Genki Fukuoka
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Genki Fukuoka Japanese Language school is located in the heart of the charming city of Fukuoka. The school has been awarded the “Best World Language School” Star Award from Study Travel Magazine, and truly offers adults and teenagers interested in a Japanese full-immersion learning experience the best of language and culture courses.
Fukuoka is one of Japan’s ten most populous cities. Because of its proximity to the Asian mainland, Fukuoka has been an important harbor city for many centuries, and was chosen by the Mongol invasion forces as their landing point in the 13th century. Today’s Fukuoka is the product of the fusion of two cities in the year 1889, when the port city of Hakata and the former castle town of Fukuoka were united into one municipality. Hakata remains the name of one of Fukuoka’s central districts and of the main railway station. Fukuoka’s warmth and friendliness make it a great gateway to Kyushu, and warm weather and contemporary attractions – art, architecture, shopping and cuisine – make it a good base for regional excursions.
GENKI FUKUOKA AT A GLANCE
- Year of foundation: 2005
- City: Fukuoka, Japan
- Position in the city: Center
- Minimum age in adult school: 14
- Number of students in school: 80 – 140
- Main type of public transport: Underground
- Approximate number of nationalities in school each year: 50
Genki Fukuoka: 1 Chome-16-23 Hakataekihigashi, 福岡市博多区 Fukuoka Prefecture 812-0013, Japan
“I first became familiar with Genki, and its founder, Evan Kirby, when its Fukuoka school (its first location) joined IALC a few years ago. There are a number of Japanese language schools in Fukuoka, but Genki stands far apart from them (as does its Tokyo school in that city) for a few reasons. First of all, the majority of the other Japanese language schools are targeted to persons of other Asian nationalities who are interested in attending university in Japan. As such, most of the students are already familiar with Asian culture, and are not particularly interested in a cultural “stay” in Japan. For that reason, those schools don’t organize extracurricular activities for the students—they just attend the lessons and go home. Secondly, many of these schools are huge, with hundreds if not thousands of students, and have very large class sizes—20 students to a class or more. In this way, it would be very easy for a student, particularly one from outside of Asia, to feel completely lost in one of them. Thirdly, most of the classes that they offer are long-term and begin on fixed start dates. Genki, on the other hand, is more aimed at international students, and organizes many of the cultural and recreational activities that they are truly looking to experience on a visit to Japan. It has a great mix of all nationalities, not only of persons from the West, its classes are small, and its start dates flexible. However, what impressed me most about Genki was that during my search for a school like this in Tokyo (there are a few that don’t conform to the description above), a prospective student and her father came to my office on a Saturday morning for information. For the fact that it was on a weekend, it was not possible to speak directly to any other language school in the city. On the other hand, Evan had invited me to call him on his personal number, and with the time difference it meant that he was taking my call at home on a Saturday night. That prospective student did in fact book the school for 5 months, and told me afterwards that she had received the same level of personal attention there that Evan demonstrated towards me as agent. She made a point of contacting me when she returned home to let me know what a positive experience she had had overall at that school, which not all students do, even when they have been satisfied. Genki Fukuoka in particular gives students the benefit of host families that are closer to the school than in Tokyo, and much less likely to speak English. That fact is true for the general population of that city, allowing students a full immersion language experience while they are there. Then for students who want the best of both worlds—the full immersion Japanese experience in Fukuoka, and the excitement of Tokyo—is possible to do a course combining a stay in both cities.”
Genki Fukuoka
Why study Japanese at Genki Fukuoka?
There are many language schools in Japan for Japanese language learning. Genki in Fukuoka distinguishes itself in the following ways:
- Genki Fukuoka, is located just minutes from Hakata Station, in the heart of Fukuoka City.
- Genki Fukuoka is one of the few schools guaranteeing a small class size, with an average of 5 students and a maximum of 9.
- Genki Fukuoka is a member of IALC, one of the most difficult recognitions for a language school to obtain.
