Self-study isn’t for everyone. Some of us tell ourselves time and time again that we’ll crack open those CLAIR textbooks and school ourselves. We’ll start watching Japanese television programming. We download kanji flashcard applications on our phones and iPods and tell ourselves that we’ll use them on the next long train ride. We subscribe to podcasts, thinking that one day we’ll give up listening to that guilty pleasures playlist on the way to work and start learning this darn language. We don’t, but we think about it every time our lack of understanding leads to dead-ends in conversation and awkward silences.
For those of us who need accountability in our studies, the Kyoto Prefectural International Center is ready to help. Conveniently located on the ninth floor of Kyoto Station, KPIC is currently accepting applications for its Beginners Japanese Course. There are two courses, one that meets on Mondays and Thursdays during the morning (無理) and a conversation course on Saturdays. Both are taught in Japanese. The conversation course will be divided into two sections based on proficiency, each with a maximum enrollment of 15 students. The class will begin on May 8 and meet from 10:15 to 12:30. Enrollment is a mere 4000 yen for 10 classes.
I attended the autumn Saturday course, which covered daily vocabulary and grammar. Unlike studying on my own, there was no need to memorize a phrase and wait for the opportunity to put it into practice. The teachers of my class used our setting—close to Isetan, restaurants, and major transportation stations—to force the students to use the grammar and vocabulary that we had studied. We ate lunch at a restaurant to practice ordering food and conversation with each other. We went on a scavenger hunt in Isetan to reinforce “Where is~?” and describing locations. We called a teacher’s home phone to leave voice mails. At the beginning of class, the teachers would ask questions that required us to use grammar from the previous weeks. We did role plays, and all of our study was reinforced by practice and use in as realistic situations as possible.
Sure, I usually left with a headache from trying to think in Japanese. Sure, sometimes it was embarrassing to go through the Isetan department store and ask, “Excuse me, where are the neckties?” only to write the location and leave. Still, my occasional discomfort was far outweighed by the benefits of structured learning and the pressure to rise to someone’s expectations. Thanks to that class, I ordered a pizza by myself, was able to describe my symptoms to a nurse when I got the flu, and feel more confident being the first person to arrive at a restaurant. Take a class, folks.
If you, too, want to augment your Japanese studies (or start them), visit the KPIC website below to learn more!
http://www.kpic.or.jp/english/residents/index.html
Basic information recap, which I pretty much copied from the site itself:
●Saturday Conversation Course
Interviews to decide which class you will attend will be held on
5/1 (Sat), 10:15 – 12:00. YOU MUST ATTEND.
The course fee (4,000 yen) is due on the day of your interview.
☆If you cannot attend the level check for whatever reason, please come to the class 15 min before the starting time on the first day.
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Laurel is a 4th-year municipal ALT in Kameoka, Kyoto-fu and the current co-editor and "webmaster" (is that a thing?) of the Ganbatte Times. Her leisure activities include taiko, aikido, making jewelry, and general silliness.
I like Laurel’s success story! Just like the saying “You are what you eat,” in learning a language “You learn what you practice.” The most fun is talking with friends, but this class sounds like the next best option.
study japanese and make friends