Shinwa Foreign Language Academy
2-14-30, Takadanobaba, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-0075, Japan
Shinwa Foreign Language Academy
Our courses are tailored to meet students' needs and demands for learning Japanese. Each class is named after the lead teacher that takes care of his / her students while they attend Shinwa Academy. Our teachers create a warm, relaxed and enjoyable learning atmosphere that is not rigid, but firm. We aim to create a dynamic and fun atmosphere that all students can enjoy while they learn Japanese. Although we are a school, we have the feel of a family that we can enjoy learning Japanese together.
You can now come to Japan with a student visa and be allowed to work up to 28 hours per week. This enables students to earn and learn during their stay in Japan and gives them valuable experience in the Japanese working atmosphere. This can also lead to full-time job opportunities once students graduate.
Students can test their Japanese skills in a variety of ways, one of them is our contests. We have various contests students can participate in.
● Speech Contest
● Essay Contest
● Attendance
Those with perfect attendance will receive a gift from the school every semester. Also winners of the speech and essay contest, will also win a prize.
NOTE 1: We can only accept students from OECD Countries as listed below.
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada
Chile
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Luxembourg
the Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
the United Kingdom
the United States
NOTE 2: If students choose not to take the official course start dates (Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct), they will only receive a certificate of completion. This is because the graduation ceremony is only for courses from 15 months and only held in March to comply with the Japanese educational system.
You can choose from the following class times:
Class schedule may change depending on availability and season.
Average | 15 students |
Maximum | 20 students |
Age range | 18 - 93 years old |
Average | 23 years old (19 in the summer) |
Our teachers are well-trained and give thorough classes in a friendly and social environment. We have daily tests based on the previous day's material that help students understand their ability and weak points as well as to review what they have learned. This helps the teachers understand what each student needs in class. We use our own exclusive text as well as JLPT materials for classes to deliver interesting, useful and varied lessons.
Students who wish to take longer courses must provide documentation for us to apply for a student visa on your behalf.
Facilities
● 3 Buildings (less than a one minute walk from the main building)
● 28 Classrooms
● 3 Academic Offices
● 1 Secretariat's Office
● 6 Vending Machines for hot and cold drinks
● 1 Computer Area with Internet Access
● 1 Self-Study Room
● 2 Counselling Rooms
● Toilets on every floor
● Fully Air-Conditioned & Heated Classrooms
We provide detailed guidance for students to get quickly acquainted with life in Japan. At our Opening Ceremony, native speakers in various languages give an introduction to the school and life in Japan to answer student's questions. Teachers are able to give advice in Japanese to students and our multi-lingual office staff is able to speak natively to students about their queries or concerns.
Every season of the year has events we like students to participate in.
Events range from cultural events to visiting theme parks, museums, school parties and barbecues. During students stay at Shinwa they can learn Japanese and also participate in many activities organised by the school. There are also many cultural events to participate in including, kimono wearing, visiting temples, the Imperial Palace, museums, etc. Other events include festivals, visiting and learning about Japanese media industries, visiting theme parks, etc. There are a range of other activities and field trips the school has or can recommend, depending on the season.
The nationality and age mix at Shinwa Foreign Language Academy varies over different time periods, courses and levels. Throughout the year, the average age is 23. In the summer, the average age is 19.
Shinwa Academy teaches students from all over the world, including:
Shinwa Academy does not hold classes on the holiday dates below. The school does not compensate for these holidays, so make sure to choose your start date accordingly.
Shinwa Foreign Language Academy is located in the heart of Takadanobaba a short walk from the famous Waseda University. A selection of stores, restaurants and convenience stores are nearby to make studying in our school convenient for all students and a 5 minute walk from Takadanobaba station on the Yamanote line.
I really enjoyed this class. The course went over chapters 1-24 in the minna no nihongo textbooks with tests every week and a final on the last week. This also includes intensive hiragana and katakana workbooks as well as a kanji book we started on the 3rd week. I did not pass the class because I did not study enough. However, I highly recommend this class for new Japanese learners because through this class I made significant progress in understanding the language. Far more than I was managing with self study.
