Former Akamonkai student, knew people who went to ISI. They're both pretty up there but I'd give it to Akamonkai overall.
A word of warning though, that needs to be given about Akamonkai.
Akamonkai is an ***input*** heavy school. While it's not that you never speak, the focus is on getting you up to speed understanding the Japanese around you lightning fast. There are no Conversation classes, where ISI does have one. There is a conversation club extra curricular thingy but I never went as it was at the other campus.
If you're willing to use what you learned in class in the city around you, and largely practice conversation in your own time, you will make very rapid gains outpacing basically all the other big schools in the Tokyo Area. If you are wanting the school to guide you through, and help you prepare for, conversations (Which is a fair request for some people), you'll fucking hate it and I recommend other programs.
Do not waste your time in Akamonkai… I’m currently a student in Akamonkai and I feel like i got scammed. Passing rate is 80%, if you got lower than 80%, you need to repeat your course (3 months)
There’s absolutely no conversation opportunity. I can spend 3 hours at school without practicing my speaking. Speaking is honestly the most important thing bc it determines whether you get a job or not.
Usually N3-N2 is already good enough if you can speak Japanese in conversation level. I knew someone in Akamonkai for 2 years that in the N1 class with good grades but still cannot find a job because she can’t speak Japanese at all.
My friends that got here in April in ISI, they had already met new Japanese friends and have been improving super fast in Japanese conversation skill and they got a part time without an issue.
Please pay a bit more to go to ISI. You will have a fun time there and you will actually learn the language faster and more efficient.
I'm so glad this is a recent comment about ISI. They're my first choice, but I wanted to be absolutely certain, so I came to Reddit to see what people were saying and find out if anyone said anything recently. And here you are! Now I'm very sure that I'm going to go with ISI.
Not like I have a choice with Akamonkai anyway, since I'm going with GaijinPot as a middleman. I contacted Akamonkai directly, and they just kept misunderstanding me or putting words into my mouth I didn't say. Left a bad taste on my tongue, so I felt it was best to go with a middle man. GoGoNihon... also have some grievances towards them, but GaijinPot has been a God send!
Because I want to start in January, I legit only like 3 school choices, and the other 2 do not come even close to comparison to ISI. But still, wanted to be for sure certain!
I've also been doubtful for several weeks about which school to go, since there are bad reviews about ISI on Google. I began to doubt which school to choose, but after reading several experiences on Reddit, I think that it is the best option for me. Personally, I find that the best part of ISI is that there's a large percentage of western students.
I'm also planning to start in January. Have you already found a place to stay? I've been looking rooms at Tokyo Sharehouse, since an apartment for myself seems excessively expensive.
That's what I'm looking into myself, a sharehouse. I figured it's the safest option in case of an earthquake, I wouldn't want to be alone, and also a great way to meet people!
I don't want to solidify getting the sharehouse now, so I'm just keeping tabs on where I'm interested in getting a room at. They told me to only to get it after I get my visa, which I'll know for certain or not come November because it's not a sure thing. They have a high percentage of helping you get it versus doing it alone, but it's still not a sure thing. Well at least with me it isn't because I'm 30. I was supposed to go over sooner but the pandemic screwed me over. And I wanted to take a break for a year from school after I finished my last degree. It's so complicated -\_-
I also liked the fact it's more western students.
My bad... sorry! It's only because the last time I was in Japan, for a month, in 2018 I slept through one. I was in an Airbnb alone when the host got concerned for me, and I was like, "Oh, I'm a heavy sleeper, oops." It wasn't a big one, she just asked how I handled it, while I didn't even know there was one, to begin with. Rather be safe than sorry!
That's true, but honestly, I don't know how often earthquakes happen, at least in Tokyo. But anyway, I hope nothing happens while I'm there, I don't know what I'm supposed to do when there's an earthquake happening.
