I noticed a number of people coming to my page hoping to find some reviews on The Yamasa Institute, so I guess I should do the public some service by writing one since I would also appreciate it if someone does a review on a school I intend to commute to.
I enrolled into the AIJP course at The Yamasa Institute in Okazaki City in the spring of 2010. Application began some 5-6 months before as I had intended to study for 2 terms which meant that I would require a student VISA (which takes notoriously long to apply). Anyhow, the support from the school is good, so you don’t have to worry too much about what you need to submit and when you have to do what.
The website says they offer the lowest (or one of the lowest) fees as they are supported by the Hattori Foundation. I found that to be untrue, or should I say not completely true. While it is absolutely value-for-money in the sense that you have classes even on public holidays, at least most of them so you get the most out of your time at the school, I believe it is not the cheapest around. The tuition fee I paid was slightly cheaper than the current one as the price has been raised. A 6-month course would cost you a little over half a million yen but at the same price, you could study at the language division at Waseda University for a year (according to information I got from the magazine received from Yamasa!)
I’m not going to observe verbal hygiene that much here as politically correct reviews have zero value so I’m going to say, as with all schools, there are good teachers and some who don’t fall under that category at the school (with regard to teaching). I wouldn’t say they are bad because they aren’t. It’s just that when you have great teachers at the school, the others just pale in comparison.
I have been very fortunate to have been taught by most of the really good teachers which numbers to around 10. When you’re enrolled to the course, you also get to do a maximum of 4 elective classes at NO additional cost. Sure, you can choose to take just a couple or not at all, but why not? If you intend to work in Japan, the support from the teachers are excellent. I do not think it is part of their job scope but they are willing to take time out of their busy schedule to help you along. That’s what I liked most about the school. Also, I heard from a friend who studied in a language school in Tokyo that her school does not organise activities for the students AT ALL! At The Yamasa Institute, they organise activities pretty regularly. Sure, some of them cost you money but there are the free ones as well as those that actually pay you to participate!
Another plus point about this school is that the students come from a huge array of countries. Unlike many schools in other places that have over 80% of their students from China or Korea, The Yamasa Institute has a good balance. Sure, the largest groups here are the Taiwanese and Americans but from what I heard, only 25% are Taiwanese and they are the largest group! So during my time there, I had the privilege to meet people from Taiwan, America, Canada, Norway, Germany, England, Hungary, Malaysia, Switzerland, Australia, Indonesia, Korea, Hong Kong, Columbia, Spain and so on…
I also took the JBPP (Japanese for Business and Professional Purposes) class, which should really just be called Business Japanese for easy storage in the regular human brain. It was offered by another division which I don’t remember exactly what it was called because they have so many acronyms at the school, my brain is just a mess of letters now. Anyhow, I took the course at a little over ¥60,000, which I thought was a little steep although it was really useful and increased my knowledge in both the language and business culture of the Japanese. I actually toyed with the idea of withdrawing from the course a couple of times because of the cost (I did not think the content matched the value) but it was good enough to make me stay. If it were at ¥40,000, I probably wouldn’t think about withdrawing.
On a more macro level, being located in Okazaki was one of the major factors in my choice of the school because it is quieter and has fewer distractions which makes it an extremely conducive environment for studying.
Even with the benefit of hindsight, I’d say I’d still go for The Yamasa Institute if I were given another chance. Yes, some other schools may be cheaper but it’s not always about the price.
Hi Gaijinhan,
Thanks for you review. It is very insightful.
I am thinking of studying at Yamasa. I actually sent my application in last week for their Discovery program. I have also emailed them a few times, but haven’t received any replies as yet! Did you also experience any delays with communication?
Best regards,
Zachary
Hi Zachary,
Thanks for dropping by. Unfortunately, I’m not familiar with their Discovery program.
I don’t remember exactly how long it took them to send me an email after I applied for the AIJP course via the website,
but one thing for sure is that, I usually get a response within 2 days on any enquiries I had through email.
In fact, most of the time I get a response from them on the very same day I sent my enquiry.
Hope things go smoothly for your application and definitely hope you’ll enjoy your time there!
Bests,
Hello! Thanks for your review!
I’m planning to study in Yamasa, so I’m wondering how much did u spend on personal expenses during your six months in Okazaki, so as to get a rough estimate of how much I should plan for this study trip?
Thanks!
Hi Jieyi,
Thanks for your message.
On average, I spent between 70,000~80,000 yen per month and I’m not a shopper, not a spendthrift but I didn’t exactly scrimp and save either so the 70,000~80,000 yen per month is probably the bare minimum you can get by with for an average lifestyle.
But as you may know, the situation in Japan now is pretty bad so, take your time to plan and come when it’s safe. =)
Hi gaijinhan,
Thanks for your info! I was actually planning to study there next year, after I have graduated from NUS(you’re my senpai ^^), but my parents are worried about the entire “studying in Japan” thing after this triple disaster incident.
Cheers,
Jieyi
Hi Jieyi,
You’re welcome! What’s your major?
Since there’s still a year to go, your parents might change their mind again then.
Hope things go well for you! =)
Taking time to plan properly and be safe is always excellent advice, but as a current student at Yamasa (the main teachers are outstandingly helpful and kind, and I agree with the reviewer that they make the other [still good!] teachers pale in comparison), Okazaki and Aichi Prefecture in general is utterly safe. Literally nothing has changed except there are donation boxes at most stores now. I think people tend to (understandably) severely underestimate the size of Japan.
