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#2 Tsukuba University

Presentation by University of Tsukuba at Washington-Liberty HS on 11/25

SJA hosts the second Japanese University Presentation on Monday November 25th at Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington.

University of Tsukuba, which has produced three Nobel Laureates, offers various degree programs in English, including International Social Science, International Medical Science, Global Issues, and Interdisciplinary Engineering. The university also launched the Japan-Expert Program in such areas as Agricultural Science, Healthcare, Art and Design, and Japanese Language. The admitted students will go through intensive six months of Japanese language study before diving into their selected fields.

The average admission fees for National Universities in Japan are about $2,800 and the tuition is about $5,400 per an academic year. The presentation includes the most recent policy trend and changes in Japan’s higher education concerning National Universities. The first part of presentation will be provided in Japanese and the second half in English. The event is free but the pre-registration is required.

Registration: Click Here

日本の大学で日本語を学習しながら専門科目は英語で学び学位取得を目指せるプログラムを紹介するSJAの「日本の大学説明会」シリーズの第２回目は国立大学法人 筑波大学。ノーベル賞受賞者も輩出している同大学で英語で学べる多彩な学士プログラムを紹介します。社会国際学、生命環境学、地球規模課題、総合理工から外国人のための日本語で学ぶ学士プログラムまでポイントをまとめてご紹介。文部科学省は国際化を進める大学を重点支援する「スーパーグローバル大学創成支援事業」を実施していますが、筑波大学は世界レベルの教育研究を行うトップレベルの大学（タイプA)として採択されています。説明会では、同大学の学位取得プログラムの説明に加え日本の国立大学全般の最近の動向について解説もいたします。説明会は前半を日本語で、後半は英語で行われます。

Date: Monday, November 25
Time: 7:00-9:00 pm
Location:  Washington-Liberty High School (1st floor Little Theater)
7:00-7:45 pm Presentation/ Q&A in Japanese
8:00-8:45 pm Presentation/ Q&A in English
8:45-9:00 pm Closing

Parking Information
Use school parking lot or nearest free street parking. If you park your car at the school parking lot, the nearest entrance is No. 5 door. Main entrance is No. 1. Little Theater is located at the middle of the first floor.

Learn more about University of Tsukuba English Degree Programs:
University of Tsukuba BA Program in English
Japan-Expert Program

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#1 Okayama University Discovery Program

Learn about the Okayama University′s Discovery Program for Global Learners (a four year undergraduate program where the majority of courses are offered in English). A presentation by Associate Professor Takayuki Yoshioka of Discovery Program takes place on September 3rd at the Central Library with two 30 minutes-sessions;  Japanese presentation from 7:45-8:15 pm and English from 8:15-8:45 pm. It’s free but registration is required in as seating is limited. *The registration closed for this event.

 日本の大学で日本語を学習しながら専門科目は英語で学び学位取得を目指せるプログラムがあります。SJAでは、「日本の大学説明会」をシリーズで開催していく予定です。第一回目は、国立大学法人 岡山大学グローバル・ディスカバリー・プログラム（GDP）です。岡山大学 の吉岡貴之 准教授 による説明会は、前半を日本語で、後半を英語で行います。＊このイベントは終了しました。

Date: Tuesday, September 3rd 
Time: 7:30-9 pm
Location: Arlington Central Library (2nd floor Bluemont meeting room)
It’s min walk from Virginia Square GMU Metro station.7:30-7:45 pm Check in
7:45-8:15 pm Presentation/ Q&A in Japanese
8:15-8:45 pm Presentation/ Q&A in English
8:45-9:00 pm Closing

Learn more about the Discovery Program:
Discovery Program (pdf)
The Okayama Discovery Program page

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Arlington County Fair – 2019

Thank you everyone who volunteered, stopped by and shared your time and talent with us during Arlington County Fair this year. The SJA booth attracted many community members interested in the Japanese culture and the language. All the supporters and volunteers helped our booth lively and to be a wonderful display of SJA program offerings.

