Special Themed Seminars

Each of the Special Themed Seminars covers a specific topic for one to several days, making them accessible for those who cannot attend courses for a full semester. Additionally, as they focus on specific areas such as conversation or kanji, participants can choose and attend based on their own level and interests.

The offered seminars and schedules vary depending on the semester. Please check the latest course information on the Course Calendar for confirmation.

Please check the Course Level Guide for the minimum level required to take the course.

The Special Themed Seminars are primarily conducted in a format that involves learning activities in pairs or groups, rather than traditional lectures. As each seminar covers connected topics that build upon each other over time, regular attendance is generally required for all seminars. Additionally, in order to enroll, you must meet all the requirements specified in the course description.

Due to the nature of this course, even if your Japanese language level meets the specified requirements, you might not be allowed to enroll if your proficiency in using Japanese (speaking and listening) is not at a level suitable for participating in the learning activities.

Name of seminar Level Prerequisites No. of lessons
[Spot] KANJI First Step Beginner=Lower Elementary
  1. Non-kanji background students with no prior knowledge of kanji
  2. Ability to read hiragana is desirable.
4
[Spot] Bridge to Level 2 Lower Elementary Having finished the lower elementary course or taking Level 1 in the same semester. 3
[Spot] Bridge to Level pre3 Upper Elementary Having finished the last half of the beginner’s class or taking Level 2 in the same semester. 3
[Spot] Speak and Listen Well in Japanese for Intermediate Learners Lower Intermediate Having finished the lower elementary to intermediate level. 3
[Spot] Japanese Kanji for Students with Chinese Language Background Upper Intermediate
  1. Native speaker of Chinese. (Non-native speakers who have similar kanji knowledge background as native speakers—such as Singaporeans or Malaysians—can also participate in the course.)
  2. Having finished the upper intermediate level.
5
[Spot] Explore Interacting in Japanese with Greeting Expressions Upper Intermediate Having finished the upper intermediate level. 3
[Spot] Communication Strategy in Japanese Conversation (Advanced Level) Advanced Having finished the advanced level. 5

Class description

Name of seminar Outline
[Spot] KANJI First Step

This seminar is for students who are from linguistic backgrounds where Chinese characters are not used and so are new to studying kanji. You will learn about 30 basic kanji characters at the beginner level. By learning kanji composition through pictures, combinations using various parts, and how to read simple words, we will prepare you to be able to use kanji in the future.
Upon the completion of this course, you can proceed to the Center’s General Course Kanji I.

[Spot] Bridge to Level 2

Review of the first half of the beginner’s class (verb sentences, questions words, te-form, etc.) by talking about past and present experiences, hobbies, etc.
This seminar is aimed at those who finished the first half of the beginner’s class and those who are taking Level 1 in the same semester.

[Spot] Bridge to Level pre3

Review of the expressions learned during the latter half of the beginner’s class (comparisons, reasons, conditions, etc.), with the 3-day goal of being able to give appropriate advice about choosing stores, restaurants, and travel destinations.
This seminar is aimed at those who finished up to the last half of the beginner’s class and those who are taking Level 2 in the same semester.

[Spot] Speak and Listen Well in Japanese for Intermediate Learners

This seminar focuses on speaking and listening for intermediate learners who have studied Japanese but have little opportunity to use it or are not confident in listening to Japanese in actual use.

[Spot] Japanese Kanji for Students with Chinese Language Background

This is a Japanese kanji seminar for native Chinese speakers. As the course will focus on the method of reading two-character kanji phrases in particular, students will learn the principles of Japanese kanji pronunciations (onyomi) and learn how to read even kanji vocabulary encountered for the first time.

[Spot] Explore Interacting in Japanese with Greeting Expressions

This seminar is designed for intermediate and advanced-level students who are already able to communicate in Japanese. This course aims to improve communication for these students by using the basic greeting expression arigatoo as a starting point. In addition to arigatoo, the course also covers related greetings such as sumimasen and yoroshiku. The course will also focus on communication that is typical of Japanese by observing how the language is used in various situations and how native speakers of Japanese view interpersonal relationships. Students will also practice using these expressions in a variety of real-life communication situations. Students will be required to watch assigned video materials (about 5 minutes) before each class as preparation. Details will be announced to the students.

