AKITA INAKA SCHOOL - 小坂町, 秋田県鹿角郡

dameon B.

明日は小坂での最後の日です。小坂の人はとてもう優しいです。秋田田舎学校は本当に楽しかった。去るのは悲しい。

I can say that this was the best vacation that I had. If you want to experience a curated trip in Japan Akita Inaka school is great and you might make a lot of new friends from around the world along the way.

さよなら新し友だち。佐世保に帰る

Jacki J.

Simply life changing
No words can express my love
Winter Akita

愛してる
田舎気、私
また生きる

Find yourself up here
Through more than just Japan, but
Shared joy and friendship

Cesar B.

One of the best experiences I ever had. I was in the begginers group and I learnt in 3 weeks more than 1 year of regular classes. Thank you very much, Yui Sensei!

If you have the intention to participate, I recommend that you do all the activities, but save some time to explorer Kosaka by bike. Use the Shrines as checkpoints. Talk to the AIS crew if you need, but talk to them to know their stories as well, they are awesome!

And if it's your first time in Japan, it's a good idea having AIS classes as your first weeks and than explore other cities in Japan. You will understand and enjoy much more.

Autumn / 2024

Ralph C.

It was my first time visiting Japan and I've choosen Akita Inaka School in winter 2025.
Of course one reason was to improve my japanese skills but the more important reason was to experience the beautiful culture of japan in the rural area of the country
The school was awesome and all the people there were kind, helpful and just wonderful. They will welcome you with open arms.

It was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had and I will definitely go back (maybe in an other season or winter again, because Onsen are too good in winter 😉)

If you are interested to have an immersive experience in Japan with a broad selection of activities (e.g. Kendo classes, Kimono wearing, festivals, Mocchi making with locals and several more) I suggest you go there!
It will leave you with unforgettable memories and also new friends in this lovely country.

Devin M.

A wonderful immersion into Japanese language and culture, in a beautiful setting amidst the mountains of Akita. The pedagogy of the classes was well planned and very effective; the day trips and experiences were great, and the staff friendly, helpful and encouraging. The accomodation was great, and it was very special to be in a part of Japan very few people see. We loved it!

Marie R.

I enrolled for the Autumn Course October 2023!

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the course but it exceeded all my expectations!

The classes themselves were very fun, engaging and catered to all levels, from students with no experience to students who had been studying for years. The classes are taught in Japanese, I was in the beginner’s class and found the class easy to follow.

An example of our schedule during the week would be half day Japanese classes with some culture classes and the other Half an activity or free time. On the weekends we would have a full day of activities! (but the schedule is flexible dependant on weather). They do have set activities included in the course and optional activities ( extra cost for me was about $300AUD), they really put in a lot of effort to ensure your time there is right for you. If you are considering this course I would let them know during enrolment any activities that you may want to do, as they are very accommodating and can organise if there is enough interest with the rest of the class.

Kosaka, Akita where the school is located is absolutely lovely, the locals are welcoming and you really get to practice what you learn in class with the Locals. I travelled Japan after this course and and found it so much easier to converse and understand in Japanese.

What made this experience memorable was the people I met, the teachers, the school administration, my classmates and if you choose to live in the share house the people I lived with, I really felt like I was experiencing Japan and learning the culture with my fellow classmates and we were not just a group of travelling tourists.

If you want to learn the language & experience the culture in Japan and don’t want to do it solo, then this is definitely the right course for you!

David M.

A really fantastic experience! The classroom time is really only a part of the overall experience. I did the 3-week winter course and stayed in the dorm and made lots of new friends! The excursions are really what makes this a well-rounded experience. I wish that I’d learned hiragana and katakana in addition to basic speaking as that would’ve really helped absorb more of the material - I took a lot of notes and plan on continuing on my own, though I’d love to come back once I know more to get more practice.

The dorm itself is right next to a supermarket and we walked over there pretty much every day for meals and snacks. The sushi there is super cheap and really tasty! And they have a lot of other options so no need to just buy instant ramen. We were gifted a large bag of Kazuno rice and the dorm has a rice cooker so we were making it every day - the rice was so good! From the Supermarket, I recommend buying milk and cereal if you don’t want to be buying breakfast from the convenience store every morning.

As for the winter course, you can either bring your own gear or rent it on snow days, though I highly recommend waterproof boots and a heavy jacket plus a rain jacket. There is a washer and dryer in the dorm but the dryer is very small so it’s really meant for smaller loads - I wouldn’t recommend trying to wash anything heavier than jeans. Layers are super important as the van rides will be warm compared to when you’re outside.

As for the excursions, the Namahage Festival was incredible to see in person and there were several others and it would be really difficult to try to do all these festivals on my own - it was so much better being driven to them.

Dominic was our driver and he was a riot! I enjoyed talking with him and learning about his experience living in Japan for many years.

One of my favorite experiences was going to the local hotel for Onsen. It was my first time going to an Onsen and was actually kind of nervous about it, but it was great! My favorite moments were when it was lightly snowing and I was sitting outside in the hot water with snow falling on me. It was amazing.

I’d be curious to try the Spring or Fall courses but I was craving snow and boy did I get my wish.

Rachel B.

I signed up for the Winter 2024 3 week course in this small mining town not knowing what to expect. I loved the appeal of the countryside and the myriad of activities that the organizers promised to host.

Coming out of it, literally right now as I write this review I can say that this was a wonderfully unique life changing experience! I got to meet so many cool and different people from around the world, had an imersive experience where you can't just read off English menus like in bigger cities, and felt like I really got a sense of what the community is like. The school itself is beautiful, it's really a shame so many schools in the area are closing down or combining. Even though I fully enjoyed the memories made on each excursion, it was the moments in between them that made the whole trip worthwhile. We would play cards at night, explore the town, build tiny snowmen, go out for dinner at izakayas, have relaxing onsen retreats, have a cool projector movie night, and much, much more!

I would love to give a shout out to Miharu sensei, she is this incredibly talented and amazing first year teacher. I like how she incorporated music into her lessons, even though we weren't the best at hitting the higher notes.

Another shout out to the previous Tonburi girls, your journal literally saved my trip. This is my first real big adventure /solo traveling experience so I'm glad I got to spend it with the group of people that I met. I hope we can all keep in touch and be lifelong friends.

I was initially surprised when the classes were completely in Japanese, which really upped the immersion aspect. I've taken away so many good things about Japanese culture, people, music, food that I can't name them all. I think my 8 page essay is finally done. 🤪

To anyone considering this school, please go right ahead. You'll appreciate Sayaka san's humorous and timid nature, and Dom's contrasting wild and lively persona. They both work so hard to keep this school running, so make sure to treat them well. Well, I think I'll cap out the word limit at some point, so thank you everyone! You've all made the start of this year truly incredible.