Studying Japanese

Learning Japanese (“Nihongo”) definitely makes life a lot easier and more fun. It’s also a good way to fill free time at school. The other teachers will appreciate your efforts and probably be very willing to help.

Study materials

The JEXT books (provided by CLAIR before you come) are useful for picking up the basics of conversation, though for more advanced study, you will probably want to see what’s available in the major bookstores’ ever-increasing selection.

Kenkyuusha Furigana English-Japanese Dictionary This little yellow book is highly recommended for the ease of finding useful Japanese equivalents of a surprisingly large and up to date number of English words. The biggest problem with most E-J dictionaries is that (A) they are totally in the roman alphabet, with no written Japanese characters (kanji), or (B) the kanji are there but you have no clue how to pronounce them. Furigana are the little phonetic characters you sometimes see written about kanji characters, which indicate pronunciation. It’s not perfect (it doesn’t give usage examples), but is still a must-have.

Kansai Japanese (Tuttle, ¥1200). Making out in Japanese (above) helps you understand casual, non-textbook Japanese—in Tokyo. Kansai Japanese helps you understand Japanese spoken here where we live. So go ahead and acquire an accent! It’s fun, and Nihonjin will be blown away that you can speak the dialect!

Nihongo Journal (ALC Press, ¥600). Comes out monthly, with an optional cassette tape. A few articles & stories in Japanese and pretty well-produced material for self-study. ALC is a leader in the JFL publishing field, and they have a training center in Tokyo for would-be JFL teachers.

Hiragana Times (¥300). A real bargain for reading material. Articles of interest to gaikokujin, printed side-by-side in English and Japanese (with hiragana above all the kanji for easy reading). This also makes good reading practice for people learning English.

Manga-jin (¥600). The title literally means “Japanese comic book person”, and it’s aimed at teaching Japanese language and culture through comic books. Some interesting articles. You could also go straight to the source and read…

**Manga**(comic books). Available all over the place. You’ve heard all about these, I’m sure. You can find manga in all levels, from elementary school to businessman. Manga for junior-high and younger have hiragana for all kanji, to help you figure out the pronunciation.

Elementary School Textbooks Learn Kanji the way Japanese kids do! These books have big pictures and diagrams explaining how to write the characters. There are probably teachers at your school (or a nearby elementary school) who would enjoy helping you. Check the children’s section of most bookstores.

Word Tank There are several good electronic dictionaries on the market. The one most people use is the WORD-TANK, by Canon. It has Japanese-English, English-Japanese, and Kanji dictionaries, and a word memo function you can use like a set of flash cards. A major drawback is that the English-Japanese function doesn’t give you the furigana (pronunciation) for the Japanese words, but the Jump function allows you to access other menus and find out relatively quickly. The advanced model IDX-9500 can be found for around ¥25000 (or less if you bargain hard in Den Den Town) and is a much better value with its greater memory, data bank, and versatile functions.

Computer Software If you brought along a Macintosh, and have 4megs of RAM and 40 extra megs on your hard drive, your computer can speak Japanese. Get the Japanese Language Kit (English menus with Japanese capability) or go native with KanjiTalk, the Japanese system soft. For IBM, check with the computer geeks at your school about getting a copy of Japanese DOS. I don’t know about non-Macintosh, so I can’t really advise you better than this. Mangajin and Computing In Japan magazines have numerous adverts for Japanese-language software, and occasionally publish surveys of what’s available.

Schools & Tutors

The Nara International Understanding Foundation offers evening classes of various levels in Nara city on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 7pm to 8:45 pm, and in Ikoma on Wednesdays and Fridays. Classes start in September. Previously, ¥35,000 for a five-month semester (¥30,000 tuition and ¥5000 registration fee). There is also a materials fee. Contact Mrs. Nakagawa at NIFS for more details: 0742-27-2436.

CLAIR’s Japanese Correspondence Course If you just got here, this is not an option, because you can’t sign up until the spring after you arrive. The course is for people with an interest in linguistics, and the focus is not so much on learning as on the teaching of Japanese as a Foreign Language.

Nara Youth International Exchange Association In Kashihara city, Thursdays from 6:45-8:45pm. ¥1500 monthly fee and materials fee. Call 0742-22-1101 ext.2375 and ask for Noguchi.

Yamato Takada Non-native resident Japanese course. In Takada, Mondays 1:30-3:30pm and Wednesdays 7:00-9:00pm. There is a material fee only. Also a sort of counseling service. Call 0745-22-6868.

Kashihara-shi Board of Education. April to July, September to February; Wednesdays 6:15-8:15pm and Sundays 10-12 noon; 3 levels; material fee ¥2000-¥3000, classes FREE. Call 07442-2-2001 or Mr.Noguchi 0742-22-1101 ext 3345/3349.

Ikaruga-cho Board of Education. Basic course (mainly for S. American workers, with Spanish/Portuguese explanations) from Sept to Nov.; Tues 7:00-9:00pm. FREE!! Call 07457-4-1511.

If you can’t find a Japanese school nearby or can’t get around to attend one, you might consider taking a correspondence course. Kumon has beginner and intermediate course where you complete home study worksheets, have them checked by an instructor in class or by correspondence, and returned to you with advice where necessary. There is a Kumon teacher in most towns: in Nara city, Mrs. Kobayashi 0742-71-7243, Takayama-san 0742-71-8853, Murakami-san 0742-47-7311. No registration fee, just ¥8000 monthly tuition. Ask your supervisor to inquire about local Kumon teachers. For a course brochure, application, and diagnostic test to determine your study level, call 0120-494625 (toll-free).

Kyoto International Center of Languages (formerly KYC) offers basic to advanced courses: summer, from late July to mid Aug., registration ¥10000 and ¥70000 fee; evening classes twice a week, from late Sept to early DEC, registration ¥10000 and ¥55000 fee. Call 075-722-5066.

The Society to Introduce Kanazawa to the World in Ishikawa-ken has good teachers and is a nice place for intensive courses — from 1 week to 6 months. For a 1 week course: tuition ¥22500, registration ¥8000; 1 month course: tuition ¥90000, reg. ¥15000. Homestays possible but must register early: fee ¥2500, cost per day with 2 meals ¥3300. If not homestay, there is a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) stay without meals — cost from ¥3600 onward. For details call Iwakami-san (speaks some English) 0762-22-7332.

Private tutors can give you the motivation to study hard which is sometimes lacking in a classroom atmosphere. These three are excellent, experienced teachers, but you may be able to find a Japanese teacher who lives closer to you if you ask around. The usual cost is about ¥3,000 an hour. Aiko Watanabe (Ikoma) 07437-3-6623 Mayumi Saito (Ikoma) O7437-8-3487

The Japanese National Proficiency Test

These exams are taken by 70,000 people every year around the world. These are 4 levels:

Level 1 2,000 kanji 10,000words Level 2 1,000 kanji 6,000 words Level 3 300 kanji 1,500 words Level 4 100 kanji 500 words

Registration is in mid-September and the exams take place in early December in Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe. Past papers and exercise books are available at Kinokuniya, Maruzen, and other bookstores. If you study with a private tutor, you can aim for level 3 or 4 in you first year.

Most people come with the intention of learning some Japanese, but soon get discouraged. Don’t give up! Setting yourself a goal, such as a certain level of the Proficiency Test, will help you to study. With a bit of effort you can make rapid progress. Ganbatte!