The
Quarterly

Sum m er 20 0 1 /N u m be r 2 3

T H E J A PA N
F O U N DAT I O N
L o s A n ge l e s
Language Center

国際交流基金
ロス・アンジェルス
日本語センター

Redesigned www.jflalc.org
How can I find schools thatteach Japanese?
Results of the Japanese
Language Grant Programsfor 2001/2002
Grant Update
Introduction to Japanese
Language Teaching througha Cyber World:
What you can do with web
sites
From the Nihongo Library
2001 ACTFL Luncheon
2001 Japanese Language
Proficiency Test
Staff Directory
To the Editor

Redesigned

www.jflalc.org

How can I find schools that teach Japanese?

Too far away to visit the Japanese Language Center in Los
Angeles? We welcome you to take advantage of the Center's programs by visiting us online. Our newly designed web site consistsof 7 sections: 1) About Us; 2) Grants; 3) Arts & Culture Programs; 4)Japanese Language Proficiency Test; 5) Nihongo Library; 6)Newsletters & Publications; and 7) Links.
On Teaching
The homepage www.jflalc.org, and its Japanese Language Teaching
section, located at www.jflalc.org/teaching serve as the gateway tomuch information on the teaching of Japanese. Here are a few
examples of the type of information the site offers: a list of schools
teaching the Japanese language at the elementary level; institutions
offering Japanese teacher certification programs; textbooks for students at the secondary school level; regional teacher’s organizations; and a conference calendar.
On Grant Programs
To learn more about and/or start the application process for our various support and grant programs, you can now request application
forms online. It is easy to see what grants are available for you;your school; and your community of Japanese teachers to establish,
promote, and improve Japanese language programs. Just as an
example, the Center has established two new mini-grants this year
to support the efficient teaching of language. These mini-grants aredetailed at www.jflalc.org/grant with a downloadable application
form. The Travel Grant is intended to facilitate K-12 teachers’

participation in workshops/conferences held in the States. While
the Workshop and Conference Grant assists teachers’ associations that would like to hold a workshop or conference in the
United States.
More to comeWe foresee the website evolving and improving; with your participation. Please come visit us online and be sure to provide your comments and suggestions. You can also contact us by sending e-mailto jflc@jflalc.org or jflalc@jflalc.org.

Results of the Japanese Language Grant Programsfor 2001/2002

The Japan Foundation Japanese Language
Related Grant Awards for Fiscal Year 2001-2002(as June 20, 2001)
1. Japanese Language Education Fellowship
ProgramNo successful applicants
2. Japanese Language Teaching Materials
Donation Program
The donation program assists educational andor non-profit institutions in acquiring teachingmaterials such as textbooks, dictionaries, computer software and word processors.
3. Japanese Speech Contest Support Program
The Japan-America Society of Georgia
Seton Hall University
Duke University
University of Iowa
University of Colorado at Boulder
Brigham Young University
California State University, Los Angeles
University of California, Irvine
The Arizona Association of Teachers of Japanese
4. Support Program for Developing Networks
of Japanese Language Teachers andInstitutions
California State University, Long Beach
5. Support Program for Japanese Language
Courses Abroad-Salary Assistance
Hamilton College (Clinton, NY)
Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA)
Southwest Missouri State University(Springfield, MO)
Minneapolis Public Schools (Minneapolis, MN)
Carleton College (Northfield, MN)
Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, MN)
Clarendon Elementary School (San Francisco, CA)
6. Support Program for Japanese Language
Courses Abroad-Support for Courses
East Hartford/Glastonbury Elementary Magnet
School (East Hartford, CT)
Glastonbury Public Schools (Glastonbury, CT)
The University of Wisconsin, Whitewater(Whitewater, WI)

