Tag - english

 
 

ENGLISH

Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Oct 15, 2014
Is it time to bid bye-bye to 'haro'?
When was the last time someone Japanese used your presence as an excuse to say 'haro' whilst furtively glancing sideways at their companions to confirm they just made the funniest joke ever?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Oct 1, 2014
Readers' letters: Ian Thorpe, the Yushukan, racism, teaching English, tipping and sunlight
Some emails received in response to recent Community articles.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Sep 28, 2014
Eikaiwa, deal with sexual harassment of teachers before it's too late
If English schools in Japan do not take firm steps to protect teachers, it may only be a matter of time before another Lindsay Hawker is murdered — this time on their watch.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Sep 14, 2014
All-Japanese families take a chance on international schools
In a notoriously homogeneous society where parents can face criticism for going against the grain, what drives these parents to shun local schools and instead seek out what the education ministry calls 'foreigner schools'?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Sep 14, 2014
KidArt seeks to coax out Japanese students' neglected creativity
Disappointed at the lack of creativity in the English curriculum in Japanese schools, Jonathan Genji Abbott founded KidArt International in 2012.
WORLD / Society
Aug 27, 2014
Decline of French language could cost half a million jobs: report
A decline in the number of people worldwide who speak French could cost France 120,000 jobs by 2020 and half a million by 2050 due to missed economic opportunities, a report commissioned by President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Aug 24, 2014
Constructivist 'Pied Piper' of English education rebuilds after hitting rock bottom
David Paul lost almost everything when his Hiroshima-based company, David English House, tumbled like a house of cards in 2010.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Aug 17, 2014
Could the lingua franca approach to learning break Japan's English curse?
Learning English as a lingua franca (ELF) involves approaching the language as a tongue shared by non-native speakers around the world rather than as a lingo that must be mastered to native-speaker level.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jul 27, 2014
Osaka bets big on TOEFL to boost English levels
The Osaka Prefecture Board of Education is pushing through a raft of initiatives to shake up English-language education, chief among them the introduction of TOEFL at top-performing high schools, which will be taught by an elite group of teachers earning approximately ¥8 million a year.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Jul 9, 2014
Three ways to jump-start English abilities in time for 2020
There will likely be a raft of further efforts to encourage English learning in the run-up to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, but here are three simple ideas that could help boost English levels right now.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Jun 29, 2014
Cartoonist Ernst captured 'fish-out-of-water' gaijin as they floundered
Having often been told by the Japanese that he would 'never understand' their culture because he was not one of them, American cartoonist Tim Ernst decided to embrace this notion and deploy it creatively.
EDITORIALS
Jun 21, 2014
Japan's English flavors the Cup
Yuichi Nishimura, the Japanese referee who made a controversial call in the opening match of the World Cup, should at least be commended for doing what few other Japanese dare to do.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jun 16, 2014
Harassers exploit Gaba's 'man-to-man' lesson format
The first sign that Olivia's Gaba lesson would be anything but ordinary came when her student insisted during the warmup that he didn't like wearing clothes.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
May 26, 2014
Letters: Kikokushijo encounter trouble upon re-entry
Japanese returnees and others discuss the trials and tribulations facing those educated abroad if and when they attempt to settle back in Japan.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 20, 2014
Design tests to measure priority outcomes
The discovery of fraud in the adminstration of the high-stakes TOEFL and TOEIC tests is disturbing, but the larger issue — which has been given short shrift — is that these tests are designed to emphasize written English rather than spoken English.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
May 11, 2014
Returnees' experiences drive a will to give something back
The returnees profiled here highlight the potential that can be unlocked within individuals lucky enough to have the chance to live overseas and, crucially, receive the right support on their return to Japan.
EDITORIALS
May 10, 2014
Good example of English use
Perhaps an education ministry division's decision to begin conducting its meetings in English this month will help shake loose Japan's grammar-translation paradigm, which does little to compel students to communicate and understand English better.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
May 4, 2014
Kikokushijo: returnees to a country not yet ready for them
Though the number of returnee students has tripled since 1977, and despite the recent government push to develop 'global human resources,' the existence of this group of globally educated young people has been largely ignored by policymakers.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan