Learn Japanese in Fukuoka

Rob Holland
12 weeks
Japanese language course
in Fukuoka     

I was expecting to find it difficult linguistically!  CESA gave me lots of information about the school and the course so my expectations generally were based on that!  Honestly – yes it was hard work – but the teachers were good so they encouraged me to work even harder.  I found the information from CESA on the school and the course was accurate – so that helped a lot.

Arranging a transfer on arrival, even though not totally necessary as I was quite close to teh airport in accommodation terms was a good idea too – one less thing to stress about just before leaving the UK!

Once I was at the Japanese language school in Fukuoka, I found I liked the way new vocabulary and grammar was introduced at the beginning of the week and then worked on through that week.  Repetition is important when learning languages.  I also found the use of flashcards important.  The school and the teachers in Fukuoka were great.  Shopping, banking restaurants and public transport were all very near the school.

The best part of the experience for me was being able to communicate in Japanese with the locals (albeit at a basic level).  The worst part was the sudden influx of new students in July when the busy season hit.  There were so many new people that the school felt overcrowded and it became difficult to get on the school computers.
Tip:  If you can, bring your own laptop to be sure of good Internet access whenever you want it, especially in the summer months! (Ed – we’ve added this to the Briefing Pack on the school – it’s a good point)

The other students were great (with a few exceptions – but that’s life) and I really enjoyed the parties held at the school and the Thursday Movie nights. Fukuoka is a terrific city!  It’s very lively and the public transport is good, as is the night life – plenty of different restaurants to try!  If you’re stuck for ideas ask the school staff – they’ll have plenty of recommendations!

My accommodation in Fukuoka, Japan:
I really enjoyed staying with my Japanese hostess – staying with Japanese people rather than in a residence, really helped me linguistically.  My host mother went to great lengths to help me with any problems that I had.  She also did all she could to ensure I got the most from my trip by taking me to different places around the city and introducing me to people – which I realised went beyond the role required of her and really appreciated.

Grading the experience over all I’d have to give Fukuoka, the Japanese school and CESA Languages 10/10!   The CESA staff were really good prior to the course starting and the school were excellent once I was in situ.   Many thanks to everyone!