Standard Japanese

Genki Japanese and Culture School

Hinta
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Kielikurssin aiheita

Kuunteleminen, puhuminen, ääntäminen, lukeminen, kirjoittaminen, sanavarasto ja kielioppi

Tuntiaikataulu

Kielikurssin kesto
2-20 viikkoa
Aloituspäivämäärä
Joka maanantai (paitsi vasta-alkajat)
Vasta-alkajien aloituspäivämäärä
Kuukauden ensimmäisenä maanantaina
Oppitunteja viikossa
20 lessons per week (jokainen oppitunti kestää 50 min)
Opetuspäivät
maanantai - perjantai
Koulun loma-ajat
29 huhti 2024 - 06 touko 2024, 15 heinä 2024, 12 elo 2024, 16 syys 2024, 23 syys 2024, 14 loka 2024, 04 marras 2024

GenkiJACS ei pidä oppitunteja yllämainittujien lomien aikana. Koulu ei korvaa menetettyjä opiskelupäiviä, joten valitse aloituspäiväsi huolellisesti.

Opetusaikataulu

You can choose from the following class times:

Aamupäivä
09.30.00 - 13.10.00
Iltapäivän kokouksessa
11.25.00 - 15.50.00
Iltapäivän kokouksessa
14.05.00 - 17.45.00

Opetusjärjestys saattaa muuttua kaudesta ja saatavuudesta riippuen.

Kielikurssin kuvaus

You won't get far in Japan without being able to speak the language, but using the special techniques our teachers have developed, you'll be surprised how easy it is to learn to speak Japanese, and you'll be fluent before you know it! Our Standard Course uses interesting and modern materials and activities to focus on improving your Japanese speaking ability in a way that gives you the flexibility to adapt to new situations, until one day you won't even need a teacher anymore!
Small-group classes are given both inside and outside of the classroom - you will learn essential communication techniques in structured lessons with the teacher, then practice them in real-world situations.

*This course does not include cultural activities for students. If you wish to include cultural activities in your reservation, please book the Standard Japanese course plus cultural activities.

** Complete beginners need to be able to read the Hiragana alphabet before starting.

Ryhmän taso

Vasta-alkaja
Perustaso
alempi keskitaso
keskitaso
Tulet suorittamaan ensimmäisenä kurssipäivänä tasokokeen, jonka avulla ryhmätasosi määritellään. Voit myös ottaa tämän testin ennen saapumista kohteeseen !in Kioton.

Ryhmäkoko

Keskimäärin 4 opiskelijaa
Enimmäismäärä 8 opiskelijaa

Opiskelijan ikä

Ikäryhmä 14 vuoden ikäinen tai vanhempi
Keskimäärin 25 vuoden ikäinen

Todistus

Lopputodistus annetaan kielikurssin päätteksi.
Lue lisää...
school
photos

Valokuvia

  • Genki Japanese and Culture School 1/7
  • Genki Japanese and Culture School 2/7
  • Genki Japanese and Culture School 3/7
  • Genki Japanese and Culture School 4/7
  • Genki Japanese and Culture School 5/7
  • Genki Japanese and Culture School 6/7
  • Genki Japanese and Culture School 7/7
reviews

Arviointeja

67% suosittelee

perustuu6 arvioon
5 tähteä
3
4 tähteä
2
3 tähteä
0
2 tähteä
0
1 tähti
1
Opetuksen taso
Koulun toimitilat
Sosiaaliset aktiviteetit
Koulun sijainti
Majoitus

"Not suited to beginners, disappointing and poor example of adult pedagogy."

Annie Mitchell, opiskelija _ maasta Australia

Review of Japanese Genki Jacs



Genki Jacs website promotes absolute beginners classes, where they cater for students “who have never spoken a word of Japanese”. They promote small classes where there is “more attention from teachers, making it easier to focus on students specific needs in an intimate and comfortable environment.”

From these statements, a certain expectation was set regarding the level and pace of the courses offered. More specifically, absolute beginners classes only take enrolements on the first Monday of the month; whcih again, set certain expectations up for what might be offered. My recent experience did not reflect what was promoted and at best could be described as disappointing.

The lack of comprehension of any style of pedagogy, personalized learning, student focused learning tasks and lesson progression demonstrated the inexperience of the teaching staff and overall curriculum focus of the school. Lessons were not adjusted or tailored to meet student needs, showed very limited reflection of student abilities and progression, despite the rigorous and strict adherence homework and data collection.