7. Assistance Program for Japanese Language
Teaching Materials
No successful applicants
8. Training Programs for Japanese Language
Teachers at the Japanese-Language
Institute, Urawa, Japan(1) Long-Term Training ProgramNo successful applicants(2) Short-Term Training Program (Winter Course)
No successful applicants(3) Short-Term Training Program (Spring Course)
Ms. Ying-Hong Wang (Muriel S. Snowden
International High School, Boston, MA)(4) Short-Term Training Program (Summer Course)
Mr. James Buoye (Northern Valley Regional
High School, Demarest, NJ)
Ms. Jacquelynn Collins (Lincoln HighSchool, Manitowoc, WI)
Ms. Susannah Graziano (Averill Park HighSchool, Averill Park, NY)
Ms. Yasuko Ozawa (San Clemente HighSchool, San Clemente, CA)
Ms. Helen Underwood (Rutgers
Preparatory School, Somerset, NJ)(5)Zaigai (Japanese Abroad)Ms. Fumiko Harada-Ziemer (St. John's
School, Tumon Bay, Guam)
Ms. Sumiko Uo (Florida Atlantic University,
Boca Raton, FL)(6) Three-Week Summer Course for
Teachers in the U.S., Canada and U.K.
Mr. Donald Callister (Santa Monica HighSchool, Santa Monica, CA)
Mr. Kin T. Chee (Owego Free Academy,
Owego, NY)
Mr. William P. Cunningham (Millard North
High School, Omaha, NE)
Ms. Kathi Erickson (Franklin Pierce HighSchool, Tacoma, WA)
Ms. Susannah Graziano (Averill Park
School District, Averill Park, NY)
Mr. Kenneth Holt (Lawrence Free StateHigh School, Lawrence, KS)
Ms. Freda Johnson (Cooley High School,
Detroit, MI)
Mr. Timothy Mathos (Bell High School, Bell,CA)
Mr. Juan Carlos Morales (Miami Palmetto
Senior High School, Miami, FL)
Mr. Scott Navitsky (Milford Mill Academy,
Baltimore, MD)
Ms. Darlene Okada (Honokaa High School,
Honokaa, HI)
Mr. George Pruitt (Woodberry Forest School,
Woodberry Forest, VA)
Ms. Veronica Pryce, who applied through theFulbright-Hays Program (George
Washington High School, San Francisco, CA)
Mr. Randall Seifert (Mt. Eden High School,
Hayward, CA)
Mr. Garret Sokoloff (F.H. La Guardia HighSchool, New York, NY)

Ms. Faye Valtadoros (Lakeview High School,
Battle Creek, MI)
Ms. Hsiao-Pei Yang (Sheridan Japanese
Program, Sheridan, OR)
Ms. Roberta Young (East Ramapo HighSchool, Spring Valley, NY)
9. Japanese Language Program for
Researchers at the Japanese-Language
Institute, Kansai, Japan
No applications received
10. Japanese Language Program for
Postgraduate Students at the JapaneseLanguage Institute, Kansai, Japan
Ms. Dawn-Elissa Banks (University of Florida)
Ms. Jee Young Lee (University of Pittsburgh)
Mr. Thomas Mullaney (Columbia University)
Ms. Ann Yamamoto (Columbia University)

The Japan Foundation Los Angeles Language Center

Mini-Grant Awards
for Fiscal Year 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 (as of June 20, 2001)

For 2000-2001(1) Annual Workshop and Conference Grant
Program Recipients
California Association of Japanese Language
Teachers (CAJLT)
Dartmouth College/Japanese Language
Teachers' Association of New England(JLTANE)The Japan Forum; Japanese Teachers'
Association of Texas (JTAT)
University of Maryland
University of Southern California / University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles Japanese andKorean Linguistic Circle(2) Association Support Grant Program
Recipients
Alliance of Association of Teachers of Japanese(AATJ)
Association of Florida Teachers of Japanese(AFTJ)Louisiana Association of Teachers of Japanese(LATJ)
Northeast Council of Teachers of Japanese(NECTJ)(3) On-Site Workshops and Conferences(Lecturer Dispatch) Grant Program
Recipients
Alliance of Associations of Teachers ofJapanese (AATJ)
Alberta Japanese Teachers' Association (AJTA)
British Columbia Association of Teachers ofModern Languages (BCATML)
California Japanese Framework
Project/California Language Teacher
Association
Consulate General of Japan, Chicago, IL/Illinois
Association of Teachers of Japanese (IATJ)
Consulate General of Japan, San Francisco,CA
Northeast Council of Teachers of JapaneseWashington Association of Teachers ofJapanese (WATJ)
For 2001-2002(1) Annual Workshop and Conference Grant
Program Recipients (thus far awarded)
California Association of Japanese Language
Teachers (CAJLT)Illinois Association of Teachers of Japanese(IATJ)

3.

