Meiji Academy - Japanese Language and Culture School Hokkaido — Attraction in Sapporo

Overall, I greatly enjoyed my 2 weeks at Meiji Academy and would love to come again.

The teachers are terrific - extremely kind and effective in my opinion. The lessons would center around grammar points and then the readings, listening and conversation practice would reinforce the grammar points in numerous contexts. The structured conversation practice was a great way to practice speaking in the context of provided natural structures, elevating the level of conversation.

I highly recommend the conversation class which focuses on practical scenarios and how to adjust your language depending on whether you're talking to friends, coworkers, shopkeepers, etc. I felt this was extremely useful, and I even had the opportunity to make immediate use of some of the phrases during my short stay in Sapporo.

+/- The cultural activities were a mixed bag in my opinion. I really enjoyed the Sencha tea ceremony - it was interesting to watch the tea making process and the result was delicious and unlike anything I'd tasted before. On the other hand there was a ninja experience that felt gimmicky and the visits to the shrines were, in my opinion, marred by constant photo and video ops of, for instance, students praying. Of course, my and a few other students' requests to not appear in photos were honored, but in my opinion it's better not to take videos of certain private moments from the start, and the general volume of photo-taking felt excessive.

Organization could have been better. I discovered a lot of things by hearsay that I would love to have had in email/text/any sort of written form. For instance, there were some outings such as hikes, festivals outside of what students formally register for, sometimes with limited spots. On the one hand, one of the staff members in particular checked in with me frequently to make sure I have all the info I need and that I'm having a good experience, and I'm grateful for this. That said, if we got this info by email, I'd feel even more secure and that might be a more equitable way of handling the limited availability as well. I was pretty confused on the first day since we dove right into class without an introduction, and I had no idea what my schedule looked like or when to tell my host family I'd be home. Though I got the info pretty quickly once I asked; in general, everyone is extremely accommodating so you can find the info you need by asking. I was applying to Meiji Academy and a separate homestay organization in parallel. I was applying around 1 month before the date and there was some uncertainty about whether I'd be able to be matched with a family on such short notice; on the other hand I could not finalize the homestay until I knew I was accepted into Meiji. While the Homestay organization acted with urgency in this coordination, I did not feel the same level of urgent response from Meiji Academy and often found myself eagerly anticipating responses from Meiji, not knowing how many more steps were in the process, while the Homestay organization always replied right away within JST business hours. That said, had I applied 2-3 months in advance this wouldn't have been an issue, and it all worked out in the end anyway, which I'm grateful for.

Although I did not book my homestay through Meiji Academy I am grateful Meiji referred me to the homestay organization as it was a wonderful experience for me, both from a perspective of language learning and connecting with an extremely kind family that made me feel at home. Since the family did not speak any English I would only recommend this to students of at least JLPT N3 level; in fact, N2 would be ideal in order to keep up with the regular daily conversations which I struggled with at around N3 myself, but I was at least able to have prolonged conversations with the parents when they simplified...

I took a 3 week summer language course at the Meiji Academy and thoroughly enjoyed my time there.

The teaching staff is exceptionally friendly and helpful, even with regards to matters not directly related to the language course itself, such as accommodations and questions of day to day life, or recommendations for activities in and around Sapporo. It is clear that they enjoy teaching and interacting with the students, which makes for a welcoming and engaging atmosphere.

Events and activities are also frequently planned by the Academy itself, and there are always up to date brochures and other informational material on current events in Sapporo. This allows for authentic cultural experiences and regular interactions with native Japanese speakers, even from outside of the Academy.

My classes were from morning to midday. The pace was relatively brisk, but this enabled the courses to cover a lot of ground while also allowing for plenty of time to revise and practice outside of the class hours, which is both encouraged through plentiful and varied learning materials and recommended in order to solidify progress.

The teachers are also always open to answering questions regarding the contents of the course or providing further material and exercises if desired. Given that "larger" classes might not always be able to cover all individual levels of prior skill and knowledge of the attendants, asking for more workload and feedback is encouraged and welcomed.

It should also be noted that, as is typical for Japanese language courses both in Japan and abroad, the courses rely on working closely with textbooks

The facilities of the Academy are relatively small, but fully equipped, clean and well maintained, and offer both a social space and a library for individual learning and studying.

I can wholeheartedly recommend the Meiji Academy for anyone looking to learn Japanese (at whichever level) while immersing themselves in the beautiful city of Sapporo. My only regret is not being able to stay longer, and I recommend extended stays (1-2 months at least) for those looking to get the most out of...

This was actually my first time studying at a Japanese language school in Japan and overall I’m happy with choosing Meiji. I studied for 2 months at their Hokkaido campus and also stayed afterwards for 2 weeks in Fukuoka.

Overall I preferred their Hokkaido school as it is much more spacious and the facilities are brand new. The friendliness and also services was at both locations top notch. The teachers are very passionate and I had learned a lot during my time there. I was between N5/N4 and can confidently say that I moved up to N4 even though I have to face the exam later this year😬

The best part was my stay in the sharehouse which is really close to the school. It’s the best place to make Japanese friends and meet other international students studying in Sapporo.

For the events I thought they were a lot of fun. Not the cheapest activities but considering the planning, guidance, translation and enjoying fun excursions with fellow students it’s difficult not to choose them. I had both, pop culture and traditional, but think the latter was way better. For traditional we did Iaido (katana sword fighting), Tate (some other sword fighting practice), tea ceremony and traditional paper fan making. The pop culture was a chocolate factory excursion and maid cafe, which were fun I don’t think I would be doing them again.

I will definitely return to Hokkaido and most likely with Meiji again:) Thanks for all and...