This is a review for the Japanese General Level 1 language course…read more
Currently halfway through the course (week 4) but so far, the course has been amazing! Class size maxes out at 10 people so classes are intimate and you get to know your fellow classmates. Apparently the course still runs if minimum 2 people are registered in the course! Price remains the same but it's considered semi-private lessons and are 1.5 hours long. If 3 or more people register, it goes back to being 2 hours long. Yoshiko, our instructor, is fabulous, always making sure we understand before moving on to the next part of the lesson.
Classes are a blend of conversational and writing, 60/40 mix. For the Japanese General courses, they cover two chapters of GENKI I textbook (textbook has 12 chapters, good for the first 6 levels of Japanese at IH!). By the end of level 1, we are suppose to know hiragana, katakana and also be introduced to kanji! It's no cakewalk, do expect to put in some effort but it's totally worth it! I've taken many language courses in high school, undergrad and continuing ed (e.g. french, mandarin, latin) but this course is my favorite hands down!
Because the course is during November/December session, it is only 7 weeks long instead of the regular 8 weeks (due to Christmas break). Regardless, 2 chapters are still going to be covered! Price is reasonable, $195+tax and textbook if you don't have your own copy (+ $75).
In regards to the admin staff, I have had no problems with them. Course registration was painless, and they were able to provide me with an official invoice/receipt for work purposes. Overall I am extremely happy with the quality of language instruction and small intimate class sizes. It's also located at a convenient location downtown, close to Stadium-Chinatown skytrain station. That being said, I'm definitely continuing on to Level 2 in the new year =D