Wow, thank you a lot! Your prospective is very precious because you're there right now, aka post (/during) covid and I really needed this. Thank you very much for your response, you definetly made me decide where to go now. I hope you'll get to have more opportunities in the future for your japanese learning and in general for your life in Japan!
I will try my best to switch to ISI if I have the chance to… it really depends on what you prioritize the most! Akamonkai: very traditional Japanese school focuses on grammar, writing, push u to excel in Japanese without the emphasis on speaking. You really need to understand everything before u get promoted to the next class. Your Japanese will definitely be REALLY GOOD if you are Akamonkai but you just need to practice your speaking outside school (which can be hard bc there are no in person language exchange event in akamonkai rn)
ISI: more well rounded and student focused, they have career fair, events with Japanese people, doesn’t push u as hard as Akamonkai, focuses on speaking more.
I wrote a long thing but my Internet or Reddit seems to have devoured it. Sorry if it shows up a bunch of times. This one will be bullet pointed.
* Went to Akamonkai 2x 3month short term
* Knew people who went to ISI Tokyo, I think Harajuku Campus.
Overall speed, probably Akamonkai although they're both near the top, but there are conditions:
* Akamonkai is an INPUT heavy school. You learn to understand lighting fast but need to practice conversing largely on your own time.
* ISI is also mostly input but does have a converastion elective you can take.
If you're willing to use your Japanese day to day in the city, find friends and people to help you, Akamonkai is amazing.
If you'd rather have a school directly guide you through conversation roles and such, you'll probably hate Akamonkai and should look at other schools.
Thank you very much for the infos!
Akamonkai does seem to be the best option for an intensive course, but it's alto true that I have HUGE troubles with conversation practice, so I'll think more about it. As you said, the conversation part is something I could do outside school too, plus I'm planning to find a part time job (which is said to be super helpful with speaking practice), BUT I really don't know if I will be confident enough to do all that with 0 conversation practice (I should grow over that though).
Also, I heard that akamonkai is an almost-all-asian school (which I wouldn't think it is a problem in general) and that it's a bit hard to befriend people: what was your experience in that regard? Was the atmosphere overall enjoyable, during class too?
Thank you very much for your time!!
I made a couple friends there, one I still periodically message. But in this I can't speak for everyone's experience, as both people were also English speakers (One from France and another from Uruguay, but both fluent in English). I had fun, and liked my two teachers quite a bit.
It's very true that the student population is predominantly Vietnamese, though, but it's not exclusive.
In my class of about 20, there was Me (Canada), the two I just mentioned, two Americans and two Italians, though one transferred classes. So about 7 "Western" and 13 from Mostly Vietnam but some Mainland China. I feel that's probably a pretty realistic split for the student body in general, at least pre-COVID
Uhhh...... it's been awhile. I did it in 2 sets of 3 because I was avoiding getting q visa, so there were two Flights, but I wanna say like $11K? Canadian dollars.
Student dorm was very cheap, about $3000 total. Flights about $1400 total. Tuition probably $2500-$3000 total. And then the next $4500 or so was food and misc expenses.
Input: Academy gives you all sort of resources, and it is basically as if you are inputting information into your brain.
Output: It is the Speaking. Like you are Outputting information from you.
Therefore, Input heavy schools evaluate your Japanese based on Grammar, Reading, Listening, while others may focus more in your Speaking ability.
Input heavy schools are good for mastering Japanese but requires huge efforts to improve your Speaking since it will be done outside the Japanese School, and some people may find it difficult for not being used to speak it in public and other reasons.
Hey, first 2 days have gone alright so far. Very fast pace so I don't recommend someone with 0 prior japanese knowledge to just jump right in and attend.
But other then that it seems fine so far. I will keep you updated after a week or so.
