Learn Japanese in Tokyo with EF

I am 16 years old and my trip with Ef Tokyo was my first trip abroad alone.This trip was my favorite vacation ever and I have made so many friends from Japan and other countries. I was only with Ef Tokyo for two weeks but I learned a decent amount of Japanese while I was there. While in Tokyo you have a lot of free time and you can go wherever you would like. You can go throughout the country independently which was something surprising but definitely something I enjoyed. I took trips to Akihabara, Kyoto, Harujuku, Shinjuku, and so many other places. My residence was 1 hour by train away from the school which is in the heart of Shibuya which is an awesome location. One thing I didn’t like about the school was the time of the classes because some days they were at 9 while others were at 18:00. I loved meeting new people while I was in Japan especially Japanese people because it gave me a new perspective of life in Japan. I made a Japanese friend that
took me too his home town’s festival. If you go to Ef Tokyo you will have so much fun and make so many friends no matter how long you go. I really recommend Tokyo even if you are like me and knew 0 Japanese when you arrived. I’ll be honest it is sometimes hard to get around without being able to speak Japanese but I could always rely on google translate so I’m the end it was okay. I also really enjoyed the activities the school provided. My favorite one was my trip to Kyoto where I bought a model katana and learned about Japan’s history. If you like the city or the country side Ef Tokyo is great because in 1 hour from the residence is the heart fi Tokyo and 1 hour the other way you can visit beaches and mountains. I am so glad I did Ef Tokyo even though I was super nervous in the beginning. The staff was great and everyone there is super nice I really do recommend visiting Ef Tokyo! Oh one more thing the food! I loved the food you can get such good food for so cheap. Japan is the most beautiful country I have visited and I hope everyone can experience Japan once in their lives!

I went with EF for 6 months to Tokyo in Japan and I had a great time. Japan is an interesting country with many beautiful sites to see with a beautiful language and culture to learn about. Since I was there when Corona broke out, I did not go to all the places I wanted and many things did change/happen, but the school can't be blamed for that.
Overall, even with Corona, I had a very smooth trip.

School:
The teachers at the school are very good at what they do. The classes are immersion style classes so the class is conducted fully in Japanese which can take some time getting used to if you are an absolute beginner, but the teachers, staff and the other students are extremely helpful and friendly if you need help. The teachers also make an effort to plan activities that are more interactive so you do not just have to sit and listen for an extended amount of time (but there are some days where that is the case). The other school staff also are very friendly and can all speak English so if you are having a hard time or something is bothering you, you are able to speak to them comfortably.

Accommodation:
I personally decided to live at the Residence instead of a host family. The residence is not owned by EF instead EF works with the residence to reserve rooms for EF students. Due to this, you get to meet many different people if you live there as other foreigners live there as well as native Japanese. I found the residence to be a lot of fun as you are surrounded by your friends and you have as much freedom as you want. The RAs are very helpful if you have any issues regarding residency. The downside, however, is that you do everything by yourself like buy or cook your own meals, buy your own bath products, clean up after yourself, etc so I would recommend the residence for those that are able to take care of themselves. Another thing to note is that it is sometimes to connect with the native Japanese that live there due to language and culture barrier, but eventually they warm up to you if you keep trying.

Activities:
Tokyo is a busy and exciting city so there was always somewhere to go, something new to see, or something new to try. The school also has activities planned everyday and those range from TeamLabs museum to visiting the shrine from "Your Name" so I would recommend trying to go to those if you are interested. Outside of those, the upper class men usually can recommend places to go to or you can just grab your friends and go spontaneously.

People:
All the students and school staff are so open and friendly. It is very easy to make friends with others even if you are more introverted. Also most students are from different countries around the world so you are able to learn a lot about different cultures along with Japanese culture. Japanese people can be a bit cold and standoffish which is just how their culture is sometimes, but mostly they will be nice to you.

I studied at EF Tokyo over the summer for three weeks. Compared to other language schools in Tokyo, EF is egregiously overpriced. For the price you pay for a month at EF, you could get 2-3 months at another school of equal or better quality.

Riisa-sensei, my teacher for two weeks, was fantastic. Some other teachers seemed inexperienced, but teaching quality for the most part was good. My class moved through material at an extremely slow pace, however, so don't come to EF if your goal is to learn as much Japanese as you can.

Activities were alright. Most of them are not free. You pay for them using "activity credits" that you purchase. These activities range from museum visits to weekend trips, and are usually quite pricey.

I stayed in the "EF Residence" in Tama-plaza. Please be aware that EF does not own this building -- it's a share-house with rooms that can be rented by anyone. The quality of the accommodation was quite poor. I stayed in a bunk bed room that only had one tiny desk and one dresser for both my roommate and I. When I arrived, my bed was dirty and had food scraps on it. Thankfully, I didn't spend much time in my room.

