Do you think Japanese is difficult? Learning to read and write is not easy. How about speaking and listening? The Japanese language has "katakana" to represent words from foreign languages. Katakana is used to represent words from foreign languages in Japanese. Once you get used to the Japanese pronunciation of katakana words used in conversation, you will be able to understand many words. For example: 「スターバックスでキャラメルフラペチーノとドーナツが食べたい」 "Starbucks de Caramel Frappuccino to donut ga tabetai." It is only a matter of time before you will be able to somehow understand what they are talking about. However, what you have to be careful of is Japanese-English, which has evolved uniquely in Japan. Many katakana are used in ways that are unrelated to their original meaning. In this article, we will introduce some complicated Japanese-English words that native English speakers should be aware of in Japan. バスルームはどこですか? "Where is the bathroom?" If you wanted to go to the bathroom and asked,「バスルームどこですか?」 "Bathroom wa dokodesuka?" where do you think you would be directed? It is the bathing room. In Japanese houses, toilets and baths are kept separate. So, we don't call the toilet a "bathroom." When you say,「バスルームに行きます」 "I'm going to the bathroom," at a Japanese friend's house, they might get surprised.  チップスを食べる "Eating chips" When we speak of chips in England, we mean French fries. In Japan, chips mean potato chips. They are the same potato, but they are completely different foods. If you say to a Japanese friend, "I want chips," he or she may offer you nori sio (seaweed salt) flavored potato chips. スマートな人 "Smart person" What kind of person do you consider smart? Smart people, clever people, and stylish people come to mind, right? In Japan, the word "smart" is used to describe a person's physical shape. Slim people are called smart. Both are words of praise, but they have completely different meanings, so please be careful how you use them. サイダーを注文する "Order a cider" Cider is a drink in Japan. However, if you order it thinking it is cider, you will not get apple juice or apple wine. Cider is a clear carbonated juice in Japan. Of course, it is non-alcoholic. Ramune, a traditional drink, is also a type of cider. ドライバー "A driver" A driver is a person who drives a car. This is the same in Japan. But it also means "screwdriver" in Japan. It is a tool used to turn a positive or negative screw. And the club used to hit a golf tee shot (the first shot) is also called a "driver." So you need to determine which "driver" it is from the content of the conversation. Summary Japanese-English that differs from the original English meaning may be confusing. There are many foreign words in katakana. Once you get used to katakana, you will feel more familiar with the Japanese language! Let's have a fun conversation using katakana at Ohanashi Kagawa!

Today, I would like to share with you three trendy words that are lately often used in Japan! In Japan, trendy words are updated every year, especially by the younger generation. Try using these 3 trendy words when talking to Japanese people at Ohanasi Kagawa!! Japanese people must be surprised when they hear you use these words! So let’s learn and use these words! 1. (草) = くさ = lol The meaning of “(草)” is “lol” and is often added to the end of a message! In Japan, the word “(笑)” is also used at the end of emails and messages, and it has the same meaning with the word “(草)” It is very useful when you want to express your pleasant feelings. Example sentence 友達: 昨日のFriendsみた？ Friend: Did you watch Friends last night? Aki: チャンドラーがおもしろすぎて(草) Aki: Chandler is too funny lol. New words: 昨日 = きのう = yesterday 2. それな = That’s true! それな is a word that expresses that you and the other person share the same thoughts. Example sentence 友達: Aki、今日の宿題多すぎない？ Friend: Aki, too much homework today, don’t you think? Aki: それな Aki: That’s true. New words: 今日 = きょう = today / 宿題 = しゅくだい = homework 3. きまずい or きまず = Awkward きまずい is used when you have seen something you should not have seen or said something you should not have said, causing a complicated atmosphere in the relationship with the other party. Example sentence Aki: おれ君のことが好きだ！ Aki: I like you! 女性: ごめん、わたしはべつに好きじゃない。 Girl: You’re not my type, sorry. Aki: きまず Aki: Awkward. New words : 君 = きみ = you / 好き = すき = like How did you like the three new trending words today? Once you’ve learned new words, you should use them right away at Ohanasi Kagawa! Join Ohanasi Kagawa Free Events

