MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- In a brightly lit room a group of women gather around a small table. Their eyes eagerly hovering across the papers in front of them, they seem to be studying hard. By the relaxed looks on their faces one can assume this is not Trigonometry 101 and it is certainly not English considering half of what these women are saying is Japanese. But they are American.
Every Thursday in August the Japanese American Society has held a Survival Japanese Class.
The class’s curriculum focuses on simple and practical Japanese that can be used in common situations, such as ordering at restaurants and communicating with taxi drivers.
Cindy Jeffords began taking the class so she could feel more comfortable communicating when she goes out in town.
“I wanted to learn more about the language,” said Jeffords. “Not knowing how to communicate with the people around you can be unnerving. By taking this class I feel more confident when I go out and explore.”
Jeffords’ newfound confidence is exactly what Yoko Mikami, the class instructor, likes to hear.
“This class is the students’ first step in learning Japanese and in turn their first step into Japan,” said Mikami. “It excites me to help my students get out there and begin making good memories.”
The first day of the class the students learned how to say family titles, order food and count. “What we learned today is a great example of why I like taking this class,” said Jeffords, who said she is also taking a separate, more rigorous and structured class in the evenings.
To maintain the relaxed atmosphere, Mikami sits around the table with her students and allows them to talk and ask questions freely, making it less like a class and more like a roundtable discussion.
Mikami thinks the relaxed environment helps some people learn more in less time. Mikami feels the more her students learn the more opportunities will be provided to them.
“The station is like a small world, and sometimes people who are living here forget that there is a whole culture out there,” said Mikami. “If an American can learn just a few words perfectly they can begin to open doors. My purpose here is to teach them words that will help them make friends. By making friends they will begin to experience our society and culture in a whole new way.”
The Japanese Survival Class is only one of many opportunities the Japanese American Society provides.
Besides having language classes, the Japanese American Society conducts cooking classes and organizes group trips and parties to give Americans and Japanese an opportunity to socialize with each other.
Those interested in taking Japanese language classes or joining the Japanese American Society can call 253-4744 or stop by their office in Building 261, located next to the Furniture Annex and behind Building 1.