What's On

(This event is now fully booked.)

We are delighted to announce that the Finals Day for the Japanese Language Championship for Young Learners UK (JaLaChamp) 2024 will take place on Saturday 11^th May 2024 at Japan House London.

JaLaChamp is a contest for primary and secondary school students studying Japanese, and consists of two categories: a speech category, and a video category where students are asked to create an original video. This is the second time that JaLaChamp will take place and once again we received many applications from all across the country.

On Finals Day, each speech category finalist will give a speech on a topic of their choice in front of an audience consists of the panel of judges, teachers, fellow students and their families. We will also be playing the videos of the video category finalists projected on a large screen in the Japan House London Hall! There will be special prizes for all finalists taking part. 

Speeches and videos will be followed by a special talk by Dr Catherine Butler. Dr Butler is Reader in English Literature at Cardiff University, and her latest book, “British Children’s Literature in Japanese Culture: Wonderlands and Looking-Glasses”, published in 2023, looks into the relationship of the Japanese with British children’s literature. She has also published six novels for children and teenagers. She will talk about the fun of translating stories from a different cultural context and conveying messages. 　

Registration for this year’s JaLaChamp finals day has closed as the application have reached the maximum capacity. We are planning to upload recordings of the speeches and the applicants’ videos to our YouTube channel after Finals Day. Please follow this page and the News section of our website for further updates.

This event is generously supported by (in alphabetical order):

Date:	11 May 2024
Download JaLaChamp2024 Finals Day Programme

The Japan Foundation offices (Paris, Budapest and London) will jointly hold an online teachers’ seminar on the topic ‘A Discussion on ‘Japanese for Children’ with the teachers who wrote “Ohisama - Hajime no Ippo”’ on 2nd June 2024 (Sunday).

The theme, date and time of the seminar are as follows. Please find the event details below, written in Japanese.

*Please note that information is only available in Japanese, as the seminar will be conducted in Japanese. Thank you for your understanding.

 Theme: A Discussion on ‘Japanese for Children’ with the teachers who wrote “Ohisama - Hajime no Ippo”

 Date/Time: 2nd June 2024 (Sunday),  9:00-11:30 (BST/UTC+1)

 Application Deadline: 26th May 2024 (Sunday)

Online form

 Enquiries:

 The Japan Foundation, Paris: kenshu@mcjp.fr (Japanese / French)

  The Japan Foundation, London enquiries: events.japanese@jpf.go.jp  (Japanese / English)

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このたびパリ日本文化会館が中心となり、国際交流基金の欧州3拠点共催で2024年6月2日（日）にオンライン日本語教師研修会を開催する運びとなりました。

今回は、特に低年齢の子どもさん向けに開発された日本語教科書『おひさま‐はじめのいっぽ‐』の執筆者である3人の先生方を招いてのセミナーです。先生方に本の紹介していただきつつ、日本語を学んでいる子どもたちについてみなさんといっしょに考えたいと思います。

多くの方にご参加いただけると幸いです。

テーマ：「『おひさま―はじめのいっぽ―』執筆者の先生方と考える「こどものための日本語」」

日時：2024年6月2日（日）9:00-11:30 （英国夏時間）

形式：オンライン（Zoom）

使用言語：日本語

対象：欧州在住で子供に対する日本語教育に関心があるすべての方

　　　（上記の方を主たる対象としていますが、その他の地域の方の参加も可能です）

講師：山本絵美（Emi Yamamoto）ライデン大学日本学科講師

　　　上野淳子（Junko Ueno）　  てらこや＠アムステルダム主任講師

　　　米良好恵（Yoshie Mera）　  おひさまプロジェクト代表

申込：https://forms.office.com/r/2zbcERxR9c（5月26日（日））

チラシhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1PwgnaryWnrNtb8bstTn5UOJSzXXNVIP8/view?usp=sharing

              ※ポスターの時刻は、中央ヨーロッパ夏時間です。英国、アイルランドからのご参加のみなさま、どうぞ時差にご注意ください。

問い合わせ先 : kenshu@mcjp.fr

　　　　　　　国際交流基金パリ日本文化会館 日本語事業部

　　　　　　 （担当：三浦多佳史、佐藤健、ナス・エミール、谷口萌子）

WEB

Title: Online Seminar – How to Start Extensive Reading in Japanese/ オンライン研修会「日本語多読のはじめ方」

Text：

The Japan Foundation offices (Madrid, Budapest and London) will jointly hold an online teachers’ seminar on the topic ‘How to Start Extensive Reading in Japanese’ on 14th June 2024 (Friday).

The theme, date and time of the seminar are as follows. Please find the event details below written in Japanese.

*Please note that information is only available in Japanese, as the seminar will be conducted in Japanese. Thank you for your understanding.