Hello everyone, this is Aki from Ohanasi Kagawa, Ohanasi Japanese Language School. Today, I would like to share with you about Japanese dialects. Have you ever thought about this when you are studying Japanese? What? I’ve never heard this word in Japanese. It may be because of the Japanese dialect. Each prefecture in Japan has its own dialect, and I think it is very unique. Let’s see the difference in “what are you doing?” between Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka!! 1. Tokyo: 標準語 (ひょうじゅんご) “Standard Japanese” なにしてるの？” what are you doing?” In Tokyo, people speak standard Japanese. However, since people from various prefectures gather in Tokyo, many people may try to force themselves to speak in standard Japanese. (Because they don’t understand their own dialect LOL) Example sentence 友達: ねえAki、なにしてるの？ Friend: Hey, Aki. What are you doing? Aki: 日本語の勉強してるよ。 Aki: I’m studying Japanese. New words: 日本語 = にほんご = Japanese / 勉強 = べんきょう = study 2. Osaka = 関西弁 (かんさいべん) “ Kansai dialect なにしてんねん？” what are you doing? Kansai-ben is one of the very popular dialects and many Japanese language learners study it. The Kansai dialect sounds very casual and often gives a friendly impression. Osaka is also a very popular place for comedy in Japan. Example sentence 友達: ねえAki、なにしてんねん？ Friend: Hey, Aki. What are you doing? Aki: 日本語の勉強しとんねん Aki: I’m studying Japanese. 3. Fukuoka = 博多弁 (はかたべん) “ Hakata dialect なにしようと？” what are you doing? The Hakata dialect in Fukuoka Prefecture is so cute that it is ranked number one on the list of dialects Japanese people want their girlfriends to speak. I lived in Fukuoka for about two years, and Fukuoka’s Hakata dialect is seriously cute. For a real Hakata dialect, check out this video! Click to check the real Hakata dialect Example sentence 友達: ねえAki、なにしようと？ Friend: Hey Aki, what are you doing? Aki: 日本語の勉強してる。 Aki: I’m studying Japanese. How did you like Japanese dialects? Once you’ve learned new words, you should use them right away at Ohanasi Kagawa! Join Ohanasi Kagawa Free Event

https://youtu.be/WoSEI_KHiDU "I wish I could speak Japanese more fluently." People like that will try to study a lot of new words and grammar. They might be desperate in their attempts to memorize the vocabulary. Maybe they will watch thousands of videos to learn grammar. Let me ask you a question. What is your purpose for studying Japanese? Memorizing words? Or memorizing lots of difficult grammar? Of course, you may be studying Japanese to master vocabulary and grammar, but isn't your goal "to be able to say what you want to say in Japanese"? Then why do many learners lose sight of their purpose and goals? It is because they "don't have an environment where you can actually talk with Japanese people." Without an environment where you can speak Japanese with Japanese people, the only thing you can do is learn vocabulary and grammar. If you study only vocabulary and grammar, you will start to think of Japanese as an academic discipline, even though it is supposed to be just a communication tool. If you can speak with Japanese people on a daily basis, you will naturally ask yourself, "What can I do to speak more fluently with the Japanese?" This will help you focus on being able to communicate. As a result, you will start studying to be able to speak. What happens when you just must study the vocabulary and grammar you need to be able to have a conversation? What if you could achieve your goals without wasting time? Wouldn't you feel your life would be richer if you could enjoy more conversation and sightseeing in Japan in your free time? And if there was a school where you could get a chance to talk with Japanese for your study? Wouldn't it be great if there was a curriculum and place to learn to speak Japanese in the shortest possible time without learning useless words and grammar? Our school teaches students just the vocabulary and grammar necessary to be able to speak Japanese, while also providing a curriculum and a place to talk with Japanese people. The students who have attended have achieved these results. ================================ I have improved my overall knowledge of Japanese, especially learning how to differentiate between very similar grammar points. My speaking skills improved quite significantly. I have learned a lot about Japan and its culture thanks to studying with native Japanese teachers and also thanks to being able to meet with Japanese English learners through the school. ================================ Why don't you stop wasting your time memorizing words and grammar and join our teachers to learn to speak more Japanese? I am sending more details for those who want to know more. 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Request Now Loading... Thank you! We have sent you a document about our online Japanese Language School, so please check your email box.  Please be careful that it might be in your promotion box or junk box. If you'd like to know more about our school, click the link below. https://ohanasijas.com/ function ml_webform_success_2186334() { var $ = ml_jQuery || jQuery; $('.ml-subscribe-form-2186334 .row-success').show(); $('.ml-subscribe-form-2186334 .row-form').hide(); } If you are having trouble speaking Japanese nearby, try attending Ohanasi Kagawa's free events run by us. You will have an environment where you can talk one-on-one with Japanese people. For more information, please visit the URL below. ↓ Join Ohanasi Kagawa Event

