Japanese Traditional Culture Course

When I decided to enter Meiji Academy my goal was initially just to learn more Japanese as I have heard many good things about the school. But I ended up extending my initial 2 weeks to 6 weeks studies as I had such a good time at the school. There were students from all types of backgrounds and I really liked that there were primarily Western students which helped me to connect while talking in English during lunch breaks and outgoings. One recommendation I can make is don’t miss the events and definitely book the cultural activities they offer.


I chose Meiji Academy because it had everything I was looking for. The classes were well structured and the instructors took extra care of the students. I really wanted to experience Japanese culture properly and living with a local family made such a difference to how much Japanese I learned and used every day. The school does a lot of activities which made my stay very fulfilling. The karate classes and Ninja experience was definitely worth it! I liked our trips to Nara and Kobe too!

The school provided me with useful information before my arrival and I was able to always ask a lot of questions, which made preparing for the trip much less stressful. I still had to organise things like my flights and figure out how to get around Osaka, but it was all part of the adventure. One of my favourite things was exploring the local cafe scene which is huge with a lot of local coffee shops. And yes, eating takoyaki and okonomiyaki was part of my local cuisine exploration!

Studying at Meiji was such an amazing experience and I’ll never forget it! Everyone was so friendly and helpful and I always felt safe exploring the city. My favourite part was definitely my host family, who made me feel so welcome and at home. The Japanese classes were fun and engaging and even though it was sometimes intense, I learned so much.

I also loved exploring Osaka, trying all the unreal food and meeting many different people at the school and also Japanese locals at events. I recommend you try the fried octopus balls called Takoyaki, crispy steaming yummy delicacies. I’m so glad I had this opportunity and would absolutely recommend anyone going for it!

I had such a lovely experience studying at Meiji Academy in Osaka! The teachers were really friendly and patient and I learned loads of Japanese. I met amazing people and made even Korean friends I’ll hopefully visit next year in Seoul. hehe
One of my favourite parts was exploring Nipponbashi's Otaku town and Tsuruhashi for some superb Korean BBQ, trying all the delicious street food and seeing the famous Glico sign lit up at night! Osaka is such a lively city and there’s always something to do. I’d recommend Meiji to anyone thinking of studying Japanese in Japan!

This was my first time going abroad. As a Brazilian I have never been abroad and Japan was definitely something completely different than how things are back home. My love for Mangas and Anime never really disappeared and now just felt the perfect timing to go abroad. I will outline what I liked and not.


STUDIES
The lessons were focusing on interactive speaking classes with a lot ofn grammar we learned during the lessons. They use Genki textbook which I didn't know as I learned before with Minna no nihongo. I had to get used to Genki but I definitely prefer it due to having all materials in English which helped immensely. The lesson pace was good and also gave a lot of opportunities for asking questions to the teachers. I had four different teachers during my whole time there.

HOUSING
My sharehouse was close and very well maintained. The price value was very good. The only problem that happened in my last week was that a noisy student moved in below my room, so I did have once or twice a noise complaint. But the problem was quickly sorted out by the accommodation provider.

LOCATION
The school is centrally located in downtown Osaka in an area called Shinsaibashi. Even though this area is very close to the main shopping district and also the Amerikamura fashion district is literally next door. I did prefer the Nipponbashi area because I'm an Otaku and it was quite far away...

Overall I think the school did a great job to support me and I think I will come back again to study with Meiji Academy. Next time I want to further explore Kansai area so either Osaka again or Kyoto. Thank you for everything!

I have very fond memories of studying at Meiji Academy Osaka! Thanks to the small groups, I was able to ask questions freely and I met great people. I especially enjoyed the takoyaki evenings, calligraphy classes and going out to Dotonbori together. It was also nice to practice Japanese outside the classroom!

Everybody at Meiji was so accommodating and the instructors went the extra mile in terms of explaining and assisting with all my questions. And there were a lot of them. haha My favorite part were the events they offered. Some of them were by the school but others from local student circles they seem to collaborate with and other infos about seasonal festivals happening. As this was my first time in Japan I don't have nothing to compare to it but I am pretty sure if I decide to study again in Japan, I'll give it a second go with Meiji. Arigatou for everything:)

Overall I've had a great time and the course was well structured. For the short time I was studying there, I was able to advance more than what I was expecting. The variety of activities and cultural excursions was also great. My sharehouse was very simple but clean and well maintained.

My time at Meiji in Osaka was much fun. The instructors were very patient and always made sure to place a lot of importance of talking practices. I liked the interactive classes with a lot of speaking situations in daily life and also that they were fully in Japanese which helped a lot. Events and cultural activities were abundant and I loved the river cruise, visit to the Osaka shrine and also the Katana sword experience we had. Highly recommend taking the Traditional Culture module!