Tokyo

JAPAN

Tokyo is the dream destination for thousands of Japanese learners around the world, a bursting metropolis where they can completely immerse themselves in Japanese culture and tradition 24/7. At ESL, we’re proud to offer exceptional quality language courses to help our students learn Japanese in Tokyo, and explore every corner of this amazing city from the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing at Shibuya to Harajuku, where trends are set in seconds.

COURSES

HIRAGANA/KATAKANA COURSE

20 x 50 min.

JAPANESE CONVERSATION COURSE

20 x 50 min.

JAPANESE CONVERSATION COURSE (24+)

20 x 50 min.

INTENSIVE COMBINED COURSE 20 x 50 min = 16 general + 4 writing.

INTENSIVE COMBINED COURSE 20 x 50 min = 16 general + 4 writing.

JAPANESE + CULTURE

20 x 50 min.

JAPANESE + MANGA (4 WEEKS)

25 x 50 min = 20 general + 5 options.

JAPANESE + MANGA (8 WEEKS)

30 x 50 min = 20 general + 10 options.

JAPANESE + MANGA (12 WEEKS)

36 x 50 min = 20 general + 16 options.

JAPANESE + COOKING

22 x 50 min = 20 general + 2 cooking.

Kudan Institute of Japanese Language & Culture

Occupying three floors of a modern building in the centre of Tokyo, the language school is easily reachable by metro (Kudanshita, Jimbocho or Suidobashi stations). It boasts 12 bright, spacious classrooms on the lower floors, while the 8th floor conveys a traditional, peaceful atmosphere with a Japanese tea ceremony room and calligraphy room. It‘s open for students to have lunch or study. The school is located in a business and university district, which is home to numerous universities, shops and restaurants that you can visit in the company of your international classmates coming from over 65 different countries. Enjoy free Wi-Fi throughout the school as well as 2 computers, a small library, drinks machine and a hot/cold water dispenser. The Kudan Institute also offers events such as graduation ceremony, speech contest and cultural exchange.

KEY POINTS

–Located in the centre of Tokyo, near the main attractions. –School experienced in teaching international students. –Provides not only Japanese language education but also traditional cultural experience. –A variety of courses for all levels.

Host family

The school has carefully selected a network of host families ready to welcome international students. You will be hosted in a single room with half board during the week and full board at the weekend. Japanese culture places great importance on hospitality. When a family receives someone, they do it well and genuinely care about their guest’s well being. Therefore, don’t be surprised if you’re asked to return home at a specific time each evening! The families mainly live in the residential areas of Kanagawa, Chiba, and Saitama, around an hour’s journey from the school, which is a good average considering Tokyo’s size.

ACCOMMODATION

Included in the course:

• Level and needs assessment. • End-of-course report andcertificate.

Course start dates and duration:

1 to 48-week programmes, every Monday of the year.

At a glance

MUST-KNOWS

If you relish filling your Instagram feed with dazzling travel photos, head to the Hie Jinja Shrine. Featuring a path lined with torii gates, this shrine is smaller, and therefore less crowded than other Instagrammable spots – making it even easier to capture great photos without strangers wandering into your shot!

Forget about caffe lattes: matcha lattes - with proven health benefits AND a clean caffeine hit – will be your new favourite drink! Creamy, frothy, earthy and delicious, matcha lattes are made from matcha (green tea) powder mixed together with milk and sugar and it is a common beverage that can be found all over Tokyo!

The Sanja Festival is an annual festival in the Asakusa district held in May. It features about one hundred portable shrines (mikoshi) in which Shinto deities (kami) are symbolically placed into and paraded about the streets to bring good fortune to the local businesses and residents. For the entirety of the festival, Asakusa is packed with food stalls, festival games and revelers amid a lively atmosphere of Japanese drums and flutes – an unforgettable experience!

Nature lovers and adventurers will revel in the Izu and Ogasawara Islands located south of Tokyo. Most of the volcanic islands have hot springs and excellent hiking opportunities, but all offer a special nature experience and an amazing tropical weekend getaway!

Tokyo, a city of infinite possibilities

Tokyo is a sprawling, organic thing, stretching as far as the eye can see. Always changing, and with a diverse collection of neighbourhoods, the city is a true wonder. In Tokyo you can experience the whole breadth of Japanese culture. Centuries-old forms of performing arts still play on stages, while sumo tournaments draw crowds; and of course, every spring, Tokyoites head outside to appreciate the cherry blossoms, Sakura – a tradition older than the city itself. But Tokyo is also a technology and innovation hub, a place to marvel at high-tech toilets with heated seats, shop for the latest gadgets in a nine-storey electronics department store and board a super-fast bullet train to some of Japan’s other cities!

Are you a match?

Metropolis + Traditions + Innovation Tokyo is the largest “megacity” in the world and endlessly surprises its visitors with its sheer mass of people and fast pace! However, Tokyo also dazzles its guests with its traditional culture and passion for everything new. Some neighbourhoods feel like a vision from the future, with ever taller structures popping up each year; while others evoke the past with lowslung wooden buildings and glowing lanterns… contrasts abound! Does this sound like something for you?