Many people from many countries are looking forward to coming to Japan as they have been waiting for a long time as the restrictions on entry into Japan by the Corona are being eased. However, if you are coming to Japan for the first time, you may be worried about whether or not the Japanese can understand English when you speak to Japanese people in English or whether Japanese people speak English or not. Knowing whether Japanese people speak English before you come to Japan may help make your visit to Japan more enjoyable. The writer of this article was born in Japan, graduated from high school under the Japanese English education system, and then went on to study psychology at a university in the U.S. using English, which is not my native language. Through my study in the U.S., I learned the reality that the English I had learned in Japan were completely useless, and I wrote this article based on my experience of thinking about and researching why so many Japanese do not speak English. Only 2.5% of the Japanese population speaks English? Survey of 1,000 Japanese people by a Japanese company. Can you imagine how many Japanese speak English?In 2017, Kodansha Co., Ltd. in Japan surveyed 1,000 Japanese men and women in their 20s to 60s who had never lived overseas or studied abroad and had learned English only through school education in Japan (we call them “Zyunzyapa”). The results revealed the current situation of Japanese people’s English levels and attitudes toward English. Referrer https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/release/201701057627 Only 2.5% answered that they can speak and listen to English without problems Kodansha Co., Ltd. took surveys of Zyunjapa (Japanese people who received their English education only in Japan) and found that surprisingly, only 2.5% of Zyunjapa have the ability to speak and listen to English conversation without problems and only 2.2% of the Japanese people said their speaking ability was at a level that would allow them to do their jobs.How do you feel about these results? Many Japanese people today study from elementary school through university and Japanese who go on to university have had 16 years of English education in Japan. It is hard to believe that only 2.5% of Japanese can speak and listen to English without any problems. Almost half (43.5%) of the Japanese people said that they can hardly speak at all, and 49.9% said that they can speak at the level of Japanese elementary school students (i.e., they can say a few words they know). Only 20% of Japanese people answered that they could answer when asked for directions by English speakers How many of the Japanese people you ask for directions when you actually come to Japan are able to answer in English?According to a survey of 1,000 Zyunjapa (Japanese who received their English education only in Japan), only 20% of Japanese people could answer in English (21.8%) when asked for directions by English speakers. Therefore, if you ask 10 Japanese people for directions in English, only 2 Japanese people will answer correctly. Many Japanese will be panicked when suddenly spoken to in English. Why do Japanese not speak English? So why are so many Japanese who cannot speak English so well? While it is true that there are differences in grammar and pronunciation between Japanese and English, these are often not the only factors. I believe that there are 5 main factors that prevent Japanese people from speaking English. 1: Japanese people have only received English education for entrance examinations. The first reason is that many Japanese students take English classes in school not to learn to speak English, but to get a high score to pass the high school or university entrance examinations. For this reason, most English classes in Japan focus only on grammar and reading. Speaking classes are rarely given unless you attend a school that specializes in English, such as an international school. In fact, I took English classes in elementary school, junior high school, and high school, but I rarely had a conversation in English during class. I spent most of my time just trying to understand the structure of English sentences. This is why many Japanese students dislike English classes. In fact, according to a survey of 1,000 Zyunjapa (those who studied English only at school in Japan), 62.7% of them “did not enjoy” English classes in junior high school. The reasons for this were that the classes were “boring” and “full of grammar. Recently, the number of ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) from overseas has been increasing, and teachers are trying to increase opportunities for students to experience real English in Japanese schools, but there is not enough speaking time for Japanese students to speak English if there is only one ALT. 2: Almost zero opportunity to speak English in Japan The second reason is that there are still few opportunities to speak English in Japan. Especially in rural areas of Japan, there are few foreign tourists or immigrants, so opportunities to interact with non-Japanese people are almost zero. In fact, I lived in a rural area of Japan and was desperately looking for a place where I could speak English before entering a university in the United States. There were few such places, however, and the only opportunities to speak English with people from other countries were to go to an English conversation school or find a place called a “foreigner’s bar. I don’t think it is possible for Japanese people to learn to speak English if there is no place where they can use English even if they learn it. 3: Perfectionistic, afraid to make grammatical mistakes The