Hanchi Gaoさん 中級　2023AS1A2

「日本語のクラスを受講して」

去年の10月から、東京大学のグローバル教育プログラムに参加しているハンチ・ガオです。大学4年生として最後の学年にこれを経験できることは、心から感謝しています。

初めての留学生活や知り合いが一人もない大学での授業は、まるで実家の大学に通ったばかりの頃のようでした。初めて日本語の授業を受ける際は、今までにないほど緊張しました。特にレベルチェックの時、「どうしよう、書き言葉は何だっけ」と心配しましたが、すぐにその心配も吹き飛びました。友好的な雰囲気、ユーモアのある先生、そして面白いクラスメイトが、この留学経験を豊かにしてくれました。もちろん、初めての授業後は、念のため書き言葉や中級3で学ぶべき文法についてもたくさん調べました。

緊張感が薄れたとはいえ、授業内容が簡単になったわけではありませんでした。これまでにないほど複雑なテーマや、クラスメイトたちとの日本語でのディベートなど、今までに積み重ねた知識を活かして課題が次から次へと、未経験の多くの挑戦や新しい学びがありました。

東京大学での一学期の授業を通じて、多くの文法や正式な場合で役立つ表現を覚え、漢字もたくさん書けるようになりました。人との会話ではまだ緊張して上手く話せませんが、ここで学んだことを踏まえ、さらに練習し、将来には必ず上達していくことを信じています。

Elena Hamblinさん 中級　2023AS1A2

「日本語のクラスを受講して」

【日本語】

みなさんこんにちは。エレナ・ハンブリンと申します。私は去年の秋から日本語3を取り始めました。正直に言って、私の実家の大学に比べて東大の日本語授業のぺースと深さが難しそうで、不安でした。でも、先生の励ましのおかげで挑戦することに決めました。

早速に授業に飛び込んで最初は大変でしたが、毎日諦めず勉強して徐々に進歩しました。短い三か月の間に私は新しい漢字を読めるようになり、さまざまな文法を使えるようになり、会話も深まりました。私は先生とクラスメートに支えられたおかげで上達できて感謝しています。

私にとって、この日本語授業はとても大切な経験になりました。このクラスを通して、私は自信をもって日本語を勉強する動機を見つけました。私のように少し緊張していても、みなさんも頑張れば想像以上に上達するので、ぜひチャレンジしてください。

【English】

Hello everyone, my name is Elena Hamblin. I started taking Japanese 3 last fall. To be honest, I was anxious in the beginning because the pace and depth of the Japanese classes at the University of Tokyo seemed more challenging compared to my home university. However, thanks to the encouragement from my teacher I decided to take on the challenge.

Diving into the class immediately was tough initially, but by studying every day without giving up I made progress little by little. In a short span of three months, I became able to read new kanji, utilize various grammar structures, and deepen my conversation skills. I am grateful for being able to improve with the support from my teacher and classmates.

For me, this Japanese class has become a very important experience. Through this class, I found the self-confidence and motivation to study Japanese. Just like me even if you feel a bit nervous, if you work hard, you will improve beyond what you initially imagined. So please, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself!

ZIWEI PAN （潘 紫薇）さん（中国） 上級　2023AS1A2

「日本語のクラスを受講して」

【日本語】

去年4月に入学する前に、私は工学系研究科日本語教室からメールを早く受け取り、研究科でも日本語の授業が提供されていることを知りました。過去の2学期にわたり、私は以下の複数の授業を選択しました：日本組織事情A、上級会話1、そしてまもなく終了する多文化理解プロジェクトです。

多文化理解プロジェクトは非常に特別な授業の一つです。他の日本語の授業とは異なり、これは日本人の学生さんも参加している唯一の授業のようです。また、シラバスに記載されている中学校訪問活動も私をワクワクさせました。日本に来たばかりの私たちにとって、アニメで見たことのある日本の中学校生活はなじみ深く、かつ神秘的な存在です。この授業は単にスキルを向上させるだけでなく、多文化交流を促進することを目的としています。これが日本人学生さんがこの授業を選ぶ理由でもあると考えています。授業では異なる国から来た学生がおり、皆が開かれた心構えと積極的なコミュニケーションの態度で、自分たちの見解や感想を共有しています。先生はたくさんの話題を用意し、良好なコミュニケーションの環境を作り上げました。学期末には、以前考えたことのない多くの文化の違いに深く理解を深め、簡潔にまとめると「私たちの当然は他人の必然ではない」となりました。これは国際的な人材になりたいみなさんにとって、必要不可欠な共感の視点を得ることができるため、私は強くこの授業をお勧めします。

