Info request on Japanese Language schools Tokyo area

[defaz]

Hi all, I am looking into applying to a language school in the Tokyo area soon. I have done plenty of research of each schools through the internet and tried to gather as many reviews as possible.
I am looking at a 1-2 year program to improve my Japanese skill to get as close to a business level as possible.

I thought I would try here as most people know some of these schools well.


I would appreciate any information that some people may have either through their own personal experiences or through acquaintances for the following language schools in the Tokyo area:


１．Academy of language arts (Shinjuku area)

２．Kudan suidobachi (Suidobashi)

３ Sendagaya (Takadanobada)

4. Naganuma (Shibuya)

5．Kichijoji language school

The top 3 are my short list however have heard good things from my research about 4. Naganuma and the 5.Kichijoji school as well.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks for taking the time to read this.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Hi all, I am looking into applying to a language school in the Tokyo area soon. I have done plenty of research of each schools through the internet and tried to gather as many reviews as possible.
I am looking at a 1-2 year program to improve my Japanese skill to get as close to a business level as possible.

Unless you need to attend school for visa purposes, I recommend you avoid these and other similar scam merchants like the plague.

The best way to learn a language is to use it. Actively.

What's business level? Keigo? Many native Japanese speakers can't use formal Japanese properly. As Google Translate and similar services show, languages are more than just swapping different words.

If you're serious about learning Japanese quickly and effectively, get into an environment where that's effectively the only language you use for a couple of years. It will be much better than schools....

[matsuki]

If a language school is where you want to learn, avoid Tokyo and go for a countryside school. Many many years ago I had a pretty good experience here: http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/english/index.html

[Coligny]

Not the first time i hear good things aboot this school...

[matsuki]

Not the first time i hear good things aboot this school...

Between 6 months there, and years of lemur talking, I somehow became fluent.

[defaz]

@Screwed-down Hairdo:

Thanks for your reply.
I understand what you mean by using it actively....I have studied other languages similarly.
Japanese is a tad more difficult for myself to learn. I have lived and studied lightly in Japan previously.
I just feel like if I am structured under a school's program that it would help improve my Japanese ability written and orally.

The student visa paired with the part-time work visa is the reason I am choosing this route.
So being able to spend 1 year there working with the possibility to extend another year and work is a big incentive.

My goal is to get as close to a "Business" level as possible.I plan on starting a business there in a couple of years.
I know it would be difficult to attain this in 1 year or even 2 but if I will be dealing with the public and investors in the future.
Professionalism is key if i want to be successful there.

Have you heard about any of the schools I listed?
Are they all scams? (I know the schools charge a lot and I am familiar with English schools charging an arm and leg in my native Canada to Japanese students...actually it's more expensive here to learn English).

@chokonen888:
Thanks for the suggestion but Tokyo is where I need to be for many reasons(I prefer not to but it's only for a couple of years). I have lived in the countryside previously and loved every minute of it although I worked like crazy and hardly had the energy to study...etc.

[cstaylor]

but if I will be dealing with the public and investors in the future.
Professionalism is key if i want to be successful there.

Please don't become one of those gaijin who cold-call other FGs, thinking you can mark them as muppets. I hang up on at least three a week.

[Coligny]

i-dont-know-who-you-are-but-i-will-find-you-and-i-will-kill-you.jpg

i-dont-know-how-you-are-but-i-will-find-you-and-kill-you.jpg

[defaz]

@cstaylor: not sure what you are talking about sorry. Could you explain it more?

[Taro Toporific]

@cstaylor: not sure what you are talking about sorry. Could you explain it more?

What cstaylor may be talking about is the goal of learning Japanese you mentioned when you said, "I will be dealing with the public and investors in the future." Tokyo has hundreds of deceived/desperate gaijin cold-calling other established gaijin trying to sell dubious-at-best investment products.

The cold-callers are a plague---But you have the pity the ones who were tricked into coming to Japan to work for a "legitimate" investment firm only to discover that the number of cold-callers exceed the number of potential gaijin investors.

Worse than cold-callers of semi-fake investment firms are the flakey foreign folks who decide that Japan is the best place to raise venture capital (the Japanese are the most risk-adverse, pavid people on the planet).

[cstaylor]

Thanks Taro.

[Taro Toporific]

Thanks Taro.

I feel your pain.
When I worked at Hitachi, investment/venture calls in English for several Hitachi groups were screened through a couple of levels and ultimately routed to my desk. In other words, once a day I would have to deal with one or two of these wackos. In my 23 years handling these calls, not one of the callers turned out to be promising (most weren't even legit).

[Coligny]

Worse than cold-callers of semi-fake investment firms are the flakey foreign folks who decide that Japan is the best place to raise venture capital (the Japanese are the most risk-adverse, pavid people on the planet).

Well... aside for their driving style and nukular powerplant management that is...