third factor is that many Japanese are perfectionists who are afraid of making mistakes in grammar and vocabulary. In fact, I am one of them. When I entered a university in the U.S., I was always afraid that I would make a mistake in my grammar, so I could not speak up even if I wanted to. I believe that one of the main reasons I became afraid of making grammatical and vocabulary mistakes is because of the English education in Japan. Japanese English education is mainly based on a point deduction system. Therefore, no matter how well you understand the meaning, the more minor grammatical and spelling mistakes you make, the more points are deducted, and you cannot receive points unless you make sentences with perfect grammar and words. This “English must be perfect” mentality is what discourages Japanese people from speaking English. 4: Less need to study English in the first place The 4th factor is the fact that many Japanese people feel less need to study English in the first place. In today’s Japan, economically speaking, there is little need to use English if many Japanese people just work and live in Japan, and few Japanese people have ever been abroad. In fact, when I was a student, I did not feel the need to study English at all. I felt that why should I learn English by going through hardship when I was going to live in Japan anyway? And as long as I stay in Japan, I have few opportunities to speak in English, so I don’t feel the need to study English. After all, I myself did not feel the need to study English until I actually studied at a university in the U.S. and began to use English in business. However, it is a fact that the need for English is increasing in Japan and the world, where globalization is progressing, and I feel that Japanese people need to learn English more and more. 5: Many Japanese are shy and not good at initiating conversation The last factor is that many Japanese people are shy and are not comfortable talking to others. This is due in part to cultural factors. In Japan, people rarely greet or talk to strangers in a friendly manner. For example, when I lived in the U.S., I often casually said “Hi” to people I walked past, or made casual conversation with them, asking how they were doing. If you were to do that in Japan, you might be thought of as suspicious or strange, and people would be very cautious of you. Having grown up in such an environment, I feel that it is too hard for Japanese people to speak to people abroad in English. When I myself saw a non-Japanese person having trouble on the street, I was too afraid to talk to him even if I could speak English a little. Such cultural and personality factors may be one of the reasons why Japanese people do not speak English. Phrases for when you meet Japanese who don’t speak English. If you do not know any Japanese when you come to Japan, it may be difficult to enjoy sightseeing unless you have an interpreter to help you. By knowing at least a few phrases, you may be able to enjoy yourself a little more when you come to Japan for sightseeing, and you may have less trouble when you are in Japan. Try to remember the phrases I am going to introduce now and use them when you come to Japan. Phrases to use when asking Japanese people who don’t speak English 1. すみません。ひとつおうかがいしたいことがあるのですがExcuse me, I’d like to ask you one question. 2. すみません。すこしおしえていただきたいことがあるのですがExcuse me. I would like to ask you to tell me a few things. 3. すみません。すこしいいですか？Excuse me. May I have a moment? Phrases telling the destination where you want to go to Japanese people who don’t speak English 1. Name of placeという場所(ばしょ)にいきたいのですが、どうしたらいいですか？I want to go to a place called Name of place, how should I go? 2. Name of placeという場所(ばしょ)はどこにありますか？Where is the place called Name of place? 3. Name of place にはこの道(みち)であっていますか？Is this the right way the Name the place? Phrases to ask Japanese people who don’t speak English when shopping 1. これを買(か)いたいです。I would like to buy this. 2. これはいくらですか？How much is this? 3. Name of product はどこにありますか？Where is the Name of a product? Phrases for asking Japanese people who don’t speak English for help 1. すみません。たすけてもらえますか？Excuse me, could you please help me? 2. すみません。こまっているのですがExcuse me, I am having a problem now. 3. すみません。てつだってもらえませんか？Excuse me. Could you help me? Phrases for expressing gratitude to Japanese people who don’t speak English 1. ありがとうございます！Thank you very much. 2. たすかりました！I appreciate your help! 3. 本当(ほんとう)にかんしゃしています。I really appreciate it. How do Japanese people feel when they have to speak English? Finally, I would like to tell you how Japanese people who don’t speak English feel when English speakers talk to them.By understanding how Japanese people who don’t speak English feel when English speakers talk to them, you may be able to understand how they feel and know how to deal with it. 1- Desperate to answer in English First of all, Japanese people get nervous when they see a foreigner and feel they have to speak English. Even if you can speak Japanese, the Japanese will be desperate to communicate with you in English. They may try to answer your questions in English using poor English and gestures, so please listen carefully and speak slowly when asking questions in English. 