{"id":225298,"date":"2026-10-28T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/?p=225298"},"modified":"2026-10-28T17:04:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T08:04:37","slug":"after-language-school-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/after-language-school-in-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"What do people want to do after Japanese language school?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every October, new students arrive in Japan with a suitcase, a lot of nerves, and a goal. At our welcome event, we asked five of them the same question: what do you want to do after language school?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some had a clear plan, while others had rough ideas. All of them had a reason for coming that goes beyond the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step one: speak Japanese with confidence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"B\u00e9r\u00e9nice<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Almost everyone started with the same goal: language comes first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B\u00e9r\u00e9nice from Belgium arrived just four days before we met her. She lived in Japan for six months when she was 15, and she\u2019s back to become fluent. \u201cI like to talk a lot, and I feel like the best way to enjoy a country and its culture is to be fluent,\u201d she told us. \u201cAlso, Japanese is hard, and it\u2019s nice to speak a language that\u2019s hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alexia from Spain just graduated with a degree in Japanese studies. She has studied for four years, but she says her level isn\u2019t where she wants it, because in Spain you can\u2019t practice Japanese every day. Being surrounded by the language<\/a> is why she came.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sabrina from Canada has loved Japanese culture for a long time and finally decided to make the move. Her target is specific: JLPT N2<\/a>. \u201cI think studying in Japan will help me improve faster,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Path one: more school in Japan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Akemi<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For some students, language school<\/a> is the first step toward something more specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B\u00e9r\u00e9nice has a bachelor\u2019s degree in art. Once she\u2019s fluent, she\u2019d like to go to a senmon gakk\u014d<\/em> (vocational school)<\/a> for something like character design, since Japan is famous for animation and design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Akemi from the US is half Japanese and has visited Japan as a tourist before. She\u2019s building her language skills so she can go to fashion school here. She wants to stay in Japan, and she told us it\u2019s what her grandmother would have wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Path two: a career that connects Japan and home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Arthur<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Other students want to use Japanese in their career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arthur from France wants to reach a level where he can communicate well and build partnerships with Japanese companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alexia has an idea that flips the usual setup. She loves languages in general, and she\u2019d like to become a Spanish teacher, teaching Spanish to Japanese people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B\u00e9r\u00e9nice has a second, longer-term idea too. She could work with a publishing house in Europe, like the manga publishers in France, and help translate or work with publishers. \u201cThat would be nice, but that\u2019s very, very long-term!\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Path three: staying in Japan (or not yet)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Alexia<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Not everyone is sure how long they\u2019ll stay, and that\u2019s completely normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Akemi plans to stay and study fashion here. Sabrina would love to stay if she can find work. She\u2019s a photographer, so a job related to photography would be ideal. Arthur plans to return to France eventually, but he wants to keep his ties to Japan. \u201cI want to go back to France, but I want to keep my contact with Japan,\u201d he said, and he hopes to come back as a tourist or for business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What we noticed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nobody\u2019s plan looked the same, but a few things came up again and again:<\/p>\n\n\n\n