We finally uploaded video of Genki Japanese teachers and staff performing the song "Heavy Rotation" as ATM48! You'll have to agree, their performance was amazing, although unfortunately it looks like it'll be a one-off - we tried to convince them to wear those costumes to Japanese class too, but only Yuuji-sensei said yes...



Teachers practiced hard for this day, and we think students had a great time! Hope we'll see you for next year's Christmas party.

This month (January 2012), Fukuoka moved up one place in the rankings of Japan's biggest cities, from 7th to 6th place! We knocked Kyoto down one spot. It is thought that part of the reason was a large influx of new people moving south after the disaster last year.
The list in Japanese is here. (The English page isn't quite so up to date, so at the time of writing doesn't show the January figures yet.)
Fukuoka was one of the fastest-growing cities in Japan even before the disaster, and by far the fastest-growing large city. In Japan, a growth of 1.2% in the last five years is quite surprising, given the declining population! Fukuoka is comparatively a young city, with a good number of universities, and a lively culture. That's part of what makes it a great place to attend a Japanese school!

(Note that the table shows two sets of figures: 法定人口 (houtei jinkou, legally designated population) and 推計人口 (suikei jinkou, estimated population). Official figures are always slower to show actual changes in population, and estimated population figures generally give a more accurate count of the actual number of people, because legal residence in Japan depends on where a person is registered. People often don't register straight away, and new registrations take a while to filter through to population estimates. The list is sorted by designated population first, with Fukuoka at 7th, but rest assured, we're still number 6 for estimated population!)

Here is the current top ten list by estimated population:
1. Yokohama, 3.7 million
2. Osaka, 2.7 million
3. Nagoya, 2.3 million
4. Sapporo, 1.9 million
5. Kobe, 1.54 million
6. Fukuoka, 1.48 million
7. Kyoto, 1.47 million
8. Kawasaki, 1.43 million
9. Saitama, 1.23 million
10. Hiroshima, 1.18 million

(Tokyo is excluded as it's not counted as a city, but rather a "special region".)

We had an amazing Christmas party this year, as every year. This time we rented out a local nightclub, Roots, and invited all the students, staff, host families and friends for a great night!


Santa was in attendance, of course.


Students gave performances, including teacher ものまね (monomane, impressions), and a song about GenkiJACS.


But the highlight of the night was the GenkiJACS teachers as ATM48, and their rendition of hit song Heavy Rotation.


Students joined in to make the night even more fun!


A group photo


Teachers had a great time, and also looked great! If only we could convince them to dress like this every day...


A gallery of photos of the night is here.
We're working on video, and it should be ready shortly. Be prepared!

As part of the Japanese Plus Traditional Culture course, students learn Japanese pottery techniques. We added a selection of students' beautiful pottery creations to our gallery here. Didn't they do good? Nice photos too - thanks Yuuki-san!

So, what do you think we did during the school trip? Quite easily answered...



Well, we definitely had a lot of fun, that's sure :)

Sayonara 2011! Here's hoping 2012 is a better year for Japan...



And a huge thank you to everyone who supported Japan and GenkiJACS throughout the year!

Japan Times has put up an article about the top Japanese slang for the year, with some great examples. Better read it なるはや (naruhaya, as soon as possible)! And practice talking like a teenage girl...

We recently put together a short guide on rights in Japan, in case any of our Japanese language school students ever find themselves in a situation where they need to know. But we decided it's better for everyone to know this, so here it is:

Drugs:
• The punishment for drug possession is severe; even a “low level” drug, such as cannabis will be considered severe and the punishment just as harsh. Drug crimes are sometimes prosecuted on urine/blood tests alone.
• YOU CAN BE BANNED INDEFINITELY FROM THE COUNTRY FOR DRUG POSSESSION.

Police stops:
• You have the right to refuse a search. You/your property may not be searched without a warrant.
• Unless arrested, you are not obligated to accompany police to the station. It is generally best not to.
• You must carry your passport or alien registration card AT ALL TIMES as police are entitled to stop anyone, at any time and ask for identification.

Arrests and Questioning:
• If you are held for questioning, you will be allowed contact with family, embassy, lawyer etc after no more than 3 days.
• During interrogation you have no access to a lawyer or interpreter until a formal charge is made.
• The longest you may be held without charge is 28 days.
• When people visit you, an interpreter must be present or you will be forced to speak in Japanese.
• If you are arrested in Japan you may request that your Embassy is notified.
Key phrases:
れいじょうはありますか。 Do you have a warrant?
わたしはたいほされていますか。 Am I under arrest?

Weapons:
• Possession of a knife with a locking blade, or a folding blade that is longer than 5.5cm/2in is illegal.

Driving
• An International Driving Permit issued in your home country is required of anyone wishing to drive in Japan.
• Japanese law provides that all drivers in Japan are held liable in the event of an accident, and assesses fault in an accident on all parties.
• Japan has a national zero percent blood-alcohol level standard for driving.

Human Rights:
• Discrimination is illegal on the basis of race, color, creed or family origin.
• In Japan LGBT rights are not recognized - except in the Tokyo ward where employment discrimination is illegal.

Luckily no GenkiJACS students have gotten in serious trouble with the police yet, and we hope to keep up this record in the future.
For more details on your rights in Japan, check out Arudou Debito's website.

Former student Eileen was kind enough to write a detailed review of her time at GenkiJACS. Thank you so much, Eileen-san, and we hope we'll see you back in Fukuoka some day soon!

People often ask us what the differences are between GenkiJACS and other Japanese schools. There are of course many, including our English support, small-group classes, choice of courses, and more. But today we wanted to talk about another important one: the support we provide to students in trouble.

A Genki Japanese school student was recently hospitalized unexpectedly. His insurance was the type which reimburses him later for medical expenses. The total cost of his hospital stay came to more than 200,000 yen, more cash than people usually have on hand! GenkiJACS was happy to pay the student's medical costs for him, so that he could enjoy the rest of his stay in Japan. This is a service that we're pretty sure other Japanese schools don't provide, and one more reason to choose GenkiJACS!