How long
~90 days
full-time pace
What it costs
$2,400 – $4,200
$37/day
Starting level
Beginner
no experience needed
Best months
Year-round
year-round
Photo by Zonghao Feng on Unsplash
The largest concentration of licensed Japanese language schools in the country: full-time 20h/week classes, with a short-term student track that needs no long-stay visa under 90 days. Give it 13 weeks and you leave with JLPT prep (N5-N3), plus a language that unlocks a whole country.
Start here. Pull a thread.
The largest concentration of licensed Japanese language schools in the country: full-time 20h/week classes, with a short-term student track that needs no long-stay visa under 90 days. 12 other cities on this map teach language too - the reason to pick this one over them is what's above.
Yes. It starts from zero, no experience needed. That is the whole point. The days are intense and close to full-time, so come rested.
Most people give it 90 days; the honest range is 30 to 730, and how far you take it is largely up to you. You come away with JLPT prep (N5-N3). Expect it to be visa-free short course, JLPT prep, city living.
Around $2,400 – $4,200 for the whole thing, about $37 a day, or ₹2.3L – ₹4.0L in rupees. That covers 3-month short-term course, tuition + shared dorm. Flights and visas never are, and this is a researched estimate, not a quote. Range checked against real 2026 provider pricing.
You can. The cheapest language on the map is spanish survival week in Oaxaca, Mexico, from $350, against a $48/day median for the category. Whether the place is worth the difference is the real question.
It runs year-round, so it bends around your calendar rather than the other way about.
7 other things on this map, starting with tea ceremony and ikebana in Kyoto from $250. A trip does not have to teach you only one thing.
While you're out there
Other things worth learning on the same trip, nearest first.
Elsewhere in Japan
- Ski and snowboard instructor certificationHakuba, Japan200 km away~70 days$6k – $11k
- Bladesmithing and knife finishingSeki, Japan250 km away~3 days$600 – $1,300
- Kintsugi and ceramic repairKyoto, Japan360 km away~7 days$400 – $1,200
- Tea ceremony and ikebanaKyoto, Japan360 km away~2 days$250 – $600
- Mokuhanga woodblock printingKyoto, Japan360 km away~3 days$400 – $900
What if the trip wasn't about where you go, but what you come back knowing?
Build a Japan learning tripRight, how do you actually do this?
We checked pricing, reviews and booking paths for every school we could find. These are the ones with enough published info to stand behind:
ISI Language School
RecommendedShinjuku, Ikebukuro & Takadanobaba, Tokyo
Booking
Books online
GenkiJACS Tokyo
RecommendedShinjuku, Tokyo
Price
Unpublished (exact yen figures not accessible on the pages checked; site offers an online estimate tool)
Booking
Books online
Coto Japanese Academy
RecommendedShinjuku, Tokyo (also Iidabashi, Shibuya, Minato campuses)
Booking
Enquiry / WhatsApp
Provider pricing, reviews and booking details on this page were last reviewed 2026-09-19. Course fees, availability and contact details change — confirm directly with the school before booking.
Atlas maps and prices this. It doesn't sell it. Costs are researched estimates to plan around, not a live quote; confirm current dates and price with the school directly before you pay anything.
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