Kind volunteers will help teach you Japanese needed for daily life as well as Japanese culture. Please note that these teachers are only volunteers, not licensed teachers. Classes are held in small groups or one on one, and last for 10 sessions.

Applications for spring Japanese classes are now open. Please read below before applying.

●Eligibility: Anyone who does not speak Japanese natively

●Cost: 500 yen per course

●How to apply: Use the Google form below to apply any time between April 1st and April 18th.

★You can participate in a maximum of 2 in-person courses (For example, Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Chuo Kominkan).

※When participating in 2 courses, the fee becomes 1,000 yen (500 yen per course)

▼Application form

Japanese

English

Chinese

Portuguese

Vietnamese

Please be aware that there are times when TIRS cannot accept all applicants.

The Gunma Prefectural One-Stop Consultation Center provides free legal consultations every month for foreign residents living in Gunma. Lawyers and specialists who focus on immigration, labor, and pension issues will be present.

Sessions are confidential, and interpreting is available for the following languages: English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese), Portuguese, and Nepalese.

The date and location changes monthly, so please be sure to check the multilingual flyer carefully: SOS Flyer (2024年4月)

Inquiries should be directed to the One-Stop Consultation Center directly; please call them at 027-289-8275.

The next event in the Cool Takasaki series is a guided tour through the Prefectural Nippon Silk Center and its special exhibition on silkworms. Learn about the process of silk production and how it is used to make things like kimono. Finally, try making your very own silk cocoon craft!

What is Cool Takasaki?

Cool Takasaki is a series of TIRS events that highlight the many talented people living and working in Takasaki. Some events are designed so that foreign residents may experience traditional Japanese culture, while others are created for Japanese locals to experience the wealth of foreign culture that can be found right here in Takasaki.

Participants of any Cool Takasaki event agree to take photos and videos that they will later share on their various social media platforms, using hashtags such as #cooltakasaki. This is a great way to show the entire world what fun and exciting new cultural experiences await them in our beloved city!

Event Information

Date: Saturday, July 13th

Time: 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Place: Nippon Silk Center, AKA Nippon Kinu no Sato (Kaneko-machi 888-1)

Cost: 550 yen

Participants: Up to 15 foreign residents who live or work in Takasaki

How to sign-up: Please contact TIRS at office@takasaki-irs.org with the following information: your name, nationality, phone number, and email address. Deadline to sign-up is June 17th.

Note: It is recommended to come by car or taxi as the bus does not come out that way frequently. There is also a small cafe and gift shop on-site for those who are interested in spending more time at the Silk Center after the event has ended.

Inquiries: Please contact TIRS either via email or by phone at 027-321-1201; office@takasaki-irs.org (English or Japanese is OK)

Join TIRS for a family fun day learning about Japanese culture while making friends with other parents living in Takasaki. There will be games and snacks for the children as well as a chance for parents to mingle and discuss child rearing matters in a supportive environment.

The same information is available on this flyer, in Japanese or in English: チラシ (2024国際親子交流会)

【Date & Time】

Saturday June 29th, from 10:00am to 12:00

【Place】

Chuo Kominkan

【Participants】

Families with international roots living in Takasaki. This includes couples where one (or both) parents are foreign nationals, Japanese families who lived abroad but recently returned to Japan, and families interested in meeting people from different cultures.

【Participation Fee】

500 yen per family

【How to Sign-up】

Registration ends on June 17th. Please contact the Takasaki International Relations Society (Tel: 027-321-1201, Email: office@takasaki-irs.org) before that with the following information:

• Names of all family members attending (in both English and in Katakana if you know it)
• Contact information (phone number & email address)
• Nationality
• Ages of the children who will attend

Takasaki International Relations Society (TIRS) is running online Japanese courses for foreign residents. A class is 40 minutes, and students will be put into small groups according to Japanese ability. A course consists of 10 classes.

