What brought you to study Japanese in Japan?
I am half-japanese and grew up in America. I recently moved back to Japan to reconnect with my Japanese roots – I will be attending Waseda University to study literature in January and I have 9 months to improve my Japanese and enjoy living life in Japan.
Right now my Japanese level is really spotty – I know things from growing up speaking with my Mom but I am really incomplete in other areas that that I will need for working and studying here.
How did you learn about Coto Japanese Academy?
My mom helped me to research Japanese language schools in Tokyo. I think in total we visited around 15 schools.
Visiting some of the other schools with larger class sizes felt very impersonal – with rows and rows of students buried in textbooks – staring at one teacher in the front of the class.
Coto was different – when we toured Coto the staff and students seemed happy to be there and the walk from the train to the school felt safe and accommodating. Other schools seemed a bit sketchy and uncared for – but at Coto it was clean and accommodating.
Why did you choose to Study at Coto?
Coto was able to pick out my level and my study needs from the interview process – which really shocked me. The level check did a good job of assessing what I needed to work on and what would be the best level for me.
I grew up speaking as a native – but stopped speaking when I was young.
I was impressed with the small class styles and personalized learning – I was also very happy that I could take private lessons to supplement areas that I was struggling with.
How long have you been studying at Coto? Has the school matched your expectations?
I have been studying at Coto for 3 months now. The school has more than matched my expectations. I had taken Japanese courses in both high school and at the college level and all of them seemed to teach things that weren’t necessary for me to learn.
I think that the learning style at Coto really suits my needs – but what was also impressive to me was the genuine appreciation that Coto has for Japanese culture. They do not fetishize the more well known aspects of Japanese culture – focusing solely on Anime or Kawaii characters – they show you a side of Japan and Japanese culture that is unique and authentic.
I will definitely be suggesting Coto to my friends!
