Nihongo Class in Manila

I’m gaining more interests in Japanese culture these days especially in Japanese entertainment. I remember trying to self-study last 2017 and managed to learn Katakana and Hiragana. I learned also how to write the Kanji of numbers 1-10 but I wasn’t that motivated so I stopped along the way. Now I can’t even remember exactly some of the characters’ stroke order.

Started learning Hiragana (ひらがな) and Katakana (カタカナ) this way~

Self-studying is not that effective for me based on my experience in trying to learn basic Korean language. I ended up enrolling in a Korean language class at the Korean Cultural Center of the Philippines (KCC). I seeked help from Professor Google for some schools or centers that offer Nihongo classes. Here are some of what I’ve found- University of the Philippines (UP), Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), Study Nihongo with Jellyfish Education Consultancy (JEC), Nihongo Center Foundation Inc. and Unmei Nihongo Center.

Difference? Let’s see. I only included information for basic Japanese class since that’s what I’m looking for.

UP 

💰Tuition Fee: PHP3,500

📎Inclusion of Fee: Course handout and Certificate of Completion for students who meet all the requirements of the course
📅Schedule: 30 hours (3 hours per meeting x 10 sessions)~ 2 months

ADMU 

💰 Tuition Fee: PHP5,000
📎 Inclusion of Fee: Course handout and Certificate of Completion
📅Schedule: 30 hours (3 hours per meeting x 10 sessions)~ 2 months

Study Nihongo with JEC 

💰 Tuition Fee: PHP7,500

📎 Inclusion of Fee: Books, ID, Certificate of Completion, Recognitions and Tokens

📅 Schedule: 30 hours (3.5 hours per meeting x 9)

Note: I assume this is only for 2 months since class is only for 30 hours. Though it’s gonna be 31.5 hours if the the entire 9 sessions each has 3.5 hours. End of class is not indicated on their website.

Nihongo Center Foundation Inc 

💰 Tuition Fee: PHP14,650.00 😵

📎 Inclusion of Fee: Handouts, textbooks and ID

📅  Schedule: 76 hours- The duration of the class depends on the schedule you will choose. If you prefer the 3 meetings per week for 3 hours each meeting then you can complete the 26 sessions in 2-3 months. If weekend is your only available schedule then it may take 5-6 months. The fee is expensive for me but it is acceptable since it’s good for 76 hours class and aside from handouts they are also providing textbooks.

I inquired to them via FB messenger and this is the screenshot of their response.

Unmei Nihongo Center 

💰 Tuition Fee: PHP34,500 😰

📎 Inclusion of Fee: Not indicated on their website but when I inquired via FB messenger I was informed that this already includes study materials and certificate of completion. (Really appreciate their prompt response.)

📅 Schedule: 150 hours- The duration I supposed you can complete it for a minimum of 2 months. The duration depends still on the schedule you will choose. Their schedules also depend on what branch will you be enrolling.

Just a friendly reminder, all schedules are subject to change. If you wonder if the teachers are Filipino or Japanese- UP has well trained Filipino teachers and I bet same with Ateneo based on the name of the teachers listed on their website, Study Nihongo with JEC has Japanese teachers, Nihongo Center Foundation Inc, I guess has Filipino teachers too based on photos I saw online and I am not really sure for Unmei.

Are you eyeing any of the choices above? Well, I picked UP because it’s the cheapest and it’s quite near from where I work. Hope this helps you in searching for a school or center to learn Nihongo.

Till next time!