1. I promise I had fun studying abroad in high school and that it made me who I am today 😂 I'll make a video about it one day if you're interested!! Just want to wait til I go home because I have....a....journal.... 😇 2. Someone commented on one of my videos asking if I was doing sign language in Japanese and I was like "hahaha what" but now I'm looking at this and I understand 😅 Should I stop moving my hands so much 💀 Thanks for watching!! Going to be back next week with a vlog!!! Second jab kinda took me out so couldn't do one this week 💀
1. I would love to hear more about your high school abroad! I spent a week at a high school in Kita-ku when I visited, my speech was not very good but I was able to get by. >.> 2. Being expressive when one speaks is just a thing people do. Don't let anyone change the way you are! Honestly I never even noticed. 3. Grats on your jabs, the second one really took me out too, and I had to work that day!
If a college is on the semester system and you take foreign language courses at that college, then you will be in class three to five hours per week. If you go to a language school, you will have the opportunity to be in class ten, fifteen, or twenty hours per week. I know of someone who is attending a language school for a language other than Japanese and she is in class for forty hours per week.
This video came at the perfect time :P I started learning Japanese 6-8 months ago, I take 2 online Japanese classes a week, and I work full time. So, I am learning at a very slow pace. To change this, I have the goal to go abroad and I am trying to decide what would be the smartest way to go about it: A. Apply for the Jet Program and learn through osmosis and self study, B. Save enough money to live in Japan for a year and do Language school full time, or C. Figure out how I can work for a big hotel chain that needs English speakers and do my profession full-time (Massage therapy). After reflecting on your experiences, I think language school is the best way to go. It's structure, it's made for you, and I like the idea that in class, as an American, I won't be able to communicate even the simplest things with my classmates unless its in Japanese. It's gonna take some time to save enough money, but I think it will be worth it in the end.
I agree!! If your goal is learning Japanese, then out of those options language school is probably best. I've met a lot of people who saved money to do that for a year and then get a job in Japan afterwards (or return home if they want) 😊 Good luck!!
So interesting about the language schools. I spent some years learning a language some years ago (Welsh), and went each summer to do 8-week intensive residential summer schools. It was a common thing that in the second level there would be university students who had just done a whole year of language study, and who would find that they were unable to keep up with those who had studied intensively the summer before for just 8 weeks. They would have to drop down to the absolute beginner level, despite their year of university study. Intensive language study can be powerful.
I'm currently self studying right now with books and apps learning the syllables and some kanji. But I'm thinking of taking an online class at Shinjuku Academy because I currently live in the US and I think that it would be a lot more efficient.
Thanks a lot for your videos... I'm a high school student that loves to self study Japanese and loves watching your videos. thanks for putting the effort in these we appreciate it
I get what you're saying with progress at uni classes being slow - my class took 6 weeks to learn hiragana and katakana LMAO and I too had a bit of background before going in so i didn't see much improvement 😪 I personally benefitted the most from self-studying but i know a lot of my friends NEED external structure to get any studying done so I'm sure language schools may be the best route for a lot of people
Ughh yeah sounds familiar 😂 I think we took that long too but basically nobody memorized katakana lmao 💀 That's nice you can self-study!!!! I'm jealous 😂
Great video! I love this type of content as well as the vlog stuff 😊 A college class is great, but I guess it depends on where you go. We completed Genki 1 and 2 in two semesters, which is a decent pace, but no where near the level of language school in Japan. I don't think I had enough self-discipline to do study on my own back then, so having classmates and weekly tests made it a lot easier to keep up the pace. Self-studying becomes a lot easier when you get good enough to make use of native level content, which is of course not easy, but there so much fun content to explore in Japanese. Manga with furigana and anime or drama with Japanese subtitles really helped for me. Along with making a fool of myself speaking Japanese to native speakers of course 😂
I totally agree about a language school being the best method! I made the most progress for sure when I was attending language school 5 days a week in the morning, and then doing an internship in Japanese in the evenings. It’s great because you can apply what you learn in school basically immediately and helps you keep from forgetting it! Also I would love to hear more about your high school immersion experience!!! That sounds really difficult mentally, especially for a high schooler 😵 did that experience kind of turn you off of Japan/Japanese for a while or were you just ready to come back?
