The Kitani Method Japanese
Japanese language lessons specialized for English speakers in Tokyo
According to guidelines established by the Japan Educational Exchanges and Services, which is an affiliated organization of the ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, it takes 300 hours of Japanese study for a student to have the ability to take part in basic level conversation and to read and write simple sentences. Almost all Japanese schools follow these guidelines in their curriculum. However, in order to reach 300 hours of studying it takes about 3 years for a student taking 2 one-hour lessons per week because one year has about 50 weeks. 2 times per week time 50 weeks equals 100 hours a year. That is, a student can finally reach the basic level after 3 years of studying. 300 hours amounting to 3 years of study is too long for most expatriates whose average contract terms for working in Japan are less than 3 years. Most expatriate students who attend schools which follow these guidelines won't reach even the basic level during their stay.
In fact, textbooks such as eJapanese for busy people,' and eNihongo -no kiso,' or approaches such as the Berlitz method place a substantial burden on students while yielding very slow progress. For example, eJapanese for busy people I,' the 226-page book in wide circulation, only covers, broadly speaking, the material presented in our Lessons 1 through 11 - i.e., to our page 46.
The difference between our Kitani Method and the other schools' methods are as substantial as the differences between a coal-fueled locomotive and the latest, state of the art bullet train. We utilize the most cutting edge linguistic methods with the result that students reach a level of practical communication with 50 hours of study, that is, after about 6 months at students' average rate of study. This is the reason why we claim that we are 6 times faster than any other methods. Students who study using our method usually have a much happier life in Japan because they can actually communicate with Japanese people. Our method is very efficient and enjoyable. You can ask how good our method is to the 50 people who agreed to be our references - please click 'references' at the top of this page.
However, beginning students of Japanese do not know the differences that distinguish our method from the crowd, and they are often led, as a consequence, to choose inefficient methods such as those I've mentioned, with the result that they become discouraged with their slow progress. HR departments often do not know the difference as well because they mostly have stereotypical thinking that all teaching methods are basically alike, with the result that they tend to select rather well-known names such as Japanese for Busy People, or Berlitz. Sometimes they don't even wish to bother themselves with meeting us to discuss our latest, state of the art bullet train ride because they see Japanese education as a very minor aspect of their job.
Since the term of most expatriates in Japan is from one to five years at most, if the progress in Japanese study is slow, taking Japanese lessons loses all practical value. As long as students and companies are going to spend time and money for Japanese lessons, they should obtain a fruitful and practical result within the shortest possible time.
For all of these reasons, your personal support of my efforts to spread the word about Japanese-The Kitani Method is greatly appreciated.
Warmest Regards,
Mark Kitani - Japanese-The Kitani Method
