarily on conversations and day-to-day Japanese for all types of situations. It definitely helped me tremendously to interact with locals and gave me much confidence to speak in Japanese. Overall I highly recommend this school to anybody who wants to do a short program and experience the real Japanese life in Japan's best city to study and live. Much love to Meiji and my fav place Fukuoka!