ATTENTION: MINI-GRANT PROGRAM UPDATEThe Japan Foundation Los Angeles Language Center (JFLALC) announces the following changes
to its Mini-Grant Program: Effective immediately, the Foundation has discontinued the Special
Project Grant Program and Japanese Language Research Fellowship Program. In their place, a
new Domestic Travel Grant Program for K-12 Teachers has been added, and the existing
Workshop and Conference Grant Program strengthened (Please note that the “Annual” in theWorkshop and Conference Grant Program has been dropped, so that an applicant may receive
support for more than one such project during the course of a fiscal year). Additionally, applications must now be received by the JFLALC at least two months prior to the starting date of the project. The JFLALC will contact applicants regarding the results of their proposal three weeks prior
to the project starting date. Prospective applicants should consult the updated Mini-Grant description below for complete information.
Despite these changes, however, the Foundation continues to maintain its policy of grant disbursement after completion of the proposed activity and receipt of an official activity and financial
report. For a downloadable application, please see our website located at http://www.jflalc.org.
Those without internet access may contact Justin K. Miyai, Program Assistant at 1-888-667-0880
ext. 105 (toll free) or by email justin_miyai@jflalc.org

Mini-Grant Programs
Mini-grant programs are emergency-type funds of a relatively modest amount. They are screened
and administered by The Japan Foundation Los Angeles Language Center (JFLALC) with the primary objective of supporting K-12 level Japanese teachers in the United States. Applications must
be received by the JFLALC at least 2 months prior to the starting date of the project. The JFLALC
will contact applicants regarding the results 3 weeks prior to the project starting date. Applicants
are encouraged to secure additional resources elsewhere to complete the desired project. Specificprograms include:
1. (REVISED!) Workshop and Conference Grant ProgramThis grant is to assist Japanese teachers’ associations hold a workshop or conference in the
United States. The grant amount will not exceed $2,000 per project and may be less than the fullamount requested. The grant is designed to subsidize the costs of hall and equipment rentals, correspondence, printing and copying, lecturers’ travel allowance (if applicable), etc.
2. (NEW!) Domestic Travel Grant Program for K-12 Teachers
This grant program is intended to facilitate K-12 teachers’ participation in Japanese or foreign language workshops/conferences held in the United States. Priority will be given to presenters anddelegates of local Japanese teachers’associations. Successful candidates will be granted the costof airfare (discount coach class). An individual can be awarded this grant only once per fiscal year
(April 1 though March 31).

Introduction to Japanese Language Teaching
through a Cyber World:
What you can do with web sites
Maki Watanabe
1. Introduction

3. Using the Other’s Web Sites as Source of Realia

Along with the rapid growth of information technology, it is a recognized fact that the cyber world called
the Internet has been playing a more and more
important role in Academia. Communication with students via e-mail, for example, is no longer a newtechnology. Many schools run their official web sites
to provide program and course information toprospective or enrolled students. Online courses for
distance learners are on the rise. This burgeoning
development has also been affecting the methods oflanguage teaching. In the past year, I had a chance
to witness practical uses of web sites and deliberatepotential uses for Japanese language teaching while
I was working as a web designer of online Japanese
language exercises and as a web master for an official web site of the Japanese Language Program atthe University of Southern California. In this article, I
would like to present what I have found from theseexperiences.

Existing Japanese web sites created by other people,
especially Japanese natives, are an excellent sourceof realia for Japanese language instruction. One caneasily obtain materials such as video clips, audio
materials, news articles, and any other kinds of information in Japanese that are ideal for communicative
teaching simply by downloading them onto a computer. They are free of the troubles associated with
duplication. One might wonder if these materials
available through Internet are REAL realia. Indeed, it
is rather odd to call them realia because web sites
are virtual reality. However, these web sites are constructed on the premise that Japanese native speakers will make use of the information provided there.
Therefore, these materials still can be considered asrealia in this respect.

