Where to Learn Japanese in San Francisco

The biggest and most popular school for learning Japanese in San Francisco is Soku Gakuen. Located at 1881 Pine Street, they offer the lowest prices for a formal school outside of the community college system. Courses last for eleven weeks and are held year round. Prospective students can take beginning and intermediate courses, as well as specialized courses in Kanji, practical communication and preparation for the JLPT exam. Classes consist of five to nineteen students, if less than five people enroll by your class date, you may get a refund or be asked to wait for the next class, but this doesn't seem to be a major issue as the school is very popular. Each eleven week course costs $150 for the whole thing, which is a fantastic deal for private language study in San Francisco.

San Francisco State University operates a Japanese program, which is mostly for students seeking Bachelors and Masters Degrees and/or a teaching credential. However, it may be possible to take some of their courses through the SFSU "Open University" program. Contact the College of Extended Learning branch of SFSU for further information.

The City College of San Francisco, the local community college, offers a number of Japanese language courses. Elementary and Intermediate Japanese courses are offered, as well as Kanji for reading and writing, and a Japanese culture and civilization class. All classes are $20 per unit, usually working out to $60 for each class. However, full-time students who intend to pursue a degree and who made a low income in the previous year may qualify for the California Board of Governor's Waiver, which pays your tuition for the academic year for as many classes as you would like to take.

The Japanese Cultural and Community Center of California, located in San Francisco's Japantown, offers an absolute slew of programs and courses related to both Japanese and other Pacific Island culture. Among these you may find language courses offered, it's also a good place to go to check for private tutors or other postings for language classes. At the least you may find something interesting like a taiko drumming or martial arts class. The location is 1840 Sutter Street.

By far the best resource in the city that is totally free is the San Francisco Public Library. Hidden away at the Western Addition branch is one of the biggest collections of Japanese language study and Japanese interest resources in English. They have all forms of media from books, to lessons on tape, CDs and audio books. Also, if you have a public library card, or a virtual "e-card", you can access the Rosetta Stone language program for free via the San Francisco Public Library web site.