Frequently Asked Questions

Core course

Standard Japanese
Modules

Plus Conversation Plus Culture Culture
Add-ons

Private lessons
Packages

Summer Course GenkiLINK Bildungsurlaub
Long-term courses

10-week course 20-week course 1-year student visa course 18-month student visa course

Everyone takes our standard Core course of 20 lessons per week. You can then add additional modules or add-ons, which will consist of extra lessons outside of the core lessons.
You may take modules in any combination.

Courses don't have a set length (except for the 10-week, 20-week, 1-Year and 18-month courses.) You may study any course/module from a minimum of 2 week, up to as long as you like - within your visa restrictions of course!

There isn't really a recommended length, as each person studies based on how long they have available, but the average length of study is about 8 weeks. We recommend three weeks at a minimum, as anything shorter than that means you won't really have time to improve your Japanese ability significantly.

Time taken to complete each level on average

If you are a complete beginner, the start dates would be the first Monday of each month, and the third Mondays of June, July and August. If you have studied previously, you can start any Monday throughout the year.
Student visa holders may start on the first Mondays of January, April and October, and the last Monday of July.

We work somewhat like a university in that, depending on the class you get placed in, you may have morning classes on some days and afternoon classes on some other days. Your schedule can also change weekly. The schedule may be different in during off-peak and peak seasons. We are not able to guarantee any set class times.

Yes! Our classes focus on communication skills first and foremost, but we also include reading and writing skills as they are necessary for daily life.

We ask you to take an online placement test as you apply to study with us, and then a couple of months before your course starts, we will arrange an online interview with one of our teachers. Your class placement depends on the results of these tests. If you are a complete beginner, then you only need to know the Hiragana alphabet before starting your course. For some practice: Hiragana quiz.

We don't offer the JLPT ourselves, but we are happy to help you apply for it. Bear in mind that we are a conversational school, meaning our main focus will never be preparing for any test. Rather, we want to teach you how to use the langauge in real, everyday situations.

Homestay

Host family
Residence

Private Residence Supervised Residence
Apartment

Private Apartment 2P-Apartment Long-term Apartment Shared Apartment

Yes. If you want to change because of a serious problem with your current accommodation, there is no charge. If you would just prefer to try an alternate type of accommodation, an adiminstrative fee will be charged for this.

Unfortunately our accommodation is only available to full-time students with us (i.e. students studying for 20 lessons or more per week, every week).
If you would like to stay in the city cheaply for a longer period of time, it is possible to rent monthly apartments through a variety of companies. These are significantly cheaper than hotels.

There's no specific time you need to arrive at the accommodation, as long as we know in advance what time to expect you, so that we can make sure they are waiting for you.
If you are being picked up at the airport, a representative (usually someone from the accommodation) will be waiting at the arrivals gate to meet you at the airport, with a sign with your name and the school name. If for some reason you don't meet that person, please call our emergency number, 090-4993-5365 from a payphone.

About a month to 2 weeks before you arrive, we will send you an information sheet that includes instructions on how to get to the accommodation from the airport/train station. If you have any problems finding it on the day, feel free to give us or them a call, or if you can get close, hop in a taxi and show them the address.

You absolutely can, and we have a few suggestions for accommodation companies in Tokyo specifically that may help. Check them out here

Alternatively, AirBNB is always a good recommendation, especially if being located close to the school is a priority for you.

None! We accept all levels of learners, as your language study with us is not dependent on previous study, either at high school or college. The only requirement we have is that you memorize the hiragana alphabet before you arrive.
Please note the student visa has some requirements. See this page for more info.

After receiving the invoice, you will have 14 days to pay the Registration and Selection Fees (totalling 16,000 Yen for non Student visa courses and 15,000 Yen for 1-year and 18-month courses). After that we henerally ask students to pay the remaining amount at least two months in advance of the start date. Paying the full fees in a single payment saves you from paying multiple bank transfer fees. We ask for payment in Japanese Yen. The exchange rate between Yen and your home currency may fluctuate, but the cost will not.

As long as you are not studying on a student visa and the last of intallment reaches us before the course starts, it is possible to do so; however, we don’t recommend it, as there are often quite large transfer fees associated with sending money internationally. Paying in installments would increase the total amount you have to pay. We still require payment in full a month before the first day of classes, so a cheaper option would be to save up the money on your side, then send it all at once. Note that if you are studying on a student visa, we require full payment in advance.

We don’t accept payment in cash for students coming from overseas. We require full payment at least two months in advance of the start of classes, as there are some costs that must be paid before a student arrives, including accommodation.

Read our terms and conditions

As we are a small private school, unfortunately we don't offer financial aid or scholarships for our students. However, we are always happy to help students to apply for external aid such as grants in your home country. We can provide any of the documentation that might be required. In the past, several students have received scholarships from organizations such as the Rotary Club, universities, and more.

If you are a university student, we would recommend you ask your university if they have any such programs, or can put you in touch with an organization that can help. Alternatively, there are quite a few organizations that have websites online, so you should be able to find them through Google. There's also a small chance the Japanese embassy may have some information on scholarship programs available, if you'd like to inquire with them.

Discounts information

Unfortunately not. Since tourist visas are only issued by the Japanese embassy in your country of origin, we aren't able to arrange those for our students. Please arrange your tourist visa, if you need one, by contacting your nearest Japanese embassy.

We also don't arrange flights for our students.

We recommend of course studying as much as you can before you arrive, as the more you know before you get here, the higher your level will be when your study finishes. However, basic greetings and simple vocabulary would definitely help you in your stay in Japan. There are two types of study: the things for which a teacher is required, and the things not requiring a teacher. In general, for example, memorizing vocabulary does not really require a teacher, so the more vocabulary you can memorize before you arrive in Japan, the better! We ask people to memorize the hiragana (and, if possible, katakana) alphabets before arriving, for the same reason.

If you pay for this service, yes. We don't recommend airport pickups for two reasons: Tokyo, Nagoya and Kyoto School airports are far from the city so it is quite expensive, and Fukuoka airport is very close to the city center, so a taxi is almost always cheaper (Fukuoka airport is also directly connected to the subway system, so taking a train from there to the city center is very cheap and easy).
You can decide if you would like this service after you receive your accommodation information, which includes both directions by public transport and the cost to go by taxi, if you want.

Yes. We require all our students to have insurance that will cover them in Japan. We recommend contacting your current medical insurance provider to find out if they will cover you overseas. If not, GenkiJACS offers medical/travel insurance through internationally acclaimed provider CareMed. This service can be purchased when you sign up with us.