This was not an environment for adult learners to enrich learning, build skills and understanding, but an imperialist age left over education based on fear and shame. The environment was neither intimate nor comfortable, unless this meant cramped sitting space and tiny rooms.

Perhaps the school is indicative of the entire Japanese Education System and expectations; however, being an international school, catering for students who are from around the globe, it might be expected that a pedagogy aligning with international adult learning would have been implemented, rather than being reflective of the expectations and culture within a local junior high school.

While there was a miscommunication regarding the need to know hiragana before starting; this in no way caters for the promotion of ‘not knowing any Japanese at all’. Simply being able to identify a symbol does not equate to understanding its sound nor how it relates when placed next to other sounds to blend sounds into words. Fluency of sounds is a skill only reached through rigorous repetition, identification, modelling, sight and sound words and vocal exploration. While an adult might be expected to have a quicker uptake of sounds and fluency based on their prior experience of learning to read and speak over several years as a young child, this is not a process that can be achieved in months, much less weeks – and for many adult learners can take many months; dependent up their own phenetic skill awareness and confidence.

Within the first week at the school, the class was expected to have reading fluency of not only hiragana, but the introduction of Katakana. Reading fluency refers to the ability to read quickly, smoothly, easily, and with expression. To read fluently, a reader must understand how the symbols on the page (the letters) are related to the sounds of the language, how those sounds are blended together to form words, what the words mean, and what the words together in a sentence mean. This skill is something that is built over time and practice.



My first week was spent with two other students in the alleged absolute beginner class. Our first lesson saw the teacher write a sentence in hiragana on the board and ask us to read it. In no version of an educative environment would a beginner reader and speaker be expected not only to identify the symbols but to blend and speak them out loud on the first week. The expectations of the beginner class were unrealistic and not in touch with the individual needs of the class, particularly when the range of abilities was so wide. The other two students in my class were clearly advanced, having the ability to write and reading katakana and hiragana, and be able to construct blended sentences using a variety of known words and concepts.



I openly cried in and out of class out of frustration and helplessness as I was shamed and left further and further behind. I was not in a beginner class but with two other students who were confident Japanese speakers and could read fluently. I felt unwelcome and extremely uncomfortable.

At this point, I would like to highlight my strong resilience and adaptability. I draw on a lifetime of high resilience, having experienced personal traumas, deaths, natural disasters and emotional turmoil. I am an experienced and highly skilled world traveler, having backpacked and lived in much of Europe and parts of Asia for over 10 years. I do not say lightly that after a week here, I was planning on leaving and my emotional outbursts were not a case of culture shock or lack of resilience.

The lack of understanding of the mechanics of education was highlighted in every aspect of the class structure. An example was the use of homework for each class. This was not used to assess a students understanding; because if it was, there was no indication that lessons were adjusted to cater for the misunderstandings. On multiple occasions, I was unable to complete parts of the homework and wrote notes on the sheets for the marking teacher to read when it was handed in. These were not addressed, nor were they reviewed. The solution to challenges in keeping up with class content was to give more homework, to the point of it being hours of work outside of the class – and much of it incomprehendable.

The materials were of extremely poor quality. Photocopied sheets were often blurry and writing so tiny, it was often difficult to ascertain what was written. The images were ambiguous and it was often difficult to understand what the activity was requiring.

There was no indication at the school of application of pedagogy of adult learners and adult learning styles. With the website promoting beginner courses suited to a four week commitment, there was little indication that this was the case. It appeared that there were lessons which were rigorously adhered to, with little personalization or room for adjustments or revision.

My highlight of the week was the culture classes; which were well thought out, engaging and varied in activities and interest areas. The tour leaders were interesting and willing to share their experiences and knowledge with the group.

The schools central location is easy to access and surrounded by wonderful cultural spots. While the course facilitators were not teachers and did not draw upon any tools or skills to adapt lessons to suit a range of abilities, they were not unpleasant. However they were not approachable, nor warm. I suspect that it is culturally inappropriate for teachers to build any sort of relationship with students, even adult aged ones. The classes were on the whole ,silent with no encouragement for student input or personalization. This promoted a lack of trust within the classroom, fear and isolation.