- Genki Fukuoka’s teaching method focuses on learning both the language and the culture simultaneously so that students can truly experience an immersion during their stay.
- All of the Japanese teachers at Genki are graduates of a 420-hour Japanese teacher training course at a recognized study institution, and have extensive experience teaching Japanese to foreigners.
- Genki Fukuoka is able to arrange top quality accommodation at various budgets.
- Genki Fukuoka offers a variety of programs for every type of student and a variety of activities to ensure students make the most use of their Japanese skills.
- Genki Fukuoka’s courses are extremely flexible, with most courses starting any Monday.
- Genki Fukuoka has a fantastic nationality mix, with students from over 50 different countries every year.
- Genki Fukuoka’s courses offer an exceptionally good value for money in the Japanese language school market.
The facilities
GENKI FUKUOKA FACILITIES AT A GLANCE
- 13 classrooms
- Large student lounge with Nintendo Wii console
- Free Wi-Fi
- Self-study space
- Computers
- Free instant coffee and tea
MORE ABOUT THE FACILITIES AND SERVICES
Internship Program
Genki has partnered with a major work provider in Japan to offer an internship placement program in Tokyo. After studying with Genki in Fukuoka (or also at Genki Tokyo for part of their stay), students can start an internship in Japan in one of thousands of companies around Tokyo. The internship provider handles all aspects of students’ internship placement, including the application, training, and regular support. The minimum language course length is 4 weeks and the internships last 1 – 3 months.
Services for Minors
Genki Fukuoka is able to provide airport pickup, weekly reports, personal alarms, counselling and emergency contact numbers for students under the age of 18.
The courses
GENERAL JAPANESE AND EXAMINATION COURSES
- Age: minimum 14
- Length of each lesson: 50 minutes
- Number of students in class: average 5, maximum 9
- Start dates: Every Monday
- Timetable: Morning classes are from 9:30-13:10. Afternoon classes are from 11:25-15:50 or 14:05-17:45.
Standard Japanese
The Standard Course uses interesting and modern materials and activities to focus on improving students’ Japanese speaking ability. The course includes 10 lessons of grammar and 10 lessons of language skill application classes per week.
- Japanese levels: All
- Course duration: 1+ weeks
- Number of lessons per week: 20
Japanese Plus Conversation
The Japanese Plus Conversation Course offers 20 core classes of the Standard Japanese Course, plus five extra classes per week of conversational Japanese, including slang, dialects, specialized vocabulary, and more. To take this course, students must have studied up to at least 5 weeks/100 lessons of elementary Japanese.
- Japanese levels: Elementary +
- Course duration: 1+ weeks
- Number of lessons per week: 25
Japanese Plus Traditional Culture
This course offers students the opportunity to learn about the wonderful culture of Japan while learning the language, and the chance to participate in cultural arts with other Japanese people. Students will study 20 lessons of Japanese per week, and then take 3 cultural experience classes each week.
- Japanese levels: All
- Course duration: 1 to 5 weeks
- Number of lessons per week: 20 + 3 activity lessons
Japanese Plus Pop Culture
This course is for those who would like a deep understanding of Japan as it is today, and experience the most fun, interesting and quirky aspects of modern culture. Students will study 20 lessons of Japanese per week, and then take 3 cultural experience classes each week. Culture classes are held on a semi-fixed monthly schedule.
- Japanese levels: All
- Course duration: 1 to 5 weeks
- Number of lessons per week: 20 + 3 activity lessons
Long Term Course 6 months
Genki offers the Long Term Standard Japanese course for 6 months for students from countries who have a visa waiver agreement with Japan. Students have 20 lessons per week focusing on communication skills for daily life, rather than academic Japanese.
- Japanese levels: All levels
- Course duration: 24 weeks
- Number of lessons per week: 20
Japanese Plus Activities (Summer Program for Minors)
The Japanese Plus Activities program combines the Traditional Culture and Pop Culture courses. The course is only available from June to August for students aged 14 to 19.
