Bunka Language School

This is a great learning environment. Suzuki sensei is a very good teacher who makes the lessons very interesting. The structure of the course suits my learning pace comfortably. My fellow classmates are awesome.

Bunka’s business Japanese class has been really helpful in improving me formal Japanese. I also go for the advanced Japanese class and both classes have challenged me in the best ways. You’re really encouraged to speak in class and even if making mistakes can be a little daunting, that’s also the best way to learn!

I started studying at Bunka in 2004 and returned in 2016. Their conversation-focused classes allow easier and more natural learning of the language. By using newly taught vocabulary and grammar in daily conversation, it becomes easier to remember their usage and nuances in meaning. This approach to teaching is much more fun and effective than the other Japanese schools in Singapore which pile stacks of worksheets on their students for exam-taking purposes but do not allow them to practice speaking at all.

I have been studying at this center since 2018 and they have been providing me with decent teachers and methods of conversing in Japanese. Sometimes when I brought in my own manga, the teacher was able to explain why Japanese in popular media is written differently from the JLPT syllabus. This is my reason for adding an extra star. However, after the recent government announcement in 2021 about home based learning due to the pandemic, the staff don't seem to know how to handle high demand for students studying online. Now they're uncontactable through the telephone and are taking too long to respond to emails (response is more than 24 hours unlike last time when they would respond within that timing). If students are going to pay for these lessons and are willing to continue their studies despite the pandemic, the school should improve their communication methods (or lack thereof) so they can quickly respond to students who have urgent needs, such as a change in their school or work schedule that requires them to change the timings for their classes. Overall, while I'm satisfied with the teaching methods that Bunka provides, my only complaint is with their inconsistent communication methods, where less methods are available compared to pre-pandemic times, where in-person classes were still available.

Been studying at Bunka for about 2 years and I’m really glad I found this school. Classes are very well structured and their syllabus very systematic. The focus is on grammar, conversation and understanding rather than merely passing exams which is exactly what I was looking for. The pace is pretty ok, some find it a bit fast, so you have to make sure to study and revise between classes. This is a school that will help you learn Japanese effectively.

AVOID THIS JAPANESE SCHOOL AT ALL COSTS. This Japanese school is a money-hungry language school full of greed that does not hold to their words. I attended an intro class on Sat and checked with the counter admin on the class schedules but there were NO class schedules at the point of checking. This was why the admin said that I could wait till the schedule is up to make a decision and if not, a refund could be made to my bank account. However on Mon, they changed their words and refused to return my deposit. This is just a display of poor communication and it is clear that their school is not getting money - if you were to visit their classroom, you would realise the poor lighting and old classroom interior at the first glance. Therefore, they would rather go through such means to withhold money from their potential students for the sake of getting their revenue. Go to other schools if you can - this Bunka school is just not worth the money.

Have been with the school for 10 years now, they have amazing teachers who make learning fun and interesting. Elementary classes might be a bit tough for beginners but they get you up to speed really quickly if you put in the effort. Intermediate classes are where the fun starts, while Pre-Advanced and Advanced classes focus a lot on speaking and conversations to build confidence. Warning: Once you've entered Mizusaki World, you won't want to get out

Joined Bunka from Intermediate 1. Currently in Intermediate 2. Thus far, I really enjoy the class/ teaching style of the school, which emphasizes much on practical aspects of the language and lots of conversations, instead of giving out tonnes of exercises to work on. Students are given a quiz every week to refresh past-learnt grammar, conjugation, kanji, katakana etc. We are also required to think on the spot so to form dialogue with fellow classmates. Teacher will then  correct our grammar and will teach new vocabularies from there on. It is a very interactive class I would say. I like that Bunka customizes its own material and enforces on small classes (10pax/class) to give more attention to each student. Teachers are so much willing to go beyond the duty to answer tough questions during or after class. I am currently with Suzuki Sensei, she is awesome! The only drawback I would say is that the school does not have many classes of the same level each term, hence you may need to wait quite a while for replacement classes, unless you are fine to replace the class ahead of other preceding lessons (They only allow up to 3x replacement classes for free). Hope they can improve on this in the future.