Many of you may have already submitted your application documents and statements of purpose for your university entrance examination in Japan, and are preparing for interview tests. Do you know what kind of preparation is needed for interview tests of Japanese universities?
When the time comes for your interview, it is highly likely that you will be quite nervous, so your mind would not work quickly and it would be difficult to answerthe questions from the interviewer, unless you have prepared responses in advance. It is recommended that you write down your thoughts and organize them beforehand. We have some other advices about what you should prepare for the interview.

First, be prepared to any questions based on the contents of your statement of purpose. You have already submitted a statement of purpose to a Japanese university, so anticipate the questions that will be asked at the interview in connection with your statement of purpose, and try answering them by yourself. This will make it easier to see what you are thinking and what you need to reorganize. Then read your statement of purpose aloud at least once a day. You need to make sure you remember what you wrote in your statement of purpose.

Secondly, prepare your own reasons to questions such as, why did you decide to take the entrance exam of this university? What do you plan to do after graduation? Why did you choose this university over the other ones? It is also important to be able to explain your thoughts on how you are going to make use of what you learn at the university in a consistent manner. You may also want to check the website of the university you are aiming for.

At your interview, you should avoid memorizing the whole content of your statement of purpose and just reciting it. You need to be prepared to speak in your own words, not just reading what you have wrote. If you get too nervous, your mind might go completely blank and you might not be able to speak the words you have memorized. So it’s better to be prepared thoroughly.
It is also good to make each sentence short. The point is to answer briefly; do not give a long explanation for one subject. If your sentence gets too long, both the interviewer and yourself will forget what you were talking about at the beginning. Try to keep one sentence short and use the conjunctions in a way that is easy to understand.

Thirdly, when entering the room where the interview takes place at a Japanese university, you need to be careful with the mannerof entering and leaving the room and sitting down. You should knock twice on the door, and open it after you hear the person inside the room says “Douzo (Please come in)”. Be sure to say “Shitsurei shimasu (Excuse me)” when you enter the room and “Arigato gozaimashita (Thank you very much)” when you leave.
Also, when sitting, don’t lean on the back of the chair.Try to sit on the chair leaving some space, say about 20% of the chair surface, between the back of the chair and your body. You are definitely not supposed to rock your feet or move your hands restlessly, playing with your hair or the chair. We tend to do such careless things without even realizing it when we get nervous, so you need to be careful. Keep your hands on your lap so that you appear calm and confident.

Finally, about your appearance. It is better to wear a business suit at interview tests for Japanese universities. Wearing a fancy tie to stand out might work negatively; a dark blue tie with a business suit and shirt will be fine. Cut your nails short and keep your hair clean. Take off your rings, earrings and pierced earrings, and remove your nail polish. Your interviewer might notice surprisingly small things about your appearance, so make sure your glasses and shoes are well polished and your clothing is clean and neat.

In addition, it is important to reassure yourself that you will be all right and everything will go fine. Have a strong mindset and be confident when you go into your interview. Everyone gets nervous with interviews. You can givea good impression on your interviewers and make them think that you are a worthy student of their university by keeping a dignified attitude.

At Tokyo Galaxy Japanese Language School, we have interview preparation lessons in which we give more specific and practical instructions than the ones introduced here. We also offer practice interviews regularly. Our students are educated to be capable of coping with interview tests for Japanese universities.
We are hoping that everyone preparing for interviews will be doing theirbest.
Tokyo Galaxy Japanese Language School supports all of you to achieve the desired result, by helpingforeign students aiming to enter Japanese universities in 2020 with a systematic, well-balanced curriculum and entrance exam training.

School News

Let’s reduce food waste and loss!

March 24, 2020 tokyogalaxy

Food waste and loss is one of the issues that are attracting great interest recently in Japan.
It is about food that is uneaten and discarded.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, 27.59 million tons of food waste and lossoccursannually in Japan. Of this, uneaten food discarded by households and commercial establishments, which is usually referred to as“food loss” in Japan,is about 6.43 million tons, which accounts for almost a quarter of all waste.
The United Nationshave a branch called the World Food Program (WFP), which provides food to people suffering from hunger in so-called developing countries. The total food provided by WFP in 2017 was 3.8 million tons. That means the amount of food uneaten and discarded by Japan alone was 1.7 times greater than the amount of food aid provided by the whole world.

