Japanese language lessons on Sado Island

 

 

On the beautiful island of Sado on the west coast of Japan (Niigata Prefecture), we organize Japanese one-to-one classes away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities and the tourist crowds. Sado offers you the opportunity to immerse yourself into traditional and rural Japan in a way which cannot even be found any more on Japan's main islands. You can also book accommodation in an apartment or ryokan.

 

Japanese Langue lessons on Sado Island

 

You will get one-to-one lessons from qualified language teachers who can specifically adapt their teaching to your level of Japanese and your interests. Classes are available for all levels of Japanese, from beginners to upper intermediates.

 

Small groups of a maximum of 3 people who book together and have the same level can take part in lessons together.
 
You can freely decide the intensity of your lessons. You simply book a certain number of hours and let us know the time period within which you want to take the lessons. Part-time lessons would be around 10 hours a week and intensive lessons would be 20 hours a week. You will discuss the exact schedule with the teachers at the beginning, who will then work out a timetable.
 
We can offer lessons at two locations in Sado: In Nakaoku, in the center of the island, where classes are offered at the Community Center, and near the Ryotsu Ferry Terminal, where classes are provided at the lobby of the Sado Tourism Office.
 
At both locations we can arrange accommodation in a single room of an apartment, which you can share with other language students or participants of our other programs (subject to availability). Alternatively, there is accommodation in a guesthouse at the Ryotsu ferry port and in a farmhouse in Nakaoko.
 
The language teachers also speak English. If you already have knowledge of Japanese, we will send a placement test before your arrival.
 
You can also combine the language lessons in Sado with our other programs in Sado, namely templestay, environmental conservation volunteering, Working Holidays and internships.

 

Did you know?

 

To compensate for your long-haul flights, we plant 10 seedlings of indigenous trees on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

 

Accommodation

 

Farmhouse with Guest Rooms in Nakaoku

 

 

The farmhouse is just a minute's walk from the Community Center, where the Japanese classes are provided. A separate part of the farmhouse has two guest rooms on two floors, in traditional Japanese style with paper walls, fitted wardrobes and tatami flooring on which your futon is laid out at night. You can book accommodation with or without meals. When you add meals, it is served on the ground floor in a dining room. On the upper floor, the two rooms share a kitchen, toilet and bathroom.

 

Rates

 

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Japanese One-to-One Language lessons on Sado Island

 

every 20 hours - 540 EUR (1 Person)

every 20 hours - 330 EUR per Person (2-3 Persons)

 

The daily duration is always 120 or 240 minutes.
 
Teaching materials are not included. The one-time costs for are 3800 JPY for the textbook or alternatively for teaching materials made by the language teacher.

 

Optional Accommodation:

 

Single room at shared apartment: 120 EUR/week (not including meals; Japanese tatami with futon bedding; simple shared kitchen)

 

Ryokan/Guesthouse: 50 EUR/night (not including meals; incl. use of shared kitchen) or 90 EUR/night on full board (Japanese meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

 

Optional Transfer on Arrival to Nakaoku:

 

You can book pickup from the Ferry Port and transfer to Nakaoku for 60 EUR.

 

 

Sado Island

 

 

Sado Island, with 855 km2, is the sixth largest island of Japan. When gold was found on Sado Island in 1601, the island flourished economically and culturally, developing a unique and rich cultural heritage, including performing arts such as dance, chants and music, the world-famous Taiko drumming, puppet theater, folklore festivals, and traditional handcraft. Sado has hundreds of Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and several historical villages from Edo Period (1603-1867), which have remained architecturally mostly intact.

 

The island is of extreme scenic natural beauty, with 288 km of rocky coastline, dense forests, terraced ricefields and a northern and southern mountain range reaching an altitude of 1172 meters. Sado is sparsely populated, with the vast majority of the population of around 55,000 living in Sado City in the flat middle part of the island. The island has an oceanic climate with hot and humid summers and cool, humid winters.

 

The last Crested Ibis of Japan, which is a symbolic national bird in Japan (Nipponia nippon) died in Sado in 2003 due to the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides on rice fields. Since then, an internationally renowned reintroduction program was successfully implemented in Sado, with birds from China being bred in captivity and released since 2008. The first hatchings in the wild were observed in 2012. Today there are again around 440 Crested Ibises on Sado Island. The integration of the Sado rice farmers and the promotion of traditionally farmed, high quality organic rice from Sado Island were essential in the success of the reintroduction program.

 

Sado Island has been working hard in recent years to boost tourism and has some interesting and modern landmarks, such as the Silver and Gold Mine, the Toki Park for breeding Crested Ibises and numerous hiking trails, natural sites and beaches. There are also tourist offers such as scuba diving, boat trips and more.

 

World Unite! is a cooperation partner of the Sado Island Tourism Association, whose office near the ferry port we share.

 

Leisure Activities

 

 

On weekends, from May to October we usually offer group recreational activities such as going to the beach, hiking and sightseeing at a small extra cost. You can decide on site whether you want to participate.

 

Getting There

 

 

 

 

From the Ryotsu Ferry Port on Sado, you will be picked up by us at no additional cost on a Monday and taken back there on either a Monday or Friday.

 

You can take the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Niigata (just under 2 hours) and then take the ferry (about 1.5 hours) to Ryotsu/Sado.

 

If you are farther away in Japan, you can also book a domestic flight to Niigata City, take a city bus to the ferry port, and then take the ferry to Ryotsu/Sado.

 

Your arrival in Tokyo:

 

For a small additional fee, you can add the following: You can arrive in Tokyo (Haneda or Narita) on a Friday between 8 am and 8 pm, and we will pick you up from the airport and accompany you to our sharehouse. There, you will spend 3 nights in a dormitory room. On Monday morning, you will then continue your journey to Sado.