2- They want to tell you they don’t speak English and walk away Secondly, Japanese people who believe they are not good at speaking English tend to avoid people from foreigners so that they will avoid being spoken to. They may say “No, No, I don’t know” and try to escape when you approach them. This is not because they don’t like you, it is just that many Japanese people are negative mind about their English level. They feel ashamed of not being able to speak English, so they try to avoid or avoid you. Understand that some people avoid or escape from such feelings. 3- Panic because their mind has gone blank The last pattern is that Japanese people’s heads go completely blank. Such Japanese people who don’t speak English may freeze up and not be able to speak at all. In such cases, you should gently tell them that it is okay. They may be relieved to hear you speak a little Japanese. How was it? Many Japanese people rarely speak English in their daily life, and it may be difficult to really enjoy sightseeing in Japan unless you can speak a little Japanese when you come to Japan. So, before you come to Japan, improve your Japanese language skills as much as possible so that you can enjoy Japan as much as possible!

In your study of the Japanese languageHave you ever thought “I want to learn how to speak Japanese quickly. or I want to speak Japanese fluently”?You study Japanese grammar and vocabulary every day, but when you try speaking in Japanese, the words and grammar you have learned don’t come out at all.Even if you have the opportunity to talk with Japanese people, you may have experienced that your mind goes blank and you are at a loss.I am sure that some of you have experienced this.If you feel that no matter how much you continue to study for your Japanese language skills, you are still unable to speak it, perhaps you are not learning enough to speak Japanese. In this article, I will tell you how to learn to speak Japanese, how to motivate yourself to learn to speak Japanese, and where and what resources you can actually talk to Japanese people. I decided to go to college in the U.S. when I could not speak English at all even though I studied English as my second language in middle and high school. I enrolled in and graduated from a college in the U.S. in about two years after doing a lot of trial and error on my own by researching various methods of learning a second language.Currently, I run an online Japanese language school and support many students who are learning Japanese, providing lessons to help students learn to speak Japanese quickly and giving them opportunities to interact with Japanese people in real life. 5 ways to learn to speak Japanese fluently I came to the conclusion that these 5 learning methods are necessary for learning to speak Japanese through my study of English, my second language, and through teaching Japanese to students who are actually learning Japanese. In this article, I will share them with you one by one. 1. Repeat words and phrases until you can speak them unconsciously over and over again First of all, the 1st way to learn to speak Japanese is to repeat words and phrases that you can surely speak over and over again so that you can speak them unconsciously.I have seen many students who focus only on understanding words and phrases and continue to study by simply reading and understanding a vocabulary book and that is it.No matter how much you can understand the meaning of the words when you study, you need to work on remembering the words and phrases you have learned over and over again in order to be able to recall them on an unconscious level from there. In particular, it is very effective to be able to visualize and feel Japanese words and phrases just by looking at them, without translating them back to your native language, so that you do not have to translate them from your native language to Japanese every time you speak Japanese.There is no need to memorize a lot of words and phrases. If you can concentrate on learning only the most commonly used words and phrases, you will be able to express your intentions to Japanese people with words even if you have not memorized grammar. Learning words and phrases that you can use unconsciously is the first step to learning to speak Japanese.We have created our original vocabulary books, which are designed to help you memorize words with images and example sentences. You can download them for free. Download a free vocabulary book verbs 100 + → 2. Remember sentence patterns until you can speak them unconsciously through repetition The 2nd way to learn to speak Japanese is to remember grammar and sentence patterns over and over again until they come up unconsciously and automatically.There are a number of grammar and sentence patterns in Japanese. By learning these patterns, you can easily create sentences by simply putting the words you have learned into the patterns.For example, in the Japanese passive form, there is a sentence pattern “Noun に Verb られる”. By learning this pattern, you can create sentences like this “こども (child) は はは (mother) におこられる(angry) by putting words into the sentence patterns.Your Japanese speaking level depends on how many of these sentence patterns you can use.However, you may find someone around you who seems to speak Japanese fluently. But in fact, that person is just using the same sentence patterns that the person has used and acquired over and over again. I myself use only a few English sentence patterns that I have learned when I speak English. You don’t have to memorize all the patterns, just a few that you can use with certainty will make you seem like a fluent Japanese speaker to others. 