2. Web Site as New Source of Information and Materials
Functions of web sites in language instruction can bebest described by the expression “new source”. Web
sites replacing those thick school catalogues are a
new source of course information. Replacing audiotapes, they are new source of audio materials. They
are also a new source of written materials, replacing
printed matters such as newspapers and magazines.
In addition to new sources of information, web sites
serving as online course can be a new source of education itself.
Japanese language instructors can utilize these functions of web sites in two ways; one way is to incorporate existing web sites into a part of their teachingmaterials, the other is to create their own web site toprovide their students with necessary informationand materials, such as course information, homework, and exams. Let us take a more detailed examination of each of the followings.

Then, how can we practically use these realia? One
possibility is to use them in place of the realia in traditional forms in class. If you have luck in teaching ina room equipped with computers, you can have yourstudents look at video clips or animation displayed on
a computer monitor instead of showing them on a
VCR. For example, students can enjoy Japanesefolk tales in digital animation and other programs
such as news and music on an Internet TV at
Panasonic’s web site. You can also show Japanese
news clips of TV station’s web sites such as Fuji TV
to advanced students. Or, you can show a realrestaurant menu of fami-resu (family restaurant,
Japanese version of diners) for restaurant conversation practice or newspaper articles for an advanced
reading exercise on a screen monitor instead ofusing an OHP or photo copy. The followings are
samples of useful URLs for such purposes.
Panasonic (http://town.hi-ho.ne.jp/enterT/anime/) for
digital animation of folk tales
Fuji TV (http://www.fujitv.co.jp) for news clips
Skylark (http://www.skylark.co.jp/) for menu
Anna Miller’s (http://www.imuraya.co.jp/annamillers/index.html) for menu

5.

Even if you do not have such good luck, these realia
still can be made good use of in many other ways,
especially as outside activities. For example, you
can direct students to visit a certain web site in order
to complete a homework assignment. Questions in
the assignment may be handed to them in a printed
form and answers may be graded manually. Or it canbe given at your own web site and answers can be
automatically graded when submitted to you by email. The Mellon Language Technology Initiative
Project schemed by the Language Center of the
University of Southern California is a good exampleof the latter (see image 1). A task is assigned on a
weekly basis and only results of grading will be emailed to an instructor. Image 2 is a message thatstudents receive after grading, while image 3 is a
result report sent to an instructor.
You may also wish to assign students a research project or an essay, which is based on the information
they collect through web sites. For an advanced
class, Blue Sky Collection is an excellent source of

Image 2

famous Japanese novels that are all free of copyright. You can also consider having students make aword list from these reading materials by using an
online dictionary.
Blue Sky Collection (http://www.aozora.gr.jp/)
for Japanese novels
Jim Breen’s WWWJDIC(http://www.csse.monash.
edu.au/~jwb/wwwjdic.html) for dictionary
World Lingo (http://www.worldlingo.com/microsoft/computer_translation.html) for dictionary
Excite (http://www.excite.co.jp/ world/text/) for dictionary
4. Instability of Web Sites—Fear of “NOT FOUND”

Image 1Web sites are a new source of realia that are more
readily available to instructors and students than the
traditional sources such as newspapers and video
tapes in the sense that the information from the former becomes available equally to everyone at thesame time whether you are in Japan or not.
However, instructors must bear in mind that web sites
are not a perfect source. Due to their instability, it is
not guaranteed that they will always be there. One
day you may have found a useful page of a certain
web site. Several weeks later you visit the pageagain, and find that the page is "NOT FOUND."
There are three possible reasons for disappearanceof web sites. One is that a web master moved thepage somewhere with a different URL (web site
address) when he/she renewed the whole structureof the web site. Second is that a web master deleted
the page for some reason, possibly because it is outdated. The last and worst reason is that the whole
web site closed for good. Missing pages in official
web sites of large companies or organizations areoften due to one of the first two reasons. Although
they are unlikely to be closed because of being wellfunded, renewal takes place quite often and regularly for more effective publicity. Personal web sites
have less chance to undergo renewal. However,they are much more likely to disappear all of a sudden. No matter which sort of you would bear in mind
that they are you use for your class, web sites are
unstable.
Another reason for their instability is because a server could unpredictably go down when you want toshow a web site to students. When a server is down,

Image 3

there is nothing to do but just report the problem tothe service provider and wait for them to fix it.
Therefore, it is better to give students more than a
day to complete homework assignments requiring
information from web sites just in case of a server
problem.
5. Making One’s Own Website
Incorporating existing web sites into language teach ing is a good introduction to language instruction
through Internet. As you net surf in search of realia
suitable for your class, you will encounter web sites
created by the other Japanese language instructors
or schools. In the following section, I will summarize
what a Japanese language instructor can do at yourown or your program’s web site.

