How to choose a Japanese language school?

Hello everyone!
I hope you are doing good!
So, today's topic is "How to choose a Japanese Language School."

I know a lot of you are trying to find the right school for you and it's not always easy. This is my own advice on how to choose a Japanese Language School.
There's 4 things that you should take in account:

The City
Where do you want to live in Japan? Most people choose Tokyo, but there's a lot of school all around Japan so you might prefer to stay in Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka, Sapporo, etc. Living in a smaller city will give you less chance to speak english which is basically a good thing. It can be a scary thing for you as well. However, this is not the most important point. You might not have a precise idea of where you want to be and that's totally fine as well!

Your Budget
Coming to study in a Japanese Language school is not cheap. Living in Japan is pretty expensive as well. The rent is the most expensive thing I think. So, if you choose a smaller city, the rent will be less expensive as well. Except for the rent, living in Japan is not too bad if you're not spending too much on things you don't need. (But let's be true here, it's pretty hard to resist lol). Tuition fees and the price of the rent should be one of the first thing you check! How much can you pay for rent? Not all schools offers dorm (Actually there's only two or three I think), so you should take this in account as well.

Your Goal
This is probably the most important point. Why do you want to come to Japan? Why do you want to study Japanese? What do you want to do after? You should ask yourself this question and this will help you find the thing that are important for you. It will help you find the right school for you.

The duration of your stay
You should think about this as well. How long do you want to stay? Some people come for 3 months to see if they like Japan/ the school and then come back later.
Because there IS a possibility that Japan might not be the land of your dream like you thought. It happened to a lot of people (Me included I'd say). It's not about having some weird ideas that Japan is perfect and stuffs like that, but you do have a lot of expectations before coming and often, these expectations aren't true. No matter how prepare you are, there's always unexpected thing. I know it's a thing that a lot of people tend to forget (me too), but you shouldn't forget about this.
And I don't want to scare you of something, but it does happen more than you can think. But in the contrary, a lot of people also fell in love with Japan and want to stay here for a long time.

Something else that I didn't mention as well: not all school accept students every 3 months! Pay attention to this as well :)

When this will be over, you should be able to choose a few school before choosing the one. :)

I'll tell you how I choose Akamonkai.

City: Tokyo or Yokohama.
Budget: Small budget
Goal: To be able to translate Japanese. Also, to be able to go to a lot of concerts.
Duration of your stay: 1 year.

None of the school in Yokohama pleased me, so I looked at all the school in Tokyo. I ended up choosing between KAI and Akamonkai. KAI was more focused on the conversation while Akamonkai was more focus on the JLPT/EJU exams. Also, Akamonkai was in a less expensive part of Tokyo and was the only one that had dorms. It was also the cheapest one in Tokyo. That's how I decided to choose Akamonkai.

If I had to go back to Canada and then come back, I'd probably choose the Fukukoa Foreign Language College because it looks pretty nice :)

That's it for today! If you have any questions, don't hesitate and comments here or on my youtube channel! (Or Twitter as well)

Thanks for reading!

My four personal tips to remember kanjis!

Hi everyone!
I finally had time to film a new video!
This time, I'm giving you my four personal tips to remember kanjis!
I guess all of you might have watch the videos, so I'm not gonna repeat myself again!
I'll just give you a bit more information about some points that I made!

Website you can use to talk with Japanese native speaker

Interpal
http://www.interpals.net/
I think this one is pretty well known. I used it a long time ago and haven't use it in years, but it's still a pretty useful website.

Shared talk
I used this website about 5 years ago and it was super useful. I was always on it! It allowed you to chat with people who wanted to practice a new language. Unfortunately, the website closed just recently :( However, they are starting something new, so hopefully it will be as good!
http://talk.considerate.ly/?adw2&gclid=CPj0hpCI9McCFdcRvQodk88DJw

Oh my Japan
https://ohmyjapan.com/
This one is kind of a dating site and a site to meet language partner. I used it a bit, but I didn't like it that much. I'm still sharing with you in case you might like it.

