Japanese at The University Of Leeds

I am now three weeks into studying English & Japanese at University. My family drove me up to Leeds on Saturday 20th.

I was very sad to say goodbye to them that evening, but there was none of the nervous anxiety that should have accompanied that day, because I knew I was just up the road from them. Three hours driving doesn't compare to twelve hours flying in any way.

I settled in quite quickly, and Freshers' Week was lots of fun. It was much less partying, and more sorting things out and getting used to the campus and the residence, than I expected. But that's fine for me. Although I did go out a few times of course!

On Monday 22nd, I had to take a Japanese placement test with other first-years who had prior knowledge of Japanese. That was a bit stressful, having a full-on hour-long test on the first proper day, but it wasn't too bad in the end. Several people did get up and leave the exam in the middle of it, because they decided it was too difficult. I felt for them because my reaction to the first page was: aargh!

The test was comprised of a grammar section, two translation sections; English to Japanese and vice versa, and a composition essay. The grammar was definitely the hardest part for me, because, being self-taught, I don't have a great amount of knowledge of how the sentences are put together, but the translation wasn't too bad. The English-Japanese was easier because if you don't know a word's direct translation, you can paraphrase it or use a similar term, but if you couldn't read the Japanese, then there was no way you could put it into English.

In the essay I just wrote about myself, because it was a 自己紹介 (self-introduction), and I said about my trip to Japan and my favourite Japanese bands and things like that.

I found out if I passed the next morning, and I did. They didn't give me any feedback, but other people were told if they only just passed, or if they passed with flying colours, or whatever.

They say that if you're a borderline pass, then they let you go through and see how you do then. If you pass the placement test, you go into an Intermediate class.

My class has about 10 people in it, but the number varies from lesson to lesson for the first two weeks, because that's the 'trial period' where they judge if you're good enough to stay in or not. It wasn't as big a deal as I expected though, and at the end of the two weeks they just told us to buy the Intermediate textbooks and that was it.

The Intermediate textbooks are:

短期集中初級日本語文法総まとめポイント２０ (Tanki shuuchu shokyuu Nihongo bunpou sou matome pointo 20) - this book revises all the grammar you're meant to know for the course

日本語中級Ｊ３０１ (Nihongo chuukyuu J301) - this is the general textbook to work through

みんなの日本語初級II漢字英語版 (Minna no Nihongo shokyuu II Kanji Eigo-han) - the only Minna no Nihongo textbook the Intermediate class uses is the one devoted to the next lot of kanji. You are expected to know the 200 or so taught in the first of this series, and this adds an extra 300 to that.

The other people in my class all seem to have spent a year in Japan, or done A-level Japanese, or both, which is scary. With most of them, if you don't look at them while they speak, you could actually think they were Japanese. There's no way my speaking is that good. In fact, I do feel like I'm towards the bottom of the group because they all have formal learning experience, but the teachers seem to think that I can manage it. If anyone does find it really difficult later on in the course, we can move down into the Beginner group.

I feel that my level is somewhere between the Beginner and Intermediate classes, but it's much better to be stretched and challenged, than to be bored out of your mind learning the alphabets I've know since I was 14.

I do have friends in the Beginner group, and they say that it's all pretty basic at the moment, but obviously very intensive. The aim is to get everyone to A-level standard by Semester 2 (which starts in January/ February).

The Beginner class is made up of most of the year-group, (in fact, there are 2 or 3 Beginner classes) which this year is about 30-40, one of the biggest years they've ever had apparently. They study from the みんなの日本語 (Minna no Nihongo) textbooks. They move quickly, studying the first set in Semester 1, and the second in Semester 2. That means that the books are extremely expensive (I only had the three to buy for Intermediate, and they came to £75 in total). The best deal I can find, and others have said the same, is The Japan Centre in Piccadilly Circus, London. You can order books and lots of other things online. They seem to have most of the Minna no Nihongo series in stock, but not the Intermediate ones.

Except for one new teacher, all of the teachers are native Japanese. This is great because it means you can be exposed to real Japanese all through the lessons and seminars.

I have also joined the Japanese society, which costs £4 for the year, and they do lots of events like karaoke, which of course I love. Also, there are lots of Japanese exchange students (留学生, ryuugakusei) who are members, who are happy to practise Japanese and English with you.

The only real lecture I have is Japan Inside-Out once a week, in which we study the geography, history, literature etc. of Japan. It's really interesting so far. In fact, all of University has been amazing. It's such a great experience, meeting new people and studying new things. But of course it's a lot of work, last weekend I spent 9 hours studying on Saturday, and then 6 hours on Sunday, and still hadn't finished what I had to do. But then my flatmates and I made a gorgeous roast dinner, which we had shopping for and then split the cost of. It was so good. Proof that students don't just live off beans and toast!

The only warning that comes with the course is that if you are in the Beginner class and don't pass the Semester One exam in January, you can't go to Japan as an exchange student in the second year. And of course, you have to pass the year to progress to year two. Intermediate students don't have to pass a particular exam, but they must pass the year's compulsory modules with at least 100 credits.

If anyone is thinking of doing this course, or applying to Leeds University, I really recommend it!

I took these photos around Leeds on a particularly lovely day.