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Japanese in Kyoto

Experience
Study
Destination
Japan
Duration
2 to 12 weeks
Ages
18 to 85

12 others looking at this too. Next opening is Aug 2023, with limited spots.

Trip overview

Immaculate Kyoto awaits. A truly stunning city, which effortlessly blends the ancient with the modern, both in culture and architecture. You can walk from a wild amusement arcade, filled with light and noise, and within minutes be in the tranquil grounds of an ancient Buddhist temple. Visiting somewhere as magical as Kyoto is a joy, but the real beauty lies in actually living here, of immersing yourself in the culture, learning the intricacies of the every day that make Japanese life so beautiful and, of course, learning the language. 

Studying Japanese in Kyoto means learning in the most authentic fashion, being surrounded by people eager to engage you in conversation. In general, Japanese people are some of the most polite and friendly people you will ever meet, and most will be eager to help you with your language skills, from your tutors to the guy in the local ramen shop. Within no time at all you won’t just be talking fluently with the locals, you’ll BE a local. On this trip, you’ll be thrown in the deep end learning Japanese in classes by day and speaking Japanese by night. With daily small group classes and additional optional extras to help, this is the very best way you can learn Japanese. 

We offer the complete package for those wanting to accompany their learning of Japanese with a real-world, international experience. Our team will get you sorted with all the essentials before you go, from finding the perfect class for you, getting you into accommodation that works for you, plus all the support you could ask for before, during and even after your trip.

You will be staying in a house which you will share with your fellow students and you can upgrade to a homestay, or a private apartment should you wish. Staying in the shared house gives you the opportunity to make friends for life and have a group at hand to explore the wonders of Kyoto. Open the doors hidden to travellers without the language skills to discover them, and explore the real Kyoto, from the local point of view.

Inclusions

Small group Japanese classes

Learn Japanese in a structured, but relaxed environment for 20 lessons per week. With intakes of only 3-8 students, you'll get enough personal attention from the teacher to ensure you get the most out of it. 

Dedicated Trip Coordinator

Handpicked from an experienced team who’ve been there, done that and ready to guide you through your entire journey and leave no question unanswered.

Pre-Departure Guide

Our in-depth pre-departure guide will have all the information you need about your trip & destination, at your fingertips.

Trip Visa Guidance

If you need a visa, it’ll get approved as cheap and easy as possible with our step-by-step instructions and personal guidance from your Trip Coordinator.

Personal Travel Concierge

You'll get a personal Travel Concierge to plan your flights, insurance or any add-ons to synchronise perfectly with your trip. Deal with a real human and get a personalised booking experience that ticks all your boxes.

Private Airport Transfer

A private chauffeur to take you from the Airport to your accommodation located in the heart of Kyoto. If you opt for the homestay upgrade, you will be collected by public transport by your host family.

Choice of Accommodation

Your accommodation for this trip is a shared house where you will live with fellow students, with who you can explore Kyoto. Should you wish, you can upgrade to a homestay for that immersive cultural experience, or if you want your own space, you can upgrade to a private apartment.

Certificate Of Completion

In recognition of your hard work and dedication throughout the experience. Employers will love this addition to your resume!

Ongoing local team support

From our team and in-country project partners, think of them as your family away from home. Whether you need advice or a shoulder to lean on, you’ll be provided with unlimited support.

24/7 Global Emergency Line

Feel confident knowing we have a worldwide emergency team on standby, 24/7/365, so you can feel safe and secure throughout your whole trip no matter where you are in the world.

gWorld Access

Stay organised with your personalised portal where you can keep all of your important documents and trip details in one spot and gain insider access to everything Global.

NEW

Social

Travel alone but never lonely with Social! An exclusive social network inside our gWorld app to talk, share & meet-up with other Global Travellers in your region, with a dedicated Community Manager.

NEW

Global Academy

Gain access to an ever-growing range of skills & languages to learn before & whilst you travel.

NEW

Marketplace Deals

Get exclusive access to deals and discounts through our online Marketplace. Save big on a huge range of products and services from our brand partners worldwide.

$250 Off Your Next Trip

The “Travel Bug” is a very real thing! Once you catch it, it really doesn’t go away! Book any other trip with us later and save $250. Why would you ever stop travelling?

