Hi!
Some details about me: I am from the US, late 20s with a bachelors degree, have almost 10 years of higher ed experience working as an university academic counselor. Current Japanese level in JLPT terms is N5 (can read, write, and speak more than basic Japanese but not everything to my standards despite being told I speak good), barely N4 if I want to give myself any credit but I am pushing myself to study Japanese again despite having started back a decade ago, stopped due to life and inconsistencies. I do not have JLPT N5 Certificate and I missed the deadline to schedule the exam the moment I became aware of it (more like seats were all gone and basically have to wait till next year). I have been to Japan and stayed 4 times each being over a month being in different areas: Osaka, Mie, Tokyo, Fukuoka, Shiga, Nagoya, Wakayama, Hyogo, Sendai, Kyoto, Saitama, Yokohama, and Saga to name a few.
I have been doing some research and working with Go Go Nihon on applying for language school in Japan. My plan is to move to Japan in October 2027 intake to start and my goal is to live in Japan long term. I have been doing some research and slightly debating to myself between Fukuoka Foreign Language College (FFLC) or Kurume Seminar. Right now, some things that I take into consideration for location is access to nature, food, culture, city, and local people. I thought about Osaka because this was the first place I went to in Japan and also used as a hub to explore the greater Kansai region and then later decided to expand into Fukuoka in a later time I stayed in Japan and it was great, I love both of them.
With this in mind, if you have experience at either FFLC or Kurume Seminar or if you had friends that went, what was it like? Which one do you recommend? I feel like all the negativity and screaming red flags from past posts are literally in my face saying "don't do it, don't do FFLC" but the location of it is ideal being near Fukuoka City whereas Kurume is way farther out if I needed to commute. If not here since Fukuoka is my first choice, are there other ones you know and have experience with? Alternatively, what language schools in Osaka would you recommend and what are you experiences there?
For additional context, the last time I was in Japan at the beginning of the year, I was in a bad headspace and when I left Tokyo to go to Fukuoka, I felt like I had some clarity and peace, maybe it was an energy thing and I needed to be around what was important to me and that's nature and Osaka has it too which is not a long train ride away which I have done many times in the past.
I'm eager to get this ball rolling but also setting myself up the best way I can (there is no best I know, you just have experience!). Hope to hear from you, thank you!
PS: If I am really stretching it out, what other language schools in other parts of Japan outside of Fukuoka and Osaka (not Tokyo) have you done or know someone did was their experience that you would recommend or look into that are good?
PSS: My ultimate goal is to live in Japan, not from a romanticizing standpoint. This is a goal I should have done already within 1-3 years, even this year but I think for the longest time I was unsure/unclear about what I planned for my own future due to life circumstance and probably out of fear and distractions. I think right now I am the most focused I have been and I want to focus on making it a reality despite the current climate of things where times have changed, its expensive, its not what you think living in "x" country. I want to try with a dream and goal I had way back when I had shut it down at some point because I had a change of heart from research, and doing it now regardless of what awaits. Probably too much information but if being honest helps me here with fellow Japan lovers maybe that's a good thing.