Common misconception is going to a smaller city is going to be easier to maintain yourself, this works if you have all your money already saved but if you're trying to do part time job since you're in a small city the wage it's also a lot less. So that's is something to look into.
Hey, I have a doubt about choosing your language school. In order to go or apply for a university, once you finished the 2 years learning japanese, in order to apply it has to be on the same prefecture or you can still apply and the move to that area/prefecture? (I hope you can understand the question, I'm not a native speaker 😅)
I’m probably way too late answering this now! Did you end up applying? It does not have to be the same area, I moved from Fukuoka to Kanagawa to start uni!
I think I saw you in another video featuring the Fukuoka Language School on KemushiChan's UA-cam channel. That's so cool! I have Japanese grandparents and cousins, but I grew up in North Carolina, USA and did not learn Japanese growing up. I really want to learn Japanese, and have considered going to a Japanese language school. I have considered Fukuoka, KCP International, and Shinjuku Language Institute. Would you recommend the Fukuoka school? Do you know anything about the other two schools? I heard in a previous video that you knew you wanted to go to Fukuoka to study Japanese. Why specifically Fukuoka? Sorry for the long post!
Hey Michael! Yeah, that's correct lol! That day was awesome and she was so sweet!! That's cool that you want to learn Japanese, then I guess you'd be able to talk to that part of your family in Japanese too? I would definitely reccomend FFLC! Unfortunately I can't say anything about those other schools since I only know them by name, but I'm sure they are good too! Yeah, I did. My first experience in Japan was as a high school exchange student in Kumamoto, the neighbouring prefecture. I was there for 10 months and did visit Fukuoka a few times, and I really enjoyed being there and became curious to know and see more of the city. Also, many of my friends from my time in high school still lived in Kumamoto or had moved to Fukuoka for university, and I wanted to live nearby them so I could meet and hang out with them again! I did look at a few other schools and compared different things like tuition, level, what they offered etc (most of that info I got from gogonihon) and even after doing that I felt like FFLC would be the best match for me personally. And I'm super happy I made the decision to go there because I had a great time!! When are you planning to start? Or are you still considering whether to go or not? Let me know if you have any other questions!! And thanks for your comment!
@@johannakatakana Thank you so much for your response! I want to start either in April or October 2020. I know that I want to go to Japan and learn Japanese, but I am undecided on how I will do that. Maybe through a Japanese language school or possibly JET program. I feel that Japanese language school is much more efficient way to learn Japanese, however I will be losing most of my hard-earned money through this route. JET would allow me to be in Japan and make money, but it would be less efficient in learning Japanese. Oh, at FFLC, how are the classes structured? Is it mostly drilling vocabulary and grammar? Is there a lot of speaking practice?
Ahh okay, that sounds good!! If you want to start in April next year the applications will open soon! As for going to a language school vs teaching English, there is a big difference for sure. Since you’re usually not really allowed to use any Japanese at work if you’re an English teacher and you’re usually tired after work, you proooobaly won’t get THAT much studying in there. That’s what I’ve heard from other teachers who wanted to do the same thing! And yeah haha, language schools are definitely expensive. You could teach English as a part time job though, the pay for teaching English is usually at least double what you get for any other part time job here! We do learn all of those things, but I think there is more focus on vocabulary, grammar and reading/listening. But you’ll have teachers all around you, even outside of school! I mean, since you’ll be living in japan, as long as you make Japanese friends who will speak Japanese with you you will learn to speak quite fast! And on the opposite side, even if you study conversation in class but don’t use it outside the classroom you won’t improve a lot! You could come here an an English teacher and make sure to spend lots of time with Japanese people after work, then you’ll definitely improve as well. It’s just that you will have to self study kanji and grammar etc. I hope that’s helpful for you! ☺️