While I write this as a reflection of my own experiences, I know that I am not an isolated case as a beginner learner. I am aware that the school caters for advanced speakers and learners and perhaps this is where their expertise lays. I would suggest that this school is not suited to beginners of the language. If they were to continue promoting this, then they might look at engaging a qualified teacher from primary school who teachers learning to read and speak ( 4 – 6 year olds) and engage in some of the pedagogy surrounding phonetic awareness, reading and writing.

I would suggest that if knowledge of Hiragana writing and reading was a prerequisite to enrolling that this be something that i s managed WELL before arriving and done online or in an exam situation or similar.

Lue lisää...

Arvioni koulusta

Opetuksen taso
Koulun toimitilat
Sosiaaliset aktiviteetit
Koulun sijainti
Majoitus
opiskelun kesto
3 viikkoa
Opiskelun aika
1 Jan 2024 - 26 Jan 2024
Suosittelisitko tätä koulua?
Ei
Tämä on vahvistettu yhteenveto. Tämä opiskelija on varattu kurssin tässä koulussa Language International:n kautta.
Oscar San Jose, Marketing and Sales Manager at Genki Japanese and Culture School responded to this review.
16 February 2024

Dear Annie,
First of all thank you very much for your review.
We are always happy to receive feedback for both the positive and the negative of our courses.
Negative reviews help us keep improving all the time so we are grateful.

Our courses are actually designed for complete beginners who can already read the hiragana alphabet. Learning to read the hiragana alphabet before starting is our requirement for all levels, including complete beginners and that is clearly stated in our website and we always remind everyone when booking.
If a student joins our complete beginner class without that hiragana knowledge then it will be very difficult for them that is why we are always very noisy with the requirement.
Were you not reminded about it by Language International? We did remind them when we confirmed the booking.
If you were not notified at all by them before or after confirming the booking could you kindly write to me at [email protected]?
We want to note though that Katakana is not required before starting at the complete beginner class.
Also the other 2 students in your class were complete beginner level (some students have learned by themselves the alphabets and some basic words but are still complete beginners and cannot join a higher class). The curriculum was not modified at all for them and what you had is our regular complete beginner curriculum.

Learning how to read the hiragana alphabet (not to write it) can be done by oneself through multiple available apps and our Hiragana section in our website which has all the sounds as well with the voices of our teachers and quizzes.
As coming to Japan is a big investment for most of our students we want to start right away into the matter and not using the first class hours with the Hiragana alphabet. That system has made our complete beginner students improve faster and make the most of their time in Japan.

Most of our students are beginners and our curriculum is giving good results for them. We are actually not focused on intermediate students, therefore we are extremely sorry that in your case our curriculum didn't work.

We are very sorry that you thought that our materials were poor, we will look into it and improve them where needed.

Regarding the class sizes, yes they are small but adapted to the maximum number of students in class that is 8.

We are happy that you at least enjoy our culture classes.

We would had liked you to talk to us about this while you were at the school as we could have helped you right then. We apologize if you didn't feel that you could not do so as this is the opposite feeling we want to give.
We try to make our students as comfortable as possible and give them the confidence to talk with us anytime there is an issue or misunderstanding.
We have introduced since the end of January a "First impressions survey" for all our new students to express their issues and concerns right after finishing their first week in order to be able to act right away.

We are again very sorry that you didn't have a good experience with us. We take our students feedback very seriously and will make sure this misunderstanding does not happen anymore.

Yours sincerely,
Oscar

"It was a great place to meet people from around the world and I feel much more confident in my Japanese!"

Andrew WERDEN, opiskelija _ maasta USA

The teachers were amazing at teaching. The locations were extremely convinient. However the Tokyo location was hard to find. The classes were well structured and the class sizes were optimal if not a little small. My host family was amazing. You guys are awesome, thank you for this experience.

Lue lisää...

Arvioni koulusta

Opetuksen taso
Koulun toimitilat
Sosiaaliset aktiviteetit
Koulun sijainti
opiskelun kesto
1 viikko
Opiskelun aika
26 Jun 2023 - 7 Jul 2023
Suosittelisitko tätä koulua?
Kyllä
Tämä on vahvistettu yhteenveto. Tämä opiskelija on varattu kurssin tässä koulussa Language International:n kautta.

"Incredible experience."

