Coto Student's Story: Charles – Recovering from an Injury and Learning Advanced Japanese


 

Hi, what’s your name?

My name is Charles.

What kind of class are you currently taking at Coto?

Right now I’m taking the Advanced 2 course.

How long have you been studying Japanese?

I have been studying Japanese for 8 months.

What made you come to Japan?

It’s a bit of a long story but in 2015 I came to Japan for the first time. The year before that I was working in London, and while at the gym, I became injured. So I was forced to move back to France and get treatment for this injury. And for two months I was bedridden and couldn’t do anything.

During this time, I told my parents, specifically to my mom, I told them “I want to learn Japanese!” My mom gave me a Japanese textbook. And 2 or 3 times per week, a Japanese teacher would come to my home and teach me Japanese. After that, while studying for my master’s degree, I found an internship in Japan, and I was really happy about that, so I moved to Tokyo.

How did you find Coto?

During the internship as a part of my master’s program, I was looking for Japanese lessons and after searching for “Best Japanese language school in Tokyo”, the first result that popped up was Coto.

How is it to study at Coto?

Studying at Coto is very interesting. Actually, when I came to Japan this year, I really couldn’t speak Japanese at all. That was 8 months ago. But after 2 months I was really happy to be speaking some Japanese thanks to my classes at Coto. So I really think it’s great that during your lessons at Coto, you can learn Japanese through having conversations in Japanese. You can also learn through going out and speaking Japanese with your Japanese friends. It’s really great.

From here on, what do you want to do in Japan?

From now on, starting from next year in April, I will be joining a Japanese university to study Computer Science for about 3 years. After that, I haven’t really decided yet but I think that it would be nice to work in Japan.

Do you have any advice to share for other people who are studying Japanese?

When you first come to Japan and you don’t speak any Japanese, you might be worried. But do your best and try your hardest and you can definitely learn. If I can do it, anyone can do it.

Do you have a favorite teacher?

This is a really hard question. I like all of the teachers, all of them are really kind and have great classes. But during my Intensive course, I think my favorite teacher was Ikura-sensei.

How are Ikura-sensei’s classes?

Ikura-sensei’s classes are really interesting and engaging, in every class, there’s a conversation practice. I think this is a great way to learn. For example, yesterday before my last class, we were reminiscing about places that were nostalgic to us. So this isn’t just fun, but I also get to learn about new places to go through others’ experiences and that’s really helpful.


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