Shizuoka Japanese Education Center

Shizuoka Japanese Education Center (静岡日本語教育センター) is a Japanese language school in Aoi-ku, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture. The campus sits at 11-6 Yokota-cho, about three minutes on foot from Otawa Station on the Shizuoka Railway.

Studying Japanese in Shizuoka

Teaching centres on three college preparatory courses: a one-year course of 760 hours, a one-and-a-half-year course of 1,140 hours, and a two-year course of 1,520 hours. All students take a placement test and are placed in beginner, intermediate or advanced classes. Lessons run Monday to Friday, four hours a day for 20 hours a week, in a morning session (08:40–12:30) or an afternoon session (13:30–17:20). The stated goals are high scores on the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students and success on the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, and students learn about Shizuoka's geography, culture and economy through hands-on experience.

Conversation extends into the city through the centre's Oshaberi Club, where international students meet other participants for Japanese conversation. The centre has also recorded students appearing on local FM radio and taking part in a mandarin harvest in Shimizu. These are examples from earlier groups, and give a more concrete picture of community activity than a classroom timetable alone.