Japan has one of the most advanced economies in the world, and a knowledge of its language and culture opens doors for cultural understanding and economic opportunity.

The Program in Japanese  at UVM offers an undergraduate major and minor. We offer courses in Japanese language, literature, pop culture and a variety of courses such as history, religion, and art through the Asian Studies Program. The language courses are from elementary to advanced levels using the four language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Clair LeVier '18

As a student majoring in Japanese at UVM, studying abroad at Kansai Gaidai was the perfect complement to my degree and strengthened both my studies and my experience. I was able to grow so much as a person by traveling on my own to a foreign country and learning how to get around. Kansai Gaidai offers the perfect environment for an international student, as they have a strong international program and you will be able to meet other students from around the world, as well as become friends with local Japanese students. Along with this, the location of the university is perfect as it is right in between the bustling city of Osaka (great night life and shopping) and the beautiful old capital Kyoto, with both cities being easily accessible by train. I then attended Aoyama Gakuin in Tokyo for my second semester abroad, and I can honestly say that although both places have a lot to offer, I was glad that I was able to experience the Kansai region and study at Kansai Gaidai. While being able to experience all that the Kansai region has to offer, you will be able to improve your language skills tremendously and make friends from around the world.

Danielle Tom '18

Describing my study abroad experience at Toyo University in the heart (or one of the major arteries—not too sure, I never took anatomy or geography) of the largest city in the world in one short paragraph is just as hard as trying to swim to Japan from California. But I’ll do my best! Class time was short, in all honesty you spend almost no time in the classroom and all the time exploring the city, going on trips or just hanging out (but the learning part is real—I had friends go from not knowing ANY Japanese to having conversations in only one semester, these professors really know what they’re doing). Not only was class short though, it was also really fun, the professors know that we’re studying abroad and the last thing we want to do is sit in class so we went on field trips to places we as foreigners never would have thought to go (and they were amazing), the lectures were always done with a large amount of passion and zeal so even the earliest class at 10:05 was a blast.

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For field trips we went to places like the Cup Ramen Museum where we got to make our very own ramen noodles and the Disaster Prevention Museum where we experienced a simulated earthquake and got to wear full-body rain suits to experience typhoon conditions! Living in the city was one of the greatest decisions I’ve ever made. I honestly didn’t think I’d like it at first, I mean, I chose to go to UVM because it was a campus and not exactly a city but still a “city”. But Tokyo is amazing, I would have days where I’d want to do something but wouldn’t know what and I would just go for a walk down to the park and there’d be some kind of festival going on or I’d find some side street that I’d never seen before and venture down it to find some historical place, shrine, or small museum. I lived there for a year and there’s honestly so much that I have never and probably will never see just because it’s so vast and there’s always new things to see and do. But, one thing that I want you to take away from this is, everyone will say “It’ll change your life” but that’s not it, “Japan” doesn’t change your life, YOU change your life in Japan and it makes everything worthwhile.

Ciara Ertle '17

I first became interested in teaching English abroad when I was younger and my grandma told me about her experience teaching English in South Korea. It seemed like such an adventurous and fun thing to do so I was really excited to call and tell my grandma the news that I was taking a page from her book and going to live in Japan. I started studying Japanese at UVM because of Murakami Haruki. He is a world famous, modern Japanese novelist whose books I am obsessed with. I wanted to learn more about the language in which his books were originally written and I found Japanese to be very beautiful and interesting. But very soon after starting Japanese class, I was bitten by the bug of Japanese literature and language and added Asian Studies as another major to accompany the English one I was already working on. I took classes on Japanese history, literature, modern culture, language, and even other Asian religions and philosophies. I think I ended up taking more classes than I even needed for that major. I mean, as proof that I couldn’t get enough and that I am a true Japanese literature geek, my friends formed a short summer book club to read and discuss Murakami novels with our professor after graduation. So it was only natural that in my sophomore year I would want to apply to study abroad in Japan. My friend and I completed the rigorous study abroad and visa application process and soon found ourselves on a plane to Tokyo to start at Japanese university.

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We had an incredible 5 months. We lived in a sharehouse apartment in Asakusa and got to meet people from all over the world. We took Japanese classes during the week and explored Japan every weekend. We even got part time jobs as English conversation tutors at our university. We had so many fun new experiences and were very sad to leave Japan when the semester finished. So much so, that after being back in the US for a little while, I knew I wanted to try to return to Japan. I applied to the JET Program, a program that assigns English speakers to be Assistant Language Teachers in Japanese public schools. When the March results came out, I was ecstatic to find out that I was assigned to be one out of the 84 English teachers living and working in Takasaki, Gunma. I have currently been teaching at my elementary school here for 8 months and I love it so much that I just recently decided to stay here a second year. Since I work at an elementary school, I am actually more of a T1 teacher instead of an assistant, meaning I plan and run all my own lessons (about 16 a week) with the assistance of the home room teachers. But I love every second of it. I work at a smaller school with about 200 kids. So now I have 200 little best friends that love to play English games with me, bring me random rock and acorn gifts after recess, play tag and dodgeball with me outside, draw Pokémon with me, and play seemingly endless games of Rock Paper Scissors. I feel so lucky that I am happy to go to work every morning because of these crazy amazing kids, and I am so glad I pushed myself to have a completely new and scary adventure. Of course living alone in a foreign country can be very difficult at times, but I think that the experiences I have here will be some of the most important of my life.

