Frequently Asked Questions
General FAQ For Coto Japanese Academy
Payment methods include cash, bank transfers, credit cards (VISA/JCB/Mastercard/Amex), PayPal, and Stripe. Regarding bank transfers from overseas, we also accept payments through Wise.
Coto Japanese Academy strives to offer classes for everybody. We have 60+ courses with different levels for you to choose from. Most of our courses are designed to practice Japanese conversation skills. To look at all of our offerings, please refer to All Courses.
Each class is limited to a maximum of 8 students to ensure quality and maintain the personal care the instructor can give each student. Our student body comprises Japanese learners from various cultural backgrounds, such as the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Korea, China, and more.
Our instructors are strictly screened, have a 7% acceptance rate, and are professionally trained. Each of them is passionate about teaching Japanese. To view a list of current instructors, please refer to About Us.
If you need any help regarding course offerings, levels, scheduling, etc., our student support staff is always here to help you. Please refer to About Us.
Each school branch has study lounges where students can study or chat with instructors, staff, and peers! We also provide free Wi-Fi, water dispensers, a vending machine, and a snack area for people’s needs. To learn more about any of our branches, please refer to Locations.
Note: Coto Japanese Academy does not provide student visa support. If you need such services, please contact Coto School Finder.
Step 1 – Fill out the Inquiry Form: This help us learn more about you and your educational requirements!
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Step 2 – Book a free consultation: Book a free consultation so we can better understand your learning needs and Japanese level. This will help us pick a suitable course so you can hit the ground running when you start a program with Coto Academy.
Step 3 – Start your Japanese language journey: After you have all the requisite information, we can book you for a class to start your Japanese lessons. We are always here to help if you need it!
Registering for a course 2 weeks before the start date of the course is recommended.
Yes, for a fee, you can schedule a trial lesson; please message [email protected] for more information!
All new Coto Japanese Academy students pay a one-time 10,000 yen registration fee upon signing up for the first in-person class. This fee contributes to multiple aspects of the educational experience, such as developing the course offerings, ensuring the course quality, maintaining the study environment, and organizing cultural and social events. A registration fee is not required for online courses.
Absolutely. We offer courses on Saturdays or evenings to accommodate Japanese learners with busy schedules. Please refer to All Courses to see what courses are currently open at those times!
In-person Courses
It depends on which course and plan the students have applied for.
Courses purchased through a Package Plan can be rebooked as long as the class reservation is canceled by 18:00 the day before the class. However, the Intensive Course has a different system, please refer to the Terms and Conditions for more detailed information. If the student is enrolled in a Subscription Plan, makeup classes are not available.
Intensive Course Example
Online Class Auditing is possible If the student informs the school by 18:00 (JST) a day prior to the class, meaning the student will be able to watch the class, but unable to participate in exercises.
Make-up classes are available under certain circumstances. A make-up class (50-minute private class) can be offered for those who meet the following requirements:
- A full-day absence of in-person class is required
- Missed class must be between Monday – Thursday
- The missed class must be canceled before 18:00 (JST) one day before the class day
The maximum number of catch-up lessons students can take is the number of weeks that students are enrolled in the course. Please refer to the Terms and Conditions for more detailed information.
Online Courses
If the student is enrolled in a Subscription Plan, makeup classes are not available.
For the Package Plan, if the class reservation is canceled by 18:00 (JST) one day before the class day, the lesson points will be refunded. However, if there is a recurring reservation, this rule does not apply. Please refer to the Terms and Conditions for more detailed information.”
Classes are primarily in Japanese, but depending on course level, English is sometimes used to help with comprehension.
In-person Courses
The Cancellation and Refund Policy depends on the courses and plans the student has applied for. Please read the last page of the following Terms and Conditions.
- Subscription Plan
- Intensive Course
- Package Plan (PT, PL, SPL, SPG)
- Package Plan (Lite-intensive)
The evacuation procedures are posted in every classroom. Since each school has different evacuation routes, please check the ones specific to your location.
