ARC ACADEMY
Japanese Language School

The ARC Academy Study Abroad Course is offered at schools in the liveliest areas of Tokyo - Shibuya and Shinjuku, Namba in Osaka and Kyoto. Each school is in a lively center of town. They are also close to the train stations, which makes these very convenient to commute. You can always experience the Japanese newest trends and culture. In the beginning of each term, there will be a half-day guided tour of the school' surrounding area for new students.

The content of Japanese lessons are the same for all the schools. Each school also offers suport for higher study and job hunting. However, Shinjuku and Osaka school's courses will end in March.

There are English, Chinese, and Korean speakers. They will support you in your study and life in Japan.

Other than opening and graduation ceremonies, the school conducts "off-campus activities" once every 3 months, so you can learn functioning Japanese language outside the classroom. At the Shibuya school and Shinjuku school, we have trips to Fuji Mountain, Tokyo Disneyland, Asakausa, Kabuki theater, Sumo wrestling matches and so on. At the Osaka school and Kyoto school, we go to Kyomizu Temple, factory visits, and temples in Nara. There are also various other school activities, such as speech contests. We offer opportunities for you to interact with Japanese people and the local societies.

ARC Academy usually has students from more than 40 countries. At present, the top 5 countries that students come from are: 40% from China, 30% from South Korea, 6% from Taiwan, 3% from Hong Kong, and 3% from Thailand. There are also students from many other countries including the US, France, Spain, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

Majority of the students are in their 20's to 30's.

There are approximately 550 students in all our schools. There are also approximately 450 students in other courses, such as part-time courses.

There are 20 students in an average class. This varies depending on the level.

For the reasons concerning visa screening, we would prefer the applicants to be younger than 30 years of age, however, please consult us about this first.

There is one teacher in charge of each class. There are also two or three other teachers who are responsible of the same class.

All of the teaching staffs are professional teachers who have received training in Japanese Teaching Methodology.

Yes. There are teachers who speak English and other languages.

Japanese is spoken in all lessons. In general, vehicular languages, such as English will not be used. The teachers are trained well. Please do not worry.

There are four entry period per year, which are in January, April, July and October. This can vary for some countries and local areas.

ARC Academy invests great amount of effort in instructing students to pursue higher study. We offer full supports in the form of higher study seminars, personal consultation, counseling, higher study material room, self-study room and examination strategy classes. Teachers and staffs work together to help you succeed.

Morning class runs from 9:00am-12:15pm, afternoon class runs from 13:30pm to 16:45pm. The time will vary according to different levels and it is not possible for students to choose the time.

In general, application peropds last about one month, six months prior to the beginning of the course. However, the application period can sometimes change, so please confirm with us first.

The rule requires that lesson fees for one year are paid in one payment.

We do not accept credit cards. Please pay with cash or via bank transfer.

You can apply for pre-college student visa.

In general, you will have Pre-college student visa for private Japanese language schools, and college student visa for universities, vocational colleges and certain schools. There are also differences with the validity period of the visa and the condition of the activity outside scope permitted.

Pre-college student visa period is half a year to one year long. However, for our school one year visa will usually be granted.

The school will first apply for authorization of resident eligibility at the Immigration Bureau. After the authorization of resident eligibility is delivered, you will take this to the Japanese embassy or overseas consulate in your country and apply for visa by yourself.

You cannot change the visa status immediately. Application and procedures for student visa takes about 6 months.

Yes. Please contact the staff at each school for more information.

Living expense, including accommodation expense, is about 100,000-150,000 yen per month.

In order to work part-time, you need to obtain a "certificate of permission to engage in activities other than those permitted under the resident status" beforehand. The law requires you to keep your part-time work hours under 4 hours per day. Also, ARC Academy's rule will not allow students to work on part-time job for the first three months after coming to Japan. Please devote your time and efforts to study Japanese language until you are accustomed to the life in Japan and its culture, and have obtained sufficient Japanese language skills.

You do not need a guarantor. However, depending on the country you will need representative who lives in Tokyo metropolitan area, regardless of his/her nationality.

No, your financial sponsor does not have to be Japanese. We require the students to have a stable and continuous economic resources, such as income or savings, to cover your school fees and living expense during the time you are at the school. It is ideal that the sponsor is a close relative. In the case that your sponsor is not a close relative, please give detailed explanation of your relationship with the sponsor and the reasons you are receiving his/her sponsorship at the application.

The amount of outstanding balance should at least cover all the expenses, lesson fees and living expenses, while you are at the school.

If you have completed 12 years of education in your country, you can pursue higher study in universities and colleges in Japan after completing long-term study abroad courses. ARC Academy invests great efforts into the instruction for higher study. We offer full support in the form of higher study seminar, personal higher study consultation, education advancement material room, self-study room, and examination strategy lessons. Teachers and staff work together to support your education advancement. We also have recommendation system for entry into our partner schools for students who have good attendance and academic performance. The school also offers special classes for students who want to pursue graduate study in universities.

If you are older than 16 years of age and have high school graduate equivalency qualification or have passed high school equivalency exam, you can apply.

Submitting the original copy of of the documents is a general rule. For documents that you need to have returned, such as a certificate of graduation; please let us know and we will return them to you after the screening process. Please submit other certificates within three months after their issuance. Please submit Japanese or English translation of the documents. Please consult with us in the case that you cannot make the submission. We can also conduct the translation with extra charge.

No, please submit front view photographs, 4x3cm, 6 photographs of your upper body without a hat, which were taken within past 6 months. We do not accept computer scanned photographs.

As a rule, please pay the application fee when you submit the documents.

Japanese language skills are not necessary. However depending on the nationality, you may need Japanese language skills higher than Japanese Language Proficiency Test level 4.

The longest period you can stay for a Study Abroad course is 2 years. If you fulfill the standards designated by the school (attendance rate, academic performance), it is possible to extend the course period if it is under 2 years.

Longer than 1 year and shorter than 2 years.

Fundamentally, Shibuya school is intended for people who want to study Japanese in general and Shinjuku school is for students who want to pursue higher study in vocational colleges and universities.

At ARC Academy, we also have courses for Japanese people (Training Course in Teaching Japanese) and it is possible to get to know Japanese people at the school. However, coming to Japan does not mean you will immediately make Japanese friends. It is very important for you to be proactive and go out and try to make friends by yourself. We also want to make opportunities for you to learn not only Japanese language, but also Japanese customs, cultures and know more Japanese people.

We will ask you to subscribe to the National Health Insurance when you start studying with us. After subscribing, the insurance will pay for 70% of your medical expenses if you get sick except for certain sicknesses. ARC Academy also has our own medical fee support system, so the school will also be responsible for the remaining 30% for National Health Insurance subscriber.