Japanese Pop Culture Course with Meiji Academy

This program was a big opportunity to interact with Japanese people and get used to their captivating culture. We had nice and fun activities in the evenings or on the weekend. I became friend with the Japanese volunteers that participated in the outside activities and events at school. It was a great opportunity for them and for us to talk about each other's cultures and practice languages.
I loved the city of Fukuoka. My favorite places were the Maizuru Kouen, Itoshima and the Hakata City Hall. My favorite restaurant was Shin Shin, it's a ramen restaurant and it was so delicious!

The sharehouse was not too bad, with all the necessary equipment. The school facilities were accessible and warm, I liked the disposition of the rooms. We were not all in the same classes (we had different Japanese levels), but we could meet up in the common room after our classes ended. The lady from the front office was very nice, I loved to speak in Japanese with her. Speaking of which, I really noticed that my Japanese level improved because when I arrived, I could barely say some easy words, but in the end, we could have proper conversations together in Japanese!
The pop culture course was fun, I enjoyed it very much!

I've always wanted to learn Japanese properly! I went to Japan for the first time 2 years ago with my parents, but this time I wanted to go there alone and take Japanese classes. I like Japanese pop-culture, which is so different from the US' culture! Meiji Academy was a very good school and I'm happy that I trusted them. I chose a private apartment because I don't really like to share common rooms with other people. The apartment was comfy and well located. It was a bit small, but from what I've read on some blogs, it's always small in Japan. Well, it was not a problem for me, as long as I have access to the internet and all the necessary stuff, I'm happy! My parents wanted me to choose the sharehouse in order to meet people and make friends, but I made friends even without living in the sharehouse! We had classes together, and the school often set up activities where we could get to know each other.

Konnichiwa mina-san! I spent a great time in Fukuoka so I had to leave a comment about it!! The classes were interesting, my Japanese level improved a lot! They taught us useful things we could use in our daily life there, and all the basic Japanese (I was a complete beginner). After the classes we often had activities. Like the city tour for the new students, the okonomiyaki party or the karaoke. And for people who took the pop culture course, we had other special activities as well. We went to a maid cafe, a manga exposition, a cat cafe and a lot of cool places! I'm so glad I chose Meiji Academy! Everyone is nice and happy to welcome new students, and the classes and activities are on top!
My time was limited because of my university in my country, but next time I would like to try to do a longer trip, 3 weeks wasn't enough for me! I will maybe be back in summer!!

I will always remember the maid cafe haha! Of course, I will also remember the game center, calligraphy, etc, but we all had so much fun at the maid cafe!! It would have been different if it hadn’t been with the amazing friends I made at Meiji. I loved the sharehouse and all the activities because I could meet a lot of open-minded people and make Japanese and non-Japanese friends. Plus, I improved my Japanese skills so much, I'm really happy :) I can guarantee that at Meiji you will learn Japanese while having fun, and I think that's the most important for a language school, right? I will surely continue to work on my Japanese because I'm not done with this country yet. I would like to come back someday and try a different place. Those 4 weeks motivated me to keep going!!

Meiji Academy’s pop culture course is perfect for anyone who really wants to learn Japanese while experiencing the most fun, interesting and sometimes weirdest aspects of modern Japan.

It was my first time coming to Japan, so I opted for a course that allowed me to learn Japanese and have experiences outside of the classroom at the same time. I did not know that Meiji would also arrange activities for students if they had not booked a specific course. First I was confused, but I soon came to understand that the activities are quite different. The “normal“ activities encompass things like language exchanges, tours to local shrines, weekend trips to the islands, takoyaki party or tea ceremony. Meanwhile, the pop culture class activities are proper classes that allow you to gain a deep understanding for Japanese culture. Plus, you will have a teacher. Mine was very knowledgable about Japan and could link the modern activities to history, which I found very interesting. Together we went to a Maid Cafe, Anime exhibition and had a manga drawing lesson. The last one was my favourite !

I am sure I will return to Japan once I finish my first few semesters at uni. Next time I hope to either do a semester at university in Japan or do an Art internship. Can’t wait !!!!