Christian Ricardo Jimenez Guillen, opiskelija _ maasta Saksa

I like many things about Genkijacs, including the school facilities, location, teaching method, and professors, which is why I rate it 5 stars. Japan's culinary culture is incredible, with thousands of restaurants, but unfortunately, the time between classes is too short to explore these alternatives. However, I did have time to explore the restaurants in the afternoon :). The student attention at Genkijacs was excellent, and the staff helped me with all aspects of transport without any issues.

On the other hand, I was not satisfied with the quality of the department I was assigned to, despite its beautiful location. When I returned to Germany, I wrote to the school with photos to highlight the issues, and they assured me that they would investigate the matter with the service providers. Living in Kyoto was an experience for me, and the quality of the department was an essential part of that experience. If I had to pay double or triple to get better conditions, I would do it without hesitation. For my next visit, I will be more particular about the accommodation.

Lue lisää...

Arvioni koulusta

Opetuksen taso
Koulun toimitilat
Sosiaaliset aktiviteetit
Koulun sijainti
Majoitus
opiskelun kesto
1 viikko
Opiskelun aika
3 Apr 2023 - 14 Apr 2023
Suosittelisitko tätä koulua?
Kyllä
Tämä on vahvistettu yhteenveto. Tämä opiskelija on varattu kurssin tässä koulussa Language International:n kautta.

"Overall a good experience"

Alfred Makne Poulsen, opiskelija _ maasta Tanska

The teachers was very friendly and had different teaching styles.
It's for the most part fast paced learning. We went through around 2 chapters every week.

We followed the Minna no nihongo book.
With about a month interval there's a test we had to take. If you don't pass you may have to take the same month again.

We got homework every day (except weekends) but for the most part not to time-consuming.

But if you want more homework you can just ask

Lue lisää...

Arvioni koulusta

Opetuksen taso
Koulun toimitilat
Sosiaaliset aktiviteetit
Koulun sijainti
Majoitus
opiskelun kesto
23 viikkoa
Opiskelun aika
5 Sep 2022 - 17 Feb 2023
Suosittelisitko tätä koulua?
Kyllä
Tämä on vahvistettu yhteenveto. Tämä opiskelija on varattu kurssin tässä koulussa Language International:n kautta.

"II will give 80 marks out of a total of 100. The top up conversational classes are not as helpful as I have expected."

TSE PYH, opiskelija _ maasta Hongkong

Some teachers are very zealous to teach such as Keigo San, Kanego San and Yasuko San. Some are not very full-heartedly.

Lue lisää...

Arvioni koulusta

Opetuksen taso
Koulun toimitilat
Sosiaaliset aktiviteetit
Koulun sijainti
opiskelun kesto
3 viikkoa
Opiskelun aika
6 Feb 2023 - 3 Mar 2023
Suosittelisitko tätä koulua?
Ei
Tämä on vahvistettu yhteenveto. Tämä opiskelija on varattu kurssin tässä koulussa Language International:n kautta.

"It was challenging, but very rewarding."

Peter Charles Slaven, opiskelija _ maasta Australia

The classes were tough and fast paced, but overall were extremely rewarding. I personally got frustrated at times because the classes are almost entirely done in Japanese and I could not understand what was going on because I was an Absolute Beginner. The teachers are very lovely and helpful. The location is central and great for post class activities.

Lue lisää...

Arvioni koulusta

Opetuksen taso
Koulun toimitilat
Sosiaaliset aktiviteetit
Koulun sijainti
opiskelun kesto
1 viikko
Opiskelun aika
2 Mar 2020 - 13 Mar 2020
Suosittelisitko tätä koulua?
Kyllä
Tämä on vahvistettu yhteenveto. Tämä opiskelija on varattu kurssin tässä koulussa Language International:n kautta.
housing

Majoitus

GenkiJACS tarjoaa seuraavia majoitustyyppejä:
homestay

Kotimajoitus - Yhden hengen huone - Aamiainen ja illallinen

196 €
viikoittain

Homestay - Single-person room - Breakfast and dinner

Ikäryhmä: 16 vuoden ikäinen tai vanhempi
Sijainti: Outside the city center of Kioton
Majoitustyyppi: Kotimajoitus
Huonetyyppi: Yhden hengen huone
Ateriaa: Aamiainen ja illallinen (7 ateriaa viikossa)
Toimitilat: Keittiö, pesula, tietokoneet, langaton internetyhteys, ilmainen internet, matto, ilmastointi, lämmitys, ja 24/7 valvontaa
Matka kouluun: 40 - 90 minuuttia train or subwaylla
Saatavuus: tammikuu - joulukuu
Päivä saapumisesta: sunnuntai, milloin
Lähtöpäivänä: sunnuntai, milloin
196 €
The opportunity to stay with a Japanese host family is the perfect way to immerse yourself in the culture, and practice at "home" what you learned at school that day.