6. Contents of Web Site
Instructors can provide various kinds of information
and resources to students via a web site. Contents
of a web site for Japanese language students can beroughly grouped into five categories as shown below.
I disregard e-mail here, since web sites are the focusof the discussion.
(1) Online Courses(2) Communication tool
● Chat and BBS(3) Class & course information● Course description● Class information● Instructors’ contact information(4) General information of Japanese learning● Grammar and vocabulary● Exercise and mini quiz
● Language games● Study abroad information● Certification examination(5) General information of Japanese culture● Calendar● Photo gallery● Links
Online courses in place of actual classroom instruction seem to be possible only if both an instructor andstudents have access to voice chat function.
Otherwise, it would be very difficult to teach speaking
skills online. Chat and Bulletin Board System (BBS)
are considered as communication tools . An instructor can set up an online office hour, for example, andduring the hour d the teacher and students can communicate (hopefully typing in Japanese) with eachother. BBS is different from Chat in that the former
leaves a log of messages at a website while the latter does not. Therefore, you can go back to BBS toleave your reply to a message as long as the message is posted. On the other hand, in the case of
Chat you must be there to join the discussion. I do
not discuss the details of (1) and (2) any further
because they cannot be made possible without helpof a computer engineer or a good knowledge of computer’s and programming.
Course and program information is one of the mostpopular content for a language program site. For
example, the Japanese Language Program of the
University of Southern California provides three kindsof such information. One is course description, which
is an overview of the program (http://www.usc.edu/
dept/LAS/ealc/jlp/description.html). The coursedescription mainly aims at prospective students of Japanese language, and is for worldwide advertisement of the program. Second is class information, which isdetailed information of students enrolled in Japanese7.

classes. Available information of this sort is weekly
schedule of class, exam results, syllabus, and so on.
Third is instructors’ contact information (http://www.
u s c . e d u / d e p t / L A S / e a l c / j l p / f a c u l t y / f a c u l t y. h t m l) .
Instructor’s e-mail address, office phone number andoffice hour schedule are provided to students. As an
extra, instructor’s monthly message also pops up if a
student clicks on a face icon of him/her.
Not only specific course information, but also generallearning information is useful to students. A simple listof contact information of study abroad programs andschedules of certificate examination of Japanese language is helpful enough for students who are interested in extra learning. If you are ambitious and havemore time and help to work on a web site, databaseof grammar and vocabulary may be created. It must
be noted, however, that if the database is based on a
specific textbook, you must remember to first contact
the publisher to clear any copyright problems. It isalso a good idea to create a set of exercises or miniquizzes, which are automatically graded as a student
finishes them or clicks on a submit button. A very good
example of self-gradable exercises is seen at a website of CMJ of Nagoya University (http://mercury.ecis.
nagoya-u.ac.jp/webcmj/). Simple language games suchas nazo nazo (riddles) or crossword puzzles will add
other enjoyment to your site (see images 4 and 5 forexample).
General information on Japanese culture will be attractive to culturally motivated students. For example,
providing a koyomi (calendar) with a brief explanation,
as in MIT’s web site, is an effective way to introduce
Japanese culture. If the explanation is written in
Japanese, it can also be used as excellent readingmaterial. Visual materials such as photos and drawing images are another effective way to introduce
Japanese culture. Photo images can be presented ina list like those at NihongoWeb, or in a form of slide
like those at Photo Gallery of the USC site. When
there are no images to show to students, it is still possible to introduce students to Japanese culture by creating a list of links to Japanese web sites, where students can learn about Japanese culture. URLs of
web sites of the Japanese consulate general, culturalfeatures such as tea ceremony or flower arrangement, traditional performing arts such as Kabuki andNoh will be useful.
The followings are URLs of the web sites and pages
mentioned above.
Japanese Holidays and Cultural Events -- Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (http://www-japan.mit.
edu/mit/culture-notes/index.html) for calendar

