Sensei! Why Japanese? Video Project

It has already become the month of August and we only have 4 more months until the year is over! I have trouble believing it as it feels relatively fast but slow at the same time.

But during this time, we interviewed various Japanese language teachers all across the U.S. to know what motivated them to learn Japanese and decide to consider Japanese teaching as their career. There were so many great stories and it's nice to see that everyone loved Japan and the language. Their love and dedication is such a positive influence to students and the students are sure blessed to have great teachers! The link to the videos and the descriptions are on our website so please take a look!

https://www.jflalc.org/jle-whyjapanese

2019 Kanji of the Year!

I hope everyone is having a great wrap up for this year! 2019 is hastily coming to an end and before we know it, it'll be 2020 and start of a new decade! It's exciting to be in a time where technology and accessibility is readily available to study and be exposed to Japan and the Japanese language anytime and anywhere! I hope The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles continues to connect teachers and students to Japan and we hope to continue to do so for 2020.

Yesterday, there was news that mentioned the kanji 'Rei' from Reiwa, was chosen as 2019 kanji of the year! We were able to witness the change in era this year and see the excitement towards the new era. The video and more details of previous kanji of the year is listed on the link below!


https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/12/12/national/rei-reiwa-era-name-japan-kanji-year/#.XfKHLehKiM8

Thinking of a kanji for yourself to sum up your year is a fun and great activity to look back at what you accomplished for the year and see what kanji you have learned so far!

I hope everyone has a great holiday season and a great remainder of 2019 :).

Nan Desu Kan Anime Convention in Denver!

I hope our wonderful Japanese teachers are having a great start of the school year or having a ! We received information from JBAR ( Japanese Business Associations of the Rockies) that from today (8/23) to Sunday (8/25), there is an anime convention at Denver Sheraton Downtown! There will be games, cosplay, and other various forms of Japanese entertainment so please check it out! The website is https://ndkdenver.org/  !

Share-Worthy

Here are some recent interesting and thought-provoking articles you can use to share and discuss with your students, school, and/or community!

ハンバーグが餃子になってもいい、「注文を間違える料理店」のすべて - How do community members face issues arising from their population demographics?

こども食堂オープン（宮崎県日南市） - How do communities help give a sense of place to their children?

Learn Japanese as You Binge on Netflix Anime How can anime help Japanese language learning?

As the Earth Feels Ever Smaller, Demand for Translators and Interpreters Skyrocket What is in store for those who hope to translate Japanese in the future?

Japanese Game Fans to Nintendo: We Want Translated, Not Localized Games When bringing products to the West, how do fans feel about the localization process?

Do you or your students have an interesting news article that you can use for other teachers or students? Please share them with us!