Over the short period of time that I have been here, I’ve learnt that the topics covered in Japanese subjects differ greatly to those in Australia. The stream I am currently in is based on Humanities, and involves classes like Modern and Old Chinese and Japanese literature, Modern and Imperial History and English communication, to name a few. As many of these subjects are not offered in Australia, I am eager to learn as much as I can during my stay – but the question remains, how can one learn Japanese and new content simultaneously?

The answer is actually pretty simple. Whilst in class, I will focus on Japanese, taking down all notes and trying to pick up as much as I can. Listening to teachers present a class will help you to become familiar with a more formal style of speaking – used for presentations and speeches, and different to Imperial Formal or incredibly polite speech. I think that the most important thing in all of my classes is Kanji. Being able to write Kanji correctly will enable you to identify it later, and make your handwriting more legible. One of my History teachers at the moment has incredibly lazy handwriting {Kanji for産業革命 can look like a bunch of scribbles} , and it is so difficult to make notes from.

Once at home, I will review my notes with a Kanji dictionary, so that I have a basic knowledge of the topic, before going to discuss with my host father. My host father is incredibly smart and keen to learn English, so he has a massive vocabulary. We will go through my notes and he will correct any wrong translations, as well as helping me to put my notes in to context. In addition to this, my host mother sometimes provides more insight, especially for Imperial subjects, as she was raised at the Yutoku Inari Shrine and is very knowledgeable about those topics.

It can be easy to sit up the back of the classroom and just let your mind wander, but the purpose of your exchange is to improve your Japanese and broaden your views of the world, so who wouldn’t take the opportunity to learn when abroad. Topics like the Meiji Bunka era, and the Industrial Revolution of Japan are not taught at my school, and in addition to this, a foreign perspective on a situation {especially history} can be very different. Make the most of the opportunity and learn for the fun of it {if only for once}!

-H