Image 4

NihongoWeb (http://www.nihongoweb.com/) for photo
images in lists
Japan Calendar and Photo Gallery(http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/ealc/jlp/fun/fun.html) for
calendar and photo images in slides
7. Technical Tips to Avoid Making an Unfriendly
Web Site
When creating a web site for Japanese language education, there are several important points to be taken
into consideration. First of all, a web page must be
light. In other words, a web page must be able to bequickly downloaded. This is a universal law applied to
any kind of web sites. A web page that contains many
photo images of heavy byte (usually larger than 100
byte per an image) takes a long time to download
especially when a computer is connected to a serverby dial-up, and therefore this should be avoided. This
problem is easily solved if a web page contains only alist of titles or smaller images, each of which is linked
to a full size image, instead of cramming all full size
images into one web page.
Secondly, it is very important to make sure you know
how the web site you created is actually seen on acomputer monitor. Types of fonts that a browser candisplay differ depending on the type of computer.
Therefore, if the HTML (HyperText Markup Language)of a web page that you downloaded specifies a typeof font that your computer cannot display, your browser will automatically choose the default font to display
the page. In other words, it is not guaranteed that all
the viewers can see a web site with the same font. It
is highly recommended to conduct a viewing test in
four ways – combinations of two browsers (Netscapeare certain that all of the visitors to the site use abrowser that is compatible with rubi.
8. Legal Issues Regarding Links

Image 5

Communicator™ and Internet Explorer™) and two
computers (Macintosh and PC R). Since resolution ofa monitor also affects how a web site appears, you
can correct collapsed positions of images and paragraphs by checking views in two types of resolution –600 x 800 and 800 x 1024.
Thirdly, it must be confirmed that your web site is freeof moji-bake (a font problem), especially if your website contains Japanese language and you expect thatmost of the visitors to the web site use a computerwith an English Operation System. Although mojibake rarely occurs as long as a web site is simple
and static without any trick employing JavaScript or
CGI (Common Gateway Interface), Japanese fonts
may not be properly displayed on dynamic web sites
containing JavaScript or CGI when they are viewed
through an English version of aforementioned browser on an English computer that is capable ofJapanese. Since Internet in Japanese on a computer with English OS is an unusual bilingual environment, extra care is needed in case you plan to construct an interactive web site in Japanese, which normally requires JavaScript or CGI.
Finally, a web site creator should remember that rubi
can be properly displayed only by a specific kind ofbrowser. If a web site contains kanji characters andyou want to provide yomigana for them, it is better touse parentheses instead of rubi function unless you

Before finishing, I would like to discuss legal issues
briefly. In order to reduce risks of legal problems, it
must be confirmed whether the web site to which you
wish to link from your web site allows such linking. If
you link your web site to another web site without
asking any permission whereas the web master
expresses his/her rejection of linking on the site, this
could possibly cause some kind of legal problem.
Even if such linking is allowed, it is better to link fromyour site to a home page of the target web site
instead of linking directly to the web page you wish tolink. Another act to be avoided is to display a linked
web site in one of the frames of your web page .
Being displayed in one of the frames, the other’s web
site that is linked from your web site looks as if it werea part of your web site, i.e., it were your web site.
This might be regarded as infringement of copyrights
unless the web master of the linked web site permits
it. Since legal interpretation of acts of infringement of
copyrights in Internet are yet to be standardized, anyone who creates one’s own web site or who makes
use of the information from existing web sites should
keep an eye on the legal issues.
9. Conclusion
In this article, I have suggested practical uses andtechnical tips of web sites for Japanese language
instruction, which are based on my own experience
as a web designer for Japanese Language Programof the University of Southern California. Since thisarticle aims at the Japanese language instructors
who are novices at the Internet, many points discussed here might be too matter-of-course to somereaders. However, I would be happy if this article will
not only introduce instructors as a web site beginnerto educational uses of web sites, but also bring an
opportunity for reviewing existing web sites forJapanese language education.
Maki Watanabe received a MA in Japanese lin guistics from the University of Wisconsin at
Madison. She is now a graduate student of the
University of Southern California, pursuing a
Ph.D. in linguistics. She is also participating in
Mellon Technology Initiative this fall to complete
this three year project of web site language activ ities for the Language Center of USC.

9.