Wow that sounds like you were really busy doing all that!! And actually it (thankfully) made me a lot more determined to get back to Japan and learn Japanese because I knew how much more I could get out of it if I could speak Japanese 😅 So it was really hard, but in the end it was definitely worth it!!!
@@AllisoninTokyo yeah it was a pretty crazy summer! Actually we studied business Japanese in the internship (it was geared towards foreigners) so I feel like learning all of that made regular Japanese feel easier in comparison 😂 And that’s good to hear! Seems like it could really go either way. Looking forward to that video 🙂💜
That was so interesting to listen to! I enjoyed it a lot ^^ I know what you mean about college classes being slow - my beginner class did Hiragana in first year and Katakana in second year! There were no classes for beginners who already knew hiragana and katakana so I felt SO held back and self-studied during class a lot 🙃
I'm making Japanese one of my concentrations for my degree (interdisciplinary studies degree is made up of three concentrations, the first being interdisciplinary studies and the other two being whatever you want, which I love), and I have to cross register with another university because there is exactly one school in the state that offers it. The classes look really good, though, and I was so disappointed that it was full by the time I managed to get things sorted with my academic department chair and advisor. Will probably have to wait until next year, but I have the time for it so it'll be okay. I'm so excited to be able to take actual classes because I am having the worst time with self-study tbh. Thanks for the video!
What interesting experiences! I can’t imagine being plopped down somewhere you don’t speak the language and just existing for a while… that must’ve been super stressful. I would love to hear more about your experiences from that time ^^ I took Japanese courses in university and had a similar problem to you - they tended to move pretty slowly, especially at the beginning (I already knew hiragana and katakana going into it). But once I got to Japanese II and above, the pace improved and the teachers were able to add more activities outside of the textbook, like performing scripts and speech contests, etc., which was nice. Language school sounds very intense, but I also feel like that’s how it should be - you’re paying to solely learn a language, so they should push you to achieve a higher level in the time you spend there. I took an intensive language course for three months during the summer in Japan once, and I know that made my level shoot through the roof (all of which has now crashed down now that I haven’t spoken or practiced Japanese in years ~.~) Thanks for the great video and sharing your thoughts and opinions!
Thanks! Yeah it was definitely interesting 😂 The intensity isn’t for everyone but you definitely get your money’s worth in my opinion since you’re pushed so hard
Have a look at the Matt vs Japan channel, he goes into detail how he acquired near native level Japanese by consuming lots of native contents. As Dr Stephen Krashen says, our brain is not very good at learning grammar from books or memorizing a list of vocabulary, but it's very good at absorbing comprehensible input.
self-study is so hard!! :( took 2 semesters in college and studied abroad for 1 month which was honestly equivalent to each other. (i was in the B class abroad 😅) i tried 2 different tutors when i came back while working full time but it was once a week and it really wasn't enough. Honestly just a waste of money both times since it was more like self-studying than being tutored for how infrequent i was doing it. been trying to make my way back to japan and i'm thinking of language school. leaning towards Genki JACS in Fukuoka as far away from Tokyo as possible but the $$$, housing and relocation isss....... yea. a lot.
Yeah I feel you, once a week isn't enough for me either 😭 Good luck!! I think a language school outside of Tokyo is a great idea for $$$, though it's expensive to move no matter what you do 😅
Would you say that there's an age limit on going to language school? I see these videos of people in their early 20's doing it and I'm almost 30 lol. I'd like to do that but I feel like I might be out of place.
Self-studying is so difficult! I agree with u! Omg LOL. I feel like I haven’t made any progress esp with speaking… I’m self-reviewing in preparation for language school hopefully next year 😭
1. I promise I had fun studying abroad in high school and that it made me who I am today 😂 I'll make a video about it one day if you're interested!! Just want to wait til I go home because I have....a....journal.... 😇
2. Someone commented on one of my videos asking if I was doing sign language in Japanese and I was like "hahaha what" but now I'm looking at this and I understand 😅 Should I stop moving my hands so much 💀
Thanks for watching!! Going to be back next week with a vlog!!! Second jab kinda took me out so couldn't do one this week 💀
1. I would love to hear more about your high school abroad! I spent a week at a high school in Kita-ku when I visited, my speech was not very good but I was able to get by. >.>
2. Being expressive when one speaks is just a thing people do. Don't let anyone change the way you are! Honestly I never even noticed.
