Absolutely amazing experience

I spent a month in Hokkaido JaLS in July 2014 on their standard course, and I loved every minute of it. I was nervous at first, but the friendly teachers and relaxed atmosphere helped me settle into the place very quickly.

We had two teachers who took us on different days during the week. Both of them were super friendly and funny, and very able to make learning Japanese a very easy and fun experience. We used the 'Dekiru Nihongo' textbook in combination with various other learning resources. The textbook can be a bit dry on its own, but the teachers made a great effort to transform lessons into group activities and as a result I got to practise spoken Japanese every day. Writing and listening was also thoroughly practised. Although I had some difficulty writing my first essay, my teacher Haruka-sensei helped me with my Japanese and I improved massively as a result. Lessons lasted from After school there were often other activities that gave us the chance to meet Japanese people and practise Japanese with them. Almost constantly there were activities over the weekend which you could opt into, and these provided the perfect opportunity to mingle with other students. I made many friends in the school who I'm still in contact with and my teachers even still help me over the internet!

The accommodation arranged through the school was not only affordable and comfortable but had a brilliant atmosphere and I made many life-long friends while living there.

I was truly a once in a lifetime experience.