Therefore, various efforts are being made in Japan to reduce food loss.
The annual amount of industrial food loss in Japan is 3.52 million tons, and food losses from households are 2.91 million tons.
Food businesses are utilizing the food bank system, in which they donate close-to-date products for peoplesuffering from disasters such as earthquakes,or those suffering from poverty.

One of the actions lead by food businesses that we can participate is called food sharing. Many of such activities are accessible through mobile phone apps. There are twokinds of food sharing systems: discount systems and flat-rate systems.
Suppose, for example, a bakery did not sell well for the day, and there was some unsold bread left, which the store had no other choice but to throw away.
Food sharing apps enable us to make good use of such excess products; by discount-type apps, customers can make pre-orders for the bread and get them at half price if they can arrive at the store before the closing time of the day.
Another example is a lunch box shop, which offers productsfor freeto customers who have subscribed to a flat-rate service, when they have remaining lunch boxes they could not sell out.
This will produce a win-win-win outcome; the shop will be able to make some profit from products that had to be discarded, consumers can purchase delicious food inexpensively, and the amount of food loss can be reduced.

There are also apps that prevent food loss from home.
It is known that the main cause of food loss from householdsis overbought food which is purchased at bargain prices. In many cases, people are throwing away food that can still be eaten. A mobile phone application will help you by automatically recording the expiration date when you read the barcode of the food and giving a cautionary warning when the date approaches.
You can also use a “freshness-keeping bag” that keeps freshness when vegetables are put in.

If you come to Japan to study and live by yourself or live in a dormitory, you will be able to benefit economically as a result of living with care for food loss.

Students of Tokyo Galaxy Japanese Language School recently created a poster to raise awareness about reducing food loss.

Everyone can benefit from small changes; individuals, businesses and the environment will all receive benefits from small efforts made by each one of us.
Why don’t you participate in activities to reduce food loss?

School News

Studying abroad in Japan to become a flight attendant or an airport ground staff

January 13, 2020 tokyogalaxy

Many people become aware of professions such as flight attendants or airport ground staff when they are traveling overseas, and some of youmight decide to choose them as a career.
However, little is known about what to prepare for actually becoming a flight attendant, and the competition is very keen, so you might get worried about being hired before you have even started your job hunting.
We want to let you know that, studying in Japan is one way to get a job as a flight attendant or an airport ground staff in Japan.
If you have traveled to Japan many times and have been fascinated by Japanese culture, studying abroad in Japan might be a perfect choice. Check out how you can become a flightattendant or a ground staff by studying abroad in Japan.

In Japan, there are two-year and three-year vocational schools that train specialists in various fields. Japanese vocational schools are educational institutions with a clear purpose of finding employment. Some schools have classes in which professional instructors currently at work teach students directly. If you study at a two-year vocational school, you will be able to start searching for a job from the second semester of your first year, and prepare to begin your careerimmediately after graduation.
There are many kinds of specializedvocational schools in Japan, including those established for the purpose of training flight attendants and ground staff. Educational courses for flight attendants and ground staff are often set up in airline divisions of such vocational schools. You may choose thecourse of your purpose before entering the school, and receive specialized education so that you can work as a flight attendant or a ground staff.

So, what are the advantages of studying in Japan to become a flight attendant or an airport ground staff?
First of all, while studying in Japan, you will be able to acquire language abilities, both Japanese and English.
Studying in Japan with the goal of becoming a flight attendant or a ground staff is a great opportunity to build your language skill, which will be a skill for life,in your twenties. In order to enter a Japanese vocational school, you must develop your Japanese skill first.
Perhaps that sounds like a major challenge, but don’t worry. If you start studying in Japan at Tokyo Galaxy Japanese Language School, you will be able to acquire language skills required to enter a Japanese vocational schoolin an enjoyable manner. It may be better to concentrate on developing your language skill during the preparatory period for admission to a Japanese vocational school.
When you enter a vocational school, you will take classes held by Japanese teachers with your Japanese friends, so you will be able to improve your Japanese skills to be comparable to natives.
Moreover, such schools will give intensive English lessons to train its students to acquire sufficient language skills to work as flight attendants or airport staff.
You will continue to use your Japanese and English skills you have gained at schoolwhile working as a flight attendant or a ground staff in Japan, so you can build up your language skills.

