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  • SILAC

SILAC - Short Intensive Language Acquisition Course

What is SILAC?

SILAC class SILAC focuses on conversation and speaking and therefore is highly recommended for those who wish to improve their conversational Japanese in a short period of time. Courses can span from 2 weeks at minimum and can last up to 12 weeks at maximum. However, it is entirely possible to enroll in a 12 week course, take a break and then return to the course for another 12 week stint. This formula allows many of our students to continually reinforce the knowledge they have attained in previous stints studying at YAMASA.
The course accepts students whose abilities range from beginner to intermediate and provides a friendly learning environment、flexibility rarely seen amongst courses of its kind and the ability to improve your Japanese considerably in multiple areas.

Potential SILAC students may include:

  • People who specifically would like to improve their verbal Japanese ability.
  • People who are travelling through Japan who wish to pick up some of the language during their time here.
  • Those with full time jobs or family commitments who may not be able to commit to a full time course of study.
  • Those who may want to enter a longer term course but want to enroll in a short term course while waiting for the academic term to start.
  • People who frequently travel to Japan for periods spanning into weeks.

Course length From 2 weeks to 12 weeks (depending on how long you wish to/are able to study). Initial applications will allow you to apply up to 12 weeks but extensions beyond this are possible.
Course start Student intakes are conducted every friday.
What days do classes run? Monday through Friday. (The last week’s classes will finish on Thursday)
Number of classes The total amount of classes you will take, as well as their composition, will change depending on the length of your course and the level that you are taking. At an absolute minimum, you will take 46 core classes (2 week course) and at maximum, 276 (12 week course).
Class times Classes start at 9:00 and finish at 2:30 with a 50 minute break between period 3 to period 4 from Monday to Thursday, and start at 9:00 and finish at 11:50 on Friday.
Class length 50 minutes

Content

Course Framework

(4 Week) (6 Weeks) (6 Weeks) (6 Weeks) (12 weeks)
Level Zero - Beginner Beginner Intermediate

Check a full breakdown of each level’s content.

Class Timetable

Period Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri
1 9:00 - 9:50 Lesson
2 10:00 - 10:50
3 11:00 - 11:50
11:50 - 12:40 Lunch Break
4 12:40 - 13:30 Lesson
5 13:40 - 14:30

Note:

Breakdown

Please check also a full rundown of the contents of a typical SILAC course.

Why SILAC?

Silac Summer class Since its founding in 2001, YAMASA’s SILAC stream of courses have been recognized as a highly effective Japanese conversation program that has moved with the times to insure a beneficial learning experience for those involved. For this reason, it has had many students go through its doors; many of these being students who are taking the course for the second or third time.
SILAC offers an enjoyable yet effective Japanese learning experience that also provides maximum flexibility for those enrolled. By focusing on conversational Japanese, we aim to provide our students with a learning experience that is both enjoyable but also highly practical and rewarding.
SILAC is ideal for those wishing to learn Japanese for the first time due to its easy going teachers and engaging curriculum thus making it a highly rewarding experience.

The key advantages of enrolling in SILAC are it’s:

  • Flexibility of enrollment: SILAC gives you the freedom to decide the length of your studies. Courses last from 2 weeks to 12 weeks (see above for how long you can enroll for). You can enroll as many times as you like. If you get to the end of your studies and feel that you want to continue in your chosen class, it is also possible to extend your period of study. SILAC allows you to adjust your study timetable to suit you. SILAC is also ideal for returning students in that they can re-enter the course after a period away from the school (i.e. after returning to their home country or after a period of travel).
    *Note: There is no limit on the amount of times you are able to re-enroll in this course.

  • Strong Focus on Japanese Conversation Skills: SILAC is perfect for those who wish to focus on their day to day conversation skills in a congenial and collegiate atmosphere. As such, the vast majority of classroom activities are geared around this competency. During classes, you will be given plenty of opportunities to use the Japanese expressions that you have been taught with not only your classmates but other members of the YAMASA staff.

  • Manageable class sizes: The average class size is 7 students and the maximum number of students per class is 16. You can be guaranteed that you will not get lost in the shuffle and that all your educational and personal needs will be looked after. This is especially important in a conversation class where being able to use the skills that you have learned is extra important.

