The Japan Foundation Language Center, Quarterly Newsletter
Number Ten, April 1995

Japanese Language Learning in The United States
September 1994-January 1995 Survey

S

ince the end of 1991, The Japan Foundation
Language Center has conducted various typesof activities. Based upon what we have learned
through these activities, we sent out a fact-finding
inquiry to several institutions last September
Through our experience, we found out that being presented with more than one sheet of questionnaire was
overwhelming for busy teachers, and therefore welimited the size of our inquiry. We also found that an
enclosed stamped return envelope seemed to further
encourage responses from the recipients and were
there-fore happy to notice that this time, the result
was not so disappointing as previous questionnaires
had been. This is partly because of the continuing
effort of our staff who frequently, if not every day,checked on the status of the questionnaires after they
had been distributed, asked recipients to return the
sheets, and made inquiries about the content of the
responses.
We always think that this kind of survey has limitations in that its results do not always show the entire
state of affairs of Japanese language learning, butrather provides one glimpse into the current situation.
In other words, JFLC's "one sheet inquiry" acts as akind of bridge between the actual circumstances andthis report.

While the survey's response rate of 69% has not been
extracted from an overall inquiry into Japanese
language learning, but solely from the research
conducted by JFLC's, this article may show a slightly
skewed reflection of the status quo. However, we still
believe this information can be beneficial to those
who are involved in the teaching of foreign
languages.
In this survey, we distinctly classified the institutions
into regular classes and distance learning classes,
which exist in most cases in high schools. Thanks to
the organizations, which willingly provided us with alist of schools, we were able to conduct the survey
differently this time than we had in the past.
We continue to gather the data annually at the beginning of each academic year. Keeping this information
at a data-bank now, we also continue to research thestatus of teachers by making additional inquiries into
several areas: native speakers of Japanese versus nonnative, full-time versus part-time, teachers certificates,and so on.
We would very much appreciate your continued
cooperation by providing us with information via
your responses to our inquiries when needs arise.
This information assists us in determining where thegreatest demands lie, and which services should becreated to appropriately respond to them.

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IV. RANKINGS
1. Number of Learners(1) Total

1. California
2. Hawaii
3. Washington
4. Oregon
5. New York6. Michigan
7. Indiana
8. Wisconsin
9. Illinois
10. Texas

16,491
13,039
7,789
5,563
3,697
3,433
3,197
3,078
2,600
2,356

(2) Pre-collegiate(3) College/Universities(including 2-year college)(4) Distance
Learning

1. Hawaii
10,455
2. Washington 5,427
3. California
4,869
4. Oregon
3,835
5. Wisconsin
2,865
6. Indiana
2,708
7. Michigan
2,130
8. Maryland
1,762
9. Virginia
1,745
10. New York
1,623

1. California
2. Hawaii
3. Washington
4. New York5. Oregon
6. Michigan
7. Ohio
8. Illinois
9.Massachusettes
10. Minnesota

1. Washington
2. Virginia
3. Minnesota
4. Alaska
5. Texas
6. S. Carolina
7. Georgia
8. Nebraska
9. New Jersey
10. Mississippi(2) Pre-collegiate(3) College/Undergraduate(including 2-year college)

7,967
2,425
2,023
1,811
1,528
1,303
1,184
1,175
1,112
894

456
416
344
258
231
192
187
182
179
159

2. Number of Teachers( 1) Total

1. California
2. Hawaii
3. Washington
4. New York5. Oregon
6. Minnesota
7. Virginia
8. Illinois
9. Connecticut
Wisconsin

460
171
145
93
86
81
76
59
58
58

1. Hawaii
2. Washington
3. California
4. Indiana
5. Oregon
6. Wisconsin
7. Virginia
8. Texas
9. New York
10. Michigan

101
84
70
59
58
45
41
37
32
26

1. California
2. Minnesota
3. Hawaii
4. New York5. Massachusetts
6. Washington
7. Illinois
8. West Virginia
9. Ohio
10. Pennsylvania

164
67
60
52
44
42
40
34
33
31

(4) Distance Learning(facilitators)