Just in case it’s not clear already, we’re not an employment or recruitment agency. Read more

Qualification

To qualify for this trip you must meet the following requirements:

  • Be between 18-85 years of age
  • Be a citizen of an eligible country
  • Have no criminal convictions in the past 5 years

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Trip details

Our Study in Kyoto trip is designed to get you travelling, living and learning Japanese overseas as smoothly as possible. Our partners were founded with one goal in mind: “Japanese for everyday life, rather than academic Japanese.” They’re not here to help people pass exams, instead, they want to give you the skills to talk with the locals and let Japanese culture become a part of you. On this trip, you’ll be learning in the smallest group classes in Japan, with an atmosphere that will make your classmates end up feeling more like family. After class, there are a range of optional add-on activities to choose from, or you and your new friends can do what you like to unleash your new skills in the delightful city of Kyoto. 

Japan is a very unique culture and one that can be quite intimidating to arrive in solo, but you can be assured that we have set up every single aspect of your trip to ensure you settle right in. With your accommodation and schooling all sorted, you can hit the ground running and get stuck right into your studies. We have set up a range of accommodation options so you can choose the one that suits you most. You will be allocated a room in a share house where you will form a deep bond with your classmates and meet students from all over the world. Or alternatively, you can choose a homestay option for those who want that full immersion, so you can practice your language skills and wrap yourself in the intricacies of everyday life in Kyoto. If you want to have your own space and see what it is like standing on your own two feet, we can arrange a private apartment in the city for an additional cost. 

Study in Japan, immersing yourself in a culture that perfectly balances a mindful way of life, with a wild sense of modernity. Travel the country and explore breathtaking landscapes and a unique and completely magical history, leaving the logistical stuff to us. Embrace a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel, live and learn in Japan and change the way you think forever.

Requirements 

You must do a Japanese language test before you go so you know which level to start on. 

What extra costs will I have? 

Flights, travel insurance, souvenirs & spending money.

Trip itinerary

Arrival

Once you’ve touched down at Kansei Airport, your transfer will take you to your accommodation in Kyoto. You will touch down on a Sunday and with courses beginning on Monday, this will give you a day to settle in and get acquainted with the city and your new classmates! Kyoto is an enchanting city and the best way to experience it is to just throw yourself in!

Day 1

Arrive at school by 9:20 at the very latest. On your first day, you will retake a level check test to ensure that you’ll be placed in the right class. This test includes written and interview portions.  After that, you'll run through your orientation. This will include information about the school, classes, study methods, Japanese culture and manners and life in Japan.  Then dive straight into your first class! You’ll undertake a two-hour Japanese class in the afternoon. After that, we recommend hitting the streets of Kyoto, taking in some of the sites with your new classmates and beginning to form a bond that will last a lifetime.

Ongoing

You’ll be completing four classes a day; two in the morning (scheduled between 9:30-13:10) and two in the afternoon (scheduled between 14:05-17:45). These are subject to your class level and schedule and will probably change through your stay.  Daily classes are separated into two lessons of Japanese grammar and two of language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking). You may want to undertake additional courses offered by your school, such as standard Japanese, plus conversation and cultural activities (a mixture of Traditional and pop though focusing more on traditional in Kyoto). These will take place outside regular school hours or on weekends.  Otherwise, your weekends are yours to explore the city, or go further around Japan! If you’d like to go on a more in-depth trip around the country, let your course leader know and they can rearrange classes.   We’ll constantly keep in touch with you throughout your stay. If at any point during your trip you need advice or support, our team will be on hand to answer all your questions. Don’t forget you can jump on our social media pages too or buzz our 24/7 emergency support line for urgent matters.

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Frequently asked questions

Why go with Global Work & Travel?

As the world’s leading gap-year and “work & travel” company, we offer you the ability to not only choose from a number of awesome experiences all over the world but, we'll be your support system from the very first moment you become a Global Traveller! We provide a premium service that allows you to pick the destination of your dreams, get our visa & pre-departure assistance, book great flights and organise the perfect travel insurance or tours for when you arrive. Plus, we’ll back it all up with some cool and exclusive tech features that are with you the entire time.

As a Global Traveller, you’ll get exclusive access to gWorld, our personalised app where you can keep all of your important documents and trip details in one spot and gain insider access to everything Global. This is where you will find exclusive Marketplace deals for discounts with our brand partners, a unique social network to connect you with other Global Travellers when you’re overseas, access to our Academy with an ever-growing range of skills & languages to learn as you travel, invites to bucket-list side trips with other travellers, local meet-ups and so much more. Think all of your favourite apps merged into one, but like, better?

And it doesn't even stop there. We continue to be there from the moment you land with a dedicated 24/7 emergency team, over 100 staff and ongoing support ensuring that you have the tools you need to feel like a local. That’s why 65,000+ Global Travellers from all over the world have chosen to turn their travel dream into reality with us and we can proudly brag that we’ve got the most & best reviews in the biz!

