Philosophy
This is not a school that only teaches Japanese.
But get the order right. Everything rests on Japanese. If that stays weak, none of the rest can happen. Four periods a day, five days a week, go into it first.
On top of that, we want you to reach the point where you use Japanese to think, explain, ask for help, collaborate, negotiate, plan, propose, present and reflect. We don't stop at exam Japanese.
Not a student who passed the test —
a person who can choose their own future.
How learning works here
Learning here goes in circles, on purpose.
This is the shape we keep in mind when we build lessons and activities.
- 01JAPANESELearn Japanese
- 02SOCIETYUnderstand society here
- 03INQUIRYAsk questions and think
- 04PRACTICEMeet people in Fukui and try it
- 05REFLECTIONReflect, and do it better
- 06INDEPENDENCEStand on your own, and choose your path
- ↺and back to questions and practice, as often as it takes
01 Japanese
Four periods a day, Monday to Friday.
Classes run in two shifts, morning or afternoon, each of four 45-minute periods. Which shift you join is decided by the school, based on your Japanese level when you enrol. Classes are grouped by level.
- Integrated Japanese, kanji, reading, listening, writing, extensive reading
- Preparation for JLPT, EJU and entrance examinations
- A placement test after you arrive decides which level class you join
- One-to-one meetings each term, with follow-up where you need it
- Online preparation that starts before you arrive
02 Living in Japan
The things you actually need to know here.
This is not a class about memorising laws. It sets out, in advance, the things most students genuinely trip over once they start living here.
- Sorting rubbish, putting it out, getting on with neighbours
- What a neighbourhood association is, and how to take part
- What city hall does, and which procedures you need
- Residence card, address registration, national health insurance, pension
- The rules for part-time work (permission, and the 28-hour weekly limit)
- Public transport, cycling rules, road safety
- How to see a doctor, and who to call in an emergency
- What to do in an earthquake or flood
- Where "obvious" behaviour differs from your own country
Some things you cannot fix by saying you didn't know.
So we go through them with you before you even arrive.
03 Inquiry & 04 Project-based learning
Inquiry and projects.
Ask a question. Research it. Plan something. Prepare. Do it. Look hard at what didn't work. Change your approach. You go round this loop many times while you are here.
Ask
It starts with "why?". Your teacher won't answer — they'll ask what you think.
Research
Books, the internet, and people. Including going out and asking them face to face.
Plan
Who is it for, what are you making, how will you deliver it? Roles and a schedule.
Do it
Outside the classroom, with real companies, real schools, real neighbours.
Reflect
You put into your own words what didn't work — not only what did.
Improve
You decide "what will I do differently?", then go back and try again.
In practice
What this looks like in real life.
So that none of the above stays abstract, here is the shape of what students have actually done.
Joint classes with other schools
Learning alongside students from schools in Fukui — sometimes as the ones doing the teaching.
Companies and factory visits
Going to where things are actually made, and asking the people who make them.
Community events
Taking part in local festivals and international events — sometimes helping to run them.
Field study and culture
Calligraphy, etiquette in a tatami room, the places that made this region. Learned with the body.
Guest speakers
People from local companies and government come in to talk about working and living here.
Second-years welcoming first-years
Seniors plan, prepare and run something for the new intake — moving from receiving to giving.
Teachers as facilitators
Teachers who stay until you can do it yourself.
Teaching well is the baseline. What we actually ask of them is to keep going until the student can do it alone. We call that being a facilitator rather than a lecturer.
Give the question
Before the answer comes "what do you think?"
Wait through the silence
No rushing to the right answer. You get time to build it.
Let you notice it
Not just pointing out the mistake — staying until you see it yourself.
Connect you outward
Taking classroom learning to Fukui's people, companies, schools and city.
Let you try
On solid ground, something slightly too hard — somewhere failing is safe.
Let go, on purpose
First together. Then beside you. Then on your own. They are preparing to step back.
The course
A pathway course for international students.
- April intake = 2 years / July intake = 1 year 9 months / October intake = 1 year 6 months
- Classes Monday to Friday; morning 9:00–12:10 or afternoon 13:20–16:30
- Four 45-minute periods a day; the school decides your shift from your Japanese level at enrolment
- Guideline entry level: around CEFR A1 for the April and July intakes, A2 for October (higher for scholarship applicants)
- A placement test after arrival decides your level class
- Onward routes: universities, graduate schools, vocational colleges and more
Eligibility, costs and required documents are governed by the 2027 Admissions Guide (PDF, Japanese).
Want the detail on how classes run?
Ask us about the curriculum, class groups and pathway guidance — we'll answer concretely.