First of thank you sm for making this video!! how is it exactly with the fee? (do you pay monthly?) how do you get a part time job in Japan ( i always imagined it to be very hard since you can’t really speak the language) and how did you find a place to live and how can you afford it? sorry for my questions but i want to go to a Japanese language school and if possible I would love to stay a year and I’m currently saving money for it. :)
I’m happy it could be of help!! At my school (and I believe most schools) we payed half of the fee before actually going to japan (so a couple of weeks before school starts) and the second part of the fee a few weeks after the second semester started. I believe some schools will let you break up the payment if you explain your economical situation, but the first payment I think you have to pay straight up! I tried to apply for and find a job by looking through websites that listen part time job offers, but ended up working at a restaurant that my friend introduced me to. I already spoke a fair amount of Japanese when I started so it was easier for me to start working, but your language school will help you find a job that don’t require any language skills! They’re all jobs like packing lunch boxes or different kinds of factory jobs though. You could also try to find a job teaching English, it pays a lot better but you will probably not get as many hours a week as you could getting some kind of factory job. There are of course other jobs out there but it can be hard to find and it’s a bit hard to say! But yeah there are definitely lots of chances to work! The first six months I lived in my schools dormitory, which I applied to while doing all the other paperwork in the application process. After those six months I went to a real estate bureau and they helped me find an apartment! I worked quite a lot to be able to pay my bills, so yeah I covered my living expenses through working. You can usually find cheap apartments (quality might be a bit bad and small size though) and I think it’s quite easy to live a cheap life over here! No worries! If you have any more questions please ask me here or send me a message on Instagram! ☺️ I’m just happy to be of help!
Hey again, sorry for the late reply! The dormitory I stayed in didn’t differ that much in prize compared to the apartment I moved to after, but if you live in a dormitory your bills (gas, electricity and water) are included in the rent, so in that way the dormitory was a bit cheaper. It is as you say though, dormitories are usually pretty small, while my apartment was pretty spacious!
Nice to see you're replying to recent comments, can't wait for you next video. I heard Tokyo might lift emergency if all goes well, in 2 days. Doubt the country travel ban will lift right after but it's getting super close for sure, whether that's a good thing (business), or bad thing (second spike of possible infection). Hope you're doing well, and I can't wait to get to Japan. Been working my ass off to save money and don't want to have my hopes dashed now.
We got the news today that they’re lifting it for the rest of the prefectures tomorrow, the 25th! The travel ban will probably last for a while longer though... And yeah, I hope that the second wave won’t be too bad even though some people are probably RUSHING out of their homes lol. I’m doing well, missing my friends but in good health and safe!! I hope you’re doing well too! I know waiting like this must be really frustrating and I hope you’ll make it over here safely!
@@johannakatakana welp my airline just sent me an email saying the plane I was supposed to be on is not in service because of lack of passengers , sigh, so now it'll be July 1st when I arrive in Fukuoka. Maybe this is better tho haha
At least thing will hopefully have returned a bit more to normal by then! You will be met by a heatwave, maaaybe still rainy season and lots of cicadas 🤣
Did you self-sponsor? Or did your relatives sponsor you? I tried going but I can’t self-sponsor because I haven’t worked full time for 2 years but I have the money.
To be honest I don’t really remember, but I think I put one of my parents as my sponsor but then payed all the costs myself anyways, since I like you had the money ready but hadn’t worked long enough!
I'm also Going To apply for Language course in Japan for July Intake. Would you Suggest me any better city . Which i can afford easily . And without Rush
If you want to live more cheaply you should stay away from the biggest cities! Some examples of “smaller” cities are Kyoto, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Sendai and Sapporo! ☺️ There might still be some rush, but not as much as in the biggest cities!
@@jacey0430 cant be sure if you're trolling or being serious. Where in Japan would it cost 130,000 dollars (Canadian, usd, or Australian) a month for a student?
To be honest I don’t remember the exact amount, but I saved enough to cover my tuition for the whole year and six months of dormitory rent, and after that I think I had about 400,000 yen with me that lasted until I started working!
