Meet Yvette, one of our amazing students who found the perfect Japanese language school through Coto School Finder! After graduating from Waseda University, one of Japan’s top private universities, Yvette took an unconventional step: instead of diving straight into work, she chose to improve her Japanese language skills by joining Toyo Language School.
In this interview, she shares her story, from the challenges of finding the right school in Japan, to her impressions of being both a university student and a language school student, to how Coto School Finder helped with her admission process.
Welcome, Yvette! Can you tell us what you were doing before you attended Toyo Language School?
I was at Waseda University, in the Culture, Media and Society department, in an English-taught course called JCULP — the Japan Cultures and Global Perspectives program. I graduated after four years as an international student.
What was that experience like for you?
It’s still very much a Japanese university, so a lot of the support is still in Japanese. There is English support, but sometimes you’ll go to a seminar, and it’s all in Japanese, and you still don’t understand a lot.
What had been your initial plans after you graduated?
I had no idea what to do for job hunting. After I graduated and did a bit of job hunting, I decided to convert my visa into a Designated Activities visa. For a while, I went back and forth, thinking: should I go home, or should I stay here? Then I reached a point where I thought, “What a waste of four years,” but also, “Okay, so what do we do from here?”
How did you find out about Coto School Finder?
I figured, hey, Coto has a Japanese language school called Coto School Finder. Maybe that’s a good idea. It felt like a more productive next step. And now I’m at Toyo!
How did the transition from university student to language school student feel for you?
It’s been fun. The transition itself wasn’t very hard, though I think I’m kind of a special case. It wasn’t completely smooth, but it wasn’t rough either, because you guys kept telling me, “It’s fine, you can do this.”
How different are your university classes compared to your current language school classes?
At Waseda, I got to choose my own classes. I could see the syllabus and decide what I did or didn’t want to take. That felt like a safety net.
Toyo also lets you choose your classes, but because it’s every day, there’s a real time limit. You need to know certain vocabulary by a certain point, or things get harder. So there’s more pressure to actually study, to understand the grammar, and because there’s a time limit, you’re cramming a lot of grammar forms at once.
It’s also harder because not many of your classmates speak English fluently. If you don’t understand something, you really have to talk to your classmates in Japanese, since Japanese is the common language there. Or you ask your teachers, and even that support will mostly be in Japanese, though they help as much as they can in English. It really falls back to Japanese.
At Waseda, even though it was an international program, it was kind of a bubble. There were always at least a few people you could talk to in English. Waseda was great for expanding what I wanted to study while still having that language safety net. But here, you’re really forced to use the language, which I think is good, because English isn’t the default even among the different nationalities at school. If you want to make friends, you have to speak. You have to think about what you’re saying. It’s more intense because there’s no safety net anymore.
Why did you choose Toyo Language School?
Coto School Finder explained that even though classes are big, the school sits down with each student at the start of every quarter to hear out what they want to do and what their goals are, so they can adjust which classes students take. They also have a counseling period.
That helped put my mind at ease, like I wasn’t just going to slip through the cracks as another student going through the motions. Hearing that they sit down with each student, and that they even assign a teacher to check in with you, even about things outside your classes, was really reassuring. You’re not learning at the same pace as everyone else, because everyone has different goals for what they want to do with the language.
How did Coto School Finder help with the student visa application?
I’d heard how the application process went for other students, and it was rougher. For some of the students, English isn’t their first language either, so communication was harder.
Having Coto School Finder helped me narrow things down to two schools. If I’d done it alone, I would have gotten overwhelmed easily and probably would have just given up, there are so many language schools in Japan. I have friends who went to ISI Language School and Evergreen Language School. Being able to narrow it down was such a big help for someone who gets overwhelmed easily.
Even with the visa documents, I probably wouldn’t have known where to start. You guys helped so much, including with translations, which turned out to be really handy at immigration. During the application, I didn’t fully understand why I needed the Japanese documents, but then immigration pulled them out while questioning me about why I wanted to go to language school, and it suddenly made sense. Without that, I probably would have brought everything in English, and it would have been so much harder.
How is your experience so far at Toyo Language School?
I’m enjoying it a lot right now. It’s productive, and it’s good for me. Having JLPT N2 will help even if I do end up going back home. I’m really grateful. It’s very inspiring.
What’s a day in the life of a Japanese language student living in Tokyo like?
I get up around 6:30, 7 at the latest, get ready, and leave the house by 7:30 to get to school by 9. Classes start at 9:10 and run until about 12:30. Depending on the day, there are electives too, which I enjoy because they’re more focused. There’s even a job-hunting class, which I like. After class ends around 12:30, I’ll eat lunch, study, or go out with friends if I’m not studying.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to go to a language school in Japan?
I think people get so daunted by it. At least I did. A large percentage of students will be from Asia, and not all of them will speak English, so you might feel lonely at times. But I don’t think that should discourage people [from studying Japanese], because it’s actually one of the stepping stones to really learning the language. If you want to make friends, you have to talk to people. You can’t let it hold you back.
Going to language school is a big step out of your comfort zone, but I think it’s a great way to see whether you actually like living in Japan and how the culture works. Teachers can help you figure things out and guide you through the process with the right school.
So if you’re considering it, language school is absolutely a great option. And for university, there are the big schools, like Waseda, Keio, Hosei, Rikkyo, with reportedly strong English programs, so if you go that route, choose a Japanese university under a major that suits your personality.
Want to be like Yvette and move to Japan to study Japanese? Contact Coto School Finder
Coto School Finder’s mission is simple: to let more students come to Japan to study the language easily, and reach their ultimate goal, whatever that is! We partner with more than 15 language schools and offer student visa guidance, helping with paperwork, advice, and support, all for free.
Ready to make the move? We have intakes open in April, January, July, and October! Contact the friendly, multilingual team at Coto School Finder and find the perfect match!
Read more testimonials from students who came to Japan with the help of Coto School Finder!
From Part-Time to Full-Time Student | Interview with Mark (USA)
Life as a Language Student in Tokyo | Interview with Elizabeth (USA)
Story of A Transfer Student | Interview with Magali (Switzerland)
Student Spotlight: Martin’s Japanese Journey at Toyo Language School
