Now that you’re settled on JET and have prepared your Japanese study regimen, it’s time to use all Japanese all the time! But wait. At work you have to use English all day. And the majority of your time on JET is spent at work. This means the majority of your time in Japan on JET Program could be consumed with English.
Because your job title is English teacher, it is possible to stay in English mode during work hours, even though you’re at a Japanese workplace. You may block out Japanese inputs during work time because switching your brain between English and Japanese is tiring. Then you may do the same after work. Over time this adds up and you can go months or years without learning as much Japanese as you had planned.
Just as you have to be purposeful in setting up your Japanese study regimen, you also have to be purposeful about listening and using Japanese in your daily life. That’s why we’ve put together some advice for practicing Japanese at work (when you should mostly be using English) and practicing Japanese after work in the community. Be consistent and you’ll see the gains you’re looking for.
Practicing Japanese at Work
There will be times at work when you can use Japanese. Any interaction you have with non-English teaching staff, for one. But with your JTEs (Japanese Teachers of English) and students, it’s English a-go-go. And you’ll spend 90% of your time with these two groups.
With so much time spent on English, how can you maximize your own Japanese learning opportunities?
Reverse engineer English classes
This was an idea I had halfway through my JET experience. A few JTEs I worked used me for only 30% of the class, leaving me to stand at the back of the room awkwardly the rest of the time. After getting tired of pretending I was busy, I started bringing a pocket notebook to each class and reverse engineering the English being taught to the students. Having the English grammar on the board gave me a focal point. With the English in mind, I listened to the explanation in Japanese and learned the Japanese grammar equivalent.
Because I was a beginner at the time, every lesson was something I could learn from. But that doesn’t mean high level learners can’t benefit from class time down time. Our own Verity Lane used this time in her own way:
“When a teacher is speaking in Japanese in class, really listen. Don’t switch off. Learning to understand classroom Japanese can be really helpful. However, I would encourage particularly SHS JETs not to use Japanese in class. When you are in class you’re there to teach first, anything you learn comes second at that moment. It’s a time for listening practice, not speaking practice.”
Talk to students in Japanese during breaks
Though you should use English the majority of the time while at work, English is not beneficial to every situation. You may encounter students who are hesitant to speak English or are downright belligerent about learning in general. This is where your struggle with Japanese can help them. While the “yanki” students may take more time to warm up, those that are nervous about English can learn from your example. Tofugu writer Rich explains:
“Though I spoke English with students in class, outside of the classroom I’d often practice Japanese with my students – during lunch break, at after school clubs or if I ran into them outside of school. Not only did my Japanese improve, but students recognized my struggle with Japanese and became bolder in their use of English. Students learned more about me and my culture than they would have if I had built an ‘English only barrier.’ So in the end we both benefitted.”
Turn your lesson materials into study materials
If you’re making lesson plans for your students, reverse the English you’re teaching them into lessons for yourself.
For example, let’s say you’re a beginner at Japanese and teaching at an elementary school. Turn your lesson about animals into a self-study vocab lesson. If you’re an intermediate learner teaching senior high, take English sentences you’re writing for your students and translate them into Japanese.
Depending on your level and situation, you may get a lot or a little from this method. Even if you only learn a few new words, it’s worth the effort. You’ll be doing this work anyway. You might as well squeeze a little bit of learning out of it.
Use your desk time at work
If you’re having trouble blocking out study time at home, you may have all the time you need at work. ALTs and Japanese teachers are not assigned to a class for every period of the day. This is because Japanese teachers need time to prepare lesson plans, attend meetings, and chip away at other work duties. As an ALT, however, you don’t have quite as much to prepare. More than likely, you’ll be able to finish preparing for classes with time to spare.
Most JETs bemoan this part of the job (as I did), wishing there was more work to do or some other way to be useful. Certainly you can find ways to use this time that help your students, but most supervisors are 100% okay with you using this time to study Japanese. If you get your sit-down study time done at work, then the after work study time you have blocked out can be used for going out and using Japanese for even more gains.
