Japanese Language School Research - Tokyo

I spent a couple of weeks in Tokyo during April this year where i visited a number of Japanese language schools in person as I'm looking to move to Tokyo on a student visa in April 2027. I'd done a fair bit of research and trawling through threads prior to my trip, so thought i'd share some of my opinions based on visiting these schools in person which may (or may not) help those looking for a language school in Tokyo. Firstly, a little bit about myself to see how it may align to your preferences: * 35 year old Australian * Bachelors degree * Currently working in tech/marketing software (been doing so for 12+ years) * Have my JLPT N5 * Goal is to study Japanese full time and hopefully get to a point in the coming years when I'm able to get back into my industry within Japan **What I'm looking for in a language school:** * western leaning student base * age demographic skewing a little older * smaller sized classes * business Japanese - *(all schools i visited had this on offer in their courses to varying degrees)* * ideally some social activities - *(all schools i visited had social activities you could engage in)* ***Disclaimer:*** *keep in mind that the below is based on short tours of the schools (30 mins - 1 hour) rather than taking part in lessons. I focus more on the facilities and general feel of the school rather than the specific course content (although that's obviously incredibly important). They are only my opinions though and yours may differ. I'd recommend reaching out to the schools you're considering and seeing if you can organise an online session or if you manage to be visiting Tokyo, an in person tour.* **KAI Japanese Language School (Shinjuku)** * Max class size of 16 * Students were mostly westerners * Seemed to skew a little older (mid/late 20s and 30s) * Students all seemed to be very engaged in the classes, didn't seem to be anyone talking/playing on phones during class * Lots going on nearby - food, shopping, bars, arcades (maybe too much for some) * Facilities seemed to be the most dated compared to all of the other schools i visited * Classrooms look to be cramped * 5 minute walk from Shin-Okubo station **TCJ Japanese Language School (Shinanomachi)** * Max class size of 20 * Students were predominately asian * Most students seemed to be in their 20s * Literally across the road from Shinanomachi Station * Surrounding area seemed very quiet with not a whole heap to do (at least in comparison to other school locations) * Facilities were quite nice and the building looked like it was relatively new **Coto Japanese Institute (Kokubunji)-** *this campus had only just been built so I couldn't observe an actual class* * Brand new building which was really nice * Small class sizes from what i was told * Extremely friendly and helpful staff * Average age range of people in their 30s from what i was told * 4 minute walk from Kokubunji Station * Plenty to do nearby - food, shopping etc but definitely seemed a lot quieter compared to other schools and areas i visited * Was told that the school does practical Japanese where they take students outside the classroom to practice what they've learnt **ISI** **Japanese Language School (Shibuya)** * Max class size of 20 * Students were predominately asian * Most students seemed to be in their 20s * 6 minute walk from Shibuya station * Facilities were nice and modern and didn't feel cramped * They have many different campuses so worth investigating which one suits your needs best * Plenty to do nearby since it's in Shibuya **ARC Japanese Language School (Shinjuku)** * Max class size of 20 * Students were predominately asian * Facilities felt a bit dated compared to other schools * Most students seemed to be in their 20s * 10 minute walk from Shinjuku Station * Plenty to do nearby since it's in Shinjuku * I was told other campuses were bigger and more modern **SNG Japanese Language School (Takadanobaba)** * Max class size of 16 * Seemed to be a fairly even split of western and asian students * Building was quite large but facilities felt a little dated * Most students seemed to be in their 20s * 3 minute walk from Takadanobaba Station * I believe Takadanobaba is a student area with universities nearby, so there's plenty of eating spots, cafes etc however definitely less hectic than say Shinjuku **Summary:** Based on my visits, KAI is the school i'll most likely be looking to enrol in because: * It seemed to have the oldest student base amongst all of the schools I visited * Was predominately western * Had the smallest class sizes (max of 16 but quite a few seemed to be smaller than that) * Had plenty of things to do nearby since being situated in Shinjuku * Students seemed to be the most engaged during class compared to other schools * Very accessible via Shin-Okuba station (Yamanote Line) however the flip side being it's likely always very busy KAI's facilities were definitely the most dated, and maybe the most cramped when compared to all of the other schools i visited however i don't mind too much as it seems to fit the bill for my preferences. Coto was a very close second. They left a really good impression on me and were extremely helpful in giving me a tour of the brand new facility, walking me through their teaching methodology and introducing me to some of their teachers. They even gave me some recommendations of things to do on the rest of my trip which was a nice personal touch. The one thing which ultimately deterred me was the location (Kokubunji) which looks like a nice area, but a bit less accessible/may have a longer commuting time as it's 20-30 minutes from Shinjuku. Hope this helps some of you looking to join a language school in Tokyo!