Osaka YMCA Gakuin

Osaka YMCA Gakuin’s Japanese language campus is a short walk east of Tennoji Station, and it is also accessible from Osaka-Abenobashi. Look for the school in Minamikawahori-cho. Osaka has several YMCA education programmes, so the Gakuin address is useful for distinguishing this Japanese language school from other campuses. Its practical Japanese programme focuses on communicating across cultures and on the language used when working or seeking work in Japan.

From everyday skills to career Japanese

At earlier levels, students work on listening and speaking alongside reading and writing. At advanced levels the programme introduces a choice of subjects in academic Japanese, business and culture. Students interested in work can discuss practical tasks such as preparing a résumé, completing an application and taking part in an interview with the school’s career advisers.

The school describes weekday classes with students assigned to a morning or an afternoon group. It publishes different admission conditions for the available lengths of study, including different expectations for prior Japanese. Someone who already reads Japanese well but needs confidence speaking at work can use those distinctions to choose a route. A prospective university student can ask about the preparatory Japanese programme at the same Tennoji campus.