Week 9 of 2021 Sessions

With the end of our current J-YAP IUSP semester drawing closer and closer still, it feels like we've got a lot to fit in between now and the end of the month!

Last week saw the following language sessions taking place:

• N3 Intensive Course: This Week's Theme: Reading Comprehension (Yumiko Schumacher)

• N2 Intensive Course: Learn from a JLPT Exam Invigilator (Yukie Yagioka)

• Pre-Intermediate Japanese Conversation: Yagioka Seminar (Yukie Yagioka | This Week's Theme: Martial Arts)

• N3 Intensive Course: Hiroe Okamoto

• Upper Intermediate Japanese Conversation: Riko-chan House (Riko Sherratt)

• Shaberiba: Language Exchange with Japanese Students (Yumiko Schumacher | This Week's Theme: Future Goals, Places You Want to Go & Things You Want to Do)

In addition to the above, we were proud to present two very different Careers Talks in the past week:

• A Career in the Foreign Office: What it's really like to be a diplomat

• Pursuing Life & Work in Japan: Grasping Opportunities both in Japan & Overseas

The former of these two events was held in collaboration between J-YAP IUSP, Keele University and Regent's University London, and welcomed the highly experienced Carolyn Davidson, the British Consul-General Designate Osaka. Carolyn's talk, which, on top of her experience both in Japan and with the Japanese language, touched on previous postings in Guatemala, Honduras, Brussels and Bonn - just to name a few - was extremely well attended, with 185 participants joining from around the world via Zoom.

The latter event, Pursuing Life & Work in Japan, provided quite a different but by no means less thrilling perspective on what a career - and indeed life - involving Japan or Japanese might look like. SOAS graduate, experienced translator, content creator and Okinawan dive shop owner Amy Dunn joined 30 attendees to share stories and advice around building a career using Japanese. In addition to practical tips regarding visas and how to start a company in Japan, Amy brought great encouragement and inspiration with her stories of how to really engage in improving Japanese language skills without having to go to Japan - welcome words for many of us at this moment in time!

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Carolyn, Amy and all of our other guest speakers to date.

For queries about J-YAP IUSP and any of our sessions, please get in touch with the relevant project member or via email at jyap.iusp@gmail.com