Ojiya Study Abroad

OSA General Information:2023

1) Our program:
We are not a Japanese language school where many students study the same level of Japanese together. We set up our program to meet individual needs. So the program we offer is very flexible. You can start your stay anytime you like. You can stay with us as long as you want from a few weeks to one year. No age limit either. In addition to that, we try our best to minimize your expenses because what we seek for is not profit but wonderful meetings between international people and us local people.

2) Application:
You must apply at least 3 weeks before you want to join the program. (But before the application, please send us a mail and ask us if we have a room available for you in our guest house.) You can get our application form from our web site, fill it out, and e-mail it along with a few photos ( No need to be official ones. Family photos or ones with your friends or pets will be fine.) to our director: (Mr) Suzuki skshingojp@yahoo.co.jp
If you need an official letter of invitation for your visa, we need to hear from you 4 weeks before the day of your start.


3) Selection:
We select the applicants we accept through exchanging mails, reference letters or an interview by someone we know and trust. We want to have friendly people with good sense of responsibility.


4) Payment of OSA program fee:
Standard monthly fee for the first month (US$900 ) must be paid two weeks before you join the program. (Ask us about the fee for shorter stay and the bank information.) You can pay the rest of the fee after you get here.


5) Details of our program fee/person/month:
・ ‘Private bedroom’ and ‘kitchen, bathroom, washroom , and living quarters shared by 2-3people’ plus ‘basic food (bread and rice)’ US$290
・ Electricity, gas, water, the Internet, and community fee US$ 70
・ Private and group Japanese lessons offered by experienced, professional instructors plus talk time with local people US$340
・ Small compact car shared by 2-3 people in the same guest house (When you don’t drive, you’ll be given a ride by your share mates or our staff members.) US$120
・ Life support by English speaking staffs plus participation in sight seeing, various local events, school visits, and day trips. US$ 80 Total US$900

Actually it costs $1,200 /person to cover all the costs including house and car insurance, furniture, household appliances, staff members for your life support and so on. Standard monthly fee of $900 is made possible by the scholarship ($300/person/month) from our people in exchange for your active participation in local events and school visits.

You can make your fee even smaller by teaching your own language to local people, working on a farm, shoveling snow and so on.
Applicants who stay on our program for over three months make $300-500 per month on average by teaching their languages to local people 4-6 hours a week. But you shouldn’t expect to start making money as soon as you get here. We will help you get a good part-time job after you get used to living here. (Some visas don’t allow you to work officially.)

Your guest house is fully furnished including fridge, washing machine, TV, microwave-oven, futon mats, dishes, pans, air-conditioners, and heaters. But you might need something else for your own use. We recommend you prepare $100 for them.

If you can afford $1,500 or more, you can live in your own flat by yourself and use a car privately.


6) Group application:
If you want to join us in a group of four or more people with someone who has an international driver’s license, we’ll think of some discount.


７) The people we want to have here:
・Those who have clear target and study hard (We don’t want people who just fool around.)
・Those who are friendly and willing to mingle with local people.
・Those who follow basic social rules and get along well with people around. (Sorry but we can’t have people who smoke or drink too much.)
・Those who speak basic Japanese or English.
・Those who have enough fund to stay here on.( We know money is important for everyone, but we don’t want people whose main concern is always money. )


８) Certificate:
You can get an official certificate when you complete your study ( 3 months or longer),which will help you get a good job back in your own country or get some credits from your university. We will also help you get a job at one of the local companies in and around Ojiya, or get into a Japanese college when you have mastered basic Japanese