Japanese Immersion Programme in Kansai

Experience the language, warmth and cultural richness of Kansai

Imagine wandering through Osaka’s neon streets at night, hearing Japanese floating through food stalls, train stations and morning markets. Picture a day trip into Kyoto — temples draped in maple leaves, wooden Machiya houses, incense curling upward at Kiyomizu-dera. Kansai is Japanese charm in motion: lively, historic, deliciously sensory, and full of opportunities to use Japanese in real life. This immersion is designed for teachers who want more than classroom language — they want lived experience, authentic interaction, and culture that reads like a story you get to step inside.

Course Details

This 13-day immersion brings New Zealand Japanese teachers into the heart of Japanese life through learning, cultural exchange and everyday use of the language. The programme includes time in both Tokyo and Osaka with study based at the Japan Foundation Japanese Language Institute, Kansai (KC), alongside orienteering, school visits, homestay interactions, hands-on cultural activities and language-rich daily routines.

Activities may include short stays in Tokyo, Osaka orienteering/home visit, school visits, resource making and cultural workshops. Attending teachers will also complete surveys, documentation and a required two-hour online orientation.
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Immersion Dates

Flights to be confirmed
Registrations open 17 March and close 4 April 2026
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Eligibility

Applicants must be NZ registered teachers currently teaching Japanese (intending to continue in 2026 and beyond).
Priority is given to teachers of Years 7–10, those engaged with PLD, A2/B1 level Japanese and non-native speakers.

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Why a Kansai immersion strengthens Japanese teaching

Learning Japanese in Kansai offers more than vocabulary and grammar — it deepens cultural intuition, sharpens listening, and builds real-world communicative confidence. Immersion allows teachers to live inside the language: ordering meals, navigating transport, speaking with locals and observing culture through sound, etiquette and space. This experience fosters stronger pedagogy, richer classroom resources and authentic understanding that students immediately feel. Teachers return with new stories, materials, lived pronunciation and renewed passion — the kind that sparks curiosity and cultural connection in every learner.

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