Genki Tokyo
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Genki Tokyo Japanese Language school is located in downtown Tokyo, in one of the busiest, most dynamic and entertaining areas of the city. The school has been awarded the “Best World Language School” from the STM Star Awards, and truly offers the best of language and culture courses when it comes to Japanese Language learning.
Tokyo, consisting of the city itself and of the Izu and Ogasawara Islands, is Japan’s capital and the world’s most populous metropolis. Formerly known as Edo, the city was renamed Tokyo when the emperor and capital moved there from Kyoto in 1868. Today, Tokyo offers an almost unlimited choice of shopping, entertainment, culture and dining to its visitors. The city’s history can be appreciated in districts such as Asakusa, and in many excellent museums, historic temples and gardens. Tokyo also offers a number of attractive green spaces in the city center and in its outskirts.
GENKI TOKYO AT A GLANCE
- Year of foundation: 2013
- City: Tokyo, Japan
- Position in the city: Downtown Tokyo
- Minimum age in adult school: 16
- Number of students in school: 50 to 100
- Main type of public transport: Train and subway
- Approximate number of nationalities in school each year: 50 +
Genki Tokyo: 5 Chome-17-6 Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-0022, 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. As for the city of Tokyo, where it opened a second location, there are approximately 400 Japanese language schools in the city, but Genki stands far apart from them for a few reasons. First of all, the majority of the 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 languages culture, and are not particularly interested in a cultural “stay” in Japan. For this reason, these schools don’t organize cultural 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 from outside of Asia–or really anywhere–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 aimed more at international students, and organizes many of the cultural and recreational activities that they are truly looking to experience in 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. Evan, on the other hand, 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 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 completely satisfied.”
Genki, Tokyo
Why study Japanese at Genki Tokyo?
There are many language schools in Tokyo, which is the top destination for Japanese language learning. Genki in Tokyo distinguishes itself in the following ways:
- Genki Tokyo is located just a short walk from Shinjuku Station, the world’s busiest train station, making it the most conveniently located Japanese school in the country.
- The school’s location is peaceful and relaxing, a perfect environment to learn Japanese language and culture.
- Genki Tokyo is one of the few language schools guaranteeing a small class size, with an average of 5 students and a maximum of 9.
- Genki Tokyo is part of the prestigious IALC association, one of the most difficult memberships for a language school to obtain.
- Genki’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 Tokyo is able to arrange top quality accommodation for all budgets.
- Genki Tokyo is able to offer 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 Tokyo’s courses are extremely flexible, with most courses starting any Monday.
- Genki Tokyo has a fantastic nationality mix, with students from over 50 different countries every year.
- Genki Tokyo’s courses offer an exceptionally good value for money in the Japanese language school market
The facilities
GENKI TOKYO FACILITIES AT A GLANCE
- 9 classrooms
- Free Wi-Fi
- Laptops
- Lounge with sofa
- Free instant coffee and tea
- TV and Nintendo Wii
- Coffee machine
MORE ABOUT THE FACILITIES AND SERVICES
Location
Shinjuku is the entertainment center of Tokyo, with thousands of restaurants, bars, nightclubs, karaoke joints, game centers, and much more. While West Shinjuku has mostly expensive hotels and high-rise office buildings, East Shinjuku has huge department stores, interesting back streets, a crazy show at the Robot Restaurant and the lovely Hanazono Shrine.
Internship Program
Genki has partnered with a major work provider in Japan which specializes in arranging internships for foreigners. After studying with Genki Tokyo, 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.
The courses
GENERAL JAPANESE AND EXAMINATION COURSES
- Age: minimum 16
- Length of each lesson: 50 minutes
- Number of students in class: average 5, maximum 9
- Start dates: Every Monday (General Japanese)
- 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 skill application classes per week.
- Japanese levels: All levels
- Course duration: 1+ weeks
- Number of lessons per week: 20
NextGEN Conversation
The NextGEN Conversation Course offers 20 core classes of the Standard Japanese Course, plus five extra classes each 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 to 4 weeks
- Number of lessons per week: 25
- All the cultural activities associated will take place on Saturdays from 9-10 am to 4-5pm.
NextGEN 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 levels
- Course duration: 1 to 4 weeks
- Number of lessons per week: 20 and 3 activity lessons
- All the cultural activities associated will take place on Saturdays from 9-10 am to 4-5pm.
NextGEN Pop Culture
This course is for those who want to acquire 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 levels
- Course duration: 1 to 4 weeks
- Number of lessons per week: 20 and 3 activity lessons
- All the cultural activities associated will take place on Saturdays from 9-10 am to 4-5pm.
Long Term Course 6 months
Genki offers the Long Term Standard Japanese course for 6 months for students from countries with 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
- Start dates: see dates and fees
Survival Japanese for Tourists
Genki in Tokyo offers private survival Japanese lessons for tourists. In an intensive 50-minute lesson, Genki’s experienced teachers will guide students through the basics they need to get by as a tourist, including both Japanese language skills and practical advice. Lessons focus on just the topics of interest of the students.
- Japanese levels: all levels
- Course duration: flexible
- Number of lessons per week: flexible
- Timetable: flexible
- Number of students in class: 1 – 2
- Start dates: flexible
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. 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.
Additional homestay provisions and information
- Homestay accommodation includes a single study bedroom.
- Meal plan: Breakfast only or Half Board meal plan options are available.
- Many homestays offer wireless internet.
- Homestay families provide bed linen and towels.
- Homestays are usually within 1 hour from the school with public transportation.
- Minimum booking is 1 week.
- Accommodation is from Sunday to Saturday. It is possible to book extra nights at an additional cost.
STUDENT RESIDENCE
A shared room in a dormitory includes a bed, desk, and simple living space for 2 – 8 people. Kitchen, toilet and bathing facilities are shared with other guests. Dormitories are 35 – 50 minutes from the school by public transportation. Minimum booking is 2 weeks. No minors allowed.
A student residence also offers:
- Shared room
- Shared bathroom
- Fully equipped common kitchen
- Bed linen are provided
- Free Wi-Fi
GUEST HOUSE
A private room in a guesthouse includes a bed, desk, and simple living space. Kitchen, toilet and bathing facilities are shared with other guests. Guesthouses are on average 35 minutes from the school by public transportation. Minimum booking is 2 weeks. No minors allowed.
A guest house also offers:
- Private room with shared bathroom
- Fully equipped common kitchen
- Bed linen are provided
- Free Wi-Fi
APARTMENT
Private Apartment
Private apartments, located in downtown Tokyo are hotel-quality but much less expensive, and can be rented by the week. They include a bed, living room area, kitchen area with appliances, and bathroom. Minimum booking is 2 weeks. No minors allowed
Private apartments also offer:
- Single room with private bathroom
- Free Internet
- Fully equipped kitchen
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
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