また、私が深く影響を受けた授業は日本組織事情でした。多文化理解プロジェクトがコミュニケーションに焦点を当てているのに対し、組織事情は日本での就職に必要なさまざまな基本知識を教えることに焦点を当てています。日本に来たばかりの留学生として、日本で働きたいと思うと、最も悩ましいのは準備する必要があるものが多すぎて、何から手を付ければいいか分からないことです。組織事情の授業では、先生がまず就職のタイムラインを紹介し、何をいつ行うべきかを明確にしました。そして、エントリーシートの中の一般的な問題について詳細に解説し、段階的に進めるように導いてくれました。最後には、よくある面接形式の練習も含まれています。このプロセス全体を実践することで、私たちは就職活動への不安を大幅に軽減しました。私は「始める勇気」を手に入れ、自分の準備が不十分だと感じて躊躇することなく前進することができました。そして、私が志望度の高い早期内定を得ることも、先生の助けと密接に関係しているため、日本で働きたい学生にはぜひこの授業を選ぶことをお勧めします。

最後に、上級会話の授業は「言いたいことが言えない」という私の日本語の不足を埋めてくれました。授業ごとに面白くて軽快な小話題があり、グループでのチャットも行われ、雰囲気は非常に和やかです。最終的には多くの友達を作り、授業終了後もお互いに助け合い、一緒に外出することもありました。

つまり、工学部の日本語教室では、私は多くの素晴らしい思い出を得て、日本で必要なスキルを身につけました。先生たちに心から感謝いたします。躊躇している皆さんに、これらの授業を強くお勧めします！

【English】

Before enrolling in April last year, I received an email from the JLCSE, learning that the engineering department also offers Japanese courses. Over the past two semesters, I selected several courses: Advanced Business A, Advanced 1 Speaking, and the soon-to-end Multicultural Study Project.

The Multicultural Study Project is a particularly unique course. Unlike other Japanese language courses, it seems to be the only one with the participation of Japanese students. Moreover, the mentioned middle school visits on the syllabus excited me greatly. For us university students who have just arrived in Japan, the Japanese campus life we’ve seen in anime since childhood is both familiar and mysterious. This course is not just for acquiring specific skills but also for promoting multicultural exchange. I believe this is also the reason why Japanese students choose this course. In the class, there are classmates from different countries, all with open-minded and positive attitudes, sharing their perspectives and experiences. The teacher prepared many topics for us, creating a conducive environment for communication. By the end of the semester, I gained a deeper understanding of many cultural differences I had never thought about before, summarized in one sentence: “What we take for granted is not necessarily the same for others.” For students aspiring to become international talents, this course provides an essential perspective of embracing differences, and thus, I highly recommend it.

Another course that left a deep impression on me is Advanced Business A. In contrast to the Multicultural Study Project, which focuses on communication, Advanced Business concentrates on imparting various fundamental knowledge required for job hunting in Japan. As a newly arrived international student in Japan hoping to work here, the most troubling aspect is the overwhelming amount of preparation needed, not knowing where to start. In the Advanced Business course, the teacher first introduced us to the job-hunting timeline, making it clear when to do what. She also meticulously explained various common issues in entry sheets, guiding us step by step. Finally, there were practice sessions for common interview formats. Through the entire process, we significantly alleviated anxieties about job hunting. I gained the crucial “courage to start” and no longer hesitated due to feelings of inadequate preparation. The success in obtaining a satisfactory early job offer is closely related to the teacher’s assistance, so I strongly recommend this course for students interested in working in Japan.

Lastly, the Advanced 1 Speaking course filled the gap in my Japanese where I “wanted to say something but couldn’t express it.” Each class had interesting and lighthearted small topics, group discussions, creating a very harmonious atmosphere. In the end, I made many friends, and after the course, we continued to help each other and go out together. In summary, in the Japanese language classes of the engineering department, I gained many wonderful memories and acquired essential skills for living in Japan. I express sincere gratitude to all the teachers. Please do not hesitate – I highly recommend participating in these courses!