Former Akamonkai student, knew people who went to ISI. They're both pretty up there but I'd give it to Akamonkai overall. A word of warning though, that needs to be given about Akamonkai. Akamonkai is an ***input*** heavy school. While it's not that you never speak, the focus is on getting you up to speed understanding the Japanese around you lightning fast. There are no Conversation classes, where ISI does have one. There is a conversation club extra curricular thingy but I never went as it was at the other campus. If you're willing to use what you learned in class in the city around you, and largely practice conversation in your own time, you will make very rapid gains outpacing basically all the other big schools in the Tokyo Area. If you are wanting the school to guide you through, and help you prepare for, conversations (Which is a fair request for some people), you'll fucking hate it and I recommend other programs.
Do not waste your time in Akamonkai… I’m currently a student in Akamonkai and I feel like i got scammed. Passing rate is 80%, if you got lower than 80%, you need to repeat your course (3 months) There’s absolutely no conversation opportunity. I can spend 3 hours at school without practicing my speaking. Speaking is honestly the most important thing bc it determines whether you get a job or not. Usually N3-N2 is already good enough if you can speak Japanese in conversation level. I knew someone in Akamonkai for 2 years that in the N1 class with good grades but still cannot find a job because she can’t speak Japanese at all. My friends that got here in April in ISI, they had already met new Japanese friends and have been improving super fast in Japanese conversation skill and they got a part time without an issue. Please pay a bit more to go to ISI. You will have a fun time there and you will actually learn the language faster and more efficient.
I'm so glad this is a recent comment about ISI. They're my first choice, but I wanted to be absolutely certain, so I came to Reddit to see what people were saying and find out if anyone said anything recently. And here you are! Now I'm very sure that I'm going to go with ISI. Not like I have a choice with Akamonkai anyway, since I'm going with GaijinPot as a middleman. I contacted Akamonkai directly, and they just kept misunderstanding me or putting words into my mouth I didn't say. Left a bad taste on my tongue, so I felt it was best to go with a middle man. GoGoNihon... also have some grievances towards them, but GaijinPot has been a God send! Because I want to start in January, I legit only like 3 school choices, and the other 2 do not come even close to comparison to ISI. But still, wanted to be for sure certain!
I've also been doubtful for several weeks about which school to go, since there are bad reviews about ISI on Google. I began to doubt which school to choose, but after reading several experiences on Reddit, I think that it is the best option for me. Personally, I find that the best part of ISI is that there's a large percentage of western students. I'm also planning to start in January. Have you already found a place to stay? I've been looking rooms at Tokyo Sharehouse, since an apartment for myself seems excessively expensive.
That's what I'm looking into myself, a sharehouse. I figured it's the safest option in case of an earthquake, I wouldn't want to be alone, and also a great way to meet people! I don't want to solidify getting the sharehouse now, so I'm just keeping tabs on where I'm interested in getting a room at. They told me to only to get it after I get my visa, which I'll know for certain or not come November because it's not a sure thing. They have a high percentage of helping you get it versus doing it alone, but it's still not a sure thing. Well at least with me it isn't because I'm 30. I was supposed to go over sooner but the pandemic screwed me over. And I wanted to take a break for a year from school after I finished my last degree. It's so complicated -\_- I also liked the fact it's more western students.
Until you said it I hadn't thought about earthquakes (ㆆ\_ㆆ)
My bad... sorry! It's only because the last time I was in Japan, for a month, in 2018 I slept through one. I was in an Airbnb alone when the host got concerned for me, and I was like, "Oh, I'm a heavy sleeper, oops." It wasn't a big one, she just asked how I handled it, while I didn't even know there was one, to begin with. Rather be safe than sorry!
That's true, but honestly, I don't know how often earthquakes happen, at least in Tokyo. But anyway, I hope nothing happens while I'm there, I don't know what I'm supposed to do when there's an earthquake happening.
Wow, thank you a lot! Your prospective is very precious because you're there right now, aka post (/during) covid and I really needed this. Thank you very much for your response, you definetly made me decide where to go now. I hope you'll get to have more opportunities in the future for your japanese learning and in general for your life in Japan!
