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2018 JLP FOR SPECIALISTSOCTOBER, 2018: BREEZE ISSUE #132
A FREE MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS OF JAPAN & TEACHERS OFJAPANESE

2018 JAPANESELANGUAGE PROGRAM
FOR SPECIALISTS IN
CULTURAL AND
ACADEMIC FIELDS(SHORT-TERM)BY ERIC FUNABASHIThe University of Kansas
It has been over a month since I left theJapanese Language Institute in Kansai, but I
can still feel the smell of the ocean and thehumidity from Japanese summer. The Japanese
Language Program for Specialists in Culturaland Academic Field was truly an invaluable
professional and personal experience.
The structure of classes is, in my opinion, thestrongest point of the program. The group is divided according to each participant’s level
allowing each student to focus on personal necessities. I can use my own situation as anexample. Due to previous experiences and personal interests, my Japanese skills are very
unbalanced as I have a good speaking level, but poor reading skills. Therefore, the division indifferent classes according to my level in each area allowed me to give priority to myweaknesses as well as keep improving upon my stronger skills. In addition, a regular individual
meeting with a tutor-professor helped me to work on my personal concerns that were not easily
addressed during lectures such as preparation to talk about my research in a professionalPrivacy
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as well as conduct interviews related to my academic project. Every professor’s attention wascrucial to create an appropriate environment in which every student could develop as much as
possible of their own necessities.
Another unique aspect of this program is the extra-curricular activities. Visiting a Japanesefamily, exploring Osaka under a specific schedule and attending a cultural exchange meetingwith graduate students from Kobe University were some events I participated during theprogram. This not only put our language learning to test, but also helped in creating bonds withother participants in the program. This year there were 13 participants from the United States,
Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, China, Korea, Brazil, Turkey, Hungary, Russia and Ukraine and suchvariety of cultures only enriched the learning process.
Two events that directly related to my own research, which I really appreciated, were thespeech preparation and the Tokyo research trip. Since I am at the early stage of my Ph.D.
program, I never had the opportunity (or the requirement) to present my research topic tothe public without expertise in the field. Having this opportunity with a tutor closely following
and orienting my steps was a great addition to the language study. Feedback received fromprofessors and other people after presenting or briefly talking about my research interest werea great motivation to expand and further explore different aspects of my own research. The
second event, the Tokyo research trip, was also an amazing experience. Being able to visit
places related to my research, discover primary sources and conduct interview with people
directly related to my research interest was an experience I will never forget. Moreover, Tajiricho cannot be compared to Tokyo in terms of size or number of people and being able toexperience the life in Japan’s biggest city enhanced my understanding of the Japanese society.
I also need to mention thestructure at the Kansai Institute.
The self-study room has a great
variety of study material for any
level of Japanese as well as
computers to provide support orinquiries for additional
information. Even more
impressive was the support fromthe institute’s library and its staff.
Materials related to my field ofexpertise (Food History) is noteasily found even in universities’
libraries, however, when thelibrary staff was informed of myparticipation in the program they
promptly provided new books about food history in order to offer me research material. I reallyappreciate their effort in searching for material relevant to my own research even though it
might be a topic that is not commonly accessed.
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It has been over a month since I left Tajiri-cho and the Kansai Institute, but my professional andpersonal developments during this 2-month program were so intense that I still catch myself
wondering if next weekend we should explore more of the vivid city of Osaka or treat
ourselves with fresh fish at the port close to the Institute. I deeply appreciate the opportunity toparticipate in the 2-month program; I only wished it could last longer as 2 months passed in ablink of an eye. I really appreciate the effort from professors and staff members in making it agreat experience; I can guarantee you really did it! This is an experience I will never forget.

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