Ameba blog
http://mypage.ameba.jp/
This isn't really a website to find a language partner, but I find it really useful to practice my Japanese. Basically, it's a blog site where you can create your own personal blog. I've use it since April 2010! If you just want to write and practice, you can just talk about your daily life in your blog! I think it's pretty motivating myself! Plus, you can still meet Japanese people who might visit your blog and comment! Or you can go on Ameba pigg and try to chat with people as well :)
By the way, here is mine!
http://ameblo.jp/nozofan/ (I write in Japanese, but more often in English lol)


Applications

Hellotalk
http://www.hellotalk.com/#fr
If you are following Rachel and Jun on youtube (if not, you should!), you probably know about this app! I won't talk about it more here since Rachel did an excellent video about it!

Kanji Senpai

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.rodriguez.kanjisenpai.android&hl=en

Only for Android

I used this app a lot before coming to Japan and I loved it :) It's pretty well done!

Remembering the kanji/ Heisig Method
I won't share any links on here for copyright reason, but if you search on the internet, you can find an extract of the book! Then, you can see if this method is for you!

Anki

http://ankisrs.net/
This isn't the only flashcard program that exist, but I personally like this one a lot!
It's easy to use and there is a ton of ressources for learning Japanese!!
You can also use it on your phone and on the internet directly!

Do you have any tips to remember kanjis? Or any website/app useful? Please feel free to share!

Thanks for reading and hopefully, I will see you soon!

Studying in Akamonkai (The first 3 months)

Hi everybody!
Long time no see!
I'm sorry we have been away for so long!
So, first here is our new video!

As you can see, I did this video by myself [Andiie], because Victor has decided to step out from Japaneki. So, from now on, I'll be doing videos all alone! Of course, since I'm almost always with him, you'll probably see him from times to times ;)

So, I received a lot of questions about studying in Akamonkai, so I decided to do a video about it. I feel like my video is all over the place, so I'm sorry! I'll try to do this blog post a bit more structured!
And also, sorry for always saying "basically" in this video, it annoys the hell out of me. Being a French speaker, I'm searching for my words a lot of times! I'm sorry about this! (;w;)

What we use to study

Minna No NihonGo

The book we use is Minna No Nihon Go. To be honest, I'm not particulary fund of this book, but Japanese seems to love it so... I used this one as well at my university. If you are curious about this book, you can easily find it on the internet, so you can look at it. Also, you don't have to pay for this book, it's include in the tuition fees.

Hiragana/Katakana book
We use this one only in the first month since this is where we learn hiragana and katakana.

Vocabulary book

This is the vocabulary book that goes with Minna No Nihon Go. It's basically the vocabulary you have to know for each lesson.

Kanji book

This is the kanji book that we use to learn new kanji everyday. You have the kanji, the reading, words with the kanji and sentences using that word.

Kanji Practice book

This is the book we used to practice our kanji everyday. You have to write each word 10 times. Plus, you have to write the reading in hiragana above each one.

Katakana book

This is the katakaka book we use starting from the second month. It's images and katakana. We do this everyday.


Sakubun
The Sakubun is a book for when we do writing. Sometimes we do it in class, somestimes it's an homework.


The first month

The first month is really basic stuffs. You learn all hiragana and katakana. You learn how to do a basic sentences, how to count, etc. You learn till lesson 6 in Minna No Nihongo.

Also, you have two teachers by class. One for Monday, Wednesday and Friday and the other for Tuesday and Thursday.

Then, you have a test to know if you go to the quick pace class (2 days a lesson) or the slow pace one (3 days a lesson).

The second and third month
So, you get a new class after the test. New classmates and new teachers, yeah!
I was in the afternoon class and I will tell you how it looks like:

13:00-13:45
We usually do the kanji and katakana test. Then, we learned new kanjis and new katakana.

13:45-13:55
Break!

13:55-14:40
We usually review what we did the day before and practice a bit more.

14:40-14:50
Another break! Yeah!

14:50-15:35
We learn new stuffs.

15:35-15:45
Yes, another break!

15:45-16:30
We still talk about the same thing we start learning.

Somedays are pretty boring, I must admit. But sometimes, they are also pretty fun. I think the subject and the teacher can make it fun or boring, but so far, I didn't have any bad teacher.

We usually get one sheet of exercices as homework which is not much. Plus, the kanji practice that you have to do. I usually take about one hour to do my homework. (Because the kanji are long to write.)

I can only speak for this level so far, but I have a lot of free time. If it's something that worries you about Akamonkai, I can tell you that you will have free time in the first three months. We have a lot of vacations as well. Of course, during longer vacations, we have homework as well, but it's not that bad. Also, we don't have more homework for the week-end as we do during weekdays, so no problem there as well.

