Hi everyone,
I’m a 30-something planning a short-term (2-3 month) study trip to Tokyo in early 2026, and I'm torn between Coto Academy and Toyo Language School (TLS).

Coto is definitely more expensive and doesn’t have built-in housing the way TLS does — but I thought Coto might be a better fit age-wise since I’m in my 30s and don’t want to feel like the oldest person in a teenage prep-school environment.

One commenter I saw online said they only made one good friend at Coto, which surprised me.
So I'd really like to hear from people who actually attended:

My questions:

• Were you able to make close friends or at least build a solid social circle from your Coto classes?
• How easy was it to network, hang out after class, or meet people outside of your group?
• Does Coto attract students that want to make friends and network?
• Did the smaller class size help or not really?
• If you could do it again, would you pick Coto or a more structured school like TLS with a built-in dorm community and you're in the same class for 3 months?

I’m not expecting a party school, I don't drink — I just want to know whether Coto is a place where you can realistically build friendships as an adult.

Any honest experiences are super appreciated. Thanks!