News and Reports Archive

The Japan Foundation London were sad to say sayoonara to Senior Japanese Language Advisor Dr Seiji Fukushima, who transferred to Japan last month. Here is a message from Fukushima-sensei:  『2月7日に4年間働いたロンドンから日本に帰りました。英国の皆さんには、4年間、いろいろお世話になりました。ありがとうございました。 4年間の任期の後半は初等教育の教材づくりのため小学校に通いました。小学生は、授業が面白ければ参加してくれる、面白くなければ遊び始める、という非常に素直（正直?）な学習者でした。ただ、子どもたちが「面白い」と思った時の吸収力、学習能力は本当に素晴らしいです。今後、もっと多くの小学校で、子どもたちが日本語や日本文化を学ぶことを通して、世界の広さや自分の可能性を知ってほしいと思っています。 では、みなさん。世界のどこかで、またお目にかかる日を楽しみにしています。」“On the 7th of February, I returned to Japan after working for four years in London. I would like…

Dr Seiji Fukushima, the Chief Language Advisor for Japan Foundation London, has spent the last 4 years researching and teaching in London. For his final seminar in the UK, 58 attendees joined Dr Fukushima on the 20th of January 2015, to hear about the possibilities for Japanese language education in…

On 29th November 2014, the Japan Foundation London in conjunction with the British Association for Teaching Japanese as a foreign language (BATJ) held a seminar on using JF Standard as an assessment tool in Japanese language education. This was led by Mayumi Mitsuya, Japanese Language Senior Specialist at Japanese Cultural…

The Japan Foundation, London will be moving from our current office at Russell Square House to new premises in Holborn as of 15 December, 2014.  This will be a temporary arrangement until we move into a new office in central London in FY2016.  We would like to thank you all for…

Ofsted have reacted very positively after observing a Japanese language class at Madley Primary school in Herefordshire.  The school received the following comments in their Ofsted report: “Pupils explore various religions and cultures, and have direct links with a range of schools around the world. This was typified by a lesson where…

As part of the Japan Foundation’s Primary Japanese Campaign to support and encourage primary schools teaching Japanese language, we took 19 headteachers to Japan from October 25th to November 1st 2014 to give them the chance to learn more about Japan and the Japanese education system. The programme included a…

What exactly are yokai, the monsters and ghouls of Japanese folklore? How were they thought of, and what purpose did the stories about them serve? And what might they look like if transplanted into a different cultural context, such as the modern-day UK?  These were just some of the questions…

Programme Officer – Position Vacant The Japan Foundation London                                                 Salary: £23k to £25k depending on experience and qualifications Expected start date: Early January 2015 THE ORGANISATION The Japan Foundation is Japan’s…

On the 22nd October 2014, 16 teachers of Japanese attended a seminar to learn more about WJEC’s Japanese Language Units. These qualifications can enhance Japanese language lessons by giving pupils the opportunity to gain formal recognition for their learning. The WJEC Language Units are small bite-sized QCF (Qualifications and Credit…

Forty teachers learned how to successfully combine technology with innovative teaching methods on October 29th 2014, at the Introduction to Flipped Learning for GCSE-level Japanese seminar held by Anne Rajakumar at the Japan Foundation London. Head of Japanese at Hockerill Anglo-European College, Anne-sensei has used the Japan Foundation’s Japanese Language…

The Institut Français, the Japan Foundation London and Network for Languages have created a new resource to support high-level language learning in the UK. This resource will help support students that study French at AS and A level in order to improve their oral communication in French while at the same…

A big thank you to everyone who visited the Japan Foundation’s stand at the Language Show Live on the 17th, 18th and 19th October at Olympia. Held once a year, the Language Show is the UK’s biggest event for language learners, teachers, linguists and anyone with a passion for languages.  The Japan Foundation’s stand…