1. Washington
2. Nebraska
3. Ohio
New Jersey
5. Pennsylvania
6. S. Carolina
Alaska
8. Wisconsin
9. Louisiana
10. Georgia

54
38
37
37
36
29
29
27
26
24

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A Report From The Kyoto Conference On Japanese Studies (1)Cliff Darnall Japanese Teacher, Elk Grove High School (IL)Participating in the Kyoto Conference on JapaneseStudies was an enriching experience for me. The
well organized conference brought together JapaneseStudies specialists from Japan and forty-four othercountries. It was not unusual to have people fromthree or four different countries sitting together for
breakfast at the hotel. Many in attendance werescholars who had distinguished themselves throughdecades of publication and teaching; but there werealso many younger scholars participating, a fact thatpoints to a continuing future for Japanese Studies.
The five-day conference was held at the very impressive International Research Center for JapaneseStudies ("Nichibunken"). The modern facility
contained an extensive library, several large meetingrooms, and a state-of-the-art conference room andlecture hall. The tan brick building was, however,also reminiscent of a European Monastery, with long
maze-like passages around interior courtyards, one ofwhich served as the site of an evening concert of
Gagaku court music. Several glass walls and large
windows provided beautiful views of the courtyards,
the surrounding hills, and the city below.
I had the honor of taking part along with Princeton
Professor Seiichi Makino in a series of three twohour sessions on October 19 on the theme of"Japanese Language Teaching: Coping with
Diversification in the Purpose of Study." Thesessions were sponsored by the Japan Foundation andorganized by Mr. Takashi Ueda, Managing Directorof the Japan Foundation's Japanese Studies
Department. The sessions were well attended, withsome guests coming in from as far as Tokyo andTsukuba to attend only this one series of sessions.
The morning session, at which I presented as a panelist, was entitled Gakushu Nizu (translated "Purposeof Study" in the conference program guide).
Discussions there of issues related to a diversificationof learner needs served to set the stage for afternoon
sessions on teacher preparation and instructional
materials, on which Professor Makino has reported inanother article in this issue. The morning session waschaired by Professor Munemasa Tokugawa of theFaculty of Literature of Gakushuin University. The
other panelists were Professor Hugh Clarke of the

School of East Asian Studies of the University ofSidney and Professor HyTay Palik of the ManGwang Institute for the Japanese Language andCulture in Korea.
Each of the panelists documented how Japanese language instruction has grown rapidly in his country in
the last fifteen years or so. In Australia, as in the U.S.,
growth has been experienced on all levels, from theelementary school through the university as well as at
private language schools. Japanese is now a very
popular foreign language in Australian high schools.
In Korea, where virtually no Japanese was taught for
the first twenty years after the war, enrollments havealso skyrocketed. There all high school students mustselect one of five foreign languages to study inaddition to English, and Japanese has become themost widely chosen.
All of us noted how public recognition in the 1 980s
and 1990s of Japan's emergence as a major economic
power and key producer of high-tech goods has contributed both to the growth in enrollments as well as
to a diversification of purpose of study. In earlier
years, students of the language typically had had thegoal of pursuing an academic career in the area ofJapanese Studies or translation. Now, however,students taking Japanese to supplement a major inbusiness or technology or the liberal arts far
outnumber those seeking a career in academia. As aresult of this shift, educational institutions must now
consider the diversification of student interests andneeds when designing language sequences, curricula,scheduling, and so forth. Textbook publishers mustalso respond with a variety of age-appropriatematerials that appeal to students' interests. In themeantime, the growth in Japanese language
instruction has intensified the shortage of qualified
instructors and increased the need for articulation
among the various levels of instruction, such as
between the high schools and the universities.
Discussion periods followed each of the days' sessions. There seemed to be a high level of audienceinterest in two subjects that I had touched on in myreport. The first was JALEX, a program funded by
the Japanese Foundation's Center for Global
Partnership which allows teaching assistants form

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Japanese to come help instruct the language in
American schools. Professors from universities inJapan which offer courses in teaching Japanese as aforeign language expressed the desire to see as manyof their students as possible have the opportunity toparticipate in teaching internships overseas. There
was also a great deal of interest in the 1993 document
A Framework For Introductory Japanese Language
Curricula in American High Schools and Colleges.
Many in the audience asked questions about the
Framework, wondering if it was compulsory forteachers and wanting to know more about the process

through which it was developed.
At the conference I met people who were working on
the development of materials for use by high school
students. It was good to see that there was an interestin this area and I was happy to be able to provide my
feedback along with that of Professor Makino.
I benefited greatly from the experience and would
like to thank the Japan Foundation and theInternational Research Center for Japanese Studies
for their sponsor-ship of the conference and forallowing me to present there.

Report from Kyoto Conference on Japanese Studies (2)Seiichi Makino, Princeton UniversityKyoto in October couldn't have been better. It
could have been only slightly better, if theleaves had turned red and yellow? A
weeklong Kyoto Conference on Japanese Studies
attended by approximately six hundred scholars
invited from around the globe is a history now. The
main focus of the conference as I saw it was theinsatiable search for universals as against culturebound specifics. Such pursuit is nothing new from a
post-structural/post-modern linguist's viewpoint, but
it was a marvelous intellectual experience for me to
be able to observe outstanding domestic and foreign
Japanologists trying to collectively to single out
universal themes out of the so-called "exotic" and"mysterious" society of Japan.
October 19, 1994 was a day for Japanese pedagogy
session called Japanese-Language Teaching Copingwith Diversification in the Purpose of Study. Since
Mr. Cliff Darnall, my co-representative from the U.S.,
will report on the morning session on Purpose of
Study, I will report on the two afternoon sessions
called Education and Training of Japanese-Language
Teachers (chaired by Osamu Mizutani, Director of
the National Language Research Institute) andTeaching Materials (chaired by Professor Fumio
Tamamura of Doshisha University).

