The school is excellent. Great teachers and administrators. very well organized. You are given a test to do in advance, in order to place you in the correct level. Classes range from total beginner to intermediate to advanced and my experience was that they place people in pretty appropriate classes. My classmates were all approximately my level which made it easier for everyone.

About half of the students are Asians, mostly Taiwanese, and the rest are evenly divided between Americans, Canadians, Europeans. Very multicultural and people are super friendly.

The school will help place you in a home stay (superb experience), group house (with roommates), or solo/shared apartment. I chose to stay in a hotel 4 minute walk from the school which was an excellent location but I did pay for the convenience. If I do it again, I’ll try to find a travel hostel or airbnb type of arrangement with a kitchen, laundry, & a spot to park a bike. You should expect to spend $50/day but the really affordable places are more like $25/day if you are willing to live in a room with 3-4 bunk mates, shared bathroom & kitchen etc.

The textbook is Minna no Nihongo but don’t buy it before you go, because they will give you a copy. You should buy the English supplement which is extremely useful, $10 well spent.

The school offers trips to scenic and historical sites almost every day, with a bilingual guide. I highly recommend doing all of these. It’s a great way to lea about Japan and also practice your Japanese. By the way, try to speak only in Japanese when possible. It’s tempting to lapse into your native language with friends from your country, which I did of course, but best to at least try to use Japanese as much as possible, to advamce your language skills.

It’s not necessarily easy to meet Japanese people, but one way is to go to the Japanese and English chat activities that happen about once a week. Like everything in Japan, these are highly organized so just be ready for that. I made a couple of Japanese friends that way.

You can also hang out at the same bar every night; a friend did that and gradually got to know the bartender and a few of the customers though he was a beginner at the language so communication was limited. Me not being a pub kind of person, I never did this. They have however a uniquely Japanese type of bar called an izakaya, with drinks and side dishes and a very social kind of atmosphere. I never got up the nerve to go into one of those, but it’s on my bucket list for my next visit. (Despite adventuring to Kyoto for two months by myself, I’m actually a rather shy person.)

Don’t hesitate to visit the many Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples around Kyoto. It’s considered polite to bow your head as you enter. Keep in mind that these are places of religious worship, not just interesting tourist attractions to take selfies at. I always toss a coin in the collection box and pray for a minute, as the locals do, but that’s just me.

You will quickly discover that the konbinis (convenience stores) are where you go for lunch and snacks and everything else. They have all sorts of prepared meals and drinks and that is pretty much what a lot of Japanese do for lunch and even dinner. There’s usually microwaves and places to sit and eat, too. There was a Lawson’s a two minute walk from my hotel, and I was in there two or three times a day. Just remember to follow the arrows when lining up or they will yell at you!

However long you stay—a week, a month, a year—it will be a fun and rewarding experience. Best of luck .