– Iidabashi School
– Shibuya School
– MInato School
– Yokohama School
All students are asked to abide by the following guidelines in order for all students to comfortably attend lessons and maximize results.
1. Please be in the classroom 5 minutes before the start of class to ensure that you are not late.
2. Please refrain from eating during class time. Drinking during class time is permitted.
3. Please set your phone to silent mode, and refrain from using it unless necessary for the class.
4. If you will not be able to attend class in-person, please let our school know by 16:00 on the day before. You may be permitted to audit the class online or take a catch up lesson under the conditions stipulated in the Terms and Conditions.
5. If you receive homework, please complete it and be ready for the next class to help ensure a smooth and effective lesson.
6. For lessons involving pair work or activities, please cooperate with the instructions to ensure the lesson runs smoothly.
7. Each course is taught by a team of instructors who communicate closely to ensure consistency across lessons.
8. In the Beginner level course, please note that English may be present in course materials, explanations, and instructions.
9. Students may be requested to change levels mid-course if the instructor deems the student’s level inappropriate for the course.
10. There is a maximum capacity for students in each class. Please apply early if you are planning to continue with the course.
11. Generally, if you wish to receive course materials early for the next course, they will be available 1 week before the start of the new level. Please contact your school’s staff for further information.
Please email [email protected] or visit reception if you would like to make new reservations. Please make a reservation three days in advance to secure your spot.
To reserve a course on Coto Online Japanese School, please use the online lesson scheduling system to view your lesson schedule or cancel lessons. You can book Part-time Courses within one month from the current date. If you would like to book classes more than one month in advance, please contact [email protected] and ask our student support staff to make a reservation.
Refund
Refunds are not available after the contract is made and executed except for the following:
– If the student requests to use materials other than those provided by Coto Japanese Academy through our web portal, the student will be charged seperately for the use of those materials as this is a bespoke service that we offer.
About the “Cooling-Off Period”
If the student wishes to cancel their plan with a point expiration date of more than 2 months and more than 50,000 yen, the student may do so within 8 calendar days of the sales transaction date registered by the student’s credit card provider or banking institution. Please notify us by email at [email protected]. However, for subscription plans, this policy does not apply.
Early Termination Policy
In the event that points are valid for more than two months and the amount paid exceeds 50,000 yen, and in the unlikely event that the cancellation is made before the end of the course, the remaining amount will be refunded after deducting the following from the course fee received.
If no points are used at all there is a fee of 15,000 yen.
If you have used at least one point: The total amount of A and B below will be deducted from your refund.
A) Unit price of point fee (including consumption tax) x number of points for the course
B) Cancellation fee: 20% of the already paid lesson fee minus the amount calculated in A. However, if it exceeds 50,000 yen, the maximum cancellation fee is 50,000 yen.
*No refunds will be given for subscription plans.
*The transfer fee for refunds is the responsibility of the payee.
*Cooling-off and mid-term cancellation do not apply if the registered student resides abroad.
Private Class
If the class is canceled within 24 hours of the class start time, the points will return to your account. However, this is limited to twice a month. After two times, points will not be refunded even if you cancel the class within 24 hours.
Group Class
If you cancel a class, the student is not eligible for a points refund. However, the student can watch a video recording of their missed lessons within two weeks of the class taking place.
Cancellations up to 24 hours before the class start time are fully refundable, meaning the lesson points will return to the student’s account. However, for cancellations within 24 hours of the class start time, the points will not be refundable.
The points will be used if the internet connection is lost on the student’s side. Please refer to our policy regarding Internet Connection Disruption below:
If the connection is lost during a lesson, the following actions will be taken
– If the internet connection is lost due to a problem on the instructor’s part, points will be returned to your account.
– If the internet connection is lost due to a problem on the part of the student, the points will be used. The instructor will take all possible measures to reconnect if the internet connection is lost.