Teachers (paneled by Professor Pakatip Skulkru of
Thammasat University (Thailand), Professor J.V.
Neustupn'y of Osaka University (Australia),
Professor V. Eschbach-Szabo of Ebenhard-KarlsUniversitat Tubingen (Germany)), the recurrent
universal problems seemed to be: (1) Relatively
lower salary for the Japanese language teachers
makes it hard to recruit talented and knowledgeable
teachers. Most of the talented students in Japanese
department will get a job in Japan-related companies.
Only a fraction of the Japanese major students aregoing into Japanese pedagogy profession. (2) Related
to (1) is the fact that the majority of well-trained andtalented language teachers cannot get a tenure. (3)There is increasing instructional need for Japanesefor special purpose such as Business Japanese,
Service Sector (such as hotel, tour-guides, etc.)
Japanese, Scientific Japanese, etc. (4) There is risingawareness of the necessity to understand "autolearning" (Neustupn'y's term) or learning process
outside classrooms which serves a great deal to raise
the learner's proficiency level. (5) Generally speaking
there are not well conceptualized and organizedteacher training courses available in higher education,and (6) The non-native teachers' training not only inJapanese pedagogy but more acutely, their training in
the target language) is needed.

Echoing the conference’s spirit of universalism, I willdeal with universal issues in each session. Eachcountry represented by each panelist has its own
country-specific issues, but to me universal issues
that go across the boundary of each country were far
more interesting than domestic issues. In the session
on Education and Training of Japanese-Language

The third session Teaching Materials (paneled byProfessor Zong-Guang Sun of Hiroshima Jogakuin
University (China), Professor Stefan Kaiser ofUniversity of Tsukuba (Britain), and myself (U.S.A.))
discussed, among others, the following general issues.
(1) Teaching materials developed in Japan (as uchitextbooks) are not necessarily useful outside JapanThe Breeze, No. 10 (April 1995)
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(as soto-textbooks), but optimization of uchi-textbook
for use in soto is a possibility, (2) Post-structuralism
has changed the character of teaching materials fromgrammar-centered materials to function/task-centeredmaterials. In my paper I have favorably and criticallyexamined a part of the Framework for Introductory
Japanese Curricula in American High Schools andColleges (National Foreign Language Center,
Washington D.C., 1993) that deals with checkpoints
for teaching materials and argued for quasi-universal
use of such framework for standardization ofteaching materials upon examining various
frameworks developed in various countries forvarious target languages. The issue of a generalized

framework was a source for heated discussion.
Another point I made in my paper was a radical idea
shared by some people that the equation of Japanese
language = Japanese people = Japanese culture is nolonger sustainable in the 21 century, just like
Kenzaburo Oe's literature is no longer a Japanese
literature but world literature written by what hereferred to at "world language" in his keynote speechas the conference. What I wanted to argue was thatthe 21-century teaching materials should promote andaccommodate Japanese language as a "common"
language, if not an "international" language, freed
from bondage of nationalism.

American Participants' Report On the Teacher Training Course
Held at the Japanese Language Institute in Urawa II
Natalie Hoyer, Franklin Public Schools (WI)P

rior to leaving for Urawa to participate in the1994 Summer training at the Japan Foundation
Japanese Language Institute, I experienced
many fears and apprehensions as a beginner to theJapanese language. My fears were soon dashed when
I arrived and discovered a beautiful facility, helpful
staff and many wonderful fellow participants.
Everything was very well organized upon arriving
and all needs were soon met. Most everything that
one needed was located in the Institute. A store that
had many supplies and books to purchase, as well asother items that one may need to make the stay more
comfortable. Private rooms for each participant werevery comfortable and had all the needs met. A librarythat provided many excellent books, tapes, andJapanese texts from all over the world. The cafeteria
provided meals quickly for the busy participants. Anda helpful front desk where mail and phone calls weredispersed and many questions were to be answered.
Prior to classes, all participants were administered an
exam to determine into which classes they were to beplaced. As a fearful beginner, a test on kanji proved
to be too difficult. A simple exam on hiragana andkatakana was then given to check on knowledge ofalphabets. This proved to be easy and more of myfears soon left. We soon found our placement and our
fellow classmates. Thankfully I realized that I was
not alone as a beginner.

