Visiting Japan Without Knowing Japanese

For the native Japanese speaker, English poses a couple distinct problems in pronunciation. The first being the basic pronunciation of l and r. As is stated in Nakama 1: 'the [r] sound in Japanese'is neither [l] nor [r] in English(p. 12).' The Japanese speaker has difficulty separating and pronouncing the sounds of l and r as he or she has a predisposition to pronounce them as a hybridized sound being both l and r. Another difficulty in English pronunciation for Japanese speakers is the non-phonetic/non-pictographic nature of English. The twp basic Japanese alphabets, the Hiragana and Katakana, are phonetic alphabets, the Hiragana used for Japanese words and particles, while the Katakana is used for foreign words transferred into Japanese. Given these two alphabets, the Japanese are...  [Read more]

Teaching English to Japanese students can be very difficult because of cultural and lingual differences. Japanese students are very different from American and European students. An advantage is their tendency to be more reserved and well behaved. However, they do not like to speak in class because they do not want to appear arrogant (Ikeda). This is a cultural custom and it will take extra encouragement to coax the students to talk. Also, students do not like to make eye contact and will become very embarrassed if they do not know an answer (Ikeda). Teachers must be sensitive to these manners in order to conduct a comfortable class for the students. A gradual progression toward a more English style class will be the most productive approach to classroom differences (Kawano).One major...  [Read more]

Japanese people are known to be well educated. In the case of English, most people have at least six years of English learning experience in school. However in reality, the majority of those people are not able to hold a short, basic conversation in English, even just a few lines of greeting. A language is a communication tool. If you cannot communicate with it, it is pointless to spend so much time and effort on learning it' Thus, clearly something is ineffective in the way that English was taught in Japan to my generation or to the generations who are old enough to prove this inefficient result. In this article, I try to describe the problems that Japanese people have and the appropriate teaching aspects in terms of their English fluency and pronunciation, from the perspective of both a...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in TanjiAwAn Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Huaihua Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. I have taught in a Japanese high school for the past four years as an Assistant language teacher, which gives me a particular insight into the problems and advantages of EFL in that area. This will naturally require some generalizations. Individuals have very different problems from one another, but broader shared issues do crop up. For context, I work in two...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in WushengguAn Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Suizhou Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. So, you’ve just finished a delicious meal of sushi at your favorite sushi restaurant in Tokyo. The waitress comes by and leaves the check at your table, you place your money inside, hand it back, and she shortly returns with the receipt. You proceed to place a generous tip on the table to thank her for her wonderful service, and you show yourself out of the...  [Read more]