Please be sure to test the internet connection in advance. We do not recommend taking courses in public Wi-Fi such as cafes and restaurants. Also, if you encounter any internet connection problems, please report them using the Problem Report Form. We will review the report function and use it to verify the issue.
If you cancel the class before your points expire, they will remain valid for future use. However, if you cancel after the points have expired, they will no longer be valid.
Please contact us by 18:00 JST one day before your class date via the online lesson scheduling system.
We do not offer translation services.
Our Japanese language instructors can teach and accommodate vocabulary within the scope of general Japanese. Currently, we do not offer any classes regarding the terminology of specialized fields.
Coto Japanese Academy focuses on conversation practice to help students have a smoother life in Japan. With the small classes, we ensure that the instructors give the students personal care. We also accommodate each person’s buying schedule by rolling out more class times.
In-person FAQ For Coto Japanese Academy
The Intensive Course is designed to master speaking, listening, writing, and reading skills.
– Course frequency: 4 weeks, 3 hours a day, 5 days a week.
– Course materials: Genki and Coto Japanese Academy’s original materials
– Course Level: From total beginner to advanced.
To know more about the course, please refer to the Intensive Course page.
All Intensive Courses start at the beginning of the month. Enroll in a class now by filling out the inquiry form.
The Intensive Course is offered with a minimum enrollment of 2 students. However, if you are the only student enrolled by the start date or after the course begins, we will provide 2-hour sessions instead of 3. For any field trips, we will offer 3 classes as compensation.
The JLPT Course is designed to help you reach your JLPT objectives optimally through expert guidance, practice exams, and in-house materials as you work towards your JLPT goals. We offer courses for all JLPT levels. To learn more about the course, please refer to JLPT Courses.
3-Months Course
The 3-Month Course is a crash course designed to help ace the JLPT exam in a short period. It focuses on doing JLPT exam problems.
– Course frequency: 3 hours a week
– Covered Topics: All JLPT exam elements (grammar, reading vocabulary, and kanji)
Full-year Course
The full-year course aims to help students ace the JLPT exam by focusing on grammar points and reading comprehension.
– Course frequency: 2 hours per class
– Covered Topics: Only grammar and reading
To know more about the course, please refer to JLPT Courses.
Full-year Course
Students are welcome to join the full-year course at any time, provided there is availability. The course covers each grammar point in detail, along with practice, basic reading strategies, and helpful tips, so even those who have never studied content at this level can join with confidence. Additionally, each lesson is designed as a stand-alone session, so there is no need to attend consecutive lessons.
3-month Course
The 3-month course begins approximately 3 months prior to the JLPT exam and focuses on excercises. The course is sold as a package, so you need to register for all three months.
The Part-time Course is designed to teach practical Japanese for daily life situations. It is recommended for Japanese learners who have already learned some Japanese but want to improve their grammar and speaking.
– Class frequency: 2 hours a day
– Teaching materials: Coto Japanese Academy’s original materials
– Level availability: Beginner to Advanced
For more information about the course, please refer to the Part-time Course page.
You can join anytime as long there are spots available, enroll in a class now by filling out the inquiry form.
Similar to the Intensive Course, the Lite-intensive Course is designed to master speaking, listening, writing, and reading skills. It lasts four weeks but only involves learning two hours a day and two days a week. The course uses various teaching materials, such as Genki and Coto Japanese Academy’s original materials. This course consists of different levels, from total beginner to advanced. To learn more about the course, please refer to the Lite-intensive Course.
All Lite-intensive Courses start at the beginning of the month. Enroll in a class now by filling out the inquiry form.
The Private Course is designed for people who want to learn Japanese 1-on-1 with their teacher, allowing for a more personalized learning experience. Each lesson lasts for an hour with a 10-minute break in between. For more information about the course, please refer to the Private Course page.
You can join when there is a teacher that can meet your preferred time frame.
