(Photo courtesy of The Japanese International Academy of Guam)
Due to their proximity, Japan and Guam share a close connection. Guam is only a three-hour flight away and draws thousands of tourists from Japan each year.
In 2019 alone, 687,566 visitors from Japan visited the tropical island, according to data from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Guam’s tourism industry thrives from these visitors and because of this, speaking Japanese is considered a great asset to have on Guam.
Children and adults wanting to learn Japanese can find a variety of options at the Japanese International Academy of Guam, formerly known as the Japanese School of Guam.
The school was founded in 1989 and utilizes the same curriculum and textbooks as Japanese public schools for students from kindergarten through ninth grade. The school is also accredited by both Japan and Guam.
(The Japanese International Academy of Guam)
Students learn not only language but also Japanese culture and manners.
Saeko Tokito, president of the academy, said classes are small and constructed entirely in Japanese, allowing student to reach confidence and even fluency in both Japanese and English.
For families with young children seeking to reach bilingual-level fluency, Tokito recommends enrolling at kindergarten level. As of now, the school has 16 new kindergarteners, including 14 non-native students, aiming to become bilingual. Tokito also said families from the military community have taken advantage of the programs and six military-connected children are currently enrolled.
Besides its bilingual education, since the school runs on Japanese fundamental values, it also puts an emphasis on raising children to be punctual, industrious, responsible, cooperative and polite, according to Tokito.
A regular school day is made up of six 45-minute classes from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., in conformity with the guidelines of the Japanese Ministry of Education.
Supplementary school program
In addition, for local K-9th-grade students enrolled in Guam schools, Japanese International Academy of Guam also offers a supplementary school (hoshuko) program on the weekends. The program provides Japanese subject lessons and language and proficiency exam prep for students seeking entrance into Japanese universities.
After graduation from the academy, most students go to local Guam high schools with a second language under their belt.
“[Academy students’] bilingual capability gained in the Japanese School gives them advantages and more options when they design their life path,” Tokito said.
Japanese class (Photo courtesy of The Japanese International Academy of Guam)
interactive projector class (Photo courtesy of The Japanese International Academy of Guam)
(Photo courtesy of The Japanese International Academy of Guam)
Language, culture program for adults
For adults, the school offers a special two-semester, 60-class language and culture program taught by native instructors. Classes are held in the afternoon and evening on Mondays and Thursdays from August to December (first semester) and January through May (second semester). Completion of the program enables students to participate in a “Japan Study Trip” in May where students can explore and make use of their language skills while they enjoy Japan with their course instructors.
Admission to the regular and supplementary schools are open throughout the year, although the new academic year begins in April, just like in Japan. Applications for the adult program are accepted before the start of the first semester in August.
If you or your kids are interested in learning Japanese, whether it’s for work or fun, learn more about the Japanese International Academy of Guam!
Four academic divisions
Full-Time School: 1st to 9th grade, based on the Japanese education curriculum (Open admission year-round).
Kindergarten: K4 and K5, featuring a Japanese Immersion Kindergarten (Open admission year-round).
Weekend Supplementary School (hoshuko): Supplementary education in Japanese and math (Open admission year-round).
Japanese Conversation and Culture School: Aged 6 and up, including adults. Classes are held in the afternoon and evening (Applications accepted before August).
soroban lesson (calculation on the abacus) (Photo courtesy of The Japanese International Academy of Guam)
Calendar
April: Enrollment and inauguration ceremonies, physical measurement
May: Class observation, parent’s meetings, school trip, physical and academic fitness tests
Jun: Sports Day, English and Kanji proficiency tests, school consultation (student), term test
July: School consultation (parents), swimming class, reading-aloud meeting, end of 1st term
August: 2nd term opens, swimming class
September: Class observation, parents’ meetings, reading-aloud meeting, school excursion
October: School consultation (child), term examination, elementary student’s overnight camp
November: Kanji proficiency exams, middle school student’s academic test, Class Day
December: School consultation (parents), reading-aloud meeting, rice-cake pounding, end of 2nd term
January: 3rd term opens, “kakizome” the first calligraphy of the year, rope-jumping week
February: Elementary student’s exchanging class, exhibitions, school consultation (students), 5K/2K “tomodachi” run/walk
March: Parent’s General Assembly, graduation ceremony, end of 3rd term
badminton club (Photo courtesy of The Japanese International Academy of Guam)
The Japanese International Academy of Guam
Location: 170 Terao St. Mangilao, GU. 96913
Teachers: 16
Students: 61 (20 preschoolers and 41 elementary and middle schoolers)
Tel: 671-734-8024
(Photo courtesy of The Japanese International Academy of Guam)
(Photo courtesy of The Japanese International Academy of Guam)
(Photo courtesy of The Japanese International Academy of Guam)
Say it like a local: Japanese language guidelines
Japanese is not an easy language to master, but getting familiar with it can make a world of difference when getting around off-base. Many locals you encounter will be familiar with some English (its basics are a required subject in schools), and will try to communicate even if they do not fully understand you. Returning the linguistic effort will win you a wealth of appreciation.
