The hIPPO WAY
Multilingualism is the Natural State of Being
For 35 years, LEX/Hippo Family Club members have shared languages
from all over the world. We’ve found that anyone can learn any number oflanguages when they utilize the same processes involved in acquiring theirnative languages – the key is an immersive, multilingual environment thatexposes listeners to the sounds and rhythms of different languages.

2017

Creating a Multilingual Natural Immersion Environment

Hippo Family ClubInstitute for Language Experience, Experiment & Exchange (LEX Institute) ◆英語/English◆★ What’s New at the Hippo Family Club ★
Joint Research Project on Multilingualism and the Brain

Just as a baby begins to understand their mother tongue before ever seeing a textbook,Hippo members pick up languages naturally through immersion. This is done with the helpof language materials, which are recorded by native speakers and include stories about
daily life. By constantly playing these tracks in the background, we create an immersive
environment that allows us to absorb various language patterns.

The Hippo experience also includes weekly community-based clubs where members get
together to share their language discoveries. These clubs often involve various activities,
from singing and dancing, to games and discussions, to listening to our recordings indifferent languages. They provide a fun, nurturing environment where members cansupport and encourage one another in their language development. We believe thatlanguage grows out of these connections as we strive to communicate with one another.

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DrwithDr. Suzanne Flynn, Professor of Linguistics and Language Acquisitionat the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Dr. Kuniyoshi Sakai,
Professor at the University of Tokyo have embarked on a series ofresearch projects on multilingualism and the brain. The first projectwill be conducted using fMRI machines in Dr. Sakai's Lab at theUniversity of Tokyo and will examine the extent to which
multilingualism provides cognitive and linguistic benefits. Participants
will include trilingual LEX members, as well as non-members. Stay
tuned for what we hope will be some exciting results!

Singing the Sounds: Language is our MusicOne of the most important activities at LEX / Hippo Family Club isknown as metakatsu, or “singing the sounds.” This is the process of
mimicking the sounds as we listen to them, with emphasis placed on
maintaining the rhythm, melody, and natural patterns of the language.

LEX Multilingual Presentation 2017

Anytime, Anywhere, with Anyone!

Applications to the next LEX Multilingual Presentation (LMP) are now open! Run in the style of TED Talks, theLMP is a speech presentation geared towards youth between the ages of 16-25. Participants speak about theirexperiences with language and culture, but with a twist – their presentations must include a minimum of threelanguages! The presentations challenge us to truly embrace the values of multilingualism and multiculturalismthat LEX / Hippo Family Club espouses.

Another essential element of the multilingual environment is incorporating
members from around the world. Our Transnational Exchange allows
members to spend time in the homes of families in numerous countries,
and to host international visitors in their own homes.

HEADQUARTERS: http://www.lexhippo.gr.jp/
Aoyama H&A Bldg. 3F, 2-2-10 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, TOKYO 150-0002 JAPAN Tel: +81-3-5467-7041
CHUBU OFFICE:
Ichigo Meieki Bldg. 9F, 5-30-1 Meieki, Nakamura-ku, NAGOYA 450-0002 JAPAN Tel: +81-52-581-6531
KANSAI OFFICE:
Einstone Bldg. 4F, 1-4-8 Minami Shimmachi, Chuo-ku, OSAKA, 540-0024 JAPAN Tel: +81-6-4790-7291
NISHI NIPPON OFFICE:
2-2-19 Takasu, Nishi-ku, HIROSHIMA, 733-0871 JAPAN Tel: +81-82-274-8848
KYUSHU OFFICE:
1-9-3-305 Maizuru, Chuo-ku, FUKUOKA, 810-0073 JAPANH
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Tel: +81-92-715-3859

HIPPO FAMILY CLUB KOREA: http://www.hippokorea.net/
Seok-ju Bldg. 301, 170-1, Gaepo 2-dong, Gangnam-gu, SEOUL 135-800 KOREA

Tel: +82-2-567-7138

LEX AMERICA / LEX LANGUAGE PROJECT / LANGUAGE RESEARCH FOUNDATION: http://www.lexlrf.org/October 2016
90 Sherman Street, Cambridge, MA 02140-3264 USA Tel: +1-617-354-1140
LEX MEXICO / CLUB FAMILIAR HIPPO A.C.: http://www.lexhippomexico.org/Av. Universidad 1815 A Despacho 402 Col. Oxtopulco Universidad Del. Coyoacán, México D.F., C.P. 04318 MEXICO
Tel: +52-55-5662-7331

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35th Anniversary SD Card
In celebration of our 35th Anniversary, LEX / Hippo Family Club has
compiled our language materials into a set of SD Cards! These cards
can be purchased as a Standard, Standard Plus, or Premium Set, with
the Premium set containing all our recordings from the past 35 years.
These sets are available for order in Japan and are a great first step
towards creating a multilingual immersive environment!