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Youth Exchange Night with Students from Nagano – 2019

About score of American and Japanese students gathered at the Arlington Central Library Auditorium on July 30 for enriching cultural exchange experience. The evening program kicked off with “tanzaku” making using an elaborate washi paper kit brought by the Nagano student reporter delegation. Followed by fun games and “show and tell” of artistic skills presentation, the evening ended in high energy with the Macarena dance.

Read about what those Japanese students thought and perceived during their trip to Washington, D.C. and New York. The articles by the junior reporters published in the Shinano Mainichi Shimbun. Click here.

Information about junior reporter delegation in Japanese. http://nagano-sk.jp/cn42/pg527.html

Information about Shinano Mainichi Shimbun and Nagano in English and Japanese. https://www.shinmai.co.jp/corporate/shim1e.html

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Adult Class – Party!

Students and volunteers gathered for the final SJA Adult Class for the 2019 Winter/Spring program last Sunday. They celebrated their friendships formed through learning Japanese together by engaging in various activities and games which were not only fun and interesting, but also served as a tool to test the students’ Japanese skills that they obtained through SJA classes in the past four months.

The “Chopstick (はし)” challenge brought out the competitive side of each student and some showcased their hidden talent in picking up candy by completing the task way before the bell rang. The “Karuta-tori” game challenged participants’ memories of hiragana characters, both in phonetic form and in shapes. While thriving to collect as many hiragana cards as possible, students helped each other find matching letter cards called out by Karen-sensei. The highlight of the night, however, was a special version of “Sugoroku,” a board game hand-made by Yoshimi Yoshida-sensei for this occasion. The game contained phrases learned in class, Japanese pop-culture quizzes, and other surprises. Each time a die was rolled, there was suspense, bursts of laughter, and a team collaboration which continued till the end.

Natto, fermented soy beans, is a savory Japanese food item but usually requires acquired taste.
Lucky Brian, who landed on the “Eat Natto” spot, got to taste Natto. Everyone enjoyed his reactions!

Yoshimi-sensei gave a farewell to the class and SJA, as she embarks on her new journey to Egypt where her husband has been assigned a new diplomatic position. She wished students luck in their Japanese studies and urged them to become a part of the community across the globe connected through the love of Japanese language and culture.

よしみ先生、お疲れ様（おつかれさま）でした！

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Youth Class – Fun Packed Last Class

The last class of SJA Winter/Spring Youth Program ended in a high note packed with fun activities of traditional Japanese games and a recap of basic phrases in Japanese. Students were introduced to centuries-old card game,”karuta （かるた）,” board game, “sugoroku　（すごろく）,” and how to play paper/scissors/paper or “jan-ken-pon　（じゃん、けん、ぽん）” and more. Through these hands-on activities, students enhanced their appreciation and understanding of vocabularies and rules of how to play those games. In addition, they enjoyed savory Japanese snacks to celebrate their journey of studying with SJA for the past four months.

じゃん、けん、ぽん！（Jan Ken Pon!） Who is the winner?!?

Savory treat included “butter mochi” with coconut toppings hand made by student family and onigiri by a volunteer. They were absolutely delicious and definitely crowd-pleaser, serving as a wonderful introduction to rich Japanese food culture.

Karuta are Japanese playing cards. Playing cards were introduced to Japan by the Portuguese traders during the mid-16th century. These early decks were used for trick-taking games. Karuta, as it exists today, is the hybrid descendent of 12th century clam shells and 16th century Portuguese sailors. Karuta fully evolved from a foreign Portuguese import into a distinct Japanese custom, combining traditional kai-awase gameplay with the European paper card medium. Now there are numerous variety of karuta ranging from Tonarino Totoro theme, Hello Kitty designs to traditional poems.

Sugoroku is a Japanese board game which has become a tradition for kids to play during the New Year’s Day. The history of Sugoroku can be traced back to the 12th century. There are many variety of sugoroku with popular anime-themes, educational and fun-filled rules.

In Recognition of Students’ Hard Work and Love of Learning…

Each student received a certificate of achievement from Jennifer-sensei. Prior to the presentation, they learned a proper manner to receive a certificate. They mastered it so well and quickly. We are so proud of you!

