Comprehensive Course of the Osaka YMCA Japanese Language School

YMCA’s comprehensive Japanese language course is one of the few programs of this nature to have received recognition. This course is mainly for students who wish to pursue higher education at colleges or professional schools.
Students with a short-term visa can take this course for 3 months while a student with a long-term visa can study for up to 2 years.
In order to stay for the long-term course, students must have a college visa. The office staff is willing to help students apply for this. It is also possible to participate in this program if the student has a different type of long-term visa. In order to stay for the 3-month (10 week) course, students need to have some type of short-term study permit.
*In order to be recognized by the Japanese Language Education Association, there is a stipulation regarding the number of study hours: 760 hours.

Comprehensive Japanese Subjects (22 class-hours/ week)

Japanese proficiency depends on the balance of the foundational language components: listening, speaking, reading and writing. In order to have steady improvement, courses for this class are offered 22 hours/ week (1class- hour = 50 minutes). This course is offered to beginners who start with the reading and writing of hiragana / katakana. As students study in their classes everyday and do assignments, after 1 ½ years to 2 years, students find that they can understand technical words without looking them up in the dictionary, they can understand the news,
and even debate current topics. Most students reach the advanced level of Japanese and are able to score well on the following tests which are looked at during the time of college application: Japanese Study Abroad test and the Japanese Language Proficiency Test which is recognized world-wide. Students in this program can take 2 hours of elective courses in their field of interest or purpose.

Current Japanese Situation (1 class-hour / week)

Japanese expressions, along with their meanings, and the cultural significance will be taught in this class. Students will learn about Japanese traditions, culture ,manners and customs as well as learn about the Japanese mind. Students will be given topics from which they must think how to express it to the others in the class. Sometimes the students will have group discussions and present skits as they strive to broaden and deepen their understanding of Japan and the language.

Social Studies Classes will help students deepen understanding of Japan. (2 class-hours/ week)

This comprehensive course is designed so that students can understand Japan and it’s society better. They will learn necessary vocabulary and how to express themselves. Classes held once per week:
*Japanese Society (modern)
* The world and Japan (world history and geography)

Students will participate in these Japanese-only classes, learn about matters that concern them, discuss large societal issues in Japanese. For example: world trade and environmental issues, “North-South problem”, Japanese, as well as world-wide territory ownership disputes – learn about these situations in Japanese and learn to vocalize your thoughts in Japanese. These activities will be good preparation for students going on for higher education. This course will help students attain a high level of Japanese language skill and will be very helpful for anyone pursuing further education, and those who are living in Japan and those with business needs.

ENGLISH TOEIC –One hour/ week

This course is indispensable for any student planning to further his education or get employment. TOEIC classes will measure how well you are doing and are offered to match the level of any student, from beginner to advanced. A translation class (translating into Japanese) is a useful class for advanced learners to take.
Required class for College Visa holders
Elective class for students with other visas.

Curriculum

*This sample is based on a 1-year course. The actual class schedule will change depending on the semester.

Category	Course	Course Description	yearly class time	weekly class time	remarks
Comprehensive Japanese subject	Comprehensive Japanese (introductory class)	Training with balance in the 4 technical skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing Beginner, intermediate, advanced, superior – classes held for 6 month terms.	722	19	required
Comprehensive Japanese subject	elective class	Examples of elective courses: pronunciation, kanji, additional listening, Fluency in Speaking, Additional Writing, Comprehension, Japanese Study Abroad Examination Preparation, Speech, Current Topics	76	2	required
Cross-cultural Studies	current topics	Study of Japanese Language History and how it was impacted by culture and events	38	1	required
Cross-cultural Studies	Japanese Modern Society	Study of the correlation of Japanese lifestyles with Japanese politics and economics	38	1	required
Cross-cultural Studies	The World and Japan (World History / Goegraphy)	Japan, Study of World Geography, World History and Japanese historical events	38	1	required
Cross-cultural Studies	English	Study for TOEIC Exam by level. For advanced level students will study English to Japanese language translation	38	1	college student visa required. Others are electives
		Total	950	25

TIME TABLE (sample)

Monday ~ Friday, 9:30 am ~ 3:30 pm. 5 classes, 50- minutes per class
Instructors change depending on time and course. Maximum 18 students per class.

Time	１	２	３	Lunch break	４	５
	9:30-10:20	10:30-11:20	11:30-12:20	12:20-13:20	13:20-14:10	14:10-15:10
MONDAY	Japanese	Japanese	Japanese		Japanese	Japanese Society
TUESDAY	Japanese	Japanese	Japanese		Japanese elective	Japanese topics
WEDNESDAY	Japanese	Japanese	Japanese		Japanese	English
THURSDAY	Japanese	Japanese	Japanese		Japanese	Japanese elective
FRIDAY	Japanese	Japanese	Japanese		Japanese	The World & Japan

Japanese language level and language study contents

Students progress in language study as they review the previous days’ lessons and take tests. Improvement is a given, as students understand daily class-work, do homework, review and prepare for class. Classes are divided by level at the time of admission. Students are re-assessed at the end of each semester.

レベル	STUDY GOALS	その他
Beginner	This level is targeted for students who are relatively unfamiliar with the Japanese language (have completed roughly 150 hours of Japanese study). In this class students will learn to communicate freely in everyday Japanese. Students will learn approximately 400 kanji characters, be able to read and compose simple sentences.	Text	Nihongo Shoho by Japan Foundation published by Bonjinsha
		Term	6 months
		Target Level	Level 3 Certification for Japanese Language Proficiency Test
Intermediate	Students will learn to read and write compositions of moderate length and, given a particular topic, students will be able to compile and present their thoughts. For example, students will be able to talk in detail about their lives, countries of origin, and culture. They are able to communicate freely with little difficulty and can use some Japanese at the workplace.	Text	Topic-based / Studying Japanese as an intermediate learner by Hiroshi Matsuda, Ryosuke Nagata published by Kenkyusha
		Term length	6 months
		Target Level	Level 2 Certification for Japanese Language Proficiency Test
Advanced	Students will be able to read a newspaper while using their dictionaries. As vocabulary increases, students will be able to understand television and radio. Additionally, will be able to write and present their own thoughts about what they have heard.	Text	Studying Japanese as an intermediate learner by Hiroshi Matsuda, Ryosuke Nagata published by Kenkyusha
		Term length	6 months
		Target Level	Level 1 Certification for Japanese Language Proficiency Test
Superior	Students of this level will be able to understand university and college level classes, lectures, assignments, write and present research reports. At this level of language ability, a student will have no trouble with life in Japan.	Materials	Original audiovisual materials
		Term length	6 months

Japanese Language Instructional Materials

The Topic-based teaching series which is used in the intermediate and advanced level classes was developed by YMCA Japanese language instructors. These texts have proven to be effective language learning tools and therefore, many Japanese language schools make use of these best-seller textbooks. Some of the authors of these texts are currently at Osaka YMCA providing lessons of exceptional quality. The instructors / authors are leaders in their field and are called upon to conduct seminars on Japanese language instruction at other schools. These texts have been translated into Korean and published by Current Events Japanese Corporation as the “JUMP” series.

This is a “College Entrance Preparation Course” approved by the Ministry of Education and Science.
In order to apply for higher educational institutions (universities and vocational schools), applicants must have more than 12 years of school education in their home country. In the case of countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and certain regions of China where school education is less than 12 years, students will be eligible to apply for universities in Japan after completing any of the three different lengths of programs of “College Entrance
Preparation Course” approved by the Ministry of Education and Science.

• The Ministry of Education and Science
• The list of schools which have a “college Entrance Preparation Course.”