*If you turn on the “Furigana” button at the top of this page, hiragana will be added to the kanji.

Who can participate

This program is for people who want to study Japanese but cannot attend local Japanese classes for reasons such as being

  • busy with work,
  • having small children and being unable to go outside for long periods of time,
  • or the Japanese language classes is far and don’t have a car.

Course details

  • You will be able to communicate in easy Japanese.
  • This is an A1 level* course for adults.
  • Practice conversation. You will not study grammar.
  • There will be 10 times for 90 minutes lessons in total.
  • We will use our original teaching material, “Tonari de Nihongo.” Themes include “Self-introduction,” “My Favorite Things,” “My Hometown,” and “My Day Off.”
  • It is free.
  • This is a course for people who cannot attend Japanese language classes and who live in Shimane Prefecture.*Please click here for information on Japanese language levels.

Steps before starting the course

Applications for April 2025 to March 2026

  1. April 4th to April 18th
  2. June 6th to June 20th
  3. July 11th to July 25th
  4. September 5th to September 19th
  5. September 25th to October 20th

For those who want to participate…

① Apply to Shimane International Center (SIC).

Please apply from the application page during the application period.

When applying, please let us know when and where you would like to study.

The place of study can be chosen from the learner’s own home, a public facility near their home (※), online (Zoom), etc.

*Public facilities: public halls, community centers, etc.

[Application page]

English

② SIC will match you with a Japanese language partner.

③ You will meet with your Japanese language partner to confirm the content of your studies and decide on a schedule. Shimane International Center staff and an interpreter will also participate in the meeting.

④ Your studies will begin.

Speeches by learners of “Tonari de Nihongo”

Some of the mini-speeches by learners who have studied “Tonari de Nihongo” are available on the SIC YouTube channel. Please visit the video.

  • Click here for the speeches in 2021.
  • Click here for the speeches in 2023.
  • Click here for the speeches in 2024.