NILS Fukuoka Times

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Ways to Practice Japanese

1. Do a Language Exchange, or Two or Three If you live in a reasonably sized city, it should be easy for you to find Japanese speakers who are interested in a language exchange. As the name implies, a language exchange involves a native speaker helping you with Japanese, in exchange for you helping him or her with your native language. It’s a straightforward, affordable way to practice real-life Japanese conversation. If you’re already quite advanced, you might be able to offer tutoring services for your native language with Japanese as the language of instruction (you could charge for this, or think of it as an opportunity to practice Japanese while paying it forward… or you could do what this author did, and combine both models by getting paid in coffee and/or ramen). Check Craigslist (the “Community” section is where language exchanges usually get posted) or your local online classifieds equivalent for language exchange opportunities. You can also put up a notice on the bulletin board at your local university, ESL school or Japanese restaurant. Common sense safety measures apply here—don’t agree to meet a stranger in a dark alley in the dead of night, language exchange partner or not—but as long as you take the normal precautions this can be a fun way to study and make new friends. If you’re living in a smaller community, you’re still bound to have some native Japanese speakers living there; you might just have to look harder. But if you don’t find anyone, don’t panic. You can organize conversations online using services such as LingQ, an engaging language learning app that also has a community with language exchange options. 2. Find a Japanese Roommate Living with a Japanese speaker means you’ll have opportunities to speak Japanese every single day. Hang around with your roommate and their friends enough and you’ll be getting Japanese immersion without even going out the door. If your roommate isn’t fluent in your native language, you can even incorporate a language exchange element by agreeing to speak, say, English at breakfast, Japanese at dinner, etc. (With any luck, they’ll even help you up your game when it comes to Japanese cooking!) Your city may have Japanese-language classifieds where people seek accommodation. Otherwise, go to the places you’d usually look for roommates and see if any Japanese speakers are searching. You can also tell your local university that you’d welcome Japanese exchange students to your apartment for a semester or more. 3. Talk to Yourself This may seem awkward, and you probably shouldn’t do it on the bus or in the middle of the grocery store, but talking to yourself in Japanese can be an entertaining exercise and effective language study tool. Whether it’s difficult for you to meet native Japanese speakers for conversation or you just want an added language boost in your downtime, talking to yourself doesn’t have to make you feel like you’re a living personification of the #foreveralone meme. The most productive way to go about this is to think of an everyday topic and record yourself talking about it. Then listen to the recording and see what grammar or pronunciation errors you can catch, and re-record without them. It doesn’t quite matter what you’re talking about, as long as you’re using words and expressions you’re likely to need in real-life situations.
As a Japanese language student, you may have learnt over a thousand Kanji characters or you could maybe write an academic essay entirely in Japanese. However, when it comes to having normal conversations with Japanese locals here in Japan, you get it all messed up! That is a very common problem amon... READ MORE

What’s Happening Now in Fukuoka & Japan

Immigration Exceeds One Million – Fukuoka An increasing number of Japanese language school students from South and Southeast Asia are working part-time in the suburbs of Fukuoka at factory-like locations which operate all day long. Various types of part-time work are done at these bases, including ... READ MORE

Essential Japanese Phrases Every Study-Abroad Student Needs To Learn Shopping

shopping street
Shopping In Japan Japan is a shopping paradise with a wealth of stores selling everything from traditional souvenirs and local food to the latest electronics and hottest fashion brands. Both domestic and foreign brands are represented, as are stores for all budgets, from the 100 yen shops to hi... READ MORE

Learning Kanji As A Foreigner

kanji
It wasn’t exactly a promising start. I started learning Japanese at the age of 19, a bilingual Singaporean who barely passed my French classes and retained absolutely none of the material. In other words, language learning isn’t really my strength or my forte. The dreaded kanji characters were a ser... READ MORE

Fun Facts about Japan

noodle
I am well aware of the fact that most of the articles written here are mainly for practical use. But hey, let’s take a break from this and for once, let’s venture into some fun facts about Japan that you may or may not know of! I have listed seven fun facts that will definitely make you go “Wow!” F... READ MORE

What’s Happening Now in Fukuoka & Japan in May 2017

dog in workplace
To Reduce Work Stress, Japan Firms Turn to Office Cats, Dogs and Goats – Tokyo Workaholic Japan is known for long office hours and stressed-out employees, but one company claims to have a cure: cats. A total of nine fluffy felines eat, sleep and walk freely in the small office of IT firm Ferray in ... READ MORE

Essential Japanese Phrases Study Abroad Student Needs To Learn Opening a Bank Account

bank account in japan
Opening A Bank Account In Japan One of the most important things that you need after arrival in Japan is a local bank account. It is of course, essential in managing and carrying out your daily financial transactions, regardless of the country you live in. In Japan, it is no different. It is necess... READ MORE

Visa Renewal in Japan

visa stamp
Remember To Renew Your Visa! This is a really important matter that all current or prospective international students studying or wishing to study in Japan have got to know! A student visa will let you stay in Japan for a period from 3 months, to 4 years and 3 months. The amount of time goes up in ... READ MORE

Getting a Mobile Phone Plan in Japan

mobile-phone-shops
Phone Plans For International Students When being overseas, especially in a non-English-speaking country like Japan, you really need a cell phone. Not forgetting to mention those with data plan is of course ideal. Having a cell phone in Japan is crucial to keep in contact with friends and to si... READ MORE

Essential Japanese Phrases Every Study-Abroad Student Needs To Learn ― Post Office

Sending Parcels in Japan Sending mail overseas from Japan can be a lot more problematic than anticipated. However, as international students staying in Japan by ourselves, there will be times when we find the need to get to the post office to either send or receive packages from our loved ones,... READ MORE
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