Soon a routine began to take place. Morning classesof grammar and language would start, fast andintense with only three students. Our class had threerotating teachers that worked out well, and theteachers were very well organized. Afternoon classes
consisted of phonetics, methods, and culture sessions.
These classes proved to be the most challenging
because lectures were in Japanese. However the
exposure to Japanese was a good experience andother participants strong in the language would help
me by translating some or answering my manyquestions. Soon I found I was able to follow thelecture by context and soon I recognized more andmore vocabulary. The two months of classes was
sufficient for me to start distinguishing words andstart having simple conversations. We also had theopportunity to experience many traditional arts, suchas calligraphy, tea ceremony, dance, flower arranging,and Kabuki Theater. I felt very fortunate to have such
experiences. The Institute also gave us opportunities
to travel and experience many sights around Tokyoand Japan.
Along with classes, new friendships were soon
formed. I felt very lucky to become acquainted withso many fellow teachers from all over the world andwe soon found that we had some of the same
concerns when discussing our classes in our homecountries. I feel that the 1994 participants got along
extremely well and we would help each other withany questions and problems we encountered. Our

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personalities were varied but they seem to fit together.
The lounge became a popular place to relax anddiscuss plans for the weekends or about ourexperiences in classes and in Japan. We exploredTokyo together and offered ideas to others forpossible places to visit. It was always exciting on
Sunday evenings to discuss what we experienced
over our weekends.
I left Urawa at the end of August feeling sad to leave
the wonderful experience behind, but also excited toreturn to loved ones and classes to share my twomonth adventure. I also knew that being together
with such a unique group would maybe never happen
again but I took away with me any wonderful
memories and hopefully friendships that willcontinue. Of course all my fears and apprehensions
disappeared and are now replaced with only nicememories. I would like to thank the Japan Foundation
Japanese Language Institute for the wonderfulexperience.

Cyrus Rolbin, Phillips Academy (MA)Thanks to Mr. Kaneda and others for inviting
me to share my reflections on the Training
Course for Japanese Language Teachers in
Urawa in which I participated last summer. Having
dedicated myself to teaching, and knowing thatpeople who have done the same will read this article,
I am honored to report on what may be the mostcarefully planned, ambitious, and well orchestrated
language education program I have ever joined.
Walking into the Center on that first day in Urawa
was like walking into a dream-and that was only partially due to jet-lag I was experiencing. The building
was huge, modern, and welcoming; it was afantasyland of Japanese teacher training as well as agreat summer getaway. It had well-equipped,
spacious classrooms, a comprehensive library ofJapanese language education, an audio-visual roomwith hundreds of videos and cassettes, a condensed
version of Bonjinsha bookstore, an authentic tea
house overlooking a majestic pond andgarden, a delicious Japanese cafeteria, anentertainment room equipped with table tennis,
unlimited free karaoke, guitars, magazines andnewspapers, tennis and volleyball courts, and quiet,
single rooms with televisions and ample desktop
areas for work. Clearly, this place was designed withgreat attention to the needs and desires of Japaneseteachers who would go there to study and, if briefly,
live.
The educational program profoundly impressed me.
Planning any kind of program for adults gatheredfrom all over the world would have been tough... The
Japan Foundation made this task even more
ambitious by assembling a cast of about ten different
instructors for each group of students (one instructor
specialized in grammar, another in reading
comprehension, etc.), and by weaving into theschedule several excursions throughout Japan andvisits to the Center by various guest speakers andperformers. Still dizzy form the long flight, I spent
the first day or two in Urawa wondering if I would be
able to navigate my way through such a schedule. I
realized within a few days, however, that the Center's
staff had already done the work to make that schedule
flow smoothly, and that all I needed to do was focus
on the learning opportunities that each day's events
offered. I have worked on a number of team-teachingand other collaborative educational ventures, andknow the amount of communication and carefulplanning that needs to go into them. I appreciate andapplaud the efforts that Center made to assemble a
program that was both highly varied and also very
easy for us students to manage.
The Center and the people in it gave tangible form to
my image of an ideal laboratory for the study ofJapanese language teaching, and within the first few
days of the program I felt myself open up and dare to
take from that summer as much as I could. (I, likeother teachers, spend so many months of the year
focused on how I can help other people to learn andgrow... it was a nice change to find myself on thereceiving end of the educational relationship.) I
quickly learned the names of not only my teachersand fellow students, but also of the people who
worked at the counter in the lobby, in the cafeteria, inthe bookstore, in the library, in the custodian's office,and in the main staff room. All of those people
treated us temporary residents with respect and agenuine interest in forming meaningful friendships.
By the end of the summer I had come to define
myself in relation to all the new friends I had made,which actually made leaving the Center emotionallyrough on me. Leaving a place probably hasn't been so
hard for me since I was a summer camper. I still missthe friends I made there.
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Toward making the program more effective at reaching its goals, I have a few suggestions. These are not
all my ideas, but are rather a summary of commentsthat were made last summer by myself and otherprogram participants.
1) Teachers who have a high level of ability inJapanese need to spend their summer in an allJapanese speaking environment. Also, the particularneeds of teachers who are new learners of Japanese
need to be addressed, perhaps in a program speciallydesigned to suit them.
At present students are separated by ability levels inclasses, but of course everyone eats and socializes
together. Also, students of both high and low ability
levels are grouped together in afternoon classes that
focus on pedagogy. Throughout the summer, English
and other languages gradually filled more of the air in
the Center.
The Center should maintain-and perhaps increase- its
commitment to teachers who are new learners ofJapanese. Many such teachers are experts in otherlanguages, and have shown initiative and courage inintroducing Japanese to their schools. A program
designed expressly for new learners would be moreaccessible to and supportive of them, and excursions
would be geared toward enabling first, informed
glimpses of the real Japan.