See you all at SJA Youth Summer Program!

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Summer Japanese Program for Youth – 2019

Let’s study Japanese and learn about the culture of Japan!

Come join us for a free Japanese program this summer. The program will be offered on four Sundays in July and August, and will be comprised of Japanese language lessons for the first hour and various cultural activities for the latter half. The language instruction will be led by Jennifer Swanson-sensei, who has been teaching the SJA Youth Class for the past year. No prior training? Do not worry. Want to improve your hiragana or kanji skills? No problem! Jennifer and a team of volunteers will provide personalized instruction according to each student’s abilities and levels.

Cultural activities include origami, tea ceremony, kendama and more!

Any youth from elementary to high school students are welcome to attend. Bring your love of learning Japanese and the culture. You can sign up for any session.

Register here.

Please note that children younger than 6 years old must be accompanied by a parent or an adult guardian throughout the sessions.

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Adult Class – Final Presentations Well Done!

Adult Class students demonstrated their hard work on Sunday, May 12 by making self-introductions in Japanese and also sharing their favorite parts of Japan and cultural elements they cherish. Each student took a challenge of making a presentation with a 5 minute time limit, and incorporated key Japanese phrases they learned through this Winter/Spring program:

  • Communicate your name, occupation, age, where you live, basics about your own family, hobbies and what you do on your day off
  • Introduce your favorite topic related to Japan.
Yoshimi Yoshida sensei told the class that she was “very generous” with her rule of limiting the time to five minutes.
Jennifer Swanson sensei appeared as a special guest. She teaches the SJA Youth Class.

In recognition of their achievement, each student was awarded with a certificate by Karen Tripp sensei. They also learned how to receive a certificate properly: with BOTH hands and a BOW!

みなさま、おめでとうございます！

Bonus Gift!

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Youth Class Update: Learning Something New and Fun!

Youth Class learned about cultural event, “Hinamatsuri” and enjoyed practicing phrases from the popular long-run animation series. IMG_5239
☆What’s ひなまつり(Hinamatsuri)？ It’s a Doll Festival (or Girl Festival) in Japan on March 3rd to pray for the happiness and growth of girls.
雛人形 (Hina ningyo = Hina dolls)・お内裏様 (Odairi-sama = the emperor)・ お雛様 (Ohina-sama = the empress)・ ひな壇 (Hinadan = Platform for Hina dolls)
☆サザエさん (Sazae-san) ひな祭りの人気者 (Hinamatsuri’s popular person)
◉Helpful links◉
☆Have you already checked this website? JF Japanese e-Learning Minato : https://minato-jf.jp
On this website, now you can take some Hiragana self-study course, Japanese in anime&manga self-study course, etc and it’s all free! All you need is just to sign up for the website.
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Japan Day – March 31

First of its kind in Arlington County

“Japan Day” is a one-day culture event with hands-on experiences of Japanese arts, food and music. It features live performances and demonstrations such as Kendama, Origami, Karate, tea ceremonies, cosplay, and anime. Collaborating with local Japanese businesses, information booths showcase world-class technologies and engineering as well as Japanese culinary culture. Promoting Japanese language among high school students, it provides Japanese study help. The event also commemorates a newly formed sister school relationship between the Arlington Career Center and the Engei High School of Setagaya, Tokyo. The event is endorsed by the Embassy of Japan.

The event will feature live performances such as Okinawa Eisaa (drum and dance), jumbo calligraphy demonstrations, Kendama performances, and more!

We are also excited and honored to welcome representatives from Tokyo Engei High School to celebrate a newly formed sister-school relationship between the Arlington Career Center and Tokyo Metropolitan Engei High School.

Program & Activities

Event Location

Arlington Career Center

816 S. Walter Reed Dr., Arlington, VA 22204

Parking space is limited. Please consider carpooling or taking Metro Bus 10B, which runs on Sundays from Ballston Metro station. The bus stop is 1 minute away and the ride takes about 14 minutes.

Reports