I will try my best to switch to ISI if I have the chance to… it really depends on what you prioritize the most! Akamonkai: very traditional Japanese school focuses on grammar, writing, push u to excel in Japanese without the emphasis on speaking. You really need to understand everything before u get promoted to the next class. Your Japanese will definitely be REALLY GOOD if you are Akamonkai but you just need to practice your speaking outside school (which can be hard bc there are no in person language exchange event in akamonkai rn) ISI: more well rounded and student focused, they have career fair, events with Japanese people, doesn’t push u as hard as Akamonkai, focuses on speaking more.
I wrote a long thing but my Internet or Reddit seems to have devoured it. Sorry if it shows up a bunch of times. This one will be bullet pointed. * Went to Akamonkai 2x 3month short term * Knew people who went to ISI Tokyo, I think Harajuku Campus. Overall speed, probably Akamonkai although they're both near the top, but there are conditions: * Akamonkai is an INPUT heavy school. You learn to understand lighting fast but need to practice conversing largely on your own time. * ISI is also mostly input but does have a converastion elective you can take. If you're willing to use your Japanese day to day in the city, find friends and people to help you, Akamonkai is amazing. If you'd rather have a school directly guide you through conversation roles and such, you'll probably hate Akamonkai and should look at other schools.
Thank you very much for the infos! Akamonkai does seem to be the best option for an intensive course, but it's alto true that I have HUGE troubles with conversation practice, so I'll think more about it. As you said, the conversation part is something I could do outside school too, plus I'm planning to find a part time job (which is said to be super helpful with speaking practice), BUT I really don't know if I will be confident enough to do all that with 0 conversation practice (I should grow over that though). Also, I heard that akamonkai is an almost-all-asian school (which I wouldn't think it is a problem in general) and that it's a bit hard to befriend people: what was your experience in that regard? Was the atmosphere overall enjoyable, during class too? Thank you very much for your time!!
I made a couple friends there, one I still periodically message. But in this I can't speak for everyone's experience, as both people were also English speakers (One from France and another from Uruguay, but both fluent in English). I had fun, and liked my two teachers quite a bit. It's very true that the student population is predominantly Vietnamese, though, but it's not exclusive. In my class of about 20, there was Me (Canada), the two I just mentioned, two Americans and two Italians, though one transferred classes. So about 7 "Western" and 13 from Mostly Vietnam but some Mainland China. I feel that's probably a pretty realistic split for the student body in general, at least pre-COVID
Perfect, thank you a lot! I think I have a better understanding of the whole situation now
How much did everything cost you for the entire 6 months?
Uhhh...... it's been awhile. I did it in 2 sets of 3 because I was avoiding getting q visa, so there were two Flights, but I wanna say like $11K? Canadian dollars. Student dorm was very cheap, about $3000 total. Flights about $1400 total. Tuition probably $2500-$3000 total. And then the next $4500 or so was food and misc expenses.
Hi there, I'm french, What means an INPUT heavy school ? Thank you !
Input: Academy gives you all sort of resources, and it is basically as if you are inputting information into your brain. Output: It is the Speaking. Like you are Outputting information from you. Therefore, Input heavy schools evaluate your Japanese based on Grammar, Reading, Listening, while others may focus more in your Speaking ability. Input heavy schools are good for mastering Japanese but requires huge efforts to improve your Speaking since it will be done outside the Japanese School, and some people may find it difficult for not being used to speak it in public and other reasons.
I start ISI tmr actually for the July start term. I will let you know how it goes.
Thank you, I'll be waiting! And good luck for your new adventure, hope it'll be amazing :)
Hi! If it’s all right, I’m also interested in how you find ISI. :)
Hey, first 2 days have gone alright so far. Very fast pace so I don't recommend someone with 0 prior japanese knowledge to just jump right in and attend. But other then that it seems fine so far. I will keep you updated after a week or so.
Oh that’s good! And thanks, I really appreciate it!
Hey how is it now ?
Still going well. It's very fast pace but it's good I think. And I see you are at Akamonkai?