Shinjuku Gyoen Japanese Language School

I had a fantastic time at Shinjuku Gyoen Language School. As it was my first time in Japan, I was nervous to start school and to speak Japanese, but felt instantly at home from the kindness of the teachers and my classmates. I was assigned to a class where I felt comfortable but challenged enough that I could learn lots of new material. The classes were all in Japanese, so I found myself learning a lot very quickly. The teachers were enthusiastic about teaching, which made class incredibly engaging. They were so kind and patient when I had questions. I also really enjoyed getting to know my classmates from lots of different countries as we studied Japanese together. This school provided a really unique opportunity to make friends from all over the world.

The school was in a fantastic location, being very close to Shinjuku station, which made going out to explore Tokyo after class very convenient. My dormitory was also only a 20 minute walk from school. It was fantastic to experience living so close to the heart of Tokyo.

I will truly cherish the memories I made at Shinjuku Gyoen Gakuin, and if I had the opportunity I would love to return in future. I really encourage anyone who would like to come to Japan and learn Japanese in a supportive environment to consider this school.

They accommodate you based on your Japanese ability, they rarely use English so it helps promote your Japanese learning and all the staff are friendly.

The teachers were all very friendly and nice but I would have appreciated if they controlled the class more. There was a group of students who would always disrupt the class and it was quite frustrating.
I would have appreciated being treated more like an adult than a child student (eg our phones were taken off us at the start of every class which I could have used to enhance my learning experience)

I've attended this school for two months and would absolutely recommend it. Teachers were very kind, helpful and friendly. Slight downside is, not all of them speak English, so I would be nervous about attending this school as an absolute beginner (I've attended N4 level course. It is possible all the English speaking teachers are in the N5 beginner course, I do not know). However for people with some Japanese knowledge, not being able to always use English will provide an additional motivation to learn Japanese.

School's location is fantastic. Just a short walk to Shinjuku station. There are many restaurants, stores and interesting places around. And if you need to get somewhere, a metro station is also very close.

Accommodations provided by the school were fine. Again, great location, but they are basically dorms. Very much depends on who are the flat mates/roommates. From my experience it is comparable to bunking with a bunch of university students (but with less alcohol). Great opportunity for making friends and learn about other cultures.

As the school mentions, most other students are east Asian. They are not kidding. There were many interesting and fun people.


Overall my two months at this school were amazing. I enjoyed the classes, teachers and other activities (tea ceremony demonstration, origami beyblade contest, how to onigiri class...). I made many great memories and will miss people I met there.

I am currently on the private 1 on 1 Japanese class. My teacher is very kind and nice to me, the staffs in the school also helped me a lot to adapt to the Japanese life. The location of the school is also an advantage of this school, it is located in the central of Shinjuku and it is right next to Shinjuku Gyoen. There are many shops and restaurants nearby, so it is a very convenient place for students to stay at. The school also provide housing for students nearby Shinjuku Gyoen. You will definitely feel grateful to be studying here because of the staffs and teachers here to help you.