Hello, has anyone here gone to a language school with taking the BJT as a goal and would be willing to share their experiences/recommendations?
I'm planning to take JLPT N3 in my home country in 2027 and move to Japan for language school (12-18 months) in 2028/2029, depending on savings. My goal is to score as high as possible on the BJT by the end of school, ideally hitting J1 territory.
I've been looking at the Nisshinkyo recommendations + websites and so far, my shortlist consists of:
* Communica in Kobe (due to them starting business classes from N3 already)
* KJLS in Kyoto (seem to have small classes and balanced student demographics)
* KAI in Tokyo (I've heard good things about their kanji teaching methods for western students)
Would appreciate any thoughts on either those schools or others that I should check out (or general advise)
Comments
by OkCauliflower2495 on Apr 12, 2026
this youtuber went to kai https://youtu.be/QsN_dU-frvc?si=Jj00CY8sIGwkUf9G
by colin199805 on Apr 12, 2026
He attended the general course and took the JLPT though, didn't he? I'd be curious to know what their NBJ Business Japanese Program is like
by kanata_tycoon on Apr 12, 2026
I have JLPT N1 and BJT J1+. Keep in mind that while JLPT is more technical, BJT is more professional with workplace-heavy language and formal speaking. You need to have an understanding of Japanese workplace culture and speaking if you want to score high.
Since I assume you are currently around N3 level, hitting J1 territory is a little too ideal in my opinion. I would aim more for J2 level at the very best.
by colin199805 on Apr 12, 2026
Thanks for replying, I'm glad to get feedback from someone who took the BJT before. What do you think would a reasonable time (if one studied full-time at a language school) to make it from N3 to J1 as someone who doesn't know Hanzi?
I'll have at least another year between taking N3 and attending language school and plan to use the time sensibly, but since it's hard to find study time estimates for BJT levels online, I'd love to hear your thoughts on what it takes to make it to J1.