Tips to get you started
Kanji are adopted Chinese characters used in modern Japanese writing with hiragana and katakana. Sometimes Roman letters, or “romaji,” are also used. There are literally thousands of kanji used in Japanese (several tens of thousands in Chinese). Learning the much-simpler hiragana and katakana alphabets can be useful during your tour of Japan.
Hiragana is a phonetic alphabet like English whose symbols stand for sounds. It is the first alphabet learned by Japanese children, allowing them to write the language without having yet learned kanji. Hiragana is generally used with kanji for grammar.
Katakana is a phonetic alphabet using the same sounds as Hiragana. It’s used to write foreign words and in some official documents. Since there are many English words incorporated into modern Japanese (though most are pronounced differently), learning katakana allows you to understand most words written in this alphabet.
When Japanese is written using Roman letters, the rules for pronouncing vowels differ from English. “A” is always short, like “ah” (but never like “bat”); “E” is always short, as in “get”; “I” is always short, like the “ea” in “eat”; “O” is always long, like “old”; and “U” is always long, like “tube.”
Also, “AI” indicates the long “I” sound, while the consonant “R” is somewhere between an “R” sound (at the start) and an “L,” with the tip of the tongue hitting the roof of the mouth (near the end). Unlike English, most multi-syllable Japanese words are pronounced with equal emphasis on each syllable.
Some useful Japanese phrases
- My name is~.
Watashi no namae wa ~ desu.
Wah-tah-shee noh nah-ma-eh wah ~ dehs.
- What’s your name?
Anata no namae wa nandesuka?
Ana-tah noh na-ma-eh wah nan-de-sue-kah.
- Thank you.
Arigato (informal)
Air-ee-gah-toe.
- Thanks.
Domo (very casual)
Dough-moe.
- Nice to meet you.
Hajimemashite.
Ha-gee-meh-mash-ee-teh.
- Thank you very much for everything.
Domo arigato gozaimashita (formal)
Dough-moe air-ee-gah-toe go-zah-ee-mash-ee-tah.
- You’re welcome.
Douitashimashite.
Dough-tash-ee-mash-ee-teh.
- What time is it now?
Ima nanji desuka?
Ee-mah nan-gee deh-sue-kah.
- What is that?
Sorewa nan desuka?
Sore-eh-wah nan deh-sue-kah.
- That’s ok.
Daijoubu desu.
Dye-joe-boo dehs.
- Could you please take me there?
Soko made tsuretette itadakemasuka?
So-co mah-deh zoo-reh-teh-teh-ee-tah-dah-keh-mass-kah.
- Please drop me here.
Koko de oroshite kudasai.
Cocoa deh oh-roe-she-teh koo-dah-sigh.
- When?
Itsu?
Ee-tsoo.
- What?
Nani?
Nan-ee.
- Please follow me.
Tsuite kite kudasai.
Suite-teh kee-teh koo-dah-sigh.
- I didn’t know.
Shirimasendeshita.
She-ree-mass-end-esh-tah.
Basic Japanese vocablary
NOUN
Water - mizu
Morning- asa
Day - hiru
Night - yoru
Fire - hi
Toilet - toire
House- ie
Mountain - yama
River - kawa
Soap - sekken
Blanket - moufu
Hospital - byouin
Police- keisatsu
Train station - eki
Money - okane
McDonald’s - Makudonarudo
ADJECTIVES
Light - karui
Heavy- omoi
Dirty - kitanai
Clean - kirei
Strong - tsuyoi
Weak - yowai
Deep - fukai
Shallow - asai
TIME REFERENCES
Today - kyo
Tomorrow- ashita
Day after tomorrow - asatte
Yesterday - kinou
Day before yesterday - ototoi
Tonight - konya
This month - kongetsu
Next month - raigetsu
Last month - sengetsu
This year - kotoshi
Next year - rainen
Last year - kyonen
MONTHS OF THE YEAR
January - Ichigatsu
February - Nigatsu
March - Sangatsu
April - Shigatsu
May - Gogatsu
June - Rokugatsu
July - Shichigatsu
August - Hachigatsu
September - Kugatsu
October - Jyugatsu
November - Jyuichigatsu
December - Jyunigatsu
SEASONS
Spring - haru
Summer - natsu
Autumn - aki
Winter - fuyu
DAYS OF THE WEEK
Monday - Getsuyoubi
Tuesday - Kayoubi
Wednesday - Suiyoubi
Thursday - Mokuyoubi
Friday - Kinyoubi
Saturday - Doyoubi
Sunday - Nichiyoubi