,

 Theme: How to Start Extensive Reading in Japanese

 Date/Time: 14th June 2024 (Friday),  9:00-11:00 (BST/UTC+1)

 Application Deadline: 2nd June 2024 (Sunday)

Online form

 Enquiries:

 The Japan Foundation, Madrid:  nihongo.kyoshi@jpf.go.jp  (Japanese / Spanish)

 The Japan Foundation, London enquiries: events.japanese@jpf.go.jp  (Japanese / English)

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このたびマドリード日本文化センターが中心となり、国際交流基金の欧州3拠点共催で2024年6月14日（金）にオンライン日本語教師研修会を開催する運びとなりました。

今回のテーマは「日本語多読のはじめ方」。

『言語教育における多読』（くろしお出版）の訳者のお一人、渡部倫子先生をお呼びしての開催です。

多くの方にご参加いただけると幸いです。

テーマ：日本語多読のはじめ方

日時：2024年6月14日（金）9:00-11:00 （英国夏時間）

形式：オンライン（Zoom）

使用言語：日本語

対象：多読に関心のある方

講師：渡部倫子  先生 (広島大学 大学院人間社会科学研究科 教授)

申込：Online form（6月2日（金））

チラシ

              ※ポスターの時刻は、スペイン・ポルトガル時刻で表示されています。英国、アイルランドからのご参加のみなさまは、ポルトガルと同じ時間帯です。どうぞ時差にご注意ください。

講師からのメッセージ：

日本語教育の分野で2000年代に急速に注目されはじめ、現在では多くの教育機関で実践されている多読。その目的や効果には、どのようなものがあるでしょうか。また、精読とはどんな違いがあるのでしょうか。この講演では、多読の目的を明確にしたうえで、研究結果に基づいた多読の効果や、多読を取り入れたカリキュラムのポイントや活動例などについて丁寧に紹介します。

講師略歴：

広島大学にて博士号（教育学）を取得後、岡山大学言語教育センター等で日本語教育に従事し、現在は広島大学大学院日本語教育学講座の教授として、日本語教員養成と主に言語評価に関する研究を行っている。主な著書に『言語教育における多読』（くろしお出版）、『日本語でPEACE CLIL実践ガイド』（凡人社）、『算数文章題が解けない子どもたち』（岩波書店）など。Language Assessment Quarterly,  Journal of Extensive Reading,『日本語教育学』、『第二言語としての日本語の習得研究』、『日本テスト学会誌』などに論文を発表している。日本語教育学会の理事、第二言語習得研究会のジャーナル委員長、日本言語テスト学会の研究会運営委員、広島市日本語教育総合調整会議の座長などを歴任。

問い合わせ先 : 国際交流基金マドリード日本文化センター 　nihongo.kyoshi@jpf.go.jp

Date:	14 June 2024 from 9.00am to 11.00am
Venue:	Online event
Download JP Extensive Reading_Flyer

Spring 2024 Applications Now OPEN!

 Institutions can apply for up to £3000 for non-profit-making projects or activities which promote Japanese language education in the UK. Please see the attached documents at the bottom of this page for more detailed information.

We prioritise projects that fit into one of the four following categories:

• Category 1 - Newly Introducing Japanese into the curriculum

Up to £3,000 for projects that promote the introduction of Japanese into the curriculum (or onto the main school timetable) at primary and secondary schools. This grant covers staff costs and the cost of Japanese language books. Projects may take place online or offline.

• Category 2 - Supporting GCSE or A-level courses

Up to £3,000 for projects that support GCSE or A-level courses. Particularly, if schools/organisations require support to ensure a large number of candidates are able to take formal qualifications in Japanese, they will be able to maintain their project by re-applying the following year. This means organisations will be able to apply for up to a total of £6,000 over two years. (Please note that we do not supplement the salary of teacher(s) already hired by the applying organisation.) Covers staff costs and costs of Japanese language books. Projects may take place online or offline.

• Category 3 – New Japanese clubs

Up to £2,000 for organisations that newly introduce Japanese as an extracurricular activity or enrichment subject. In the case of schools, this is even if this is not within the school timetable. Covers staff cost, Japanese language book cost, some costs for items contributing to Japanese language learning, such as origami and calligraphy materials. Clubs may take place online or offline.

• Category 4 - Projects that enable links between primary/secondary institutions and institutions of higher education

Up to £3,000 for projects that strengthen connections between secondary institutions and institutions of higher education and create and/or strengthen networks among pupils, students, and teachers for the purpose of helping to promote Japanese language education in the UK. These projects can be aimed at both potential learners of Japanese and people who already are learning Japanese. This is a recently added category, so please contact us if you have any questions or would like to apply but are unsure as to whether your project is suitable. These projects may take place online or offline.