The one major issue I experienced is that this school seems more geared for Chinese students so I did not have many English speaking classmates. Which means that if you don’t understand something there’s not going to be someone you can rely on to quickly explain it in English if you’re completely lost. I was in a class of 12 people and I was the only American. There were 8 Chinese students, 2 Vietnamese students and 1 French student. From the looks of it that was common throughout the whole school. Personally, I was okay with this because it forced me to interact using the class content and I couldn’t realistically communicate ideas by falling back on my native tongue. If you take this class I highly, highly, recommend going to the English counselor for assistance if there’s anything you don’t understand.
I liked how organized the content was taught, for instance, each chapter would progressively built on the past lessons. I've also noticed that the teachers would change the grammatical structure of their sentences in order to demonstrate how the new chapter's content could be used. The location was nice and easy to access, I've been able to travel to my classroom via Tram, Subway, JR and all of them were very convenient.
I did not get to participate any activities nor use any provided houses so no comment.
I did find it troublesome with the pacing of the course, I took the 10-week session with Shinwa found it somewhat difficult to catch up if I fail to understand the current chapter's content. I also found that there is a lack of discipline in some classes. There was a day when the instructor didn't come and my class was split and merged with another class that was loud and disrespectful. It was not a good environment to learn in, as my peers would chatter in Mandarin and the instructor was not able to control the class.
I am both glad and sorry about your experience.
Generally higher level classes are much more disciplined and students are more focused. But we often find that those studying their first 3 months take time to become accustomed to the Japanese educational system, and as a result they often chat with each other about unrelated matters to the classes.
I will bring this up with the principal.
Had a great time. Teachers were passionate and accommodating. Loved my time there.
Show details » Read more...Thank you very much for your kind words, we are very pleased you had a good experience.
It has been nice. Teachers were friendly and overall everyhthing was ok.
Maybe just the teaching method was hard for europeans, due to different
method of learning
Thank you for your feedback.
The educational culture shock is always surprising for some people as it is very different in Japan compared to Europe and America.
It was a pleasure to have you here though.
I was picked up at the airport and guided by a Ben from the office who took me to me accommodation by train, then registered me at city hall, got my insurance, hanko, bank account and mobile phone. He was really helpful.
Classes began a few days later and were hard at first as they do not use English at all so it’s fully immersive and intensive. But I soon caught up and adapted to the study culture of Japan.
Teachers helped me a lot and were really supportive and enthusiastic. They helped me to apply for college and I got in too.
Ben helped me a lot in his free time too, taking me to hospitals, dentists and even to sort out my first bills at my apartment.
Thank you very much. I will look forward to seeing you graduate in March.
I studied for an 18-month course and graduated last year. The course was fast pace and hard to keep up for the first 2 weeks. But teachers organizes man to man classes after in English to help me catch up. After a week of these, I was back on track.
Japanese schools teach in Japanese only which was daunting at first but once you pick up the language and self-study you can learn very easily.
I went from beginner to N3/2 level in my time.
After I graduated I returned to the states and now work in a company that needed a Japanese speaker so I often visit Japan now.
It’s a good school and the English speaking staff, Ben was super supportive and helpful. He taught me basic grammar in his free time when I was stuck and helped me with registering at city hall and stuff.
Can’t recommend this school enough.
Thank you very much for your review!
I hope your studies are going well and that you are able to use Japanese as often as you can with your chosen career!
We cannot apply for visas on behalf of students. However, the school can supply you with all the documentation you need to support your visa application.
Your letter of acceptance will be sent to your home address by regular mail at no charge to you. If you wish to receive your paperwork by express mail, you will be charged ¥ 4,000 when you register.
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 Tokyo based on your budget, schedule and preferences.
Study abroad worry-free with Language International's health and personal effects insurance coverage. When you book a course with us, you can opt to purchase an international insurance plan that covers not only your health care cost but also loss of your personal belongings. You must book your insurance in advance when you register.
Have questions? Get answers from Shinwa Foreign Language Academy staff, Language International student advisors, and past students.
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