Jiang Haiyang (江海洋)さん（中国） 中級　2022S1S2

「日本語のクラスを受講して」

【日本語】

去年１０月入学以来、二つの学期にわたって中級３レベルの「会話」「作文」と「読解」の授業を履修しました。

「会話」のクラスには、先生や目上の方と話す時使う敬語の基本を教えていただき、研究室の教授と自然な会話を交わす模擬訓練も行いました。更に、自らの意見を述べることができるようになるため、クラス全員が投票で選んだテーマを用い、ディベート大会が開催されました。二週間で、チームメイトと討議を重ね、原稿の書き直しを繰り返し、最終結果よりディベートの準備を通じて覚えた単語や表現とクラスメイトとの友情を深めたことのほうが貴重だと思います。

「作文」のクラスには、ほぼ毎週４００字近くの文章を書く宿題があり、時間がかかりそうですが、文章力の成長を実感しました。授業中に自分の研究テーマに関する文章を一つずつ作っており、学期末において最後の宿題では１０００字以上の研究計画書も書けるようになりました。その研究計画書は、奨学金申請などにも大いに役に立ちます。

今学期履修した「読解」のクラスには、多くの興味深い文章を読みながら、語彙力を鍛えました。身の回りの東大構内での技術の活用事例から、災害予測や超音速旅客機まで、毎回の授業で様々な最新技術に関して先生と私たちは自由に意見を交換していました。

日本語教室で出会った先生たちはとても優しく、責任感が強く、オンラインでも対面でも親切にご教授いただき、心から感謝しております。今後も日本語力を身につけるため努力してまいります。

皆様もぜひ日本語教室の様々なクラスをお試しください！

【English】

I have finished Intermediate 3 level Speaking, Writing, and Reading courses in the past two semesters after entering the University of Tokyo since last October.

During the Speaking class, we were taught basic honorific terms in Japanese that are necessary when talking to teachers and superiors. Simulated natural conversations with our own advisors and professors were also held. Furthermore, to prepare ourselves for expressing our ideas clearly, a debate contest was held, with its topic selected by students voting. In two weeks, we discussed with our teammates, writing speech scripts again and again. Personally, what we learned throughout that preparation, and deepened friendship with classmates are much more precious than the final result.

The writing class assigned essay tasks that require nearly 400 characters almost every week. Though it seems to be time-consuming, it does make me feel concrete elevation in my writing skills. During classes, we were writing materials about our own research projects sentence by sentence. By the end of that semester, we were able to write a full research proposal in Japanese with over 1000 characters.

Reading class allows us to enrich our vocabulary while reading interesting passages. From applications of techniques inside U-Tokyo campus, to disaster prediction and super-sonic planes, everyone in the classroom is free to speak anything about latest technology.

All the teachers I encountered in JLCSE courses are truly warm-hearted, and have strong sense of responsibility. Regardless of it being an online classroom or face-to-face one, teachers always make sure everyone in the class learning the most as he or she can. I am genuinely grateful for these wonderful classes.

Please do not hesitate to plunge yourself into such golden opportunities of learning Japanese!

Nikki HALLさん（アメリカ）中級　2022S1S2

「日本語のクラスを受講して」

I am very happy with the courses I have taken within the JLCSE! I started in the Beginner-4 classes last year and this upcoming year I will continue into Intermediate-2. Even though I have only taken classes online, the teachers have all been very engaging and the structure of the lessons is easy to follow. I have also met many classmates from within the School of Engineering that I wouldn’t have otherwise crossed paths with, so I am grateful for that as well. I highly recommend taking the integral class and the skill classes (I really enjoyed Intermediate-1 Speaking and Technical Reading!). I look forward to continuing with the JLCSE courses for the rest of my degree program, and I hope I can get to an advanced level with my Japanese. Thank you!

JLCSEの先生達、初級４レベルから中級１レベルまで教えてくれてありがとうございます！オンライン授業を受けたけど、本当に楽しかったです。クラスメートと会って色々話して、よかったです。上級レベルになるまで、JLCSEの授業を受け続けたいと思います。これからもよろしくお願いします。

John Andrew Kane JOVELLANAさん  （フィリピン）初級　2021A1A2

「日本語のクラスを受講して」

I am John Andrew Kane Jovellana from the Philippines. I am enrolled as a research student from 2020S1S2 and continue as a nuclear engineering graduate student starting in September 2020. I have taken Beginning 4, Intensive Beginning 2, and Intermediate 1 Reading classes before, and I am currently taking Intermediate 1 Speaking, Integral, and Listening classes this 2021A1A2. I started taking JLCSE classes from April 2020, which is the start of online class setup. At first, I was worried if I could effectively study Nihongo online while outside Japan because I do not have the proper environment and immersion in the language. I did not have the chance to use Japanese everyday last year.

Thankfully, the instructors are extremely accommodating and enthusiastic in teaching and delivering the Japanese classes. The setup, content, and requirements of the classes ensure balanced and organized development of all language skills, which are relevant and useful in my daily life now here in Japan. I realized that the classes are professionally and expertly handled by the faculty, and the level of difficulty and pacing are appropriate for the courses. The teachers are also understanding when the students suddenly become busy with research, and also give tips and advice about living in Japan. I realized that the skills developed in the classes are not only useful for passing the JLPT but also important for daily life situations and conversations.

