Our Western Australian state has a secret: a thriving Japanese community. Despite being as Australian as a city can get, Perthlings enjoy studying one of its neighbours' languages and culture. Japanese language courses abound, and social activities revolving around Japanese culture are neither few nor far between. You could find a Japanese tutor anywhere in Australia, but why not try these engaging language opportunities, too?
Where to exercise your Japanese Language skills
- at university, where you can take Japanese language courses
- franchise language schools: Language Trainers, Listen & Learn, as examples
- a dedicated Japanese language training centre: Nichigo, Perthjls, Yume Japanese and more
- activities at JECCWA
- social activities - Meetups, cafés and more
Japanese Language Course Perth: University Courses
University students have the greatest exposure to Japanese language and culture studies. They also have the greatest access to campus activities that include Japanese aspects.
The University of Western Australia (Crawley campus) offers full-time undergraduate Japanese degree programs. The faculty includes a Japanese Students Association that promotes cultural exchange, networking and language practice. All that is in addition to scheduled classes.
Incidentally, Murdoch University offers a similar program. Like anyone studying Japanese in Sydney, learning Japanese in any Perth university presents students with opportunities to master this language. They may also take part in campus activities that revolve around Japanese language and culture.
If you're not a university student, you may ask if the university's Japanese activities are open to the community. There's a good chance you might get to enjoy time in the school's tatami room while practising your language skills.
Should your campus not have any such activities - or a Japanese study program, you might take the lead in organising them.
🌐 uwa.edu.au/study/courses/japanese
📍35 Stirling Highway Perth WA 6009
📞 6488 6000
Learn Japanese Perth With a Commercial School
Darwin is arguably one of Australia's most remote population centres. However, the savvy student knows where they can find Japanese lessons in Darwin; online, the same way people across Australia do.
Commercial language schools offer Japanese lessons online and in person. You'll study your target language with a native Japanese speaker, after taking an assessment test. This test will help your teacher decide which level to start your Japanese instruction.
You may enrol in one-on-one Japanese courses, or share the course fees with a few mates by taking group lessons. These schools also offer Business Japanese lessons, one-to-one or in a group. Finally, your business might wish to provide Japanese language lessons at your place of work, which these teachers can arrange.
Japanese lessons with commercial language schools can help you build your Japanese language skills. However, they don't usually offer extracurricular activities or cultural learning opportunities. Your teacher might recommend places you might flex your language skills, or programmes you might join to explore the social aspects of language learning.
Language Trainers and Listen & Learn do not publish office locations.
To ask about lessons, you must go to their website and fill out an enquiry form.
Language Trainers: www.languagetrainers.com.au/japanese-courses/perth.php
Listen & Learn: www.listenandlearnaustralia.com.au/japanese/perth
Perth Japanese Language School (Perthjls)
Like language learners enjoying Japanese language courses Melbourne, Perth residents have access to many schools specialising in Japanese studies. By all accounts, those from Perthjls are worthy of raves.
Mari hails from Osaka. She is a fully certified Japanese language teacher with eight years' experience teaching her native language. She teaches Japanese language fundamentals - grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. Naturally, you'll learn how to read and write hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
That is, if you so wish. Mari (and the Perthjls curriculum) offers different learning packages, including 'travelling Japanese'. If you're planning your trip to Kobe or Tokyo, learning basic greetings and phrases is always a good idea.
🌐 perthjls.com.au/courses
📍123 Aberdeen St, Northbridge WA 6000
📞 8318 7008
Perth Japanese School
Located in the Perth Central Business District (CBD), this Japanese language school offers an array of courses to suit every need. The school's owners, Jake and Mayumi, ensure their students' success by grouping lessons according to language level. Your course options include:
🌐 www.perthjapaneseschool.com.au
📍1st Floor, 37 Barrack St., Perth 6000
📞 9218 8155
Yume Japanese
Yuke Umeda moved to Perth from her native Niigata, but she says her Australian home is as lovely as the one she left behind. She has been running this language school since 2007, offering group and private lessons. Beware that she only teaches adults.
