[Japan12WHU]

I'm a 33 year old Englishman looking to study Japanese for 2 years in Tokyo from next April. I will also be living with my Japanese girlfriend in Shinjuku.

I've been casually studying Japanese 1 day a week (for 2 hours, after work) at a language school in London for nearly 2 years now but have never taken a JLPT test (and no college/university degree).

I've heard that schools in Japan who cater for the majority of Chinese/Korean students are not ideal, as many of the students have a broad knowledge of the language/kanji and therefore can progress at a faster rate.

My questions are, can anyone recommend any good Japanese schools in Tokyo which cater more for the English speaking/European students?

Also, is a college/university degree or a pass in a JLPT test necessary before applying for a Japanese school?

Your assistance would be helpful.