The classes are also good avenues to learn more about various Japanese situations and cultural notes, especially during conversation and role-playing activities, as well as learn about diverse international cultures during speech activities and presentations. We also have native Japanese student volunteers who participate in our classes to further enhance the learning by improving our pronunciation, intonation, diction, and word choices in conversation activities. JLCSE not only offers Japanese language courses but also visitor sessions where we can have conversations with native speakers to learn more about Japanese culture. I strongly recommend the JLCSE classes to international students for expertly organized and immersive Nihongo classes.

Meng Xuanlangさん　（中国）　中級　2021S1S2

「日本語のクラスを受講して」

My name is Meng Xuanlang and I am an international student from China. I got enrolled by U-Tokyo in September 2020, when I was still in China. And in my first semester there was a conflict between my major’s class and Japanese class. Luckily, responsible teacher rearranged me into a new class, Intensive beginning 2. In the second half of 2020, for me, who was unable to go to Japan because of the COVID-19, the teachers and students in my Japanese class were one of my closest ties to the school. My Japanese skill improved and our understanding of each other deepened during the weekly lessons. The classmates were so friendly that we were able to communicate happily even though we came from different cultural backgrounds and spoke a language we were not fluent in. Of course, we wouldn’t be able to do that without the help and encouragement of the teachers.

In this semester, I attend classes in intermediate level. The curriculum arrangement of the Japanese classroom is very reasonable. For beginners, they need a systematic study of basic grammar and vocabulary, and for intermediate or advanced learners, separate courses to improve their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills allow them to learn in a targeted manner according to their own situation. This year, I took an intermediate conversation course and a reading course, both of which were very rewarding. The course materials were carefully selected. The conversation course let us practice conversations in situations that we would encounter in our daily life, while the reading course came with a wealth of study materials that allowed us to learn about a variety of research topics while studying Japanese.

All in all, I would like to recommend all the international students who feel it necessary to learn Japanese with professional support to attend Japanese class. Also, I wish we can attend classes and activities offline so that I can meet my teachers and classmates!

Marzia Aliさん　（インド）　初級　2019S1S2

「日本語のクラスを受講して」

My name is Marzia Ali and I am a MEXT Scholarship Student from India. I came to Japan for the first time in April 2019 without any previous knowledge of Japanese. I enrolled in the JLCSE Intensive Beginning 1 AM course and started attending the classes. The classes were very thorough and precise and I learned quite a lot within the span of 4 months. The teachers always provided handouts and other materials necessary for the class, not only that we had activities and games in every class which made Japanese even more interesting and fun to learn. The teachers were very supportive and helped me at every step of the way. By the end of the semester, I could understand and make simple conversations in Japanese. The Kanji characters which didn’t make sense to me earlier are more understandable to me now and I would like to continue next semester as well.

JLCSE also organizes cultural events like Ikebana, Japanese Tea Ceremony, Yukata wearing session etc so that you can experience Japanese Culture and learn new things which you might not know about Japan. There are also visitor sessions, one-on-one practice sessions and Japanese volunteers as well who will help you in improving your day to day Japanese conversations. There are a lot of activities planned throughout the semester and your duration of study at JLCSE will never be boring. You will get to meet a lot of people from foreign countries and make new friends in class and the teachers will help you whenever in need. All of this will slowly help you ease into your life in Japan.

The only advice which I would like to give to prospective students is “Don’t hesitate, go for the JLCSE classes if you want to improve your Japanese or even start from scratch and once you start, don’t rush through, just study at a normal pace and slowly you will get the hang of things.”

“Do your best and good luck!” 😊

Gerrard Laiさん（シンガポール）上級　2019S1S2

「日本語のクラスを受講して」

【日本語】

今学期日本組織事情と上級総合の授業を受講させていただきました。前者の授業では日本では（日系会社にしても外資系会社にしても）就職を検討している外国人学生におすすめします。経験豊富のみならず優しい先生たちから就活対策のコツを身につけます。授業で得られる日本における会社の特徴、就職のプロセスの知識は外国人学生の就職活動に役に立つと思います。その中でも、特にどのように自己分析を行い、興味がある会社の求める人物像に合うように、自己PRや志望動機を書くのか、また内定をもらった先輩達の話を聞く授業は有意義と思います。