Hello ! Thanks for your precious insight on this topic. I had a weird question actually. I was trying to get a student loan but for that they said that you first need to become a student. But how is that possible, because you need to pay to get the student visa therefore the student status ? im so confused. Or it is just France being **** 😥 Anyway thank you again so much for sharing !
Just a question about dormitory cost? An exemple for like a semester in cities like Fukuoka or Sapporo? Please I really want to have a clear idea for renting! Because schools fees are everywhere and I already know what I’m supposed to be ready for
My dormitory in Fukuoka was around 45,000 yen (if I remember correctly), and that’s with gas, electricity and water included. I had to pay for the first 6 months before moving in (during my applications), but after that time you could choose to stay in the dorm and then pay monthly instead!
I knew some who were teaching English, but I don't know if they were struggling or not 🤔 Teaching English is nice because the salary is generally quite good, but you normally won't be able to work that many hours per week, so what you end up earning isn't thaat much! Generally speaking!
Hey I got an question. Will I be able to find a job in English language in finance field(mainly non tech) or I will have to get a job in Japanese language (intra office communication) after completing n2? I want to learn the language but prefer to keep working in English only so as to make my experience count after I move out. What do you think about that? Thanks
Hey! I don’t know too much about that field, but if you try to find an international company that operates in English and not Japanese that should be possible! It seems like more and more companies where English is used are coming here, so if you have a bachelors degree/a couple of years of work experience in that field I’m sure you can find a job like that here! It might take some time but I definitely think it sounds realistic!
I mean whatever the amount will be does I have to pay the full amount before going to school or I can pay the money yearly or monthly Plz tell me the payment process ????
If you work a LOT, both during the school semesters and school breaks, I do think it's possible. But it will take away from your experience and make it harder to focus on studying since you'll be tired a lot of the time!
@@johannakatakanaduring my one year language schooling, can I be able to make enough money from part time jobs that will be enough to pay my bills when I secure admission into university ?
@@Deepak-ju2ge thanks so much dear. Pls when is the the language school application period and how much is their tuition…..like how much did you pay as a tuition fee and other things?????
I have a question. How do sponsorships work? If I had to list my parent as a sponsor, do they need to make a minimum income or have a minimum balance in their bank account? If so, about how much is required? Thank you.
If you list someone else as your sponsor, you have to submit a screenshot or something equivalent of their bank account balance! I'm afraid i don't remember how much it was, and it might have changed since I did it, so you should probably ask the language school directly!
I saved up to cover the first year of tuition fees, six months of rent in a dormitory and I think I had around 350,000 yen left after that that I used for food, transportation etc before I got a job!
I think it's better if you visit the websites of the language schools your interested in, as the requirements differ a bit depending on what school you're looking at ☺️
Common misconception is going to a smaller city is going to be easier to maintain yourself, this works if you have all your money already saved but if you're trying to do part time job since you're in a small city the wage it's also a lot less. So that's is something to look into.
Definitely! It’ll be hard to work for your living either way, I experienced that living in Fukuoka! Thank you for your insightful comment!
Hey, I have a doubt about choosing your language school. In order to go or apply for a university, once you finished the 2 years learning japanese, in order to apply it has to be on the same prefecture or you can still apply and the move to that area/prefecture? (I hope you can understand the question, I'm not a native speaker 😅)
I’m probably way too late answering this now! Did you end up applying? It does not have to be the same area, I moved from Fukuoka to Kanagawa to start uni!
You’re amazing Johanna thanks for this update
Thank you!!
I think I saw you in another video featuring the Fukuoka Language School on KemushiChan's UA-cam channel. That's so cool! I have Japanese grandparents and cousins, but I grew up in North Carolina, USA and did not learn Japanese growing up. I really want to learn Japanese, and have considered going to a Japanese language school. I have considered Fukuoka, KCP International, and Shinjuku Language Institute. Would you recommend the Fukuoka school? Do you know anything about the other two schools? I heard in a previous video that you knew you wanted to go to Fukuoka to study Japanese. Why specifically Fukuoka? Sorry for the long post!