So, I hope this helped you a bit more and if you have any questions, please ask me in the comments section! I'll be happy to help you!

You can also join me on twitter (yukinozofan or Japaneki).

Thanks for reading and see you soon hopefully!

P.S. I know this blog looks so ugly, I'm sorry! I'll try to change it when I'll have time!

Andiie

J-World in Sunshine City

Hello everyone!
We finally release a new video! Sorry for the long absence!

Today, I'm going to present you an attraction we found in Sunshine City!
Actually, we were supposed to go to Sunshine City's aquarium that day, but we found a little gem on the 3rd floor which is the J-World!

So, basically, J-World is a small attraction parks (kinda) and its theme is Shounen! The three mains are : One Piece, Dragon Ball and Naruto! It's basically made for children, but adults can enjoy it too. Actually, there were a lot of childrens, but also a lot of girls (teens and young adults).

We first headed to the Dragon Ball area because Victor is a huge fan of Dragon ball! The Dragon Ball sections has two games: "Seek! DRAGON BALLS!!" and "Shoot! KAMEHAMEGA".
We did the Kamehameha first. It's pretty cool actually, even for me who isn't a fan.
First, there is someone who explained you the three steps for a good kamehameha. Then, you enter a room with a big screen and you put the 3D glasses on. It really feels like the character talks to you! And then, you help them beat the bad guys. It was a really fun experience!

Picture from the pamphlet

 

Then, we tried the other one. You had to find the dragon ball that the Red Ribbon (?) had stolen. Basically, it was a lot of mini games. It was quite fun even though Victor and I weren't really good. But we still managed to bring back the 7 Dragon Balls. At the end, you can go to a little show which is quite nice if you're a fan! The Dragon Ball section also has some place where you can take pictures!

Everyday, there's a different mascot. Victor had luck since that day, it was Goku!

 

 

Then, we head to the Naruto section!

(I had to take a picture in front of Konoha!!)

 

The Naruto section is the smallest of the three. It only has one game (One piece has three).

It also has some mini games as you can see on the video.

The game in the Naruto Sections is called "A fierce fight! NINKAI TAISEN EMAKI".

Basically, you had to fight against Akatsuki. Kakashi and Gaara gives you instructions and you have to do some stuffs. It was really fun!

(I saved Konoha!!)

 

The food section is also in the Naruto Section!

We both ate Ramen in the Ichiraku Ramen place. It was good, but a little bit pricey.

There was also a pattiserie shop!

 

 

It was pricey, but I had to tried the Kakashi one :D

 

We didn't visit the One Piece section as we aren't really fan of One Piece (I have to watch it though!).

 

There's also a J-World Store Inside which was quite pricey and they didn't have a lot of stock of One Piece, Naruto and Dragon Ball. They had more of the three anime (I don't know the name) that had an exposition at the J-World at that moment.

 

There's also a J-Carnival place with is like a small game center.

 

Overall, we spent about three or four hours in there. We really enjoyed our day!

 

Here is the Price list if you are interested!

 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 



Our room at Akamonkai Nippori Dormitory

Hello!
This is Andiie!
We want to share with you guys what we think about our room in the Akamonkai Nippori Dormitory!

 



Victor and I both made videos showing you around the dorm!

I personnally like the dorms. It's a cheap option and so far, everything has been good.
Bedrooms are pretty small, but you get used to it. My roommates have all been really nice and respectful. Everyone has been really nice and I made new friends. Of course, you don't have the possibility to meet Japanese people, but I met people from others countries too, which is really nice.

Of course, there's things that I don't like about the dorms too. Like the fact that we have to buy our own stuffs to cook.
It's been only two weeks, so maybe there's others things that I'll get to dislike, but it's been a good experience!

If you have any questions about the dorm, don't hesitate to ask us!

How to apply to a Japanese Language School with Go!Go!Nihon

Hello everyone!

In this video, we talked about the procedures of going to Japan with Go!Go!Nihon. We are going to talked about this subject in more depth.

1. Contact Go!Go!Nihon
http://gogonihon.com/en/learn-japanese-study-in-japan
First, you need to take a look a Go!Go!Nihon's website. All the informations can be found there. They have a description of all schools you can attempt, the different types of accomodation, etc. You can already get an idea of where you want to study by looking at their website. Then, you can contact them. If you are not sure about which school you like the best or where you want to study, they will guide you. They will make sure to find the school that best find your need.
By the way, Go!Go!Nihon's service is completely free.