2) Make the participants in the program teach more.
Teachers from all over the world take to Urawa awealth of perspectives and styles of teaching
Japanese. They also take excitement, some anxiety,and the hope that they will "graduate" in late August
having passed through some importantdevelopmental gates. More structured teachingpractice would support a sense of accomplishment
among program participants, and also give Center
staff an opportunity to study how people fromdifferent countries teach. Perhaps team-teachingassignments with the native speakers of the Center's
teaching staff, and/or an evaluative practicum at theend of the program would be useful.
What if you positioned the beginning of a programfor new learners near the end of a program for moreexperienced ones, and have the more experienced
bunch teach the novices-as a kind of final project?
In closing, I want to thank everyone who was associated with creating the experience I had last summer. I
hadn't had so much fun in years, and felt for the firsttime powerfully acknowledged by Japanese society
for the work I do. Moreover, I think all of us nonnative teachers were grateful for the chance to create
a community amongst ourselves, and to berecognized as partners in the effort to make Japanesea major language of the world.

Karen Hendrickson, Beaver Dam Middle School (WI)In January, 1994, while a student teacher at WestHigh School in Madison, Wisconsin, I returned toschool after winter break to find a letter from the
Wisconsin Department of Instruction in my mailbox.
Letters from the D.P.I. were certainly commonplace,and there was nothing about this one to suggest
anything out of the ordinary. Who would haveguessed that it contained a late Christmas present-an
invitation to be a part of the Summer, 1994
Wisconsin delegation to the Japanese Japanese
Language Institute in Urawa, Japan!
My cooperating teacher, Pam Delfose (nee Mastalski),a JLI returnee herself, was congratulatory, knowingthat I was being offered a wonderful opportunity for
personal and professional growth. Through talking
with her I was able to gain a sense of what to expect.
Her comments would also later lead me to realize thatmy program, while in many ways similar to "her"program of the previous year, was in other ways quite
different. I believe this fact reflects JLI's dedication
to building the kind of program that can best meet theneeds of the educators that seek training at theInstitute. It is my hope that the observations that
follow will aid JFJLI in their worthy endeavor.
I am by no means a computer expert-in fact, I am
almost completely devoid of knowledge of computerjargon-yet it occurred to me that it might beinteresting to describe my experiences at the Institutewith respect to two terms I do know, hardware andsoftware. The "hardware" - the actual facilities at theInstitute - is amazing. Imagine a whole library
dedicated to the study of Japanese! It is filled with
textbooks, cassettes, magazines, and other materials
to use for both personal study and the development ofclassroom activities. The Institute also houses alanguage lab, video lab, studio, and state-of-the-art
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classrooms. Equipment such as video cameras, photocameras, tape recorders, and word processors to make
instructional materials is also available for studentuse.
Not only did we study and work at the Institute, but
we lived there as well. Here, too, the facilities proved
to be superb. Each student had a private room with a
private bath, TV, and much-needed air conditioning.
(Recall that 70 year-old high temperature records
were broken last summer!) When not in class,students could take advantage of the VCRs located oneach floor to tape TV programs, spend time relaxing
in the common room, play tennis, basketball, orvolleyball, or shop in the Institute's book store. The
Institute's cafeteria provided breakfast and dinner.
Owing to the extent to which JLI has gone to provide
program participants with a comfortable andtechnologically advanced setting in which to study
and live, the Institute is, to borrow another computer
term, quite "user friendly." I was often amazed by theInstitute's meticulous planning (they deposited ourstipends into our personal bank accounts andprovided us with cash cards, for example) planningwhich allowed us to focus on the task at handimproving our skills as both teachers and learners ofJapanese.
Much of our time each day was spent in classes,
which made up part of the "software," the "guts," ofthe program. In the morning, we were grouped byability (determined by a placement test) and had athree-hour session designed to help us to improve ourlanguage abilities. I myself was in Group IV, andthus can speak with confidence only about theschedule of Group IV; we had sessions that rotatedbetween grammar, writing, reading, and conversation.