Hippo Asian Project:
Asian Multilingual Youth Nature Camp✈To promote multilingual friendships in Asia, the Hippo Asian
Project was launched with two youth camps under its wing. TheAsian Multilingual Youth Camp in Shanghai and the AsianMultilingual Nature Camp in Thailand are geared toward
secondary school students and youth from China, Thailand,Korea, Japan, and all over Asia. Each year, participants enjoy
making new friends from different countries and sharing theirlanguages, all while taking part in a variety of outdoor activities.
These youth get to enjoy the beauty of nature while gaining abroader perspective of the world and developing new friendships.

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Overseas Homestay Program– Family Exchange –WIP in Kenya

The WIP is an exciting opportunity providing adults of all ages
with a life-changing exchange experience in another country.
WIP interns spend 1-12 months volunteering with LEX inJapan, Korea, the US, or Mexico, or with our various partnerorganizations in up to 40 different countries around the world.
Interns will have the opportunity to live with a host family andabsorb the rhythms of daily life. The program is open toqualified adults, ages 18 and up.

✈Overseas Homestay Program– Youth Exchange –The Youth Exchange is a homestay program during the springand summer ranging from one week to one month, and iscatered to youth from the age of 10 up till university students.
Each year, up to 650 children participate in an unforgettable
experience in another country.

TaiwanSnow Camp

Transnational Homestay in JapanLEX Internship to JapanThe LEX Internship to Japan brings participants to Japan for anextraordinary experience at none other than the LEX Hippo Officein Tokyo! Participants get to be at the hub of Hippo activities andcan look forward to an exciting experience of multilingualism at ourinternationally-oriented office. From running events, to participating
in workshops, to acting as communication liaisons, interns can be
sure that there will never be a dull day at the office!

Multilingual Snow & Nature Camps

The Snow and Nature Camps, held annually in March and August
respectively, provide the perfect chance to enjoy Hippo’s
multilingual activities in the beauty of nature. The Snow Camptakes participants to the snowy landscape of Nagano Prefecture inMarch, where participants get to play in a winter wonderland
before retreating to traditional minshuku, traditional Japanese
inns, at night. The Nature Camp, also held in Nagano, is awash inflora and fauna and full of exciting outdoor activities. Open topeople around the world, these camps are a truly multilingual,multicultural experience!

Vietnam

USAWorld Internship Project (WIP)✈The Family Exchange is a 1-2 week homestay program forindividuals and families with children. Since 1981, thisprogram has expanded to include exchanges with over 20
countries worldwide. Approximately 400 members gooverseas annually to initiate new friendships.

The Hippo Transnational Homestay Program has welcomed
more than 5000 people from over 120 different countries toparticipate in LEX homestays in Japan. The participants areexchange students, company trainees, families and youth fromour partner organizations all over the world, and have the chance
to immerse themselves in Japanese culture while taking part inour various Hippo activities.

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RussiaRemembering Yo Sakakibara
1930 – 2016

Academic Year Long High School Exchange✈The Academic Year Long High School Exchange recently celebrated its
20th anniversary in 2016 & continues to expand every year. The program
not only sends Japanese students abroad, but also accepts high school
students from around the world to study in Japan. Approximately 120
Japanese students leave to study in places ranging from the US, toFrance, to Thailand, where they stay with host families and absorb thedaily rhythms of their host culture. This year also saw 25 students fromseven different countries coming to Japan for a year. The exchange truly
is a unique opportunity for growth!

✈ersary ConferenceYear Long 20th Anniv

This year, the LEX family lost someone incredibly
dear to us – our founder, Yo Sakakibara.
However, even in his absence, his spirit lives on in
all of us, spurring us to open our ears to different
languages, and our hearts to people from allover the world.

Mexico✈To Yo, thank you for everything!
ありがとう！¡Muchos gracias! 谢谢！
Grazie! Danke! Merci beaucoup!