Do you enjoy sampling the tasty morsels from your local sushi shop? Are you and your friends interested in understanding Japanese anime and manga? Have you seen the bright neon lights of Tokyo and wondered what it would be like to visit?

One way to develop your understanding about Japan is to learn Japanese through the VLN Primary. In our Japanese course, we get to virtually experience the language and culture through videos and stories from our teacher.

We learn to introduce ourselves and greet others, talk about our likes and dislikes, how to count and understand the Japanese currency, learn about food (and how to order in a restaurant), and talk about our families and school life. We practise writing Japanese kanji - does Japan really have more than 2,000 characters in their alphabet? Is the sushi pictured above really sushi, or is it candy in disguise?

Japanese Food — Image by: Olivia Graham

Beginner Japanese. Students will have the opportunity to understand and use familiar expressions and everyday vocabulary. The focus is on speaking, listening, reading, and writing in Japanese and understanding aspects of Japanese culture. Topics covered include: self-introduction, family, numbers, hobbies and sport, colours, and food. Students will use the language through personal interaction, videos, and tasks.

Extension Japanese. Students have the opportunity to extend their knowledge both culturally and through the language. Emphasis will be on learning Hiragana, and reading and writing. Topics will include school life, travel and shopping.