For the most part I felt that I was placed at a levelthat met my abilities, and that the classes wereinteresting and productive.
For me, afternoons were spent with participants whoteach in pre-university settings, and in two-hourclasses based on a wide variety of topics such as kanji,art, and accent. While these classes did provide some
information applicable to me and to my classroom, I
felt that, for the most part they were not very
resourceful. It seems to me that, when students ofsuch wide-ranging levels are placed in the same class,that needs of only a few will be met. Lectures tailoredto the ability of beginning-level students leave theother students unchallenged; lectures tailored tohigher-level students leave the other students in thedust. As one beginning-level student commented tome, "Oh, I don't know what's going on. I just smileand try to look like I do." It seems that the instructors
at the Institute, too, smiled a lot and pretended that allof the students were following right along.
Thinking about the classes at the Institute takes meback to my days as an exchange student in a Japanesehigh school. It is my conclusion that pedagogy inJapan tends to reflect the idea that knowledge issomething to be passed from teacher to student, andthat all students are capable of learning in the sameway. This deep-rooted approach to education isbound to influence the classes at the Institute. To acertain extent, we westerners that participate in the
program must learn from and accept the methods of
our instructors. Yet I believe that the program would
benefit from the inclusion of another part of Japaneseculture, wisdom found in the expression san 'nin
yoreba monju no chie. Two heads are better than one.
Perhaps the Institute would be wise to consider themorning classes as instruction for "teachers as
learners," and the afternoon classes as instruction for"teachers as teachers." Teachers could be grouped byability for the morning classes, and grouped based on
the level at which they teach in the afternoon.
Breaking down the non-university group further, into
grade school teachers, middle school teachers, andhigh school teachers would provide a "class within aclass" for the sharing and practicing of activity ideas.
Teachers in these groups would largely be fromwestern countries, where Japanese instruction is fast
growing in public schools, and where teaching tends
to be very active and student-centered. If the staff at
the Institute wants to help western teachers to become
better qualified, which I believe they do, they mustacknowledge different approaches to teaching. And
the vast pool of ideas that teachers bring to theInstitute must be utilized!
I understand that, actually, the Institute had included
an activity development/peer teaching experience aspart of the 1993 Summer Program. I do not know
why the Institute decided against bringing it back in
1994; I only know that it had disappeared. Whatreplaced it-or at least the workshop time allotted forplanning-was a series of independent study days,
days we were encouraged to use to further ourlearning through research or travel. To that end, noclasses were scheduled. The Institute however, wasrunning and staffed as usual. Personally I found thisto be extremely helpful, as it allowed me to takeadvantage of the video-editing machine, as well as ofthe expertise of those in the studio.
While there was time for independent exploration ofJapan, we also traveled as a group. The travel aspectof the program is as important to its mission oftraining teachers as the classes, for it acknowledges
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the fact that language reflects the culture and land inwhich it is spoken. The week-long tour of Kyoto, as
well as the weekend excursions that took us to places
such as Kamakura and Mt. Fuji, offered many
opportunities to see sights that hinted at why theJapanese are who they are.
If it can be said that the tourist spots in Japan hint at
why the Japanese are who they are, then it can also be
said that the way they are has shaped the Institute. As
I implied above, the classes seemed to reflect afondness for conformity. As the Institute, as inJapanese society, rules were to be followed, no
exceptions. Yet, at the same time, the Instituteshowcased the wonderful nature of Japan's people.

The guest is king in Japan, and the staff went to many
lengths to insure that we, their guests, werecomfortable. The Japanese do not believe in doing
something 'just good enough," and indeed we lived
and learned in a superb facility, were put up in fine
hotels, and treated to demonstrations by talented
artists. More than anything, though, the Institutemirrors a sense of dedication; the Japan Foundation istruly dedicated to the idea of international
understanding through education. As a Japaneseteacher, I share their commitment to building bridges
between countries and people, and am honored tohave been chosen to be a part of the JapanFoundation Language Institute.

