A taste of Japan comes to Cardiff for young language learners

School pupils from across Wales visited Cardiff University this month to learn more about Japanese culture and language.

The School of Modern Languages welcomed over 70 budding linguists to the ‘Taste of Japanese’ event which took place on 6 July.

The event, which was co-hosted by the School and the Japan Foundation Sakura network fund, was organised to raise awareness of the language and to highlight elements of Japan’s fascinating culture.

The day began with a welcome talk which explained what learning Japanese at university is like. This was followed by hands-on taster sessions where pupils experienced an insight into a language class at the School.

Following their academic introduction, the pupils attended a Kendo demonstration, took part in Japanese food tasting and had the opportunity to learn about manga drawing, origami, Japanese calligraphy, anime and the traditional Japanese instrument, the Koto.

Dr Miho Inaba, lecturer in Japanese and organiser of the event said, “It was wonderful to see the school pupils’ enthusiasm for Japanese. This was the first time a number of the pupils had heard the language spoken in real life and they were excited to learn more about Japanese culture as a result. We hope that this event is the first of many to raise awareness of a language which can open doors for students who wish to work internationally in a range of exciting careers and sectors.”

Japanese is available to study at the School of Modern Languages alongside a number of other languages and subjects. To find out more visit Coursefinder and see the full list of options.