Orientation: Conversational Japanese

Course Description

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.

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

Course Requirements

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 8 or later.
• Mac: macOS 12 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

Course Mechanics

I will make two lessons available to you every week for six weeks. You do not have to be present when a lesson is released, but you'll need to complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

Once all 12 lessons have been released, I will give you a two-week grace period to complete your studies and take the final exam. This means that you have a total of eight weeks to complete this course. If you're thinking of taking another course after this one, you can avoid overlap by starting that course exactly two months after this one begins.

Lessons are released by 12:00am (Pacific Time) on Wednesdays and Fridays. To access your lessons, simply visit the online classroom (as described in the "Getting Started" section), and then click the lesson title you wish to visit.

Once the class access ends, I won't be able to send you the lessons. If you would like to keep the lessons for future reference, I suggest using the print lesson feature in the classroom.

Each time you complete a lesson, you will also be asked to complete a brief multiple-choice quiz. I expect you to complete each quiz within two weeks from the date that the corresponding lesson was made available. I realize that you are busy, and don't want you to worry if you can't complete a few of the quizzes on time due to illness, vacation, or other commitments. Once I release a lesson and quiz, I will make sure it is available to you as long as the classroom is open.

The interactive multiple-choice quizzes are designed to test your comprehension of the course material. When you complete a quiz, you will receive an instant analysis of your work.

This analysis will include a brief explanation of any errors you may have made. If you are not satisfied with your performance, you are welcome to re-take the quiz until you feel that you have mastered the quiz objectives.

Note: If you ever want to see a progress report showing your performance on the quizzes over time, simply return to https://www.ed2go.com/fscj/ and click Login or Account at the top right of the page. Once logged in, click the Report tab under the course title.

Some of your lessons will also be accompanied by an assignment. The assignments are designed to help you expand your understanding of the material taught in this course. Assignments are typically more detailed and may take a bit more time to work through than quizzes.

I expect you to complete each assignment within two weeks from the date that the corresponding lesson was made available. Unlike the quizzes, your assignments will not be evaluated. Assignments are designed primarily for your enrichment. You have the sole responsibility for evaluating your performance on each assignment. If you have questions about an assignment, please feel free to use the Discussion Areas to discuss your assignments with your fellow students and me.

When you work through an assignment, you will be gaining practical first-hand experience with the new skills taught in this course. Your performance on the final exam will depend in no small part on your mastery of the assignments.

The course will conclude with a final exam, which will test your comprehension of the material covered in this class. You must complete the final exam within two weeks from your receipt of lesson 12. Please review your selections before submitting. You may only submit your final exam answers once. Your performance on the final exam is the only factor we will consider when determining your eligibility for a certificate of completion. Although your quiz and assignments will not count toward your eligibility for a certificate, I do recommend that you try to complete each quiz and assignment to the best of your abilities. Doing so will leave you better prepared to pass the final exam.

When you finish your studies, please note that our classroom log-out process is fully automated. We will log you out of the classroom automatically whenever you close your browser or shut down your computer.

Questions

This course can be highly interactive, but the level of that interactivity is controlled by you. Since I can't see that puzzled look on your face, it's going to be up to you to ask questions when you get stuck.

I expect to get many interesting questions from you and your fellow students. I want to make sure that you and your classmates benefit from these often illuminating queries.

Therefore, I would like to request that you avoid e-mailing your questions to me. Instead, I have created 12 Discussion Areas in the online classroom (one Discussion Area for each lesson). To reach these Discussion Areas, all you will need to do is wait for the course to begin, go to the online classroom, select the lesson you're working on, and click the Discussion Area tile.

Your Discussion Area questions will serve as a challenge for your fellow students. Someone is bound to have an answer for you. Likewise, you should be able to find questions in the Discussion Area that you can answer. The Discussion Area will be open to you and your classmates 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Please try to visit the Discussion Area at least every other day while the course is in session, and don't be afraid to participate!

I firmly believe that the best way to learn a new skill is to teach it to others. We will all benefit by helping one another understand this complex material.

Because I don't want to see any unanswered questions, I (or one of my very capable teaching assistants) will be monitoring the Discussion Area at least every other day (excluding weekends and holidays). If you ask a relevant question, but fail to get a correct answer (or any answer whatsoever) from your classmates, then we will try our hardest to answer the question for you.

Please understand that the Discussion Area is reserved for conversations about the material in your lessons. While it is perfectly acceptable for you to employ a bit of friendly banter as you converse with your fellow students and instructors, I must ask you to always remember to stay on topic.

It is not appropriate to use the Discussion Area to sell goods or services, complain about something, or talk about subjects that are not specific to the lesson at hand, for example. Such off-topic conversations waste people's time and detract from the learning experience for all involved. I reserve the right to immediately delete any message without comment if I feel that it does not pertain directly to the material I am trying to teach.

I will also delete any messages containing language that I feel is derogatory, controversial, insulting, or otherwise inappropriate for my classroom.

Reminder

A legitimate organization would never send you an unsolicited e-mail that contains an attachment or asks for personal information. If you ever receive an unsolicited e-mail that contains an attachment or asks for personal information, delete the e-mail immediately.

When to Write my Course Administrator

As I mentioned earlier, the course Discussion Area is reserved solely for discussion of the material in your lessons.

Please do not use the course Discussion Areas for compliments, complaints, technical support, or other personal matters. Instead, please send such messages directly to my course administrator.