3. Grats on your jabs, the second one really took me out too, and I had to work that day!
cant wait to see the video of your studying abroad experience : )
If a college is on the semester system and you take foreign language courses at that college, then you will be in class three to five hours per week. If you go to a language school, you will have the opportunity to be in class ten, fifteen, or twenty hours per week. I know of someone who is attending a language school for a language other than Japanese and she is in class for forty hours per week.
This video came at the perfect time :P I started learning Japanese 6-8 months ago, I take 2 online Japanese classes a week, and I work full time. So, I am learning at a very slow pace. To change this, I have the goal to go abroad and I am trying to decide what would be the smartest way to go about it: A. Apply for the Jet Program and learn through osmosis and self study, B. Save enough money to live in Japan for a year and do Language school full time, or C. Figure out how I can work for a big hotel chain that needs English speakers and do my profession full-time (Massage therapy). After reflecting on your experiences, I think language school is the best way to go. It's structure, it's made for you, and I like the idea that in class, as an American, I won't be able to communicate even the simplest things with my classmates unless its in Japanese. It's gonna take some time to save enough money, but I think it will be worth it in the end.
I agree!! If your goal is learning Japanese, then out of those options language school is probably best. I've met a lot of people who saved money to do that for a year and then get a job in Japan afterwards (or return home if they want) 😊 Good luck!!
That was a very informative video. Thank you!
So interesting about the language schools.
I spent some years learning a language some years ago (Welsh), and went each summer to do 8-week intensive residential summer schools. It was a common thing that in the second level there would be university students who had just done a whole year of language study, and who would find that they were unable to keep up with those who had studied intensively the summer before for just 8 weeks. They would have to drop down to the absolute beginner level, despite their year of university study. Intensive language study can be powerful.
I'm currently self studying right now with books and apps learning the syllables and some kanji. But I'm thinking of taking an online class at Shinjuku Academy because I currently live in the US and I think that it would be a lot more efficient.
Thanks a lot for your videos... I'm a high school student that loves to self study Japanese and loves watching your videos. thanks for putting the effort in these we appreciate it
thanks so much!! good luck 🌸
I get what you're saying with progress at uni classes being slow - my class took 6 weeks to learn hiragana and katakana LMAO and I too had a bit of background before going in so i didn't see much improvement 😪
I personally benefitted the most from self-studying but i know a lot of my friends NEED external structure to get any studying done so I'm sure language schools may be the best route for a lot of people
Ughh yeah sounds familiar 😂 I think we took that long too but basically nobody memorized katakana lmao 💀 That's nice you can self-study!!!! I'm jealous 😂
Great video! I love this type of content as well as the vlog stuff 😊
A college class is great, but I guess it depends on where you go. We completed Genki 1 and 2 in two semesters, which is a decent pace, but no where near the level of language school in Japan. I don't think I had enough self-discipline to do study on my own back then, so having classmates and weekly tests made it a lot easier to keep up the pace.
Self-studying becomes a lot easier when you get good enough to make use of native level content, which is of course not easy, but there so much fun content to explore in Japanese. Manga with furigana and anime or drama with Japanese subtitles really helped for me. Along with making a fool of myself speaking Japanese to native speakers of course 😂
Wowww that’s great! It took 3 semesters for us to finish Genki 1 🥲
And definitely agree!! It’s a lot easier at higher levels!! (i’m just lazy 😂)
I totally agree about a language school being the best method! I made the most progress for sure when I was attending language school 5 days a week in the morning, and then doing an internship in Japanese in the evenings. It’s great because you can apply what you learn in school basically immediately and helps you keep from forgetting it!
Also I would love to hear more about your high school immersion experience!!! That sounds really difficult mentally, especially for a high schooler 😵 did that experience kind of turn you off of Japan/Japanese for a while or were you just ready to come back?
Wow that sounds like you were really busy doing all that!! And actually it (thankfully) made me a lot more determined to get back to Japan and learn Japanese because I knew how much more I could get out of it if I could speak Japanese 😅 So it was really hard, but in the end it was definitely worth it!!!