後者の上級総合授業では、自分の意見を簡潔に整理し、日本語で「話す」と「書く」という形のアウトプットするスキルを身に付けたい学生におすすめです。いい点としては、授業では全員が全員外国人学生なので、ミスだらけの日本語で自分の意見を発言しても恥ずかしくない環境です(先生ももちろん優しい）。それを通じて正しい表現を学び、日本語力が上達できると思います。そして面白い点としては、授業では学生達は政治、経済、社会に関する問題や課題を理解し、日本語で議論することです。外国人学生として日常生活ではそんなことをする機会はなかなかないのではないでしょうか。

【English】

I took the Japan Business Information and Advanced Japanese (Integral) classes this semester. I would highly recommend the former class for students planning to look for a job in Japan after graduation. The experienced teachers are kind and encouraging, and care to help students understand the methods to overcome the challenges to job hunting for non-Japanese students. The information gained about characteristics of companies in Japan, as well as the usual job-hunting process in Japan are particularly useful. In particular, how to conduct analysis of your own strengths and weaknesses, and how to tailor that as well as your life experiences and career motivation to the candidate profile that companies are looking out for are very useful. Furthermore, there are classes where successful students from previous semesters come by and discuss about their own experiences and offer advice, which is useful given that it would largely be the same experience (with of course some personal differences) that you will go through.

The second class is highly recommended for students who would like to improve their skills in thinking about a particularly matter in Japanese, and then expressing him/herself logically and clearly through speaking or writing. As the students in the class are foreign students, it is a great learning environment where there is no shame in committing mistakes (no judging eyes staring at you), which through correction from the teacher will help students to improve quickly. It helps that the teacher is encouraging and cares for the students’ learning. The interesting point about the class is that you are able to discuss about all sorts of political, economic and social issues of the day with your classmates in Japanese. Think about it, there aren’t that many such opportunities to do so in your life. What’s more, it’s the fastest way to improve your Japanese rather than simple daily idle talk.

Evina Nebibangaさん（カメルーン）上級　2019S1S2

Arissa Satoさん   中級３　2018A1A2

「日本語のクラスを受講して」

【日本語】
日本に住んでいたら日本語は上手になるとよく言われますが、ＪＬＣＳＥは、わたしや日本語に興味がある人に、より短い時間で日本語を上達させる機会を用意してくれています。
先生たちは、毎時間、知識を増やすためだけでなく、実際に日本語を利用するための授業とハンドアウトを準備し、１０５分の授業以外でもよくサポートしてくれます。
スタッフとコースに加えて、ＪＬＣＳＥは様々な文化や経験がある人に魅力的です。
いろいろな文化を学びながら、情熱がある上級レベルの学生に囲まれていると、もっと勉強しようと刺激を受けます。
ほぼ１年ＪＬＣＳＥで日本語を勉強したので、少しアドバイスをしたいです。
頑張った分だけ上達します。そして結果もついてきます。
みなさん、頑張ってください。

【English】
While it is natural to say that people will improve their Japanese while living in Japan, JLCSE provided me and those interested in learning Japanese an opportunity to improve skills in a short amount of time. Every lecture, the materials and handouts are carefully constructed not only to instill knowledge but also expand your wealth of knowledge with realistic applications of Japanese. Each instructor shows passion in their class beyond the 105 minutes of lecture each week.
Aside from the staff and materials provided by JLCSE, it also attracts people of varying cultural backgrounds and experiences. While being surrounded by other passionate, advanced learners that motivate me to improve my Japanese, I also learn more about a variety of cultures along the way.

As a student with almost a year of experience studying Japanese courses at JLCSE I can say, you get what you put into these courses. Challenge yourself and the results will follow suit.

刘 庆昊(Qinghao Liu)さん（中国）　中級３　2018S1S2

「日本語のクラスを受講して」

私はリュウと申します。中国からのUSTEP交換留学生です。
四月からこの3ヶ月の間に、日本語教室ですごく勉強しました。
実は、日本に来る前に、日本語で行われる授業を受ける経験がないので、最初はなれるかどうかと心配しました。でも、ここの先生たちは本当に優しいし、使った言葉もわかりやすいし、それぞれのスタイルも持っています。
ここの勉強は今まで自分でしてきた日本語の勉強が大変違います。本を読んだり、単語を覚えたりだけではなく、いっぱい聞いて、自分の考えをみんなに伝えて、日本の文化を身につけます。そして、いろいろな文化がここに集まって、面白い話がどんどん出て来て、笑っている間にみんながまるで家族のような存在になります。
日本語教室はみんなに家のような場所を作ってくれて、本当にありがとうございます。