Tokyo Central Japanese Language School - Shinjuku City

Staff doesn’t respond to admission related mails. I am really disappointed with how the process started. Maybe I need to see some other language schools without wasting time on follow-ups.

Classes were really reat, I learnt a lot, wether it was kanjis or oral comprehension, reading, writing, ... the teachers were really nice and really tried to make us feel good and I felt like I really improved myself during those 3 month. I didn't appreciate that the staff refused to pay for half of my train fee just because "it's only for those who stay one year" when I learnt afterwards that they paid the same fee to several of my friends, who stayed 3 months, like me. So here are the 3 stars.

I've been studying in this school for 8 months + now. I started from N4 in this school and now I'm at N2. Below are just my personal experiences in this school. Different people might have different opinions. I'm someone who have almost zero knowledge in kanji and I must stress that this school puts in very little effort to teach students kanji. Most students in this school are Chinese educated; hence it is very frustrating for someone like me who can't read Chinese to enjoy the lessons. I used to enjoy studying Japanese but going to school and learning Japanese has now become a dreadful task. Unless you're willing to put in extra effort out of school to drill kanji on your own (including the other homework, it would take a huge chunk of time out of one’s schedule), I would seriously recommend trying another school. When it was time for examinations, it is excruciating as I can barely read the kanji. Hence, how would they asses if I understood the lessons taught? If I should already be able to read and understand all those kanji, then how is it that I’m now studying N2 and my kanji level is probably around N4? The timings for examinations are usually really rushed as well, but they claim that is the standard for Japan’s examination system. This system might be good for students trying to get into universities, but how about those who just want to actually learn the language instead of focusing on scoring for each test? As of now, I usually need to look up all the kanji reading and meanings before class which is time consuming. It has gotten to the point where I sometimes skip class to self study because I could actually learn more in a more efficient time and manner. How good the lessons are, are highly based on the teacher one gets as well. And frankly, good teachers are rare. I've only came across one within 3 semester. Sadly, I could only say that my first semester was the only one that I can call satisfactory. Usually they have two teachers per semester, per class. However, shockingly for this semester (3rd) there were around 5 teachers rotating to teach my class. Not a very pleasant experience. I’ll be listing down the pro and cons: 1. Exam orientated 2. Around 20 students per class (too many for my liking) 3. 3 hours per lesson (around 4-5 hours/day including transport for myself) 4. Barely any speaking/conversation practice (mostly textbook reading in class) 5. Barely any kanji teaching/learning (only some memorization test which I consider highly inefficient) 6. Heavily text book orientated 7. Inconsistent teachers (4-5 teachers taking turns to teach the class) 8. Fees paid are not refundable (some school allows student get some refund if students find the classes unsatisfactory) 9. Lessons are teacher teaching by giving their own explanations and example for a new grammar, followed by text book reading (which consists of explanations and example sentences of that same particular grammar). Lessons also included reading comprehension and questions answering. Sometimes listening practice. 10. Daily homework includes Q&A from textbooks, sentence memorization and kanji memorization to be tested on the next lesson (which don’t really work for me). Sometimes they have essay homework which I can attest works better in improving my language skill. Conclusion: If you have good grasp of Chinese characters or is aiming for a University, you might want to consider this school. Other than that, one might want to check out other schools which are less exam orientated, more conversation orientated, focuses more on the usage of Japanese language and includes kanji lessons.

Lots of best friends, Unforgettable memories, Loyal hearts, Blossoming faces, And, one reason: School And i love TCJ

If you entered this school, you would become miserable. It’s mainly because the teachers cannot answer their students’ questions. They are not professional at all. Studying Japanese in TCJ isn’t good value for money. It costs more than 700,000 yen a year. Not only the teachers but also staff don’t help you much. I as one of the students presume TCJ is just a company that runs for profits.

I really like the atmosphere at the school. The staff are really nice and always greet me with a smile!!! It's not hard to keep up with lessons and you should engage with your teacher as mush as possible if you want to get better. They will give you a lot of advice and help you with practicing Japanese!!!

I am currently studying evening business class now and I’m so overwhelmed how the staff and teachers are welcoming us. The teachers are very nice, they really helping us to learn more and teach us a proper Japanese language skills. Thank you so much. Would definitely recommend this school to all the foreigners who want to learn Japanese language.

FLEXBILITY that's the key word of this school. They have a perfect way to adapt your needs to approach the language. PRO - fair price and many chances to choose the best course for you; - western approach to the language; - direct and practical approach to japanese language; - class through zoom; - good communication with the costumer service; - Evening class for workers; Things I will personally improve: - More monthly speaking class could be a nice option; - Maybe add few more hours for evening class in order to fix some grammar topic (of course with a different price) Overwall after I have been interviewed many schools, this one gives you a good : education, price and service.