Stay after school and chill with the teachers
If work is getting you down and you’re missing chances to connect with staff at your school, stay in the office after the students leave. Though you’re probably allowed to go home at 4:00p or 5:00p, stay after every once in a while, especially if you don’t have anything extra to do. After work hours, the teachers let down their hair and break out the snacks. The teachers’ room becomes a lot more lively and a little less stuffy. You’ll build all-important work bonds and get some Japanese practice. Increase your vocabulary and camaraderie at the same time.
Practicing Japanese in the Community
After school is the perfect chance to get out and use your Japanese. No job titles restricting you to English now! Of course, real life rarely goes as planned. Your energy after work is bound to be sapped. It will be incredibly easy to arrive home, collapse and stay there. Don’t get me wrong. Collapsing and relaxing in a Japanese-free zone is necessary. But just like going to the gym, there are times when you have to force yourself. Here are a few things you can do to practice Japanese in the community.
Put yourself in new situations and keep a notebook on you
Chances are, you’ll get good at some survival Japanese right away because you’ll be put in situations where you have to communicate. But life is full of situations, with caveats, exceptions, and branching consequences. So drill some vocabulary and then get into situations where you think you’ll be likely to use it. Then get into them again. Each time you’ll get better at using the grammar and vocab you learned, as well as getting fuel for future study.
This future study fuel can be most easily remembered with a handy pocket notebook. This is something I did out of necessity and it ended up being one of my best teachers. When trying to communicate in a new situation, if you hit a wall, take note. This reveals gaps in your knowledge, which you should write down and add to you study regimen. Not only will you boost your ability level, but you’ll practically smooth out bumps in the road of your Japanese life.
Our own Verity shares her experiences in this area:
“Try to do things by yourself. It can be tempting to have a supervisor or a friend do everything for you. That’s fine at the start, especially for things like setting up a bank account, but don’t let it become a habit. If you don’t try it for yourself, you’ll never get better. Nothing bad will happen if you say something weird at the postoffice or the garage or the combini. And sometimes you can get a much better deal by doing things yourself. For example, I asked my supervisor for advice about getting my winter tires changed. His way cost me 8000yen. The next season I went to a garage myself and through a combination of Japanese and gestures, I got my tyres changed for 2000yen. Not only that, but I knew I could do it myself.”
Putting yourself out there
It’s great to get in casual chit chat with coworkers and students, but sometimes you need a lengthy, focused conversation to cement language concepts and force you to listen and talk longer. This is your “language power lifting” in comparison to usual “language aerobics.”
But how to do this?
Chances are, your town has community groups that offer conversation meet-ups or some kind of language exchange. Ask your supervisor if they know of any opportunities.
Look for volunteer activities. Part of your job is to serve your town anyway, so might as well get some language practice and connect with Japanese people while doing so. The great part about volunteer work is that it’s a nice break from routine of teaching and you’ll have more opportunities to use Japanese than you will at school.
Every prefecture has an AJET (Association for JET) group that organizes activities for JETs. Though you may only see other JETs, one of your fellow ALTs might bring a Japanese friend or coworker along. Or the event may involve interacting with Japanese people. At the very least they’re fun and stress relieving. At best you’ll get some Japanese practice in as well.
Join a club or group outside school, like taiko or ikebana. Even if you feel like you won’t like it, sign up anyway. Japan is a group-oriented society. So just being part of a group, whether you excel at the particular skill or not, will make you much more likely to become friends with the people in the group.
Another side effect of all this Japanese friend making is that it wards off culture shock and makes you less likely to join the “foreigners only club.” I spent some time in this club, mostly due to culture shock, and during that time my Japanese stayed right where it was. It’s a good idea to hang out with your fellow ALTs and forge those lasting friendships, but make sure you don’t exclude yourself from interactions with Japanese people. Your advancement in the Japanese language will suffer as will your ability to cope with cultural adjustments.
Practicing Japanese on the JET Program
These strategies are the ones I’ve done myself or learned from other ALTs and Japanese learners. But there are certainly others. If you have some that you’ve tried or an idea to improve one listed, leave it in the comments below so we can all benefit.
The best news is that practicing your Japanese in Japan is a virtuous cycle. When you study Japanese, you’re learning to communicate better. When you communicate, your Japanese gets better. All this raises you up and makes your life in Japan easier overall. Here’s to your continued learning and ever-improving life in Japan.
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