Yes, we offer kids private classes by request. However, the availability of the course depends on the instructor’s availability and the children’s age. Please fill out the inquiry form if you are interested in this course.
It is possible; however, this is a special request. Therefore, please contact us at [email protected] before signing up for the course.
Kids Courses are designed for kids and teens who are interested in studying Japanese. The class not only includes Japanese but also field trips and DIY activities for children to learn Japanese in a fun and engaging environment.
Kids Courses do not have a fixed schedule, please stay tuned for more information on our social media or website for the latest offerings.
Online FAQ For Coto Japanese Academy
Coto Online Japanese School is Coto Japanese Academy’s online platform that lets Japanese learners study Japanese anywhere, anytime. We offer courses ranging from beginner to advanced levels. The platform provides a wide range of courses; to learn more, please refer to the following:
– Lite-intensive Course
– JLPT Course
– Part-time Course
– Private Course
The JLPT Course is designed to help you achieve your JLPT goals through expert guidance, practice exams, and comprehensive in-house materials. We offer courses for all JLPT levels. To learn more about the course, please refer to JLPT Courses.
JLPT Online Instructions and Exercise – 6-Months Course
A crash course designed to help you ace the JLPT exam in a short period with a focus on JLPT exam questions.
– Course frequency: 3 hours a week
– Covered Topics: All JLPT exam elements (grammar, reading vocabulary, and kanji)
Full-year Course
Aimed to help ace the JLPT exam by focusing on grammar points and reading comprehension.
– Course frequency: 2 hours per class
– Covered Topics: Only grammar and reading
No interaction is needed in this course. However, if there are any questions, you may submit them through the chatbox.
Students can join our JLPT courses at any time. The JLPT Full-year course completes its curriculum over one year, while the JLPT Instructions & Exercise course does so over six months. Since both courses repeat the same curriculum annually or semiannually, students can start at any point and still complete the full curriculum within the course period (one year or six months, respectively). Additionally, our courses are designed in a non-linear format, so students do not need to worry about falling behind if they join midway through the program.
Daylight saving time is not observed locally in Japan. Depending on the teacher or language learner’s region, there might be times when either one or both party’s local time changes according to daylight saving time. In the case that this results in a time difference between the teacher and the language learner, please confirm with your teacher and adjust accordingly.
If you’d like to keep your local time the same, you’ll need to check with your teacher to see if they’re able to change their schedule, and cancel your recurring reservation 2 weeks prior to the desired date of change and make a new recurring reservation at the new time.
Click the speech bubble in the top right corner to access chat messages. Accessibility depends on the type of course registered. For one-time booking, chat messages are available from reservation creation to 24 hours after the lesson concludes. For recurring bookings, chat messages are available from reservation creation to 2 weeks after the end of the last recurring lesson.
The payment schedule can be found under My Point Balance page.
1. Go to “My Point Balance”
2. Select the number of points next to the profile picture
Recurring class bookings can be found under My Classes
Terms and conditions can be found under “Information” in your profile page.
Lesson points are the currency that the Coto Online Japanese School system uses to book lessons. Prices differ depending on the class. When you book a class, the system will deduct the points from your balance to reserve your spot. The points owned will be shown in the top right corner of the page.
You can click on the points you currently own to enter the Points Purchase page.
There are Subscription and Point Packages.
Subscription Package
- Points are valid for 28 days, and payment and point refills will be automatically processed
- Recommended for students who want to take a certain number of lessons each week
- Points purchased with a monthly subscription do not carry over to the next month and must be used to book lessons within the current 28-day window
Point Package
- Direct purchase of lesson points.
To ensure your next round of lessons is booked, please purchase a new package or top up your points before your scheduled booking day. This is when our system deducts points and reserves your lessons.
Yes, points expire according to the following:
– Subscription Package: 28 days from purchase date. Points become invalid after the expiration date and cannot be extended.