FROM nihongo Library
Introducing Nihongo Library's new acquisition
じゃんけんぽんJan-Ken-Pon:Japanese for Kids to Play
Jan-Ken-Pon is the very first set of Japanese curriculum
and teaching materials for the elementary school-levelbased on the National Standards. There are three volumes: Stage I (K-1), Stage II (Grades 2-3), and Stage III(Grades 4-5), with each stage containing 9 units focusing on a particular theme. Since Jan-Ken-Pon contains
various age-appropriate activities, with purposes anddetailed instructions written in both Japanese andEnglish, teachers of Japanese can find this curriculum tobe very adaptable and helpful in the classroom.
You can find the order form at:
http://babel.uoregon.edu/CAJLS/products/Jan.html

春一番
Haruichiban: The Way to Successful
Japanese (volume 1)
Haruichiban is the first textbook of the Japanese
textbook series, Kisetsu. This text is targeted
towards junior high and high school students, andis also compatible with the National Standards andto the achievement of its 5Cs goals:
Communication, Cultures, Connections,Comparisons, and Communities. This series also
encourages students to be self-directed and reflective learners. With colorful illustrations and usefulcultural notes, as well as various goal-oriented
activities, students can develop language proficiency joyfully and naturally. For more information,please visit its web page at: http://www.kisetsu.org/

ジェトロ ビジネス日本語会話『課長』
JETRO Business Japanese
Kacho : Managers in Corporate Japan
This practical textbook is very helpful for students
at an intermediate level of Japanese, who wish orneed to use the Japanese language in real business situations. The contents of this textbook follow the story of a Japanese businessman, andthe text itself is divided into 54 likely situations ina real–life Japanese business environment. It is
accompanied with one audio CD and one videocassette.

日本語教師必携
ハート＆テクニックHeart & Technique“Heart & Technique” is a teacher ’s resource book
written by five active teachers of Japanese, andprovides their views of teaching through their own
experiences. This book especially intends to help
teachers of Japanese who do not have much classroom experience; and helps inexperienced teachers develop their own know-how and to utilize theirpedagogical knowledge and education into a reallife classroom situation. This book acts as a good
mentor for beginning teachers of Japanese.

おすすめサイト：日本留学
Websites on Study in JapanThe following is a list of helpful web sites
for students who wish to study in Japan.
You can obtain information of various sorts
from such web sites. For example, a list ofJapanese universities for foreign students,
information on part-time jobs for foreign
students, a basic guide on the Japanese
educational system, student visas, etc.
1. Guide to Study in Japan
http://www.ic.u-tokyo.ac.jp/adv/index_e.htm

2. 2000 Guidance and Outline for Study inJapan
http://www.license-navi.co.jp/studyj.htm
3. 内外学生センター 学生Web
http://www.naigai.or.jp/
4. J Guide: Study about Japan
http://fuji.stanford.edu/jguide/Study_about_
Japan/
5. NTT Japan Window: Study
Abroad/Student Exchange/Internships
http://www.jwindow.net/category/leduc13.html
6. AIEJ Homepage : Study in Japan
http://www.aiej.or.jp/index1.html
7. J-Study 留学生情報
http://www.j-study-acd.com/jstudy.htm

Nihongo Library is a resource library to support Japanese language education in the
United States. Library membership is available for teachers of Japanese and forresearchers in the field. For further information regarding library policy, please visit thelibrary section of our web site.
Open hours: Monday ~ Friday
10 am to 5 pm
Every 3rd Saturday of the month
1 to 5 pm
Holidays:
9/3, 10/8, 11/22, 11/23, 12/24,
12/25, 12/31
Members may request materials by mail, fax,
phone, or e-mail with their library card number.
You can contact the library by phone at (310)449-0027; 1-888-667-0880, fax at (310) 4491127, or e-mail at nihongo@jflalc.org.

NEWS FROM THE JAPAN FOUNDATION Language Center

A2 0 0 1
C
TF
L$14 early bird rate
$19 on site rate
Register online atwww.actfl.org
301.694.5243

Although it is only June and we are still a season away fromour customary conference time, A C T F L Headquarters and theJapan Foundation have been busy behind the scenes planning
for A C T F L 2001 in Washington, D.C. Indeed, thanks to theassistance of our friends at ACTFL, the venue, as well as
menu have already been determined. This year, theF o u n d a t i o n ’s annual luncheon will be held on Friday,
November 16, in the Renaissance Hotel. What can luncheon
participants expect? Most definitely an appetizing meal andthe usual warm atmosphere, and hopefully, with the generosityof our invaluable supporters, another prized-packed giveaway.
Please be sure to make plans to join us at this not-to-bemissed event. Let’s do lunch!

