Introduction to Japanese: Conversational Japanese for Absolute Beginners in the Travel Setting *In-Person*

There seems to be a widespread belief that learning Japanese is quite challenging for non-native speakers. However, if you tailor your learning to your specific needs, particularly by prioritizing speaking and listening skills, you should be able to acquire communication abilities in Japanese relatively effortlessly. This short introductory course is designed for absolute beginners. We will primarily focus on fundamental spoken and conversational Japanese, particularly useful for travelers to Japan, and by the end, you will be prepared for Japanese Beginner Level 1 class. Let’s begin!
Instructor: Tomoko Takagi

Sections

Instructor

Tomoko Takagi was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. She holds a degree in Linguistics from Tokyo Woman’s Christian University, specializing in second language acquisition. She has over 15 years of experience working in the field of Intellectual Property at both U.S. and Japanese law firms, with considerable international business expertise. Tomoko teaches Japanese at a university and also provides Japanese language instruction for business settings to companies and various other organizations, offering lessons from absolute beginner to native-like levels. Additionally, she offers language instruction to high school, college, and graduate students, as well as translation services for a variety of business needs. Her interests include traveling, reading, listening to music, and playing with her mini-schnauzer mix dog, who was adopted from a rescue.