When arranging a host family for you, we try to take into account any needs or preferences you may have, such as smoker or non-smoker, allergies, English ability, and so on. Your host family can act as guides and mentors, friends and companions, and a wonderful resource in your adventure in Japan. They are likely to be the people you become closest to during your stay, which is why we work with a very reputable homestay provider that performs a thorough screening of all host family applicants, to ensure that they can provide a suitable environment to assist your learning and to allow you to fully experience Japan.
student-residence

Opiskelija-asuntola - Yhden hengen huone - Ei aterioita

124 €
viikoittain

Kyoto Guesthouse

Ikäryhmä: 18 vuoden ikäinen tai vanhempi
Sijainti: In the city center of Kioton
Majoitustyyppi: Opiskelija-asuntola (kampuksen ulkopuolella)
Huonetyyppi: Yhden hengen huone
Ateriaa: Ei aterioita
Toimitilat: Keittiö, pesula, langaton internetyhteys, ilmainen internet, matto, ilmastointi, ja lämmitys
Matka kouluun: 25 - 45 minuuttia train or subwaylla
Saatavuus: tammikuu - joulukuu
Päivä saapumisesta: sunnuntai, milloin
Lähtöpäivänä: lauantai, milloin
124 €
A private room in a guesthouse with both other foreigners and Japanese people gives you the freedom to enjoy the city life freely, but also the chance to make friends. The room includes a bed, desk, and simple living space. Kitchen, toilet and bathing facilities are shared with other guests.
apartment

Huoneisto - Yhden hengen huone - Ei aterioita

261 €
viikoittain

Private apartment - Single-person room - No meals

Ikäryhmä: 18 vuoden ikäinen tai vanhempi
Sijainti: In the city center of Kioton
Majoitustyyppi: Yksityishuoneisto
Huonetyyppi: Yhden hengen huone
Ateriaa: Ei aterioita
Toimitilat: Yksityinen kylpyhuone, keittiö, pesula, ilmainen internet, tV-huone, matto, ilmastointi, ja lämmitys
Matka kouluun: 15 - 35 minuuttia train or subwaylla
Saatavuus: tammikuu - joulukuu
Päivä saapumisesta: sunnuntai, milloin
Lähtöpäivänä: lauantai, milloin
261 €
Apartments are conveniently located in the central area of Kyotp, giving you the freedom to enjoy the city.
Apartments are usually Western style, about 20 square meters in size. All apartments have air conditioning, a bed, and are fully furnished.
visa

Viisumineuvonta

Me emme voi anoa viisumeja opiskelijoiden puolesta. Koulu voi kuitenkin tarjota viisumihakemukseen tarvittavat lomakkeet.

Hyväksymiskirje lähetetään postitse maksutta kotiosoitteeseesi. Jos haluat saada materiaalin pikakirjeenä, rekisteröitymisen ohessa veloitetaan maksuna ¥ 6,500.

Lennot ja lentokenttävaihdot

Please note that we do not book flights for our students. If you are researching airfare costs, we recommend using Kayak.com, a search engine that lets you compare flight options from your home country to Kioton based on your budget, schedule and preferences.

Matkavakuutus

Opiskele huoletta ulkomailla Language Internationalin tarjoamien sairaus- ja henkilökohtaisen omaisuusvakuutusten turvin. Kun varaat kielikurssin kauttamme, voit halutessasi ostaa kansainvälisen vakuutuspaketin joka kattaa sairauskulujen lisäksi omaisuusvahingot. Sinun on varattava palvelu etukäteen rekisteröitymisen ohessa.

Lisätietoja vakuutussuunnitelmastamme »

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questions

Kysymyksiä ja vastauksia

Kysymyksiä? Saat vastauksia majoituspaikan Genki Japanese and Culture School henkilökunnalta ja aiemmilta opiskelijat.

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