Japanese Language & Internship Program in Kyoto

I participated in the Kyoto JaLS Standard + Internship course over Winter and Spring 2020. I had an amazing time, both in class and outside of it. I was able to meet so many people from different parts of the world, and I made a lot of new friends. The school found me a really great apartment near Sanjo Bridge, about 15 minutes by train from the school. After classes ended for the day, there was a huge variety of activities to sing up for. I was able to try making lots of traditional Kyoto style crafts (kumihimo, yuzen, karakami, etc), and I even got to make Soba! One of my favourite events were the Japanese Conversation classes. We students got the chance to practice our conversation skills with locals, who had some really interesting stories about the city.

The classes were very small, with a max of 8 students, but the average was more like 5 per class. The placement test was fairly accurate, though getting into the swing of things the first week was really the only confusing thing. The teachers were amazing! They were very friendly, and extremely patient - especially when it came to difficult concepts. My Japanese skills improved a lot while I was learning with them, and I don't think I would have advanced as quickly without them. By the time you graduate, the teachers feel more like old friends.

The Internship course was the first time I had done an internship. The staff members were very welcoming, and constantly made sure I could understand what I was doing, since most of the instruction was in Japanese. They arranged for me to take a private Japanese Business Etiquette class, and helped me practice interacting with customers. Part of my responsibilities included running and hosting student events, working in the on-site cafe, and coordinating social media. The staff constantly checked in with me to check if I wanted to try learning something new, or if there was something specific I wanted to learn from them. If you are interested in taking the Internship course, I would recommend already knowing some conversational Japanese, since most of the internship takes place in that language.

I would definitely recommend Kyoto JaLS to anyone looking to improve their Japanese. The facilities are excellent, and they have a free resource library to help you study. Both the teachers and the staff are amazing, and are really invested in giving each and every person the best experience possible.

It was an awesome experience in JaLs. Staff is friendly and teachers are professional. The pre-course examination has assigned me to the correct level. At first, I was very worried that the level will be too difficult because I have not studied Japanese for a long time. Just half a year. However, the class was suitable for me. I just need to study and prepare well previously that will be fine.

Teachers are also very professional an willing to explain. Many of them have traveled overseas so their English proficiency is quite high. In this situation, they can communicate fluently with students whose mother language is not Japanese but can speak English. That's highly appreciated. Besides, there are many cultural activities for students to participate so that they can make use of the chance to practice their conversational English.

I studied at Kyoto JaLS through a 6 week internship program and it was more than I imagined it would be. Everyday was something different, with daily reviews about your progress and where you would like to focus. Due to this, I was able to experience many different aspects of company life through this program such as; working in the cafe, serving customers at the front desk, organising and hosting different events, co-guiding tours around Kyoto and performing simple translations. The teachers, staff and students were all amazingly friendly and fit with the relaxed atmosphere of the Co&Co World Lounge. I gained a lot of experience and skills at JaLS that I will use in my future career while also having a great time. I am so glad I was able to experience all this.