@@AllisoninTokyo yeah it was a pretty crazy summer! Actually we studied business Japanese in the internship (it was geared towards foreigners) so I feel like learning all of that made regular Japanese feel easier in comparison 😂
And that’s good to hear! Seems like it could really go either way. Looking forward to that video 🙂💜
That was so interesting to listen to! I enjoyed it a lot ^^ I know what you mean about college classes being slow - my beginner class did Hiragana in first year and Katakana in second year! There were no classes for beginners who already knew hiragana and katakana so I felt SO held back and self-studied during class a lot 🙃
Feel you 😭 at least you self studied too!! 🙏🙏
2 years to learn something you could learn in 2 days if you tried hard
@@bobfranklin2572 Exactly 💀 I ended up doing so much self-study because I was bored senseless...
I'm making Japanese one of my concentrations for my degree (interdisciplinary studies degree is made up of three concentrations, the first being interdisciplinary studies and the other two being whatever you want, which I love), and I have to cross register with another university because there is exactly one school in the state that offers it. The classes look really good, though, and I was so disappointed that it was full by the time I managed to get things sorted with my academic department chair and advisor. Will probably have to wait until next year, but I have the time for it so it'll be okay. I'm so excited to be able to take actual classes because I am having the worst time with self-study tbh. Thanks for the video!
Good luck getting in!! I remember just enrolling in Japanese classes at my university was like a bloodbath because they were so popular 💀
What interesting experiences! I can’t imagine being plopped down somewhere you don’t speak the language and just existing for a while… that must’ve been super stressful. I would love to hear more about your experiences from that time ^^ I took Japanese courses in university and had a similar problem to you - they tended to move pretty slowly, especially at the beginning (I already knew hiragana and katakana going into it). But once I got to Japanese II and above, the pace improved and the teachers were able to add more activities outside of the textbook, like performing scripts and speech contests, etc., which was nice. Language school sounds very intense, but I also feel like that’s how it should be - you’re paying to solely learn a language, so they should push you to achieve a higher level in the time you spend there. I took an intensive language course for three months during the summer in Japan once, and I know that made my level shoot through the roof (all of which has now crashed down now that I haven’t spoken or practiced Japanese in years ~.~) Thanks for the great video and sharing your thoughts and opinions!
Thanks! Yeah it was definitely interesting 😂 The intensity isn’t for everyone but you definitely get your money’s worth in my opinion since you’re pushed so hard
Have a look at the Matt vs Japan channel, he goes into detail how he acquired near native level Japanese by consuming lots of native contents. As Dr Stephen Krashen says, our brain is not very good at learning grammar from books or memorizing a list of vocabulary, but it's very good at absorbing comprehensible input.
self-study is so hard!! :( took 2 semesters in college and studied abroad for 1 month which was honestly equivalent to each other. (i was in the B class abroad 😅) i tried 2 different tutors when i came back while working full time but it was once a week and it really wasn't enough. Honestly just a waste of money both times since it was more like self-studying than being tutored for how infrequent i was doing it. been trying to make my way back to japan and i'm thinking of language school. leaning towards Genki JACS in Fukuoka as far away from Tokyo as possible but the $$$, housing and relocation isss....... yea. a lot.
Yeah I feel you, once a week isn't enough for me either 😭 Good luck!! I think a language school outside of Tokyo is a great idea for $$$, though it's expensive to move no matter what you do 😅
@@AllisoninTokyo thinking of trying Airbnbs for a bit then maybe try to get the school to help with an apartment 🥴
Which language school did you go to in Japan? Also, thanks for creating such a great video 💕
It was at Meikai University, but I wouldn't really recommend it for native English speakers 🧐 Not bad, but I think there are better options!
@@AllisoninTokyo any recommendations if I am about N3 level currently? Unfortunately I can’t really write kanji at all - mainly learning through WK!
Would you say that there's an age limit on going to language school? I see these videos of people in their early 20's doing it and I'm almost 30 lol. I'd like to do that but I feel like I might be out of place.
Which language school did you go to?
Self-studying is so difficult! I agree with u! Omg LOL. I feel like I haven’t made any progress esp with speaking… I’m self-reviewing in preparation for language school hopefully next year 😭
It's good you'll have a goal to work towards!!! 🌸👩💻
😅😮❤
Have watched MattVsJapan?
Agree;)