Tadoku is an immersive reading challenge.
You may join Yuke's tadoku club to improve your Japanese reading skills.
It meets every Wednesday at 6:00 PM.
🌐www.yumejapanese.com.au
📍Subiaco
📞 0437 616 675
Nichigo
Any Japanese language learner in Brisbane or Perth will tell you it's much harder to study Japanese without any cultural context. The professionals at Nichigonet maintain that studying Japanese culture is what makes learning the language possible. So, their language teaching initiative doubles as a cultural centre.
You may sign up for classes or private lessons in business or standard Japanese, in person or online. If you're preparing for the JLPT, you may request special coaching sessions. But, what sets this enterprise apart is its focus on Japanese cultural studies. With Nichigo teachers, you can learn general cultural norms as well as business etiquette.
🌐 www.nichigonet.com
📍146 Murray St, Perth, WA 6000
📞 08 9325 4441
Practice Japanese at JECCWA
The Japan Education and Cultural Centre of Western Australia (JECCWA) welcomed its first visitors in February 2024. Since then, the staff have put initiatives together to bring Japanese culture and language studies to keen Australian learners. Japanese learners Canberra enjoy such a facility too, but it's not as nice as this one.
You may take formal Japanese lessons at JECCWA and borrow books from their library. You might also attend Japanese cultural events, such as workshops, guest lectures and gala events. You might also explore your chances to study in a Japanese university.
🌐www.ajswa.com.au/jeccwa
📍Tuart Hill WA 6060, Australia
📞 9446 8874
Perth's Japanese sister city is Kagoshima, on the southwestern tip of Kyūshū Island.
The photo above shows Perth Street in Kagoshima.
Perth and Kagoshima have been sisters since 1974.
You can discover more Japanese cities that Australian towns have twinned with at JECCWA.
Hinata Café
All that learning might make you hungry to try authentic Japanese food - or, at least, Japanese-inspired food. You may indulge yourself at Hinata, where you can enjoy fresh, seasonal ingredients with an Edo twist. While you're there, you can become a part of the Hinata community, learn more about Japanese cooking and talk with other Japan enthusiasts.
🌐 https://hinatacafe.com.au/find-us
📍 19 Blinco St, Fremantle WA 6160
📞 0413 674 678
Tokyo Underground
If you crave Japanese memorabilia, this is the shop to go to. Tokyo Underground stocks movies, plushies, trinkets and manga. You'll find anime and Japanese music, and a welcoming atmosphere.
Tokyo Underground is not a place to study the Japanese language. However, the shop's owners are friendly and outgoing, and are happy to discuss the latest cultural releases with their customers. Bonus points for you if you can say a few words in Japanese!
🌐find Tokyo Underground on Facebook
📍Wanneroo Markets, Shop 50/33 Prindiville Dr, Wangara WA 6056
📞+614 3449 7592
Social Events to Learn Japanese Perth
Across Perth and reaching into the city's suburbs, groups gather to celebrate their love and admiration for all things Japanese.
If you were looking for a Japanese language course in Perth, consider an evening out with the Japanese Language and Culture Club. This Meetup group boasts 3 765 members. They get together every week for language exchange and study at various locations around the city.
If you're not quite ready to challenge your Japanese language skills in such a large group, consider the Australia-Japanese Society. This Facebook group was formed in 1974, long before social media existed. Today, this thousands-strong group stays in touch on that platform
They coordinate events for Japanese learners from Adelaide to, well, Perth. You can connect with lovers of Japan online, all over Australia and in your own neighbourhood.
Don't forget to plan ahead for next year's Tokyo Alley convention! It's Perth's longest-running anime and artist gathering. It usually takes place in May, at Convention and Exhibition Centre.
You can bet fans of Japanese culture attend these events by the thousands, and meet to relive the fun the rest of the year. Here, let's recap those opportunities:
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