To contact the course administrator, scroll to the very bottom of any page within the classroom and look for the Support link.

Please understand that it may take my course administrator two or sometimes three business days to respond to e-mail, so provide plenty of time for a response.

If you need an extension, forgot your password, want a progress report, want to register for another course, or need help when you're not in my classroom, you can contact Student Support using the Help link under Resources in the footer of any page at https://www.ed2go.com/fscj/.

Syllabus

Note: This course will run for six weeks. Two lessons will be released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when each lesson is released. Instead, you can take up to two weeks to complete each lesson after it is released.

Important: In order to keep this material as up-to-date and informative as possible, I reserve the right to make changes to the course content, description, and syllabus at any time and without warning.

A new session of each course we offer starts on the second or third Wednesday of every month. You may enroll in more than one course at a time. If you are enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Week 1

Pronouncing Japanese

Wednesday

In this lesson, you'll get to know the graceful sounds of Japanese letters and syllables. Don't worry, though—you won't have to learn Japanese symbols to begin speaking this language! You'll explore Japanese through Roomaji, a handy system that uses the English alphabet. You'll also have lots of chances to listen to and practice pronouncing Japanese. By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to pronounce Japanese words correctly and be ready to head straight on to phrases!

Greetings

Friday

In this lesson, you'll discover how to say hello and goodbye as well as what to say when meeting people for the first time. But in Japanese, there's more to greetings and introductions than just words. So you'll also get to know the Japanese customs for showing respect to others. Finally, you'll meet your travel companions, Dan and Jen, and journey with them while they're visiting interesting places in and around Tokyo. With their help, you'll put to use your new Japanese skills.

Week 2

Relating to Others

Wednesday

Interpersonal relationships in Japan maintain a delicate balance between offering respect and showing humility. To properly relate to people in Japan, you need to use language that reflects these important cultural characteristics. In this lesson, you'll learn all about Japanese respect and humility, as well as how to address others politely in conversation. You'll also discover how to ask and answer simple questions.

Talking About Yourself

Friday

In this lesson, you'll explore Japanese sentence structure and get familiar with the personal pronouns I and you. You'll also learn how to speak about your nationality and occupation so you can talk a little about yourself as well as ask about others. You'll also discover the Japanese attitude toward talking, including a strong drive toward living in harmony with others.

Week 3

Taking a Coffee Break

Wednesday

Many people think that the Japanese drink only green tea. But you might be surprised to know that they're also big fans of coffee! So you'll take a break in this lesson to have a cup of joe. You'll be amazed at the number and variety of coffee shops in Japan. After this lesson, you'll know how to order coffee and take a relaxing break in Tokyo. You'll also learn one of the single most useful expressions—onegaishimasu—which you'll use to politely ask for not only coffee but anything at all.

Shopping

Friday

Are you ready to go shopping? First, you'll learn the yen's value and how to say large numbers up to 100,000 yen. You'll also learn some must-use phrases for shopping: "What is this?" "How much is it?" and "I'll take this, please." In this lesson, you'll visit two great shopping neighborhoods in Tokyo: Akihabara, a famous place to buy electronics; and Asakusa, a traditional area of Tokyo where you can visit one of the city's oldest temples and buy some nice souvenirs.

Week 4

Finding Places

Wednesday

In this lesson, you'll follow Dan and Jen on an outing to the Imperial Palace in the heart of Tokyo. During their misadventures, you'll learn the right language for navigating your own way around the city. You'll also get familiar with some words for places that you'll likely want to find during your own travels, like the ATM machine, the train station, the restroom, and more!

Dining

Friday

Who doesn't like to eat? One of the best things about getting to know a new language and culture is getting to try out the food that goes along with it. In this lesson, you'll learn about Japanese diet and food etiquette. You'll go to one of the most common eateries in Japan: noodle and sushi restaurants, where you'll practice being seated, asking for an English menu, ordering food and drinks, and taking care of the check all in Japanese.

Week 5

Making a Hotel Reservation

Wednesday

For the next three lessons, you'll travel out of Tokyo to see Japan's beautiful countryside. As a planning stage of the trip, you'll get acquainted with the different types of hotels in Japan, including traditional Japanese-style inns and more Western-style hotels. You'll also learn how to say dates in Japanese for making a hotel reservation and practice them by using a mock check-in.

Traveling by Train

Friday

Have you heard of Mount Fuji? That's where you'll go in this lesson as you visit Hakone, a famous village known for its hot springs and views of Mount Fuji. In the process, you'll get to know Japan's railway system and some useful train-related travel expressions. You'll also learn how to tell time so you won't miss your train! Maybe Dan and Jen can use what they've learned to join you in Hakone as well.

Week 6

Relaxing Japanese Style

Wednesday

Would you like to learn to relax Japanese-style? You've reached your mountain destination, arriving at a Japanese inn, where you'll relax and get pampered with fabulous food. Following check-in, you'll learn how to ask about inn amenities. You'll also get to know all about Japan's national affinities for bathing and karaoke—all part of relaxing Japanese-style.

Handling Emergencies

Friday

In this final lesson, you'll learn how to prepare for any unexpected situations while traveling in Japan. You'll see how to ask for help and handle medical emergencies. Just in case you lose anything, you'll discover how to ask around and find it. Then you'll be ready for a fun and safe trip to Japan!

Instructor

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.