3. Create time to think only in Japanese and switch from your native language brain to a Japanese brain The 3rd way to learn to speak Japanese is to intentionally make time to think only in Japanese and switch your brain from your native language brain that you normally use to a Japanese brain.In your daily life, you always use your native language or a language you are familiar with, and you think in that language in your mind.In this situation, even if you try to speak Japanese, you will always translate your thoughts into your mind, and you will not have time to think only in Japanese. Therefore, at first, try to think only in Japanese for one minute, so that you can think about everything in Japanese only. A recommended training method is to say what you see around you in Japanese anyway or try to speak what you are thinking in Japanese, even if it is slowly. It may feel hard when you are not used to it, but you will feel growth as the amount of time you spend thinking and speaking only in Japanese. 4. Talking to yourself in Japanese and feedback by recording The 4th way to learn to speak Japanese is to record your own talking to yourself on a video or app and listen to it again by yourself and give feedback.For me, this training for speaking to myself was very useful for learning English, my second language.The process is very simple. First, you decide on a topic, and then you talk about it on camera or record yourself using an app and listen back to the recording.It is a good idea to start with a simple topic such as what happened today, your plans for the day, or something you enjoyed recently. As you get used to it, you can try topics for discussion or express your thoughts on news topics.And after practicing speaking to yourself, be sure to review the video or audio recording you took or made. Then, make a note of the parts you could not speak well, or the phrases you wanted to say but could not, and look them up as you make your sentences. By doing so, you will be able to focus on the expressions and words that you could not say, and you will be able to learn to speak Japanese more and more. 5. Get experience speaking with real Japanese people The last way to learn to speak Japanese is to get more experience speaking with real Japanese people.No matter how many vocabulary and sentence patterns you learn and how much you practice talking to yourself unless you talk to real Japanese people, you will not be able to assess whether or not your Japanese is understandable to native Japanese people.When I myself was studying English, I experienced that when I talked to an actual native English speaker, the phrases and grammar I had remembered were sometimes understood by him/her, and sometimes not. By doing so, you can build up your data like people don’t use this word in this situation, or you could communicate well in this way, and your Japanese will become closer to the native level.However, many Japanese learners may be wondering how to find opportunities to talk with actual Japanese people, so I will tell you about places and resources where you can actually communicate with Japanese people later on. Places where you can learn to speak Japanese with real Japanese people Many Japanese language learners are wondering how they can get more opportunities to talk with Japanese people when there are very few Japanese people in their area or country, they have no Japanese friends, and they are not able to study abroad. For those people, I would like to introduce 3 free places and resources where you can talk and interact with Japanese people in Japanese. Learn to speak Japanese at Ohanasi Kagawa Ohanasi Kagawa is our online Language Exchange event. The event is organized online on weekends and includes 2 one-on-one (or in groups depending on the number of participants) 15-minute sessions of Japanese and English conversation between Japanese people and Japanese language learners.Not only will you be able to have real conversations with Japanese people in Japanese, but you will also be able to have in-depth conversations with them by talking one-on-one.You will have time to speak only in English during each session, so you do not have to use Japanese all the time. Even if you are not confident in your Japanese, you can gently teach English to Japanese people, and they will kindly teach Japanese to you. Please refer to the website below for more information on how to participate. Ohanasi Kagawa website → Learn to speak Japanese at Meetup The Meetup.com website has a variety of Language Exchange events and groups where you can learn to speak Japanese. Ohanasi Kagawa, which we run, is listed on Meetup, but there are many other groups as well, so finding a Langauge Exchange