Hey Michael! Yeah, that's correct lol! That day was awesome and she was so sweet!!
That's cool that you want to learn Japanese, then I guess you'd be able to talk to that part of your family in Japanese too?
I would definitely reccomend FFLC! Unfortunately I can't say anything about those other schools since I only know them by name, but I'm sure they are good too!
Yeah, I did. My first experience in Japan was as a high school exchange student in Kumamoto, the neighbouring prefecture. I was there for 10 months and did visit Fukuoka a few times, and I really enjoyed being there and became curious to know and see more of the city. Also, many of my friends from my time in high school still lived in Kumamoto or had moved to Fukuoka for university, and I wanted to live nearby them so I could meet and hang out with them again! I did look at a few other schools and compared different things like tuition, level, what they offered etc (most of that info I got from gogonihon) and even after doing that I felt like FFLC would be the best match for me personally. And I'm super happy I made the decision to go there because I had a great time!!
When are you planning to start? Or are you still considering whether to go or not? Let me know if you have any other questions!! And thanks for your comment!
@@johannakatakana Thank you so much for your response! I want to start either in April or October 2020. I know that I want to go to Japan and learn Japanese, but I am undecided on how I will do that. Maybe through a Japanese language school or possibly JET program. I feel that Japanese language school is much more efficient way to learn Japanese, however I will be losing most of my hard-earned money through this route. JET would allow me to be in Japan and make money, but it would be less efficient in learning Japanese. Oh, at FFLC, how are the classes structured? Is it mostly drilling vocabulary and grammar? Is there a lot of speaking practice?
Ahh okay, that sounds good!! If you want to start in April next year the applications will open soon!
As for going to a language school vs teaching English, there is a big difference for sure. Since you’re usually not really allowed to use any Japanese at work if you’re an English teacher and you’re usually tired after work, you proooobaly won’t get THAT much studying in there. That’s what I’ve heard from other teachers who wanted to do the same thing! And yeah haha, language schools are definitely expensive. You could teach English as a part time job though, the pay for teaching English is usually at least double what you get for any other part time job here!
We do learn all of those things, but I think there is more focus on vocabulary, grammar and reading/listening. But you’ll have teachers all around you, even outside of school! I mean, since you’ll be living in japan, as long as you make Japanese friends who will speak Japanese with you you will learn to speak quite fast! And on the opposite side, even if you study conversation in class but don’t use it outside the classroom you won’t improve a lot! You could come here an an English teacher and make sure to spend lots of time with Japanese people after work, then you’ll definitely improve as well. It’s just that you will have to self study kanji and grammar etc. I hope that’s helpful for you! ☺️
First of thank you sm for making this video!!
how is it exactly with the fee? (do you pay monthly?) how do you get a part time job in Japan ( i always imagined it to be very hard since you can’t really speak the language) and how did you find a place to live and how can you afford it?
sorry for my questions but i want to go to a Japanese language school and if possible I would love to stay a year and I’m currently saving money for it. :)
I’m happy it could be of help!!
At my school (and I believe most schools) we payed half of the fee before actually going to japan (so a couple of weeks before school starts) and the second part of the fee a few weeks after the second semester started. I believe some schools will let you break up the payment if you explain your economical situation, but the first payment I think you have to pay straight up!
I tried to apply for and find a job by looking through websites that listen part time job offers, but ended up working at a restaurant that my friend introduced me to. I already spoke a fair amount of Japanese when I started so it was easier for me to start working, but your language school will help you find a job that don’t require any language skills! They’re all jobs like packing lunch boxes or different kinds of factory jobs though. You could also try to find a job teaching English, it pays a lot better but you will probably not get as many hours a week as you could getting some kind of factory job. There are of course other jobs out there but it can be hard to find and it’s a bit hard to say! But yeah there are definitely lots of chances to work!