Yukie Aida, University of Texas at Austin
The Japan Foundation Japanese Language Institute in
Urawa-City, Saitama-Prefecture, Japan was the warm
home for 40 Japanese teachers in December 1994.
We came from different parts of the world (29countries) with different background and experienceand with diverse needs and goals as Japanese
educators. Our purpose for the participation in this 4week program, however, was the same, to become abetter Japanese teacher. With this common goal,
strangers became friends very quickly. Without doubt,
one of the most valuable experiences during the
program was to share and exchange ideas andinformation with the fellow participants. At the
breakfast table, during the class, or at afternoon tea,
there was always discussion on various issues
involving textbooks, class activities, curriculum
design, teaching methods, and networking, etc. It wasgood to know that there were other people who were
sympathetic to the concerns I had and who were
enthusiastic about the work I am doing at my homeschool.
The program provided us with valuable time for selfgrowth and self-evaluation as Japanese teachers. It
was wonderful that we were able to concentrate On
learning for our own intellectual and professional
development and that we were free from concerns
about classes, about making handouts, or about
grading tests. We were stimulated and encouraged by
the lectures given by the experts in the field ofJapanese language education and the teaching staff ofthe Institute. Professor Toki endeared himself toeveryone with his energetic talks on Japanesephonology as well as with his sense of humor andwonderful imitations. In Professor Sasaki's class onteaching methodologies, I learned not only how toteach effectively using various methods but also how
to be an effective teacher by her example of patience
with our questions. Professor Sakata demonstrated
her thorough knowledge of Japanese grammar andclarified many questions I had about the language
without hesitation. Professor Okazaki introduced us
to the theoretical background of the communicative
approach to the teaching of the Japanese language
and the importance of use of communication tasks asclass activities. Finally Professor Kimura and Mr.
Ikuta showed us their unique philosophies on"education and language", and "learning andteaching." Their viewpoints were very refreshing andrevitalized the enjoyment of being a teacher ofJapanese.
Although the 1994 program was successful and mostof the goals of the participants were achieved, I
would like to address some concerns and possibilities
for the future programs. The first one deals with theduration of the program. When the program ended, I
felt that I needed more time to absorb the information
given and to gather materials. The present program is
4 weeks long. Three weeks are assigned for lecturesand guided project work and one week forextracurricular activities such as country report, selfstudy, and two field trips (one to visit Nikko and one
to see Kabuki). The extracurricular activities wereexcellent and I enjoyed them very much. Three
weeks of the main program were well organized but
seemed too short. I would like to see the whole
program to be expanded to 5 weeks, 4 weeks for the

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main curriculum and one week for the other activities.
Also, the ratio of Kogi to Kadai Enshu could possibly
be changed from the current 60-40 status to 50-50 or
40-60. Through various Kadai Enshu, the participants
could gain more hands-on experience and gather
ideas for the class activities that can be utilized rightaway when they return to their classrooms. Secondly,
I would like to see more examples of teachingmaterials and methodologies geared toward theintermediate level. The example tasks or grammar
explanations we were given during the program weremainly for the beginning or advanced level. There
were not many presentations of examples related tothe intermediate level (e.g., communication tasks oractivities involving conditionals, ba, tara, to, nara ,orpassive or causative structures). Thirdly, I believethat the area of computer assisted instruction in
Japanese pedagogy needs to be explored more
rigorously. Advances in computer technology havecreated remarkable ways to connect language learners
around the world. CM class should be added to theprogram to inform teachers of new developments incomputer hardware and language software forclassroom use. Lastly, I would like the participants tohave an. opportunity to observe a class conducted bya master teacher of the Institute. We, teachers, rarely
have a chance to see other teachers teach. The powerof learning by such observation would betremendous.
In closing, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Japan Foundation Language Center forgiving us the opportunity to participate in the 1994
Training Program. I am also fortunate to get to know
so many talented teachers. Thank you for providing
good company. Please keep in touch, Sensei-tachi,
and send me e-mail! Take care y'all until we get tomeet again.
P.S. Out of 40 participants, there were only threeteachers from the U.S. while there were 7 from
Australia, 6 from Canada and S from Germany.
Japanese teachers in the U.S., please apply for thisprogram!!! It's great.

Recipients of The Japan Foundation Language Center Grant Programs
February-June 1995

Workshops and Conferences Grant Program
1. Illinois Association of Teachers of Japanese Urbana, IL"IATJ Spring Workshop"
March 5-6, 1995 $1,000.00
2. Oregon State System of Higher Education Eugene, OR"Joint Conference '95-Exploring New Frontiers"
March 30- April 2, 1995
$500.00
3. The University of Texas at Austin Center of Asian Studies, Austin, TX"The 2nd Annual Meeting of the Teachers of Japanese
Language & Culture Association of Texas"
April 1-2, 1995
$1,100.00
4. Northeast Assoc. of Secondary Teachers of Japanese, New York, NY"NEASTJ Computer Workshop for Teaching
Japanese"
April 2, 1995
$1,000.00
5.Teachers of Japanese in Southern California (TJSC) c/o UCLA Los Angeles, CA"TJSC '95 Spring Workshop"
April 9, 1995 $1,000.00
6. University of Montreal
Dept. of East Asian Studies Montreal, Quebec