Japan has been a popular destination amongst English language teachers for many years due to its widespread job opportunities, good salaries and fascinating culture. Whilst there are other countries in the region where the cost of living may be lower and the wages a little higher, nowhere provides such an incredible mix of modern development and ancient traditions as you will find in this extraordinary country. If you are looking for excitement and adventure, look no further than Japan. In order to work legally you will need to be eligible for a work visa. The good news is the criteria is not as tough as many other countries as you simply need to possess a degree in any subject. The only other qualifications you need are a fluency in the English language, a professional approach and a...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Gedian KAifAqu? Are you interested in teaching English in Ezhou Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. What are Problems for Learners in Japan? Most of my experience in teaching students English as a second language has been with Japanese students. My students have been as young as four and as old as eighty. When I was first asked to teach, it was 1984; from there my journey began and my journey continues. The Japanese language phonology consists of five vowel...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in BAtAn Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Yancheng Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. Japan is one of the most advanced and powerful countries in the world, and has a close relationship with English speaking countries like the US and Australia. Huge cities spread across the country, many of them are centers of international businesses and some of the most popular destinations of global tourism. One can imagine the importance of the international...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Qingshuzui Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Yiyang Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. Regardless of Japanese government’s efforts to increase the number of foreign tourists to be a tourism-oriented country and to have been retaining compulsory English education for decades, Japanese people still have a reputation of being bad at English. The average TOEIC and TOEFL scores for Japanese are one of the worst among advanced nations. South Korea was...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in YanwAnghu Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Changde Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. There are several challenges Japan faces when it comes to learning English as a second language. Japanese culture is a bubble. Everything, including their ad signs, TV, games, government, studies, work and even the internet is filled with one language; Japanese. In a world of globalization, where your goods and services can come from literally any part of the...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Yintian Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Xiangtan Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. During my stay in Japan, Japanese people often told me how they can’t communicate in English despite studying the language for six or more years in school. In Japan, students in junior and senior high learn English grammar and vocabulary in compulsory formal English classes. English is also taught in elementary school as foreign language activities. Yet despite...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Zhuhe Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Jingzhou Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. I first decided to take this TEFL course because I am currently teaching English in rural Japan. I plan and execute English lessons for Junior High School students, as well as serve as a cultural representative of my country and foster cultural exchange. Here's the catch though - I don't speak Japanese. I've had to think a lot about how to get students to like me and...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in ZhAjiAng Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Hengyang Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. Japan is a country continuously changing at a rapid pace largely due to globalization and marketing. With its growing popularity and necessity, difficulties are sure to arise for people learning English and specifically, in Japan. To fully understand all the problems learners face in Japan, it is important to realize why English is so widely being studied in the...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Zhitang Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Zhuzhou Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. English is a mandatory subject in Japanese education. Students start to learn English in the classroom from 3rd grade in elementary school up until high school. By the time they reach university, they have at least learned English for 10 years. However, according to recent study by EF Education First in their annual English Education Index, Japan is rated as “low...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Zhaoji Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Huai'an Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. In my time teaching English to beginner-level students in Japan, teaching pronunciation has presented a number of challenges. One reason for this is the difference in size between the Japanese and English phonemic inventories, with the former being significantly smaller. Another significant issue deals with students’ preconceptions of what English ought to sound...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in BaijiA Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Changsha Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. 10. Problems for learners in a country of your choice In this essay I will be discussing the problems for young Japanese learners of English, and what problems Japanese learners often encounter as well as explaining some of the reasons why teachers can run into problems while teaching in Japan. I will be referring to the book “The Smart Guide to Teaching English...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Heboling Linchang? Are you interested in teaching English in Shaoyang Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. I have been living in Japan for the past one and a half years. Needless to say, the experience has been enthralling. This country would have never been my first choice for a country to relocate to, from my home country, India. But if my stay has taught me anything, it is that never judge a book by its cover. When we think of Japan, the first thing that pops up...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Qingfeng Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Yancheng Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. ITTT’s TEFL course presented information about different teaching methodologies, as well as the positives and drawbacks of each method. The course also mentioned how students culture and first language can have a profound effect on learning approaches. Therefore, naturally the teaching styles practiced in ESL classrooms vary greatly across the world. I have...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Changjiao Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Yiyang Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. English is causing many problems in Asian countries which can be seen just by the high demand of English teachers - including ESL teachers. One of the countries is Japan, a country with a good economy and a society well known for their kindness and politeness, but unfortunately also for the low number of English speakers. There are many reasons why English is...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Xiaogang Guanliqu? Are you interested in teaching English in Jingzhou Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. 10: Problems for learners in a country of your choice – Japan Japan is a Pacific Island nation whose history is marked by periods of nationalism and seclusion, as the Japanese government closed the borders to international trade. The lack of foreign influence in Japan has enabled a unique culture to flourish and the population to remain nearly 98%...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Zhonglupu Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Xiangtan Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. ITTT - TEFL Summative Text 10. Problems for learners in a country of your choice Title: The cultural and institutional obstacles that Japanese students of English must overcome Many challenges come with teaching English in Japan that are unique and not innately obvious to some people. In addition to the more universal challenges of learning a new language, there...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Limin? Are you interested in teaching English in Zhuzhou Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. English language education (ELE) in Japan has gone through many changes in the last two decades to improve the country’s rank on privately administered English language proficiency tests such as the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC). According to EF Education First, an international education company that specializes in teaching languages, Japan is...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Yuetian Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Yueyang Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. No English environment causes problems for learners in Japan. In Japanese kindergartens children have 4 times a month or more depending on the kindergarten, English classes taught by an English native teacher. They will sing, dance, play and practice English in a fun way. Once at home they would use the new language as they had fun and remembered it. A year later,...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in ChenjiAhe Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Zhangjiajie Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. I have been teaching at a senior high school as an assistant language teacher in Japan for the past year and a half. Here are some of the problems faced by my students and by myself in the classroom and some ways I have found to resolve them. The problem in every school in every country in the world is, of course, motivation, and this is a problem that can...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in HAke Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Hulunbei'er Shi — Hulunbuir? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. Pronunciation according to https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary is the way in which words are spoken. It refers to how quickly, slowly or correctly each sound in a word is produced. English overall is a complex mixture of different sounds, stress, intonation, and rhythm, so it isn’t a surprise that many foreigners have difficulty with...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Shenfugang Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Zhuzhou Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. Japan has ever been a country that separates itself from the outside world. Until 1853 Japan’s gates were almost closed for every foreign who would come to cross the border. However, since July 1853 the Japanese started to get more and more influenced by the western culture. But also due to the end of World War II, the Japanese government as well as the...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in GulubanhAo Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Chifeng Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. For the past three years I have lived and worked in Japan. Even though I had majored in Japanese and had studied abroad before, working there has presented it’s own set of challenges and difficulties. One of the major challenges I’ve faced is working with teachers who are tasked to teach English and yet they themselves have very little to no English ability....  [Read more]

Tokyo is the venue for the tefl international course in japan. An incredible city on the edge of the Orient, Tokyo is the last great conurbation before the Pacific Ocean, and is one of the world's most fascinating cities. Take a step back from the big city bustle and the frenetic main roads and you'll find yourself in a world of tranquil backstreets, where wooden houses are fronted by neatly clipped bonsai trees; wander beyond the high-tech department stores, and you'll find ancient temples and shrines. In this city of 24-hour shops and vending machines, a festival is held virtually every day of the year, with the locals regularly visiting their local shrine or temple and scrupulously observing the passing seasons. At the centre of it all is the mysterious green void of the Imperial...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Dahuan Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Jingzhou Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. This essay will be a comparison of my personal experience teaching English in Barbados, a country whose main language is English versus teaching English in a rural area in Japan, a country whose main language is Japanese (not English). Firstly, I will briefly discuss definitions of teaching. Secondly, I will summarize English education for young learners in each...  [Read more]

The following contain the results of my reading in to sources pertaining to the use of games in English classes. Most of my references, as cited in the sources list, were taken (and copied) with permission from Jouchi (Sophia) University. I have also drawn upon the teachings of Ray Ormandy, director of my present school (PLS) who has pioneered EFL methods in Japan for over 30 years, specifically in games for children´s classes. 1. Why play games in the classroom There are many reasons to use games in English classes. Aside from the pure enjoyment of playing games as opposed to drilling or deskwork, games can be used to give spot reviews and reinforcement of specific parts of English (e.g. grammar, vocabulary). Games, especially for young learners, directly influence...  [Read more]