Secondly, you will have a possibility to get a job as a flight attendant or a ground staff in Japan!
Japanese vocational schools have strong connections with companies in related fields.
Those schools are intended to foster and provide human resources that are the desired at the job site, so they will provide one-on-one support not only during class but also after class, and lead their students to grow as business persons welcomed by the community, therefore enabling all students to fulfill their dreams.
You will study about aviation industry, improve your communication skills in Japanese and English, and acquire business etiquette. That will help you to become a sophisticated airline crew, with abilities to provide services with sincerity and impress your customers.

And the third thing is, you can acquire the unique Japanese spirit of service.
The quality of Japanese customer service is known all over the world. Japan’s service industry people are deeply caring about what their customers really like, and they are always thinking about how to make their customers feel comfortable.
Such people with trueprofessional service spirit will give lectures at vocational schools for training flight attendants and airport ground staff. You will have the opportunity to learn sophisticated manners and ways of thinking from them.
Your spirit of service acquired in this way, coupled with business experience, willremain as a great asset for yourself, not only when working in Japan, but also after returning to your home country.

If you have decided to become a flight attendant or an airport ground staff through studying in Japan, we recommend you work on your Japanese first at Tokyo Galaxy Japanese Language School.
We have courses starting in January, April, July and October every year. Japanese vocational schools specializing in training flight attendants and ground staff start their school year in April.
Tokyo Galaxy Japanese Language School offers a variety of curriculum, such as the accelerated learning class and optional subject classes, to make learning Japanese fun.
We also advise you to go visit Japanese vocational schools as much as possible while you are studying at Tokyo Galaxy. There are a number of vocational schools for training flight attendants and ground staff, so we recommend to consult with your entrance exam trainer at Tokyo Galaxy to find a school that suits you. You can make the most out of your student life in Japan by looking around and choosing the best school for you.
We support you to make the most of your twenties, with brilliant experiences and learning opportunities.

School News

For those hoping to study at Tokyo Galaxy’s Accelerated Learning Class

January 10, 2020 tokyogalaxy

For those who are planning to start studying at the Accelerated Learning Class of Tokyo Galaxy Japanese Language School from January or April 2020, we have some information about recommended preparation.
The Accelerated Learning Class is our exclusive education course, which allows students to acquire the elementary and intermediate levels of Japanese quickly and effectively in order to achieve their goals such as entering a school or finding a job in a short period of time.

By studying at the Accelerated Learning Class, students at the N4 level of JLPT can reach the N2 level in six months, and the N1 level a year later. Students can learn Japanese in an efficient and effective way, so we are receiving many applicants for this class and there is a lot of competition. We remind you about what you need to prepare before coming to Japan in order to enter the Accelerated Learning Class.

Accelerated Learning Class starting in January 2020
In order to enter the class starting in January, you must be at the N5 level of JLPT. However, you do not need to qualify the JLPT N5 exam in advance. Your ability will be tested by our original level test conducted on the day before the entrance ceremony of Tokyo Galaxy Japanese Language School.
To pass this test, you must be able to read and write hiragana and katakana characters, and about 100 basic kanji characters. In addition, you need to learn basic Japanese vocabulary, practice daily conversation in situations where you often meet in your life, and be able to make simple conversation with Japanese people.

Accelerated Learning Class starting in April 2020
The class starting in April is not held by itself; April classstudents will be joining the class that began in January. Therefore, students planning to enter the class in April must be at the same level of Japanese proficiency as those who started studying earlier in January.
The required level of Japanese will be N3 of JLPT, which is a stage where you can handle daily communication, with such abilities to understand and describeinformation that are not so complicated.
You will definitely need a larger vocabulary compared to the N5 level, and you will have to be able to read and comprehend written questions, so you need to work hard on studying Japanese words.
We recommend to our applicants to learn basic Japanese vocabulary and grammar little by little, and to work on the exercises included in the JLPT official practice workbooks to check your skills if you have the time.
Testing your ability with such exercises will motivate you to organize your knowledge and learn again to make it perfect.

In addition to these things, it will be very good to learn through “real” and “living” Japanese used in the fields of your own hobbies or areas of interest; you can enjoy studying Japanese this way. We advise you to utilize Japanese TV series, movies, manga, videos onYouTube and so on to hear or read the real words spoken by Japanese people.

(It’s almost the first day of January term 2020) Approximately three months remain until the beginning of April term 2020. We suggest you to use your time wisely before coming to Japan. We are hoping that everyone aiming to study at Tokyo Galaxy’s Accelerated Learning Class achieve their plans and make their year 2020 a fulfilling one.

