Meguro Language Center
In Tokyo, I started with an excellent one-month intensive course at MLC. I like their blurb:
Are you misunderstood on a daily basis?
You live in a land of 124 million people.
If you speak Japanese, over 99% will understand you.
If you speak English, less than 30% will.
Unless you came here to get away from people, give us a call.
In the one-month intensive course the lessons lasted three hours a day, 5 days a week, and were one-to-one with just me and a teacher. The teachers were friendly and were happy to tailor the class to my requirements (lots of talking, no English at all). We used Japanese for Busy People (I and II) for a course outline, but had a lot of extras added by the teachers and a lot of free conversation. This environment was really helpful in learning to think in Japanese.
Not too long after that, I started working. With less free time, I cut back to night classes twice a week. These were group classes, but their group classes are limited to only four people. I still found this a very effective way to learn.
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I also did a one-month intensive course at Meguro Language Center, and I second your recommendation. The people there are friendly and helpful, and my speaking ability went from nothing to being able to manage everyday conversation in the course of a month.
Learning Japanese takes a long time, and there are no magic bullets, but having a “kick-start” in the form of an intensive course helps to get over the initial wall into a more comfortable part of the learning curve.
Oh, and I found it was cheaper to stay in Tokyo and study at MLC than get the same amount of instruction back in England!
konnichiva ! watashiva shufuratto desu achirano gakkou de benkyou shitasi desuga dou yatte anketo toka moraimasuka yoroshiku onegai shimasu . tegami ha shufuratto0777@yahoo.co.jp ni okutte kudasai
I found, by chande, your site on the web and I was very exited with it. Unfortunately, I found today that I am not more authorize to see it. I wonder why. I am very sad. I love japanese and your site is fantastic. Please, could you tell me the reason because I cannot enter in it if it is free.
I liver in Argentina and obviously I cannot go to your Institute.
Your faithfully.
Claudine