Why should I book now?

Covid-19 threw us a curve ball and pretty much halted all travel. This means that we have a backlog of travellers, just like you, who are desperate to get out and explore the world! Global Work & Travel works on a first-in-best-dressed basis. Booking earlier ensures that you don’t miss out on the best intake, season, placements and more! We recommend our travellers take 6-12 months to plan their trip for a reason - to make sure you’ve got everything organised perfectly, stress-free.

As a Global Traveller you’ll get exclusive access to gWorld, our personalised app where you can keep all of your important documents and trip details in one spot and gain insider access to everything Global. This is where you will find exclusive Marketplace Deals, a unique social network to connect you with other like-minded Global Travellers, access to our Academy with an ever-growing range of skills & languages, and so much more. Think all of your favourite apps merged into one, but like, better?

Why not give yourself something to look forward to by booking that trip!

Can I travel with a friend?

Yes you can! Simply tell your Trip Coordinator after booking that your friend is also going and they can link your profiles. For most of our trips we should be able to have you and your friends placed together or nearby. Meaning that you can live, work, play & travel together!

But wait there's more! Not only can you travel the world with your besties at your side, you can also earn some extra cash towards your own trip just by referring your friends to Global Work & Travel. You can learn more about the great referral rewards program inside your gWorld account once you join.

And for those who decide to go-it-solo, we’ve made it easier to meet other Global Travellers in the same region as you. Just like any other social platform, you’ll be able to interact, share, chat and meet with some really cool people who are doing trips just like you!

What happens if COVID affects my trip?

If you have to make any changes to your departure date, you’re protected with our Lifetime Deposit Guarantee and our Ultimate Corona Booking Flexibility. With this, we will change your trip dates for free. If this doesn’t fit around you and you can’t go on your trip anymore, we will give you a 100% refund in the form of a Trip Credit with us (See terms). If you’re unable to use it, you can also transfer that credit to someone else for them to put towards any trip too.

If you’re affected by Covid-19 while you’re overseas, you will have all the support you need from our team or partners in-country as well as have access to our 24/7 Global Emergency Line. We recommend travellers purchase Global Travel Cover travel insurance that provides Covid-19 medical protection too.

Do I need to be vaccinated to book?

As border restrictions for countries begin to ease, being fully vaccinated will maximise the number of locations you can visit. So while you are not legally required to be vaccinated, and it’s also not a requirement to travel with us, it will limit some of the countries that you can visit and may make it harder to travel through over the next 12-18 months. We highly recommend our travellers look at the current travel restrictions of their destination, speak with a medical professional or get in touch with our team for travel advice.

What happens if I want to cancel my trip?

Our Ultimate Corona Booking Flexibility means you can change your trip’s start date up to 84* days before departure without incurring any charges when you rebook it for any time (or even any other trip) in the next 2 years from your original start date.

In the event that you want to cancel your booking altogether, if you give us over 84* days notice you can do so with only a 50% cancellation fee. Your refund of the balance will come in the form of a Store Credit which you can put towards booking absolutely anything travel related with your Travel Concierge within the next 2 years!

*Some select trips excluded, including Teach (Spain, Italy & Czech Republic) and USA (Summer Camp, Working Holiday and Hotel Professional), and others as listed in Booking Conditions.

How it works

Make your decision

Choose your trip style and destination, and confirm your spot with a deposit. Then, open your gWorld account and celebrate, the hardest part is over and the fun is about to begin.

We become friends

You’ll be matched with a personal Trip Coordinator who knows all the ins & outs. They’ll guide you through everything we need to do together, so you can leave your worries behind.

Time to go

We’ll get your tickets in-hand and your transfers ready. Then, our in-country team or partner will have everything prepared for your arrival. It’s now time for the real adventure to start.

24/7 support

Never stress, knowing we’re there with you when you need us with ongoing & unlimited local team support and check-ins. And just in case, we’ve got an emergency team on stand-by, 24/7.

Still have questions?

Why go Global

Flexible trips

The unexpected can happen sometimes. Can't travel right now? Swap your trip, gift it or save it for later with our Lifetime Deposit Guarantee.

Worldwide support

Know that someone is always ready to assist throughout the journey & they’re only a call, tweet, comment, text or double tap away, 24/7.

We're the experts

With over 10 years in the industry and a team of over 100 passionate pros, you can bet we know our stuff better than anyone else.

Partner network

We have over 1,200 partners around the globe, so we have access to plenty of exclusive opportunities to make your trip the best it can be.

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