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7. Japan America Society of Oregon Portland, OR"3rd Annual Professional Development Workshop for Teachers of Japanese"
April22, 1995
$1,000.00
8. University of Virginia
Dept. of Asian & Middle Eastern Languages & Cultures
Charlottesville, VA"The 5th Annual Japanese Pedagogy Workshop" May 13-15, 1995
$1,000.00
9. Michigan State University
Dept. of Linguistics & Languages
E. Lansing, MI"Workshop in Japanese CAI"
May 19-20, 1995
$950.00
10. Duke University
Asian/Pacific Studies
Durham, NC"The Annual Conference of the Southeastern Assoc. of Teachers of Japanese"
May 20-21, 1995
$700.00
Association Grant Program
1. Colorado Japanese Language Association Denver, CO$1,188.00
Travel Grant Program (Abroad)
1. Fumiko Foard"Heisei Seventh Spring Grand Conference of theSociety for Teaching Japanese as a Foreign
Language"
May 27-28, 1995
Japan
Curriculum Development Program
1. Association of Indiana Teachers of Japanese Franklin, IN"A State Curriculum for Japanese Education in Indiana""1995 Spring Workshop for Japanese Teachers"$1,800.00
April 22-23, 1995
$1,000.00

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JP-Net: Building a Global
Virtual Community for Japanese Language and Culture Specialists
Executive Summary
Shigeru Miyagawa, Project Director
Foreign Languages and Literatures
14N-305, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139
miyagawa@mit.edu, (617) 253-6346, fax (617) 258-6189

Delivering services over the Internet is fast
becoming commonplace. Information
provider tools like ftp, gopher and the World
Wide Web, as well as more basic communication
tools like electronic mailing lists and Usenet newsgroups are making it possible to provide services andinformation to an ever-widening audience. At MIT,
we are engaged in building an information service,
which we call Jp (Japanese)-Net(work), that is slated
to begin service in the spring of 1995. JP-Net will be
the first service over the Internet to attempt toprovide an online infrastructure for an entire field,that of Japanese Language and Culture education. JPNet is based in part on the work already done at MIT
using the local Athena network. It will be housed in
the Japanese Language and Culture Program in
Foreign Languages and Literatures.
For the past two years, the Japanese program at MIT
has been developing a series of computerized
instructional materials delivered on the MIT Athena
network to be used by the MIT Japanese language
students outside of class. The applications currently
available include: 1) course syllabi and daily
assignments; 2) grammar notes and exercises; 3)
reading and writing exercises; 4) kanji drill; 5) online
Japanese-English/English-Japanese dictionary (apublic domain dictionary); and 6) Japanese wordprocessing tool (a public domain text editor).
Although still in the development stage, theavailability of these applications has alreadycontributed significantly to the implementation of ademanding communicative-oriented curriculum andalso to the overall program management. All thesoftware applications are completely data-file driven
so that they can be easily customized to a particular
course and curriculum.
MIT has recently received $500,000 from Canon and$20,000 from the Consortium for Language Teachingand Learning to expand the local MIT system to one
that is global. Named "J P-Net," the new service willaddress the needs of Japanese language and culture

specialists around the world. The design of thelanguage component will be based on the work
already done on Athena. We will have textbookindependent materials for teaching Japanese
including:•
vocabulary information•
kanji drills•
grammar notes•
reading materials•
listening activities•
ideas for communicative activities
We hope to establish collaborative relationships withcolleagues at other institutions to develop thesecomponents of JP-Net. The important point to stressis that JPNet is for the entire field, and not just for
MIT The more material that we can put on JP-Net,
the more useful it will be for the field at large. As an
important additional activity, the Computer
Administrator for JP-Net will develop software toallow users to easily access the pertinent information.
Along with language, there will be a cultural component, in which we will create a large textual andphotographic database about Japanese culture.
Partnerships with specialists in culture (such as
kimono) are being established; these partners willcontribute cultural material to JP-Net. A third
component of JP-Net will be a series of mailing lists
for various people to communicate with each other,for example, secondary school teachers around theworld. The mailing lists can also make available job
postings. As part of their component, the present
mailing list, Japanese Teachers and Instructional
Technology (JTIT), will be incorporated into JP-Net.
In addition, there will be a component of JP-Net inwhich lectures about Japanese language andculture will be offered. These lectures will be given
by experts in the field, and anyone participating in
JP-Net may sign up for a lecture. The lectures are
non-credit, but what will be offered will in manycases be based on actual courses being taught by theexperts at their institutions. We are also working withJapanese library specialists, who are digitizing
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bibliographic information on their holdings, and
who will make this information available through JPNet (among other services). All JP-Net participation
will be free (or, where cost for duplication, etc., isinvolved, only the cost of such service will becharged). Technical development for JP-Net will
include standardization of software for easy
input/output of alphabetic/non-alphabetic character
combinations, and browsers to search through large
databases that store information in both alphabetic
and native Japanese orthography.

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