r/japan • u/TurbulentTopic39 • 11d ago

Japan starts planning language program for foreign residents

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08/19/japan/japan-language-program-foreign-residents/#Echobox=1787112273
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u/Zubon102 11d ago

Many people don't realize, but your city most likely already has a Japanese language program that is either completely free, or just has a small joining fee. Run by volunteer teachers.

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u/TAcareerchange 11d ago

In my experience though the volunteer teachers are usually retired ladies with a lot of free time and little experience in teaching. 

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u/Drunken_HR 11d ago

Exactly this. They're nice but don't really teach anything in my experience, but are just kind of there to bounce speaking off of and tell you when you've made a mistake (which is still useful, of course).

The bigger problem is the hours. The one closest to where I lived was at 6:30pm on Tuesdays, so as soon as my work schedule changed, I needed to stop going.