Speak to the Future has just launched a campaign calling for everyone to learn 1,000 words of a foreign language - a level that will allow them to hold simple conversations in another tongue. The project is funded by the British Academy and Routes into Languages, and is backed by a broad coalition of organisations including the British Council and the Japan Foundation, London. We hope that lots of people will try to learn their first 1000 words in Japanese!

How to get started for individuals:
A good way to get started is to have a look at the fantastic resources on the Japan Foundation’s portal website Nihongo iina (including various Japanese language application’s for Android or iOS.) or you can try the new Language and culture course website, Marugoto Plus.

We will continue to hold Japanese from Scratch events, that allow people to dip their toes into Japanese language learning, as well as our Language and Culture Course for Beginners. We will be giving out hiragana and katakana charts along with plenty of useful Japanese language learning advice at the upcoming Japan Matsuri and Language Show Live, so come and visit us at these events. Please subscribe to our ebulletin or check out our What's On page to see what other events are coming up.

How to get started for teachers:
Teachers that would like to take their first steps in learning Japanese can attend our free Basic Japanese Language and Culture Course for teachers during the upcoming autumn half term. We also have a free Japanese for primary schools event in November to demonstrate how to introduce Japanese language classes into primary schools (and have a go at learning Japanese yourself!) For teachers that already know basic Japanese, we have the J-Basic Online course that would like to build up their language skills, to get you closer to your first 1000 words.

How to get started for schools:
If your school would like to introduce Japanese, we have a huge range of support to help you get started. We have a network of volunteers who can visit your school to give a free Japanese language taster. We have a funding programme, a large selection of free online resources and a fantastic library (including a loan-by-post service) with approximately 10,000 items to help you teach Japanese language and culture.

日本語のことば1000語に挑戦！
Let’s get learning at least 1000 words in Japanese!