See the Online Japanese Class Pamphlet for 2021/22 course details!

Cost: Free (data usage and equipment fees associated with online learning are the responsibility of the individual student).

Registration: Come directly to the TIRS office on the 2nd floor of Takasaki City Hall (Mon-Fri, 8:30am-5:15pm), or send an email (Email:office@takasaki-irs.org).

Enquiries: Takasaki International Relations Society (TEL: 027-321-1201).

日本語にほんごを学まなぶサイトの紹介しょうかい

♦IRODORI Japanese Online Course Learn Japanese necessary for daily life situations using videos, illustrations, audio and other content. Produced by the Japan Foundation.

♦つながるひろがる　にほんごでのくらし Connect & Enhance your Life in Japanese

A site from the Agency for Cultural Affairs where you can learn Japanese for shopping, visiting the doctor, moving house and a range of other daily situations.

♦にほんごeな 　NIHONGO eな

A collection of sites and tools for Japanese learning

♦JFにほんごe-Learning みなと　JF Japanese e-Learning

Japanese language learning platform provided by the Japan Foundation where you’ll find all sorts of online courses.

♦エリンが挑戦ちょうせん!にほんごでできます　Erin’s Challenge: I can speak Japanese!

The main character, Erin, is an exchange student with only basic Japanese ability. Here you’ll find skits, language exercises, pics, puzzles and quizzes to help you learn about Japanese language and culture.

♦日本語にほんごでケアナビ Nihongo de CARE-NAVI

Nihongo de Care-Navi is a Japanese language-learning tool designed primarily to support people working in the fields of nursing and care-work

♦NHK WORLD – JAPAN 

Learn Japanese through current affairs!

♦J – Learning Apps　

A collection of apps for learning hiragana, katakana, kanji, etc.

♦日本語能力試験にほんごのうりょくしけんJLPT Official site of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test

♦日本留学試験にほんりゅうがくしけんEJU  Official site of the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students

Volunteer Recruitment

The TIRS is now recruiting people to become Japanese language support volunteers, and help children from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds to learn the Japanese needed for school life and help them with their school work. In this course you will learn the basic principles needed for helping children to learn Japanese from a university instructor as well as observe actual classes.

Course Dates & Time: 24th & 31st August, and 7th & 14th September, 10am-4pm each day, for a total of 20 hours of study.

Eligible People: Those who are able to volunteer upon completion of the course. No prior knowledge or ability in a language other than Japanese is required.

Cost: \1000

Maximum Participants: 20 (selected based on merit)

Sign Up: Complete an application form available at the TIRS office, and submit it by Wednesday 31st July.

The International Relations Society has many opportunities for Japanese and non-Japanese residents to use their skills to help others.

Multicultural Instructors (Tabunka Koshi)

Do you know how to cook dishes from your native land? Can you teach English or another foreign language? Are you able to visit local schools and talk about the way of life where you grew up? If so, please register as a Multicultural Instructor. We take requests from schools, community centers and other public organizations, and then intro-duce them to our registered Instructors.

Language Assistants (Bogoshiensha)

If you speak and read Japanese as well as English or any other foreign language, this is your chance to help fellow foreign residents by interpreting for them in situations faced in everyday life in Japan. We dispatch Language Assistants to interpret at schools for foreign parents at meetings with teachers, at health check ups, and when doing business at other public offices.

Registration: Contact the TIRS office to obtain a registration form. Volunteer registration requires membership of the Takasaki International Relations Society (¥2,000/year)

Cinematheque is run by the NPO Takasaki Community Cinema with the aim of bringing high quality films to regional movie screens.

Location: Takasaki-shi Ara-machi 202

Tickets: Adults 1,700 yen, high school/university students 1,400 yen,

children & seniors (over 60) 1,000 yen.

Parking: Aramachi Park (behind Gusto)

Information and film schedules (Japanese): 

Website

TEL: 027-325-1744