The best part of EF was the people I met -- I made great friends with like-minded people from all over the world, some of which I still keep in contact with. With the friends I made from EF, I went on a weekend trip to Kyoto and climbed Mt. Fuji. I will forever cherish the memories I made in Tokyo last summer.

Despite its shortcomings, EF Tokyo is a good way to get your first taste of Japan. However, I would look at other programs with better value is the cost is too high.

I have always been interested in Japan, both in the language and its culture. I discovered anime in elementary school and have been hooked ever since and I was able to take Japanese classes for four years at my highschool but I wanted to become fluent so I convinced my parents to let me study abraod in Japan in the summer of my Junior year. It was honestly the best summer of my life. I met so many people from all over the world who shared the same interest as me and I became so close with my roommate and a few other guys in the program and the four of us went around Tokyo together for the time we were there. The experience of being alone in a foreign country may be a bit scary and too much but it is honestly great once you get used to it. I went with knowledge on the language but my roommate and my other friends went with absolutely no knowledge, maybe a couple of words from anime but that's all and they were able to adapt just fine. This program also set me up with an extremely nice and welcoming family just outside of the city and I had an amazing experience there. The best part about Japan is the food, it was just amazing. Where I'm from, 7-11 is a cheap snack store that's usually always empty but in Japan, it is totally different. The 7-11s there have so much variety in their foods, they have boxed lunches that taste great and onigiri in so many different flavors and so many different types of ramen. I go to a 7-11 near my host family every morning to grab breakfast which usually consists of a bottled milk tea and one or two onigiris, usually salmon. I would often go to the Family Mart (another convenience store) for lunch at the EF campus. Restaurants in Japan are also so cool, there are conveyor belt sushis and it is super delicious and affordable. Japan also have amazing places filled with trendy fashion stores and sweets like Harajuku. It was amazingly crowded I literally got pushed around the street because the crowd was moving me forward. It was a very different but fun experience. Beware though, the trains during rush hour in the morning and in the evenings are crazy, I honestly was squished from all sides every morning when I go to class and every evening when I go home. This program is definitely worth it if you want to learn a language in a country you've never been to before.

I really wanted to study abroad and take the JLPT. I was told I would be placed in a class with other adults, I was not. I was told I would not be living far from the school, I was a 1hr and 20mins away. I was told I would be living with a Japanese family, I did not. I was told I would be able to take the JLPT and take prep courses for it, I wasn’t. The courses are fine I guess if you already know some japanese, don’t mind speed courses and are a college kid burning your school vacation. My teacher did not speak English well so answering her students questions was often difficult. Leaving many of us to change classes or be confused most of class. There are NO classes for adults at this location, only immature teens and young adults. So if you prefer to take classes with working professionals or atleast people 30 and older forget it. A lot of things weren’t explained to me upon signing up and I didn’t realize this until after a few weeks in so I wasn’t pleased with quite a few things. Not to mention once I was done with the program the administration and agents that signed me up seemed wash their hands of me and not respond to my questions.

EF and just Tokyo in general keep suprising me, I feel like I'm learning an extreme amount while I'm still able to keep up. the only complaint I have is ha the classes could use a break in between them cause 80 min x 2 is hard for your concentration level. Japan itself is wonderful and the people too, I would love to go again! All the friends I made are awesome and we allread have plans to meet up outside of Japan, If you want to learn japanese while having a great time. Absolutely go here!

I’m writing this review after going to ef-tokyo for 6 weeks. So far I’ve had a great time. Tokyo is such a huge city, so I’ve always had something to do. Everyday i’ve been here, I’ve gone to a different part of the city, or engaged in some kind of activity. The EF staff organize a lot of interesting and fun activities that I frequently joined, especially in the beginning. As I got more familiar with the city I started exploring more and more in my own and with friends. I’m staying with a host family, and the family lives rather far away, as it can take over an hour to get to school by train. However, the family is very friendly and talking Japanese with them is a good way to practice what we have learned in class. The classes are quiet good, with the general class covering most grammar and other classes that you can choose yourself covers more specific stuff. I currently have general classes, kanji, reading and shodo (calligraphy) classes. These classes suits me very well because one of my primary goals is to be able to read. I’m staying for 8 months total and I’m ver much looking forward to the rest of my stay here because I know that I won’t be bored and that I’ll learn a lot!

EF was a great experience during the three weeks I spent in Tokyo. I stayed in the residence and only had to take one train to get to the school. The staff was very welcoming and willing to set up activities, although I didn't participate in the majority of them. I was very lucky to find great friends during my stay who I still keep in contact with. However everyone was friendly so there's no problem making friends, which was one of my primary concerns when arriving my first day. The classes are engaging and in small numbers which I enjoyed. I was in the highest class in EF at the time but I wished there could've been a higher level class. The teachers are absolutely amazing and I keep in contact with my general teacher from the time. I absolutely loved the experience and I plan to come back to Japan next year.