2. Paperwork
After you are settled on a school, Go!Go!Nihon will send you an email with two forms that you have to fill. It's not really complicated to answer them. They ask you if you have already studied Japanese, how long you want to study, who will be your sponsor, etc. You also have to pay an application fee (to the school, not to Go!Go!Nihon). You can do it easily on Paypal.
You also need to send a few HQ scans of the following:
- Passport
- A photo different from your passport with a white background
- Diploma from thee last school you graduate
- Bank Statement of you or your sponsor
- Payslip, income tax return or proof of annual income of you or your sponsor.
If your documents are not in English (like your diploma) you need to translate them. Fortunately, it's not too hard to translate them. We translated them ourselves and they accepted our documents.

Please note that you need  2,000,000 yen for a year. (about 20 000$CAD) Also, you need to have worked full-time for at least three years to be your own financial sponsor.
We both had our parents as our financial sponsors.
Then, Go!Go!Nihon will send everything to the school.
You might have to clarify a few things on the way, but usually it's nothing too complicated.
Go!Go!Nihon will send you an email when you will be accepted at your school. It will contain informations about the whole process.

3. Book your flight and request for accomodation
About three months before the beginning of your studies, you will receive another email from Go!Go!Nihon. It's the next step! We received the email mid-January. It's time to book your flight. They advice you not to book your flight too early to make sure you have enough time to receive your visa before leaving for Japan. When it will be done, you can fill in the form to request accomodation. You don't have to fill this form as soon as you receive it. You have until the end of the next month to do so. (It was the end of February for us).

You have a lot of options that are explained to you on Go!Go!Nihon's website.
They tell you that you will be sent suggestions of accomodation a month before your departure.
However, we never received these suggestions. We got an email about Akamonkai's dormitory and if we would like to book a room. We weren't sure of where we wanted to live, so we filled in the form and paid the reservation fee. So maybe they thought that we had already chosen, which was not exactly the case. Finally, we decided to stay in the dorms, so it was fine.

4. CRAZY TIME~! (One month before leaving)
A month before leaving, that's when things get pretty hectic. You have a lot of things to do and it get pretty stressful. You will receive an email from Go!Go!Nihon. They will explain to you the next steps. In this email, you will also have a digital copy of your Certificate of Eligibility (COE).

The first thing to do is to pay the school. We had to pay for the first six months. You have to do it by international bank transfert. You might be able to do it online, but we both did it at our bank just to make sure. Then, you wait and hope your money has been sent to the right account. This can take a couple of days, so try to make sure to do it as soon as possible. I (Andiie) had a small problem at that point. The school didn't send the good COE to me. So I had to wait until they sent mine to pay the school. I wanted to make sure everything was alright. It didn't take too long, fortunately.

Then, Victor and I realized that we didn't have to pay the same amount. We were wondering why, since we were doing the same course. It ended up that Victor was registered in a University Preparatory Curriculum instead of the General course.  Everything was fine in the end and Victor is registered in the General course.

Then, they will tell you that your COE has been sent. You have a tracking number and it's quite fast. (It took 2-3 days for us to get it and we're in Canada.) Once you get it, you have to go to your local Embassy or Consulate of Japan to get your visa. We sent our document by the post since we live 6 hours away from the closest Consulate.

At this point, my advice is to contact the nearest embassy. They will tell you everything you need to know. They were really nice to us and even though we were super stressed out, everything went well. There is also something very cool about being answered on the phone in Japanese!

 We both have our visa right now.


This is how it works to go to Japan with Go!Go!Nihon! It might seems complicate at first, but it's not that hard, actually.
Go!Go!Nihon are really helpful and they answered really quickly. They are really kind and we didn't have major issues with them. We are glad that we could get their help.

If you need more informations, Go!Go!Nihon also has a FAQ page.

Thanks for reading and if you have questions about the whole process, feel free to comment!

Welcome to Japaneki's official blog!

Welcome to Japaneki's official blog.
On this blog, we will be talking about our trip to Japan.
We'll write about subjets we talk in our videos, but with more informations.

Please stay tuned for our first article!

Andiie and Victor