The first six months I lived in my schools dormitory, which I applied to while doing all the other paperwork in the application process. After those six months I went to a real estate bureau and they helped me find an apartment! I worked quite a lot to be able to pay my bills, so yeah I covered my living expenses through working. You can usually find cheap apartments (quality might be a bit bad and small size though) and I think it’s quite easy to live a cheap life over here!
No worries! If you have any more questions please ask me here or send me a message on Instagram! ☺️ I’m just happy to be of help!
@@johannakatakana apartment must be more expensive then dormitory how the dormitory there u have enough space ? thank you for the info
Hey again, sorry for the late reply! The dormitory I stayed in didn’t differ that much in prize compared to the apartment I moved to after, but if you live in a dormitory your bills (gas, electricity and water) are included in the rent, so in that way the dormitory was a bit cheaper. It is as you say though, dormitories are usually pretty small, while my apartment was pretty spacious!
Nice to see you're replying to recent comments, can't wait for you next video. I heard Tokyo might lift emergency if all goes well, in 2 days. Doubt the country travel ban will lift right after but it's getting super close for sure, whether that's a good thing (business), or bad thing (second spike of possible infection).
Hope you're doing well, and I can't wait to get to Japan. Been working my ass off to save money and don't want to have my hopes dashed now.
We got the news today that they’re lifting it for the rest of the prefectures tomorrow, the 25th! The travel ban will probably last for a while longer though... And yeah, I hope that the second wave won’t be too bad even though some people are probably RUSHING out of their homes lol. I’m doing well, missing my friends but in good health and safe!! I hope you’re doing well too! I know waiting like this must be really frustrating and I hope you’ll make it over here safely!
@@johannakatakana welp my airline just sent me an email saying the plane I was supposed to be on is not in service because of lack of passengers , sigh, so now it'll be July 1st when I arrive in Fukuoka. Maybe this is better tho haha
At least thing will hopefully have returned a bit more to normal by then! You will be met by a heatwave, maaaybe still rainy season and lots of cicadas 🤣
your advice in this video aged like fine wine, really appreciate the info all together.. thanks!
Thanks a lot! ☺️
Great video. Thank you very much for sharing😀🇯🇵🌸
Thank you, I’m happy you liked it! ☺️
Did you self-sponsor? Or did your relatives sponsor you? I tried going but I can’t self-sponsor because I haven’t worked full time for 2 years but I have the money.
To be honest I don’t really remember, but I think I put one of my parents as my sponsor but then payed all the costs myself anyways, since I like you had the money ready but hadn’t worked long enough!
I'm also Going To apply for Language course in Japan for July Intake. Would you Suggest me any better city . Which i can afford easily . And without Rush
If you want to live more cheaply you should stay away from the biggest cities! Some examples of “smaller” cities are Kyoto, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Sendai and Sapporo! ☺️ There might still be some rush, but not as much as in the biggest cities!
1:20 Starts
What was your cost of living each month like in fukuoka? Would you say it’s cheaper compared to where you are now?
It was different and depended on how much money I had at that time, but I guess around 130,000 a month (or less when I didn’t have a lot of money)!
@@johannakatakana yen or dollars? Probably yen right?
@@jacey0430 cant be sure if you're trolling or being serious. Where in Japan would it cost 130,000 dollars (Canadian, usd, or Australian) a month for a student?
@@alexlathan8295 ya ik lmao I just wanted to make sure😂
If you don’t mind me asking how much did you save before going to Japan?
To be honest I don’t remember the exact amount, but I saved enough to cover my tuition for the whole year and six months of dormitory rent, and after that I think I had about 400,000 yen with me that lasted until I started working!
Hello !
Thanks for your precious insight on this topic. I had a weird question actually. I was trying to get a student loan but for that they said that you first need to become a student. But how is that possible, because you need to pay to get the student visa therefore the student status ?
im so confused. Or it is just France being **** 😥
Anyway thank you again so much for sharing !