School News

Student Interview: Tokyo College of Sushi & Washoku

December 19, 2019 tokyogalaxy

This is the latter part of the interview with Mr. Chung, a student of Tokyo Galaxy Japanese Language School who passed the special entrance examination for Tokyo College of Sushi & Washoku, a Japanese vocational school.

Do you think that coming to Japan to study was a right choice for you?
Definitely yes, since I have succeeded to pass the entrance exam for Tokyo College of Sushi & Washoku. The atmosphere of Tokyo Galaxy Japanese Language School is quite different from other language schools in Korea; at first I had a hard time to get used to it. However, when I started to do some self-study alongside school lessons, I soon found out that it might be the best place to learn Japanese from the verybasics.
I practiced my Japanese not only at the school, but also in my daily life; when you are living in Japan, you need to speak Japanese every moment of every day. By doing so I could learn Japanese naturally, not like studying it in my classes or doing homework. I think that what I have learned through such daily conversation had also greatly contributed to my interview test for the Tokyo College of Sushi & Washoku.
I don’t know for sure which place is better to study, but personally, I think I was able to learn much faster by coming to Japan and acquiring language skills in this country.Apart from studying, I also enjoy living in Japan

Why did you choose Tokyo College of Sushi & Washoku among otherJapanese vocational schools?
Certainly there are many vocational schools in Japan where you can learn Japanese cuisine, but I wanted to receive professional training of sushi cooking from the start; that’s why I came to Japan. So I wanted to concentrate as much as possible on learning about sushi.
At Tokyo College of Sushi & Washoku, they teach various types of Japanese cuisine besides sushi, but the school’s basic idea is to train professional sushi chefs, and I thought it would suit my purpose better than other Japanese vocational schools.
In fact, when I went to visit the College, I felt that this place was really established for the purpose of teaching sushi cooking. There might be numerous ways to learn sushi making, but taking a realistic approach, I thought that the place provides the most professional training in sushi making, and I would be able to fulfill my dreams sooner by studying there. So that’s why I decided to enter Tokyo College of Sushi & Washoku.

Would you give some advice to junior students who are preparing to go on to vocational schools in Japan?
Everything about Japanese vocational schools, from entrance exams to classes, are different from 4-year universities. So I don’t think it is necessary to study extremely hard for entrance exams. When I was preparing for the entrance exam, I had an intention to improve my Japanese to a level in which I would be able to study without any problems at a Japanese vocational school. My Japanese is not perfect yet, but I think I was able to pass the entrance exam because I worked hard for half a year having such a mindset.
I’m not sure about 4-year universities, but I think it’s not that difficult to enter a Japanese vocational school unless you enjoy yourself too much. You will have plenty of time left to study even if you do everything you want to do in Japan. And whatever you do for fun, you will be using Japanese, so your Japanese will be better and better. That’s another good point to study in Japan.

How do you think about Tokyo Galaxy Japanese Language School?
The first thing I felt about the school was, people from all over the world were there to learn Japanese, and each one of my classmates had different dreams and goals.
Tokyo Galaxy is a place to teach Japanese to such students in a comprehensive manner, so it was really nice to be able to get along with foreign friends and study in an enjoyableatmosphere.
The teachers are all kind to us, and they will help us with any questions not only in your studies but also in your life in Japan.

What are your goals for studying at Tokyo College of Sushi & Washoku? What are your ambitions for the future?
It’s still a distant future, but I will start my 3-year curriculum at Tokyo College of Sushi & Washoku in April 2020, and after that, I would like to gain experience at a famous sushi restaurant in Tokyo. I’m hoping to build up a lot of experience, and eventually have my own sushi restaurant.

We like to thank Mr. Chung again for telling us in detail about his student life and his efforts to pass the entrance exam for the Tokyo College of Sushi & Washoku.
He seems to be fully enjoying his life in Japan, while doing his best to improve his Japanese, always being aware of his goals.
We think that there are lots of useful hints in his story for people wishing to go on to a vocational school in Japan.
We are hoping that he continues to acquire knowledge and skills to support his life at the Tokyo College of Sushi & Washoku.
It will be wonderful if we can introduce his sushi restaurant on this blog in the future!

Tokyo Galaxy Japanese Language School

Tips for coping with interviews to pass the entrance exams for Japanese universities

Let’s reduce food waste and loss!

Studying abroad in Japan to become a flight attendant or an airport ground staff

For those hoping to study at Tokyo Galaxy’s Accelerated Learning Class

Student Interview: Tokyo College of Sushi & Washoku

Galaxy Educational Foundation