Christopher Mahmood "17

Ever since I was in middle school, I was interested in Japan, but when I first arrived at UVM in 2012, I had very different aspirations. However, after taking Professor Ikeda’s Japanese Popular Culture class, and meeting the other department faculty at the various events hosted by the program and Japanese House, I decided to take the plunge and change to a Japanese major. After taking lectures with hundreds of students who I would never really get to know, taking small classes with other Japanese learners and the amazing faculty was a wonderful experience. The language courses are well-paced and rewarding, and in my five years at UVM I never had more intellectually challenging and interesting courses than when I took Professor Ikeda’s Japanese Literature courses. There’s also a ton of opportunities to learn about Japan through classes offered in collaboration with other departments as well, such as Samurai in History and Film, offered by Professor Erik Esselstrom in the History department. On top of the coursework, there were so many opportunities within the department outside of class, such as  the Anime Club, Taiko Club, and all kinds of guest lecturers and community events.

 

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The highlight of my Japanese Program experience, however, has to be studying abroad. I spent one year living in a quiet corner of Tokyo, studying at Toyo University through ISEP.  There, I had the time of my life improving my Japanese alongside students from all over the world, as well as taking classes with Japanese students. I even worked as a staff member at the English Community Zone, an English-only lounge for students studying English to hangout and ask questions. It was my time abroad that allowed me to put all I had learned at UVM into practice, and helped me decide to return to Japan after I graduated. On top of becoming much stronger in Japanese, I made tons of friends and connections for life, and learned what it’s like to actually live in Japan, not just visit as a tourist.
After I returned to UVM for my senior year, I was able to maintain my progress in Japanese through the challenging 5th year curriculum offered by the program, conducted entirely in Japanese. My time spent in the program came to a head when I applied for, and was accepted, as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) for the JET Programme, where college graduates from around the world are offered jobs teaching English across Japan. I now live and work as an assistant teacher for elementary school in the beautiful seaside town of Akkeshi, on the southern coast of Hokkaido. I use the Japanese I learned at UVM everyday, planning lessons with my homeroom teachers, or translating documents for my Board of Education at the town hall. If you had told me on my first day at UVM that a few years later I would be sitting here writing this at my desk in Japan, having just watched my first year of students graduate, I’m not sure if I would have believed you. But, thanks to the all of the support and knowledge I gained through UVM’s Japanese Program, here we are!

 

Morgan Velba '17 – Thriving Outside the Comfort Zone

Velba poses in front of a bookcase

"Studying abroad in Osaka for my junior year was by far the most rewarding decision I've made in my academic career. Being alone in a foreign country was intimidating at first; I was forced to use my Japanese language skills every step of the way. Through complete immersion, however, I rapidly increased my listening and reading comprehension skills. I participated in a Speaking Partner program and was able to practice speaking Japanese in a casual setting on a regular basis. My confidence in speaking Japanese has vastly improved; I used to be extremely shy but I immediately began coming out of my shell the moment I landed in Kansai Airport and needed to figure everything out on my own, from reading kanji on signs to asking strangers for directions . . . I loved exploring by myself and striking up conversations with the Japanese locals; you can learn so much more from speaking with somebody than you ever could through textbooks alone."

Eric Warshawsky ’17: Total Immersion

Warshawsky smiling, flowers in the background

"I have always been interested in learning languages and had been studying Russian for several years but during my second year at UVM, I decided to take Japanese due to my prior interest in Japan, its language, and culture. Study Abroad was always something I wanted to do, and during the second semester of my third year I went to Aoyama Gakuin, located in the center of Tokyo. . . . It is instantly and constantly rewarding to be in a country whose citizens speak the language you are studying . . . While I worked hard in my classes, especially my Japanese classes, there was also a lot of time to travel and explore outside of Tokyo. I went to many rural areas around Tokyo as well as Matsumoto Castle, Mount Fuji, Kyoto, and Osaka. Each one of these trips not only was a fun way to experience more aspects of Japanese culture, but taught me so much about Japan and Japanese."

Japanese Spoken Here

At UVM you'll find many opportunities to learn and practice language skills--our students typically learn to conduct simple conversations, read, and write during their first semester. Above, students practice their conversational skills while dining at a local Japanese restaurant.

The Japanese House

Part of UVM’s Global Village initiative, the Japanese House is open to students currently studying Japanese, students who have previously studied Japanese culture or language, and those with native or near-native Japanese fluency willing to share their knowledge and skills. The goal of this house is to explore Japanese language and culture through shared activities in a community atmosphere.