Japan Foundation Luncheon for

日 本 語 能 力 試
The 18th Annual Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) will be held on Sunday, December 2, 2001.
The JLPT is an internationally accredited Japanese language examination designed to measure a person’s
Japanese language skills. The Japan Foundation and the
Association of International Education, Japan haveadministered the JLPT both in Japan and abroad since
1984.
The test has four different levels (level one being the mostdifficult and level four the easiest); the examinee canchoose the level that best suits his or her ability and training. Each test consists of three sections: charactervocabulary; listening; and reading-grammar. Both level
one and level two test results are often used to evaluate
foreign students’ abilities to enter universities and technical schools in Japan.
Each year, the JLPT has met with an enthusiastic
response from the public, and the number of examinees
has steadily increased. Last year, test takers numberedapproximately 200,000 worldwide. This year, the JLPT isscheduled to be held in as many as 89 cities in 38 coun-tries. Test sites in the United States will be from east to
west, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Honolulu.
Pertinent information for this year’s test is as follows:
Date: Sunday, December 2, 2001
U.S. Test Sites: New York (Columbia University); Chicago(The University of Chicago); Los Angeles (The Holiday
Inn, Torrance, CA); and Honolulu (The University of
Hawaii, Manoa)
Application Period:

August 1, 2001-September 20, 2001
Contact Information:
Japan Foundation Los Angeles Language Center
2425 Olympic Boulevard, Suite 650E
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Email: noryoku@jflalc.org
Phone: (310) 449-0027 or
1-888-667-0880 (Toll Free)
Fax: (310) 449-1127
URL: http://www.jflalc.org

J a p a n e s e L a n g u a g e P r o f i c i e n c y Te s t 2 0 0 1
11.

TO THE EDITOR!

TheTO S H I H I S A TA NA K A , DI R E C TO R

ex t .
101

TA K A S H I IM A I , D E P U T Y D I R E C TO R

102

M A S A KO M I WA , OF F I C E SU P E RV I S O R

103

NAO KO WATA NA B E , PRO G R A M ASSOCIATE 1 0 4
J U S T I N M I YA I , P RO G R A M AS S I S TA N T

105

M A M I KO NA K A I , A S S I S TA N T
R I M I YA N G , LI B R A R I A N

106
107

E I I C H I I TO, L I B R A R I A N

108

K E I KO MA RT I N, LI B R A RY AS S I S TA N T

118

G R AC E K ATAO K A, R E C E P T I O N I S T

100

Voice mail is engaged after 5:30 in the afternoon until
9:00 in the morning. Telephone and fax number is thesame for all staff.
Phone:
Toll Free:
Fax:
E-mail:(310) 449-0027
1-888-667-0880(310) 449-1127
jflalc@jflalc.org

Home page address:

http://www.jflalc.org

Greetings, educators and friends of the Japanese language field. The
Japan Foundation Los Angeles Language Center is pleased to announce
the creation of “To the Editor,” a section intended specifically for you.
Here, you are welcome to post any messages pertaining to the Japanese
language. Submissions should be made either in writing or via email andaddressed “To the Editor.” For your convenience, the Foundation will
install a user feedback function on its website (http://www.jflalc.org)
Sacramento
shortly. Once received andevaluated for content, every
Broadwayeffort given the available space
will be made to publish the
Coloradomessage in the following issue.
Please note however, that theeditor reserves the final decision to publish a submitted
Olympic
message. It is our sincere hopethat this newly created sectionof the “Breeze” will inspire disExit
Cloverfield/
cussion and serve as a vibrant
26th
Los Angeles
Pacific Ocean
and interactive tool for our
10readership.
DMV

San Diego

T H E J A PA N F O U N DAT I O N
L O S A N G E L E S L A N G UAG E C E N T E R
2425 Olympic Blvd., Suite 650E, Santa Monica, CA 90404

Presorted
Standard
U.S. Postage

PA I DMERCURYMAILINGSYSTEMS INC.

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