  • SILAC class The ability to make friends from a range of diverse cultural backgrounds: As mentioned before, YAMASA is proud of the linguistic and cultural diversity of our school. This is especially true for students in SILAC. Due to new students starting every Friday, you can be guaranteed that you will meet new and unique classmates every week who will not only help you improve your linguistic abilities but also potentially help you create lifelong friendships. Furthermore, the cultural makeup of the school is consistently changing due to study tours often arriving at YAMASA from a variety of nations such as Taiwan and the USA.
    SILAC, and YAMASA as a whole, prides itself as an institute which views the learning process as extending beyond the classroom. To this end, you will be eligible to participate in the weekend tours and cultural experiences that are run by YAMASA. These are great opportunities to experience both traditional as well as modern Japan.
    YAMASA also often holds social events such as music events and game nights that will allow you to not only mix with your classmates and other YAMASA students enrolled in other courses. To see more about these events, please check out our Facebook page as we often post photos of them online.

Tuition Fees

Pay by January 31, 2024 to take advantage of the current fees and the following discounts that are available to all students enrolling or re-enrolling in YAMASA!
  • Returning students enrolling in this course are eligible for a 20% discount on their initial payment of fees.
  • Students with a Working Holiday Visa or a JET Programme Visa are able to receive a 10% discount on their initial payment of fees.
  • For those students who complete all of their enrollment by the periods indicated below, the following discounts are available.
    • 16 weeks prior to start: 10% Discount
    • 12 weeks prior to start: 5% Discount

Note:

  • All discounts end on March 31st, 2024.
  • Only one discount can be used at a time and cannot be claimed in unison with other eligible discounts.
  • The discounts also do not apply to extra optional courses/lessons.

Tuition Fees until March 31, 2024

Study
Duration
Tax Included
Fees (¥)
2 Weeks ¥96,800
3 Weeks ¥119,900
4 Weeks ¥143,000
5 Weeks ¥166,100
6 Weeks ¥189,200
7 Weeks ¥212,300
8 Weeks ¥235,400
9 Weeks ¥258,500
10 Weeks ¥281,600
11 Weeks ¥304,700
12 Weeks ¥327,800

*After the third week, the tuition fee will be 23,100 yen per week.
*Extentions are possible

Tuition Fees from April 1, 2024

Study
Duration
Tax Included
Tuition Fee (¥)
Tax Included
Tuition Fees Total (¥)
Enrollment Fee ¥88,000
Textbook Fee ¥6,600
2 Weeks ¥28,600 ¥123,200
3 Weeks ¥57,200 ¥151,800
4 Weeks ¥85,800 ¥180,400
5 Weeks ¥114,400 ¥209,000
6 Weeks ¥143,000 ¥237,600
7 Weeks ¥171,600 ¥266,200
8 Weeks ¥200,200 ¥294,800
9 Weeks ¥228,800 ¥323,400
10 Weeks ¥257,400 ¥352,000
11 Weeks ¥286,000 ¥380,600
12 Weeks ¥314,600 ¥409,200

*After the third week, the tuition fee will be 28,600 yen per week.
*Extentions are possible
*For re-enrollment, the enrollment fee will be exempted.
*Textbook fee includes "Marugoto: Japanese Language and Culture (Rikai)".

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Start Dates

Visa Information

You may be able to enter the country on a short term visa if you are coming from overseas or on a working holiday visa. Please note that your length of stay will be determined largely by the passport that you hold (See note below).
Student visas are only issued for courses that run for more than a prescribed total of 1 year and due to the fact that the length of this course can be subject to change, it is not possible to apply for a student visa to enroll initially enroll in this course on an exclusive basis.
Note: In 2014, the Japanese government granted exemptions to a group of 67 countries in regards to applying for short term visas; meaning that residents of these countries are better able to enter Japan.
For further information regarding whether or not you qualify for any of the two visas listed above or if you currently hold or will apply for a different type of visa to those listed above, please contact the admissions department at YAMASA via e-mail at admissions@yamasa.org or via telephone at 81 (0)564-55-8111.

Application

Congratulations! By choosing to study at YAMASA, you have taken the first step towards improving your Japanese language skills!
The next step that you will need to take is to start the application process.

Questions

Please feel free to contact us via e-mail at admissions@yamasa.org or to call us on +81 (0)564-55-8111.
We aim to reply to all inquiries within 24 hours (excluding Japanese Public Holidays).