Hi Johanna! Is there an age limit studying language in Japan?arigato!!!!
Do you need to show them your bank account balance with over $15k in it or it depends on the school?
I think you have to show your balance regardless of the school (as far as I know), but the amount might differ depending on the school!
Just a question about dormitory cost? An exemple for like a semester in cities like Fukuoka or Sapporo? Please I really want to have a clear idea for renting! Because schools fees are everywhere and I already know what I’m supposed to be ready for
My dormitory in Fukuoka was around 45,000 yen (if I remember correctly), and that’s with gas, electricity and water included. I had to pay for the first 6 months before moving in (during my applications), but after that time you could choose to stay in the dorm and then pay monthly instead!
johannakatakana 45000 a month?
Loris_M 07 yeah!
johannakatakana wow that’s almost 450 dollars right, ok thanks 👍🏾
What was the song you were singing?
Thank you so much for this! Were any one of your friends working as an ESL teacher, and if yes, were they also barely making it?
I knew some who were teaching English, but I don't know if they were struggling or not 🤔 Teaching English is nice because the salary is generally quite good, but you normally won't be able to work that many hours per week, so what you end up earning isn't thaat much! Generally speaking!
Hey I got an question. Will I be able to find a job in English language in finance field(mainly non tech) or I will have to get a job in Japanese language (intra office communication) after completing n2?
I want to learn the language but prefer to keep working in English only so as to make my experience count after I move out.
What do you think about that? Thanks
Hey! I don’t know too much about that field, but if you try to find an international company that operates in English and not Japanese that should be possible! It seems like more and more companies where English is used are coming here, so if you have a bachelors degree/a couple of years of work experience in that field I’m sure you can find a job like that here! It might take some time but I definitely think it sounds realistic!
Does I have to pay the money before going school or it’s jst monthly payments??
I mean whatever the amount will be does I have to pay the full amount before going to school or I can pay the money yearly or monthly
Plz tell me the payment process ????
I paid for the first half of my tuition fee before I started if I remember correctly, and then the second part after 6 months!
Can you pay your university fees by your part-time jobs in Japan or they were more expensive sis.
If you work a LOT, both during the school semesters and school breaks, I do think it's possible. But it will take away from your experience and make it harder to focus on studying since you'll be tired a lot of the time!
This is my fear ooo I don’t know how possible it is to fund myself from part time job
@@johannakatakanaduring my one year language schooling, can I be able to make enough money from part time jobs that will be enough to pay my bills when I secure admission into university ?
@@OfficialDinvention it's possible if work at two part time mean one has to be illegal and if work for a part time translator too
@@Deepak-ju2ge thanks so much dear. Pls when is the the language school application period and how much is their tuition…..like how much did you pay as a tuition fee and other things?????
I have a question. How do sponsorships work? If I had to list my parent as a sponsor, do they need to make a minimum income or have a minimum balance in their bank account? If so, about how much is required? Thank you.
If you list someone else as your sponsor, you have to submit a screenshot or something equivalent of their bank account balance! I'm afraid i don't remember how much it was, and it might have changed since I did it, so you should probably ask the language school directly!
How much were you able to save up in those 10 months?
I saved up to cover the first year of tuition fees, six months of rent in a dormitory and I think I had around 350,000 yen left after that that I used for food, transportation etc before I got a job!
Voice sounds like rosi in blackpink
I will take that as a compliment! 😂
johannakatakana big one
Nice
Thank yoooou!!
Can I get a scholarship for this language school
hello sis
wich school is better to learn Japanese language in 6 months? please give me a link please
Gdevening madam, How are u plizz. I cud Like to join u Lugange school so need to know the requirements plizz.
I think it's better if you visit the websites of the language schools your interested in, as the requirements differ a bit depending on what school you're looking at ☺️
Is kyoto expensive?
To live in? I don’t know, but I’m sure it’s cheaper than Osaka or tokyo!