- Japanese levels: All
- Age: 14 – 19 years old
- Course duration: 1 to 5 weeks
- Number of lessons per week: 20 + 3 activity lessons
- Includes return airport transfers and accommodation on half-board (breakfast and dinner)
Long Term Course 1 year student visa program
Students have 20 lessons per week focusing on communication skills for daily life, rather than academic Japanese.
- Japanese levels: Maximum pre-intermediate level
- Course duration: 40 weeks
- Number of lessons per week: 20
- Start dates : see dates and fees
Individual Japanese Course
Private Japanese lessons are available throughout the year except in the months of June, July and August.
HOST FAMILY
One of the best ways to experience the Japanese way of life and culture is to choose homestay accommodation. All homestays are carefully selected and visited regularly to ensure consistently high standards. Homestays are in fact the accommodation of choice for the majority of students. The school and Marshall Language Services recommend this form of accommodation the most for language learning. Family life is informal and the people are welcoming, friendly and talkative, so students will have plenty of opportunities to practice their Japanese with native speakers. By booking homestay accommodation, students will also not have to worry about meals. Mealtimes are often the occasions in which families converse most with the students.
Additional homestay provisions and information
- Homestay accommodation includes a single study bedroom.
- Meal plan: Breakfast only or Half Board
- Many homestays offer wireless internet.
- Homestay families provide bed linens and towels.
- Most homestays are within 40 minutes from the school with public transportation.
- Minimum homestay booking is 1 week.
- Accommodation is from Sunday to Saturday. It is possible to book extra nights at an additional cost.
- Students under 18 years of age must book homestay accommodation.
STUDENT RESIDENCE
Genki Fukuoka offers private rooms with en-suite bathrooms at a student residence to be shared with Genki and Japanese university students. The residence is located within 20 minutes by train from the school.
The student residence also offers:
- Large private room with private bathroom
- Fully equipped common kitchen
- Bed linens
- Free LAN Internet (Wi-Fi in the common areas)
- Study room
- Laundry facilities
APARTMENT
Shared Apartment
Shared apartments offer a private room with shared facilities such as kitchen, living room, bathroom and laundry. Most of these apartments are located close to the city center. Shared apartments may or may not have internet access.
Private Apartment
Private apartments include a bed, living room area, kitchen area, and bathroom. Genki Fukuoka offers 3 types of apartments: a standard studio for 1 person, a superior apartment suitable for 2 people and long-term apartments only available to student visa holders. Private apartments are centrally located, most of them within walking distance to the school.
Private apartments also offer:
- En-suite bathroom
- Broadband internet
- Fully equipped kitchen
- TV
- Laundry facilities
NO ACCOMMODATION
It is possible for students to arrange their accommodation by themselves.
Insurance
Insurance covering medical and travel assistance, personal liability and trip cancellation is not included in the price of the program. Marshall Language Services has a policy available through Guard.Me that covers these elements, as well as an additional policy through CareMed that covers cancellation under a wider range of circumstances, including the need to repeat school exams. A summary of these policies may be downloaded below.
Dates and Fees
Calculate your own approximate quote
The following tool will help you to get a good idea of the cost of a language course and accommodation, if requested, at this school. It may not include all the courses and accommodation options available or take into account promotional offers or costs associated with student visas, insurance, study materials or exam fees. For these reasons, the availability of any course, accommodation option (especially in the high season) and the final price of a package will always have to be verified with Marshall Language Services prior to enrolment.
Contact us for information about dates & prices
Other Programs by this School
Genki Fukuoka Summer School for Teenagers
Genki operates a Japanese language and culture summer camp for teenagers aged 14-19 in Fukuoka, from June through August.
Genki Tokyo
Genki offers intensive Japanese language and culture courses for adults year-round at its school in Tokyo.
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