So here's the deal: next year I'm planning on attending a Japanese language school for 6-8 months (probably 2 semesters) to brush up on my Japanese and to take a break before I go to college. I've been browsing the internet and have found some sites that list a lot of these schools, but I was hoping someone here has some first hand experience or knows someone who has. Currently, I'm looking at either Kyoto or Tokyo because I would want to live in a big city, and Osaka and Nagoya don't really appeal to me. Some questions that arise: 1. Does anyone know / is able to recommend certain schools? 2. I'm highly debating living on my own or going into a dormitory, any thoughts/advice? 3. Any other helpful comment is, of course, welcome.
If you are thinking of living on your own, you better have some serious bucks or find a place outside of the city. Was reading up on prices in Tokyo today and they are getting worse.
Still prices are still cheaper then trying to live in London. Also Osaka is a great city, I would live there in a drop of a hat.
Yeah, Osaka is great, but depending on your field, harder to find a job. What's the standard deposit and finder's fee in London? This is of course what prevents people from moving around a lot in Tokyo. That, and average salary for a young person is (I would bet my house) far lower. Unless people are making 10,000 GBP a year out of college.
Option A: If you go next year the cheapest option would be a shared appartment or one of the so-called "guest houses". Rooms are usually small but you can find some for say 55.000 Yen per month in Tokyo and you don't have to worry about key money and a large deposit. If you plan to study Japanese in Holland later I'd participate in an extracurricular program at a regular university. That way you can later have your studies there accredited at home (at least in part). Try one of the Gaikokugo Daigaku. Option B: Enroll in college in Holland and do an exchange year in Japan. Big advantage: you don't pay any tuition fee and can stay in a student dormitory which means that the overall costs are going to be much lower. Also: browse this site for more information on schools and scholarships: http://www.jasso.go.jp/index_e.html
I don't know about Holland but I've never heard of any US based exchanges being any cheaper than just packing your bags and going to senmon gakkou.
Cez, the thing is I'm not planning on studying Japanese in Holland, and thus option B isn't relevant for me. I've been looking at http://www.aikgroup.co.jp/j-school/index.htm for some schools, before aikgroup I had another much better site that also listed all the language schools but I can't seem to find it anymore (if anyone knows it, I would be very obliged)... Either way, some of these schools already include dormitory options and such, but is it hard to find something on your own? And although money isn't a really big issue, I can't afford to spend €1000 on rent alone so if Tokyo really is that more expensive, it might be wiser to look more into other cities...
I don't know what you think London prices are, but $1000/m wouldn't get you a place on your own (short of a one room bedsit with some sort of government assistance) in Cardiff let alone London.
The good thing about Tokyo is you can (and many do) live a painful distance away from everything and live cheap. You can find a one room place far away for 50,000 yen if you look long enough. For 70,000 yen it might be somewhat close. Again, this is a single room with a toilet and hopefully a bath attached. Something westerners generally cringe at. I have lived in them before. The other thing is the commute. You could live 90 minutes door to door from your school. Time is money apparently has no meaning over here.
I love living outside Tokyo, although travelling can be something, although I have found basic apartments (Entrance Hall, Kitchen, Bathroom, Living Area, Balcony with TV, Internet Connection, Kitchen Stuff, Bed and Washing machine) for as cheap as 40,000 a month. Travelling was a bit of a pain and as you could be spending about 12,000 to 20,000 a yen a month in travel it does pay to work out how much it costs to get from place to where ever you are going. I'm looking at a cheap art studio and living space in Saitama which should cost me 60,000 yen a month and once I factor in deposit and other things, it's still only going to cost under 70,000 a month (350 quid in the outskirts of London wouldn't struggle to get me a nice room let alone an apartment) and it's an hour away from Tokyo. (From door to Ikebukuro station)
I know of one school in Sendagaya/Komagome: Sendagaya Japanese Institute. http://www.jp-sji.org/sji_english/index.html I did a summer course there 2 years ago which was quite good, don't know about their one year/semestrial courses. They do homestay programs too.