[Spot] Communication Strategy in Japanese Conversation (Advanced Level)

This course is designed for advanced-level learners who are already proficient in using Japanese for communication. With a main focus on Japanese request situations, the course explores various aspects of communication, such as starting conversations, making requests, giving reasons, and ending a conversation, in order to achieve more Japanese-like communication. Through this course, participants will become more aware of the differences in communication styles and ways of thinking between their native language and other languages, enhancing their ability to engage in more effective communication.

Comments from Previous Students

Kanji(漢字) First Step(初級前期)/ Kanji First Step (Lower Elementary)

Very interesting and good introduction to kanji. It is very useful for my daily life in Japan since things like days of the week, time, street signs, subway maps etc. were used as examples.

非常に興味深くて漢字の入門に最適です。曜日、時間、道路標識、地下鉄マップなどが例として使われたため、日常生活で非常に役立ちます。

Thank you for this introductory course to kanji. It helped me understand the basics and I can easily navigate through the rest of the process of studying kanji.

漢字入門コースをありがとうございます。基礎を理解するのに役立ちました。 これからの漢字学習が進めやすくなりました。

日本語で話そう・聞こう(中級)/ Speak and Listen Well in Japanese for Intermediate Learners (Intermediate)

The course is very interactive and interesting. It’s good to have the opportunity for speaking practice.

インタラクティブで楽しいクラスです。話す練習の機会があるのがいいと思います。

Group work is good for students to practice and know each other better.

グループワークのおかげで練習もできるし、お互いをよりよく知ることもできます。

中国語話者のための「読める!日本語の漢字」(中級後期)/ Japanese Kanji for Students with Chinese language background (Upper Intermediate)

中国出身だから、漢字を直接に見ると意味はわかります。でも読んだり聞いたりするときは、ぜんぜんわかりませんでした。それで、このクラスはよく役にたちました。

As I'm from China, I can understand the meaning of kanji characters just by looking at them. However, I didn’t know anything when it came to reading or listening. That's why this class was very helpful.

このコースはずっと困っていた読み方のルールを説明してくれました。とても役に立ちます。ありがとうございます。

This course explained the reading rules that I had been struggling with for a long time. It's very helpful. Thank you.

It was useful for the Japanese learner to learn the rules to pronounce the kanji. I hope this class can be held every month, so that I can study this more often and use those rules in my daily life.

日本語学習者にとって、漢字の読み方のルールを学ぶにはとても役に立ちました。もし、この講座が毎月あれば、日常生活でもっとこのルールが使えるようになると思います。

日本語のあいさつと人間関係(中級後期)/ Explore interacting in Japanese with greeting expressions (Upper Intermediate)

The course grants me the capability to notice the nuances of "psychological social distance" in the Japanese culture and lets me understand more about the actual meanings of routine greetings.

このコースでは、日本の文化における「心理的な社会的距離」の微妙な違いに気づけるようになり、日常の挨拶の実際の意味についてより理解できるようになりました。

いろいろな場面で使う挨拶とその場合に日本人が連想する意味について学びました。
『日本人はまず謝ります』ということをSNSなどで見たことがありますが、実は謝りと感謝のプライオリティーの感じが異なることがこのコースで分かりました。

I learned about greetings used in various situations and the meanings Japanese people associate with them. I've seen on social media and elsewhere that 'Japanese tend to apologize first,' but I actually understood the different sense of priority between apology and gratitude through this course.

I had been very confused about the usage of すみません as an expression of appreciation and also about how to respond to いってらっしゃい from people who I don't live with. I feel much more confident in my ability to navigate these situations now.

これまで、「すみません」を感謝の意味で使うことや、一緒に住んでいるわけでもない人から「いってらっしゃい」と言われたときの返し方がわからなかったのですが、この授業を受けた今は、だいぶ自信が持てました。

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