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halfway between Tokyo and Osaka (convenient to both), halfway between Shizuoka and Kyoto, the city has played a key role in the history of Japan and remains a key center for high tech commerce and knowledge based industries.
It is a safer and quieter city - an easier place in which to live and study. While Tokyo has a daytime population of 30 million people, Okazaki has only 330,000 and has a small town feel. However the city is part of Aichi Prefecture, the population of which is now just over 7 million in an area approximately the same size as greater London, Sydney or Los Angeles.
The city is prosperous with high tech industries, universities and research institutes and yet it has retained its festivals
and traditional crafts. Despite being
part of Aichi Prefecture and just 30 minutes from central Nagoya,
the city has always has a strong independent identity. An outline of why the city has remained so
unique is located the Okazaki City Introduction section.
For students it is worth noting that many Japanese cities such as Tokyo and Osaka were almost completely destroyed during WWII, but here you can visit dozens of temples and shrines dating back hundreds of years, participate in the festivals and explore the historic castle and town by bicycle or on foot.
In short it is safer, cheaper and quieter than crowded cities like Tokyo or Osaka, and more suited for study and a taste of the traditional Japan. Okazaki is a low-cost city. It is very important for students that rents are less than half that of Tokyo and this is reflected in everything from the cost of accommodation to groceries, entertainment and of course our tuition fees. One look at our programs will quickly dispel any notion that studying in Japan has to be expensive. There is absolutely no need to spend Tokyo or Osaka prices in order to study Japanese in Japan.
Also most students do not realise before they arrive that Japan has
tremendous regional diversity. As well as the advantage of avoiding high
costs, Okazaki's location makes it easier and cheaper to travel throughout Japan. While we
recommend that every visitor to Japan should visit Tokyo and Osaka at least once, many
students will quickly understand that visiting is more fun than enduring long daily
commutes and high prices at a time when study is your main priority.
If living in Tokyo is one of your objectives, then it is easier and more effective to learn the language first in Okazaki before moving to Tokyo for work or university study later. If seeing Tokyo is one of your objectives, then it is easier to visit it. As Yamasa's programs finish at midday on Fridays, you can be in Tokyo long before sunset for a weekend trip. By contrast, if you study in Tokyo, there is no way you could do the same trip to Osaka, Kobe, Nara, Kyoto or the Japanese Alps in the same time. A central location is an essential base if you want to see and enjoy as much of Japan as possible. Please click here for very detailed information regarding travel time and the fares between Okazaki and other cities.