Application deadline: 23^rd May 2024, 23:59 (Thursday) 

General Information document

LPSP 2024-2025 Grant Flowchart

Grant Application Form (May 2024)

We would be grateful if you could read the General Information document and the Grant Flowchart document before submitting an application.

If you have any questions, please contact info.language@jpf.go.jp

Please also refer to the “General Information” document above for detailed answers to many frequently asked questions.

Related Event!

Click here to find out about our seminar for potential applications for the Local Project Support Programme!

Date:	23 April 2024 - 23 May 2024
Download LPSP General Information Spring 2024-2025
Download LPSP Flowchart Spring 2024-2025
Download LPSP Application Form Spring 2024-2025

You can find information on the programme as well as links to download an application form by clicking here

Are you considering applying for funding but aren’t sure about how to go about it? Do you have a project in mind but aren’t sure if it’s eligible? We would strongly recommend that you sign up to take part in our Online Seminar and Q&A session.

During this half-hour session, a member of our staff will talk participants through the application process, and then open the floor to questions and answers. We want to make sure the application process is as easy-to-understand as possible.

This session will be held twice on 8^th May 2024 (Thursday)

1. First Session: 13:00 to 13:30

2. Second Session: 18:00 to 18:30

We will be using Zoom software. Once you have applied we will send you information on how to join the session.

Attendance is free but booking is essential. If you would like to take part, please sign up 7^th May 2024 (Tue).

This seminar will be held in English but the presenter is a bilingual Japanese-English speaker. Please use Japanese at in this application form and at the Q&A if you would prefer.

Fill out the application form here

Applications are now open for JaLaChamp 2024!

Latest updates

• 07/12 - Speech Category deadline extended!
• 31/10 - Prospective applicants and their teachers/guardians can now check out our Frequently Asked Questions document.
• 26/10 - Check out our JaLaChamp 2024 outline video!
• 18/10 - You can now download Video Creation Hints!

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JaLaChamp, or Japanese Language Championship for Young Learners UK, is a contest for primary and secondary school students studying Japanese. There are two categories - the speech category, where students give a speech on a theme of their choice, and the video category where students are asked to create an original video either by individual or part of a group.

The world is changing very quickly. Technology is advancing, and nowadays if we have a computer or a smartphone we can send a message to anyone in the world. In a time like this, we should always consider the following questions: “What message do I want to convey and how?” Using the voice, the written word, visuals, design and more – there are many ways to express ourselves. It is important to be able to combine these different choices of expression to create a way of expressing ourselves that others can understand, empathise with or be persuaded by.

We want to encourage students to share with us their thoughts and viewpoints, as well as show us their creativity in full and have fun challenging themselves by entering this contest and using their Japanese!

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Application deadline for the Speech Category: 6^th December 2023 (Wednesday), 15:00

The Speech Category Deadline has been EXTENDED.

New Speech Category Deadline: 24th January 2024 (Wednesday), 15:00

(Please note that the application guidelines, application form, application poster etc display the previous deadline)

• Speech Category Application Form

Application deadline for the Video Category: 24^th January 2024 (Wednesday), 15:00

• Video Category Application Form

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1. Download Guidelines and Event Poster

• English Guidelines
• Japanese Guidelines
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Download our JaLaChamp 2024 poster
• Watch our JaLaChamp 2024 Outline Video

2. Reference Materials for Students

• Video Creation Hints
• Videos of JaLaChamp 2023

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• Finals day: 11th May 2024 (Saturday)
• Venue: Japan House London, 101-111 Kensington High Street, London, W8 5SA

* Please note: The Finals Day of JaLaChamp 2023 was held in July, however the JaLaChamp 2024 Finals Day will be held in May

Date:	25 September 2023 - 24 January 2023
Download JaLaChamp 2024 Poster (1)
Download JaLaChamp2024_Application Guideline_EN
Download JaLaChamp2024_Application Guideline_JP
Download JaLaChamp2024_Video Creation Hints
Download JaLaChamp FAQ

The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is a test for non-native speakers of Japanese which evaluates and certifies their Japanese-Language proficiency. The test takes place twice a year (July and December) in Japan and various locations around the world. Currently, it is the largest Japanese language test in the world, with more than 1.36 million people in 87 countries worldwide having registered for the JLPT in 2019.

The next JLPT will take place on Sunday, 7^th July 2024. Registration will start at each test centre in March. 

Please check this page for any updates on UK test centres for the July 2024 JLPT. For application opening dates and registration details, please refer to each university’s website using the links below:

Japan Research Centre, SOAS University of London

University of Leicester

Please note that the JLPT is very popular and registration at each test centre will close when the test centre has reached its maximum capacity.

For more information about the test, please visit JLPT website.

Ø  Let’s Try Sample Questions!

Ø  Download a Guide to the 2024 Japanese-Language Proficiency Test.

Date:	7 July 2024
Download guide_2024