group that suits you is a very effective way to learn to speak Japanese. If there are parties or events where you can interact with Japanese people in your area, you should actively participate. Meetup.com → Learn to speak Japanese at Hello talk HelloTalk is a very popular language exchange app that mainly uses chatting, so you can chat with Japanese people and even make phone calls.If you like chatting, I highly recommend this app. However, due to the time difference, some people may find it inconvenient to chat only, so if you want to focus on your speaking, we recommend you meet Japanese people in person and interact with them. HelloTalk → Ohanasi Japanese Language School for learning to speak Japanese How was this article? In order to be able to learn to speak Japanese, you should not just study Japanese without making the right effort to speak Japanese.If you are currently studying Japanese on your own and want to learn to speak Japanese, but you are having trouble improving your Japanese or you are wondering how you can become a Japanese speaker, please take a trial lesson at Ohanasi Japanese Language School.Our experienced school counselors will consult with you to determine the best learning method for you.For more information, please see the page below. Learn more about Ohanasi Japanese Language School →

In September 2018, Ohanasi Kagawa was born with the fundamental vitality of Aki’s frustration, despair, and discouragement as the representative of Ohanasi Kagawa, but a major turning point came in June 2020. It was June 2020 when COVID-19 began to spread in the United States, where I was living at the time, and many people were forced to be under house arrest. I wondered, “What can I do now that everyone is stuck in their homes and the mood is so gloomy?” As I was thinking about it, an idea came to my mind: “Yes, let’s start Ohanasi Kagawa online!” And so, with five Japanese friends and English speakers, we held our first Ohanasi Kagawa online event via Zoom. After that, when we announced the event in the U.S., many American learners of Japanese said, “I want to participate, too!” I realized that so many people in the U.S. were eager to talk with Japanese people. And one question remained in my mind. While many people in Japan, like myself, strongly desire to speak English with people from all over the world, many people in the world also desire to speak Japanese with people from Japan. “Why is there no place where people from Japan and the rest of the world, who are seeking each other out, can connect with each other in a safe and easy environment?” People who have been seeking each other but have been unable to meet can now meet online, transcending national borders! With this conviction, we have continued to hold events, and in less than a year, more than 2,000 participants from over 50 countries have joined Ohanasi Kagawa’s events. I saw great potential in Ohanasi Kagawa as a platform to connect people who love Japan and Japan-loving people around the world.

“I want to actually speak English with English speakers!” I googled “where to talk to English speakers” on the Internet and spent 30 minutes. I never dreamed that I would feel so much “frustration,” “despair,” and “discouragement. Why, you ask? Because I realized that no matter how much I looked on the Internet, there was no place nearby where I could casually talk and interact with English speakers. I went around to various places to gather information, but I could not find the kind of place I was looking where I could interact with English speakers in a casual and safe environment. * It is true that there are places in Japan where you can interact with English speakers, such as foreigner bars and international exchange parties, but these places were far away from my desire to “practice speaking”. What I want to do is not drink and have a good time with people from overseas. (To begin with, there are not many such places in my rural Kagawa Prefecture.) I was about to give up on the idea that it would be impossible for me to have an environment where I could speak English practically as long as I stayed in Japan. I was about to give up. At that time, I received an e-mail from a woman who was also studying English. She said, “Aki, I am also looking for a place to speak English, but I can’t find it. Could you please tell me where I can find a good place?” I was at a loss for words. I couldn’t find a place where I could speak English even though I had looked for a place where I could speak English by myself so much. “Let’s give up. As long as you stay in Japan, it is impossible to find a place where you can speak English.” I was so frustrated that I was about to tell her so. I wondered if I should leave the current situation in Japan as it was, that as long as I stayed in Japan, I would never have a chance to speak English. “No, I will not give up! If it’s not there, then I’ll make it myself!” So I gathered local English speakers and Japanese who were learning English in Kagawa Prefecture and started an event in the same way as Ohanasi Kagawa, which is now online, and that’s how it all started. And Ohanasi Kagawa took a big turn with COVID-19. To be continued in my blog.