About This Course

Whether you want to learn conversational Japanese for travel or just for fun, you'll find this course makes it easy and enjoyable for beginners to master the essentials of the Japanese language. Guided by a native Japanese instructor, you'll also gain cultural knowledge only an insider has.

In each lesson, you'll learn useful conversational phrases and vocabulary words particular to a specific area of travel. You'll practice these in drills, interactive exercises, and dialogues. Throughout the course, you'll find helpful audio aids and Japanese words written in the English alphabet. With this, you'll be bypassing one of the biggest obstacles for most beginners of Japanese: the letter system.

Along the way, we'll follow the story of two Americans traveling in Japan. Together, we'll be on our way to many adventures in exciting Tokyo and the scenic Japanese countryside. By the end of this course, you'll have acquired basic conversational skills that enable you to travel around the country easily, and you'll have discovered the heart of Japan!

About The Instructor

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Ririko Hayashi. Ririko Hayashi has successfully taught people of all ages for over 30 years. Born in Tokyo, Japan, Ririko received her Bachelor's degree in Japan and then moved to the United States, where she obtained her Master's degree. Her professional experience includes working as a Japanese-English interpreter in several fields, including business, law, and education. She teaches Japanese to private students and is a longtime music teacher at the college level.