This isn’t to downplay the tragedy that is still ongoing up north, but none of it has affected areas this south of the tsunami-affected areas in terms of safety. It’s kind of a bummer to see new student numbers drop when we (us Yamasa folks) can see for ourselves that things simply weren’t affected over here, even if it’s very understandable that parents are worried.
hi gaijinhan,
I have been following your blog for some time and would like to ask some questions about Yamasa. I am in the planning stage, but am considering taking a 6month AIJP course at Yamasa in Oct nxt yr. Would like to ask if 6 months is enough to pass the JLPT1? Also, I know how to read furigana and katakana and have passed JLPT4, but I have forgotten most of what I’ve learnt, how will Yamasa decide which level I should start my Japanese from? Did you rent a single room or share with a roommate- can you share your accommodation experience? Thanks in advance. 🙂
Hi hi (I don’t know how else to address you since that’s the name you put),
When you enroll for Yamasa, you will have to take a placement test so that the school can decide what class and level to put you in. I don’t want to assume the level of your Japanese language skills now and I don’t think anything is impossible but hypothetically speaking, if one’s level was at JLPT4 and hasn’t come into much contact with the language since, it is unlikely that this person would be able to pass JLPT1 in 6 months. Again, it’s not impossble.
I rented a single room then and I was glad I did that. For one, I went alone so I wouldn’t know what kind of person would be arranged to be my roommate. I didn’t want to risk sharing a room with someone whom I may feel uncomfortable with but I do know people who shared rooms and they certainly seemed to have enjoyed their time there. I guess I prefer more private space.
Hello,
I am about to do 5 weeks of SILAC in September. I past JLPT Level 3 but can someone tell me what to expect in this type of program? I have never attended Yamasa before. Also, what is the Nihongo Cafe class format?
Thanks.
Jericho
Hi Jericho,
I’ve never done SILAC before either but what I’ve heard from friends and teachers in that program is that it’s a conversational class and sometimes you get to do mini-assignments.
Apparently, they use the Minna no nihongo textbook as well and the teachers there are really good too.
As for the Nihongo Cafe class format, I believe that’s something new because I’ve never heard of that while I was studying there, so if you’re interested, maybe you could give it a try and let me know what it’s like.
Bests,
Thank you. Yeah, I am looking forward to the SILAC. So I guess I will have enough time daily outside of class to build up vocabulary/Kanji on my own. Do you (or anyone else) know the daily grind involved in the Accelerated Program? I will be coming back to Yamasa in November to do the 6 week Accelerated Program. Thanks.
Jericho
Hi,
I’m going to attend Yamasa AIJP for about a year and I’m wondering if there are teachers there that can provide information about master’s degree in universities? Cause after I have enough Japanese I would like to attend a Japanese University for further studies. Would you know any information regarding this issue?
Hi animeturkiye,
Sometimes the newsletters at Yamasa have information on further education.
I believe the teachers can and will help you on preparing the stuff you need to get into your university of choice but you’d have to do your own research as to which university you wanna enter and what stuff are required.
However, last I heard, the school has come up with new divisions so there could be one that helps students plan for life after Yamasa. That’s about as much as I can provide. You might wanna drop them an email instead and if you don’t mind, update me on what’s new.
Hi there, I have been following your blog for a while. It has really inspired me to muster up the courage to realise my dream of studying, living and working in Japan one day. =) Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings with us.
I’m not too sure if this has been answered in any of your other blog entries, but what was your level of japanese before you headed to Yamasa? Also, were there any other japanese language schools you were considering before you finally decided on Yamasa? Thank you!
Hi Onigiri Chan,
Thank you for reading.
I studied Japanese for around 5-6 years from year 2000. I passed JLPT2 in 2003 and stopped studying from 2005 after I completed the advanced class at the language school I was attending. So, after 5 years of not using the language, in spite of my JLPT2, I suppose my level (especially in speaking and listening) was down to around JLPT3 level. But it doesn’t really matter which level you’re at because the school has classes for complete beginners to really advanced students. You’ll have to take a placement test before the teachers decide on which level you would attend.
Yes, I actually browsed a number of school websites here (http://jls-guide.com/english/school_list/index.html). It segregates schools by prefectures. I did consider schools like the Japanese Language Institute of Sapporo as well as a few others which I can’t remember now. But it really depends on which area you want to live in too.
I hope you’ll make it here someday too.
Bests! =)
Thank you for the link! I browsed through the website a few days back but I didn’t realise that the list was actually longer than the one on the homepage. (silly me) I’ll take a look at the list again. =)
Thanks so much! I too felt like they were lying when they said ‘cheapest price’, since I’ve been doing research on schools for last few weeks and I found quite a few that were much less. This review is really helpful and has inspired me to work really hard to try and save up the costs. I didn’t know their activities were included in the costs! Thaks!
Hello gaijinhan,
First, thank you for all your informative blog posts about life in Japan. I’ve been following this blog for slightly more than a year now, which started when I was looking for information about Yamasa Institute. I myself have applied for the AIJP course at Yamasa and will be heading to Okazaki very soon… May I ask:
How much time did you spend working on your Japanese homework/assignments outside of class time?
I do plan to work on other things besides brushing up my Japanese proficiency, so I would definitely appreciate it if you can give me a rough idea of how much time I can budget for these activities, based on your experience when you were there.
Thank you!
Hi Trapeze Swinger,
Thank you for reading. Honestly, I didn’t spend too much time on homework and assignments daily. I can’t remember exactly but I probably spent only an hour or so a day at most for homework. Hope this helps.
Hello gaijinhan,
Thank you for replying. I’ll use it as reference as I plan my schedule and adjust accordingly once I’m there =)
Hi thank you for the reviews! I just want to ask if you need to pay the tutition fee for a 6 mos course at once or can i pay through installment basis? Thanks
Hi Jesse,
I don’t remember exactly if you could pay through installment but I paid in full before going over. If I’m not wrong, it is required for visa application but I suggest you check with the school directly. They should reply pretty quickly.