– Points Package: The expiration date depends on the package. Please check the Points Purchase page for more information. Points will be invalid after the expiration date and cannot be extended
Lessons reserved before the expiration date can still be taken after the expiration date. If you cancel after the expiration date, the points will be invalid.
No, points will always be deducted from the package with the earlier expiration date.
No, points are non-transferable.
The steps for booking a class are as follows:
1. Select “Book Classes” in the menu bar
2. Input the preferred type of class (private or group), level, and time
If you would like to reserve the same class each week, please select “book for recurring” when signing up for the class.
Past class recordings will be available for two weeks from the day the class took place. To access them:
1. Select “My History”
2. Select “Link to Class recording” in the lower right corner of the lesson card
Attendance records can be found on the My History Page.
1. Go to “My History”
2. Select “Download History”
For a one-time booking, the instructor may not be able to grade your homework. However, for recurring classes, the instructor may grade your homework. Please submit the homework through chat if you want it graded.
Credit cards and bank transfers are accepted. However, payment by bank transfer is available only for the Points Package and is limited to domestic bank accounts. If you wish to make payments through a bank transfer, please contact us through the Help Page.
This can be done under My Profile Page.
1. Go to “My Profile”
2. Select “My Payment Methods”
3. Register the new credit card’s information and delete the old one, if needed.
Please check and update your payment information. If necessary, please contact your credit card provider.
The system will retry your transaction up to 5 times; please DO NOT create a new point subscription, as it may cause the system to double-charge the account, resulting in duplicate subscription plans.
If you have recurring bookings and the payment for your point subscription does not go through by the deadline, your recurring bookings may be automatically canceled due to lack of points. If they are canceled, please start new recurring bookings again.
Yes, you can. Please contact us through [email protected] or the Help Page on Coto Online Japanese School. It typically takes about 2 to 3 business days to issue an invoice. However, during the end of the year, New Year holidays, and other holidays it can be particularly busy, so the request will take longer to process.
We currently accept students who are 16 years old and older. However, for younger Japanese learners, please contact us at [email protected] for more information.
There is no minimum contract term. However, cancellations take two weeks to process, and they will be reflected two weeks after you made your cancelation request.
Yes, you can. Please contact [email protected] for more information and please note that a fee is required.
It is not possible to put a recurring private class on hold; the student will need to cancel the recurring classes and rebook them in the future.
If the student has a point subscription package, the booking reservation and point subscription package must be canceled separately. Please note that cancellations of your recurring lessons take two weeks to process; cancellations take effect two weeks after the date of your cancellation request. Once the student cancels a recurring reservation, it is possible that the instructor or timeslot may not be available when you resume. If the student wants to keep taking classes with the same instructor and on the same schedule, please keep the recurring reservation and cancel the individual courses for which attendance is impossible. But please note: Free cancellations up to 24 hours before the lesson’s start time are only available twice a month.
It depends on the course. If a textbook is required for purchasing, a link to the textbook will be shared with the students through the Coto Online Japanese school chat. Please be sure to purchase the materials before the start of class.
Read through our Coto Online Help Library.
No, we do not offer makeup lessons.
CBCS FAQ For Coto Japanese Academy
The Coto Communication Business School (CBCS) offers a business Japanese course designed for professionals aiming to improve their communication skills and advance in their careers in Japan. The program features four modules that include cultural education, practical training, and personalized coaching. The courses focus on understanding Japanese business culture and enhancing cross-cultural communication. They are available in small classes (2-8 students) and are conducted online in English. The program is suitable for individuals with or without prior work experience in Japan. For more information, please refer to Coto Communication Business School.
A full course, consisting of all 4 modules, will be 8 hours in total. One module lasts 2 hours.
For students wo prefer to participate individually, Coto does provide private lessons for the same price but with half of the allotted time.
We limit our class sizes to a maximum of 8 students, ensuring that each student receives personalized attention and support from the instructor.