About us

Greetings from our school director

To convey not only the meaning and information found in words, but also to give our students an experience in the warmth of Japanese through a “living and breathing” Japanese language program.

Why do you study Japanese?
Kyoto, where our school is located, is a city of culture, a city of many universities, and a city in the center of hi-tech enterprises. The school was founded within this city as a new institution of learning.
Nowadays, Japanese language schools are facing a new era in which their values are being questioned. Within this context, we at Kyoto Minsai Japanese Language School aim to give not only the meaning and information found in words through Japanese language education, but also an understanding of Japanese culture and the ways of thinking of Japanese people and their everyday life, through these experiences our students can explore the warmth of Japan with our living and breathing Japanese language program.
We hope to continue our contribution by building on our experience in volunteer activities and international relations and deepening mutual understanding between Japan and our student's home countries.

School director Yamamoto Masamichi

School profile

Established	October 2001
Teaching staff	12 qualified teachers
Administrators	4 persons
Capacity to accommodate 162 students at the same time.
Address	Kyotoshi Ukyoku Nishikyogoku Kitaoiricho 69 Tel.075-316-0190 Fax.075-316-0191 E-mail: office@kyotominsai.co.jp

Staff

Staff members

At Kyoto Minsai Japanese Language School we have a unique group of staff menbers. The school director, Mr. Yamamoto, was educated to be a civil engineer, he is a specialist in the field of science. He has a wide and deep knowledge in fine arts, some of which (like the City Opera) are directly sponsored by him.
Another example is the staff manager, Mr. Sone, who was a member of the Japanese Gymnastic and Equestrian Team. In addition to that he has a profound understanding in calligraphy and classical culture of Kyoto. Other teachers and administrators have expertise in subjects like tea ceremony, table tennis, pharmacy and biology. Some of them speak Chinese, English, Thai and Vietnamese. That has proved to be very convenient for our students. In case they are unable to express what they want to say in Japanese they can, temporarily, switch comfortably to their own language.

The teachers of Kyoto Minsai Japanese Language School

map

How to get to Kyoto Minsai from Kyoto Station		How to get to Kyoto Minsai with Hankyu Trains
Take City Bus no. 73. Get off at Kokagakuen Mae and walk for about 5 minutes. Take Kyoto Bus no. 81. Get off at “Kita Oiricho” and walk for only 30 seconds.		Take Hankyu Kyoto line and get off at “Nishikyogoku” Station and walk about 10 minutes

Aim of instruction

Aim of instruction01: The students are grouped in classes according to the scores obtained from the placement test. The instruction is in Japanese only. We always adjust our instruction to the level of the student, in case there are students who are not able to understand Japanese very well.

Aim of instruction02: At Beginner's Level we proceed gradually from the basics of 4 different areas, Reading, Composition, Listening and Conversation. The aim of instruction is to give the students a clear understanding of basic sentence structures, how to read and write and to be able to express themselves in simple daily conversations.

Aim of instruction03: In Intermediate Lower we contine from what had been learned at the Beginner's Level. The aim is to expand the student vocabulary and ability to understand grammatical expressions at a higher level. In order to prepare the students for the next level the main focus is on expand reading and basic principles of composing texts like thesis and reports and the ability to understand conversations of difficult characters.

Aim of instruction04: The advanced level course focuses on developing the language skills required at higher education institutions and universities.
The aim is to understand and appreciate literature, literary criticism and contemporary topics; and to become proficient in writing articles and reports.

the aim of the courses


Able to read and understand short texts	Able to write hiragana, katakana and 300 kanji. Able to write simple letters and short compositions.	Able to understand essential information in everyday situations like broadcasts at train stations.	Able to understand essential points in everyday conversations.
Able to read and understand texts of considerable lengths.	Understand 750 kanji and able to write simple letters and texts.	Able to understand essential meanings conversations of considerable length.	Able to make conversations of considerable length and express individual opinions.
Able to read and understand the essentials in news paper articles, editorials and novels.	Understand 1000 kanji, able to analyse texts and write resume. Able to write in different literary styles.	Able to understand meanings of different subjects spoken by different people in different styles.	Be able to explain convincingly and persuasively
Able to understand and make resume after reading editorials and thesis.	Able to write thesis with technical terms.	Able to understand essentials when listening to news, speeches and lectures of considerable lengths.	Able to make long conversations in a natural way and able to use even abstract meanings.
Able to understand 2000 kanji. At this Advanced Upper Level the students progress further to reach a level of comprehensive understanding of Japanese and being able to adapt to Japanese society.