Study Japanese in Fukuoka, Japan with Meiji Academy

I enrolled in Meiji Academy’s program to prepare for the JLPT N2. It was a great experience. My sensei was top notch. She was patient while teaching us and going over tricky pronunciation. She also created many creative ways for us to interact in Japanese in the classroom. Before I had only studied Japanese with private tutors because my parents wanted me to learn it. At Meiji Academy, for the first time, studying Japanese was fun! They often arranged language exchanges. Not the static kind where you are paired with another person and have to speak about boring topics, but rather fun games and conversations in bars or at the school over takoyaki!
Meiji Academy knows how to teach! The teachers are great at planning their classes and the staff arranges fun ways to practice Japanese outside the classroom. I genuinely looked forward to my classes every day. ありがとうございました!

Let's go straight to the point;)

Teachers: I couldn't have dreamed of better ones, skilled and very kind! I mostly was the only person in my class.
In general, whole Meiji staff works very hard and was very kind and helpfull with every single matter.

Accomodation: for the first three days we did not have a shower and the school did not organised different place to stay we got some money to use public bath or we could have money back for this week and find different place but we were informed to late to get not very expensive one. But shower is fixed now so don't worry;)

Share house approx:40min by walk from school and by public transport is NOT faster. I really liked the neighborhood and i would highly reccomend if you dont mind to have a bit of walk, i liked there more than i would have the city centre. So it is a good opportunity to see part of the city, away from the busy roads and there is nice forest and viewing ponts near by,

But the most important I LOVE MY HOUSEMATES!:D even so the house itself is not extremely clean but it is spacious and has balcony.That was best possible choice as I could meet amazing people.

Activities: Ok, we went out for meals, karaoke, tea ceremony or language exchange. There were trips organised as well.

Before coming to Fukuoka, I had studied Japanese for a year at a language school in Germany. It does not compare! I had some one-on-one classes and 3 different teachers throughout my stay at the Academy. When you have small classes and can get one-on-one attention, you can have it exactly as you want it! Concentrate on whatever aspect of Japanese (grammar, conversation, Kanji) you need to be focusing on!
I liked having 3 different teachers because they focused on different aspects and gave me different input/feedback.
I also stayed in a homestay with a lovely family with two small kids. Highly recommendable experience, especially to practise Japanese!

The staff and support are phenomenal as well! On your first day, there is an orientation with everything you need to know to get around in Fukuoka. And during my stay, they arranged many fun activities where I could make friends with internationals as well as Japanese. Although it might seem like a small city to you (by Japanese standards), it never gets boring in Fukuoka! Language Exchanges, International BBQs, Parties, out-of-town roadtrips… there is always something fun to do! Just ask around and talk to people and the Meiji staff! That way you will have the best experience!

I found Meiji Academy through Google and after reading up on their services decided to apply for Japanese classes. Now I can say that it was a very good choice! I took the Standard course 20 (per lessons per week) and for me, it was a very good plan as I also had some free time for exploring Fukuoka and time to study on my own. The groups of students were very small; different ages and different nationalities. The teachers are very interested in the progress of everyone at the class and explain everything in great detail. Different methods are used, both interactive and textbook-focused. I should say that we were moving pretty fast, a little too fast for my taste. I told my teacher and the next day, he slowed down the class pace for me. The school is centrally located, in the heart of Tenjin. They also organise activities after class, for example, going for karaoke, language exchanges, or cultural activities. So we also had the chance to meet local uni students and students from other language schools. My stay at Meiji Academy has left me buzzing; excited to continue studying Japanese!

My experience at Meiji Academy surpassed my expectations. Not only was the team at the school able to masterfully place each student in a class based on an accurate skill level assessment, but the classes were small and felt personal. All led by instructors who genuinely care about your skill development. I cannot quite recall my teacher’s name, but his lessons and attention to detail have truly helped me become a more proficient Japanese speaker.

I found that my classmates as well as all others in the school were highly motivated- not just regarding the classes, but also to explore the area and learn about the culture. We often went on trips around Fukuoka and explored most of Kyushu together. It was a great time and I will cherish the memories forever!

As mentioned before, this is not just a great place to learn Japanese. This school also allows you to learn more about Japan and its culture. The location of the school is great as well, it is easy to get there using public transport.
I stayed for 4 weeks. The atmosphere is very nice and the staff is always friendly and happy to help with all sorts of questions. Being a student at this school, you will feel at home in no time! I had an amazing time here!

The school offers a variety of cultural and social activities. From what I have seen, the same event or trip is rarely held twice in a row and something special is on every week. The activities I joined were fun and taught me a great deal about Fukuoka.

The combination of getting to know the culture and learning Japanese makes this school great. You should check it out!

In a world that is becoming increasingly globalised, it would be a crime to pass up an opportunity to go abroad. At the international office in my university, I learnt that I could spend a semester in Japan and gain credits over there. But I would need Japanese N5 for that. Therefore, I decided to attend a language school to learn Japanese in the most efficient way possible + on site! I got to Meiji Academy knowing hiragana and katakana and left with Japanese N5 level, ready to take on the JLPT. I was able to reach all the goals I had set before coming to Japan and what more could I ask for? I learnt as much Japanese as I needed to learn and visited all the places I had on my bucket list. Cause Fukuoka has many cool places such as Itoshima, Nanzoin, Dazaifu, and all of Kyushu is worth a visit (especially Miyazaki and Beppu!). You will have plenty of time to explore Japan during your study abroad with Meiji Academy. But remember to go back to your books every other day and don’t get too distracted. After all you came to Japan to study Japanese, so work for it. It will be totally worth it!

My biggest concern with applying to the program was the size of the classes and that it would be an all-American program. If I happen to be the only student in my class, would I make any friends? I did happen to be the only student in my class for two weeks until some others arrived. But I made SO many friends. Meiji does not only offer Japanese language classes, but has incredible teachers, unlimited support, and the most amazing people.

My course of choice was Japanese Business. I am very interested in cultural peculiarities and Japan has always fascinated me. It appears to be so different from most other countries. Also, I am considering returning to Japan for either an internship or a working holiday, so I couldn’t go wrong with knowing some basic skills and knowledge. The course gives you a solid overview of business manners, dining etiquette, and teaches you something some people fear when doing business in Japan: Keigo! However, at Meiji, they teach it in a fun way! It might be hard, but it leaves the best impression if you can approach business partners using Keigo, believe me! It is a whole different level of impressive!

Anyone who wants to learn Japanese, you will not regret going with Meiji Academy!