Learn Japanese at GRC
Take up to two years of Japanese with expert teachers at Green River College. Classes are offered in-person or online, with morning, afternoon, and evening options. These courses count toward your AA degree and also support the Asian Studies and Global Studies programs. You can even finish two years of high school-level Japanese in just two quarters.
In your second year, join virtual exchanges with a college in Japan through COIL. You can work toward passing the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) and prepare for study abroad programs like GRC’s Japan trip or Temple University in Tokyo. Learning Japanese can lead to careers in translation, teaching, business, or tech—and it helps you enjoy Japanese media like anime, games, and movies even more!
Benefits of the Program
- Around 500 million people around the globe speak Spanish.
- GRC teaches language using the communicative method, while exposing students to the multiple cultures in which this language vibrates and exists.
The Jet Program - Since 1987, the Japanese government has hired over 55,000 young people from around the world to live and work in Japan in the JET Program.
Other Career Paths
- Participate in virtual exchanges in 200-level courses!
- Tentatively planned for Japanese IV and VI (fall and spring quarters).
- Partner institution is the University of the Ryukyus (Okinawa, Japan).
Join the GRC Study Abroad program! Earn GRC credit while studying in Japan.
Be a part of a 20-30 students from GRC and other colleges to live and study in Tokyo, Japan in this 10 week study abroad program. Earn 15 GRC transfer credits in Digital Photography, Creative Writing, and Japanese Culture!
Study in Japan: A Guide to U.S. Students
Through this informational packet, the Japan Information & Culture Center (JICC),
Embassy of Japan hopes
to answer a few of those pressing study abroad questions and to get you ready for
your next adventure – Japan!
Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE)
Explore CIEE’s study abroad programs in Japan and experience the vibrant life, history, and culture of Japan. If you’re wondering how to study abroad in Japan, CIEE has got you covered with our variety of study abroad programs offered in Kyoto and Tokyo.
Go Overseas
A searchable listing of study abroad programs in Japan.
Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ)
Get your BA degree while studying in Japan!
Critical Languages Scholarship
Study in Japan during the summer (8-10 weeks) for free!
The CLS Program offers instruction in the following language and levels:
| Open to students at all language levels, including beginners | Azerbaijani, Bangla, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Punjabi, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu | |
| One year priot study required | Arabic and Persian | |
| Two years prior study required | Chinese, Japanese, and Russian |
Take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test
Earn a Global Seal of BiLiteracy. A Seal of BiLiteracy recognizes that an individual has attained a certain level of proficiency in two or more languages.
Japanese Government Scholarships
The MEXT Undergraduate Studies Scholarship is for high school seniors or recent graduates who intend to earn an undergraduate degree from a Japanese university. It provides for airfare to Japan, tuition for the university, and a stipend for cost of living. The scholarship is open to students pursuing any major and is intended to provide the student with a one-year program of intensive Japanese study and then complete an undergraduate degree (typically a four-year program), for five years on the scholarship.
Blakemore Foundation
Blakemore Freeman Fellowships are awarded for one academic year (two semesters or three quarters) of advanced level language study in East or Southeast Asia. Fellowships cover tuition, and a stipend for related educational expenses, basic living costs and transportation. The site for the Japanese program is the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies in Yokohama, Japan.
United States-Japan Bridging Foundation
The Bridging Scholarship is a life-changing opportunity to study abroad in Japan in a credit-bearing semester or academic-year program. Each year approximately 70-100 academically outstanding, financially deserving U.S. undergraduate students are selected as Bridging Scholars. In addition to receiving a cash stipend, Bridging Scholars participate in cohort programming designed to assist students build a future as a global citizen with a lifelong connection to Japan.
Freeman-ASIA
A Freeman-ASIA award provides need-based funding to assist the recipient with the cost of a study abroad program and related expenses, including airfare, basic living costs, local transportation, books, etc. Freeman-ASIA accepts applications from U.S. citizens or permanent residents studying at the undergraduate level at a two-year or four-year college or university who demonstrate financial need to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia.
Critical Language Scholarship (CLS)
CLS Program institutes cover approximately one academic year of university-level language coursework during an eight- to ten-week program and are designed to meet the needs of students from a variety of language levels and backgrounds. Formal classroom language instruction is provided for a minimum of 15 hours per week. Extracurricular activities are designed to supplement the formal curriculum, including regular one-on-one meetings with native speaker language partners for conversational practice, as well as cultural activities and excursions designed to expand students’ understanding of the history, politics, culture, and daily life of their host country.
Gilman Scholarship
The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program (Gilman Program) enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, providing them with skills critical to our national security and economic prosperity. To be eligible for the Gilman Program, applicants must be receiving a Federal Pell Grant during the time of application or provide proof that they will be receiving a Pell Grant during the term of their study abroad program or internship.
Fulbright Grants (Fulbright Fellow Japan)
This grant introduces recent American graduates to various regions of Japan to pursue language study and independent research at local universities. The main purpose of the research project is to serve as a vehicle for immersion and engagement with the local community. Successful applicants will be chosen who demonstrate maturity, flexibility, and independence.
Boren Awards
The Boren Awards fund the intensive study of language and culture abroad by U.S. undergraduate or graduate students. All eligible applicants have the option to either apply for a Regional Flagship Language Initiative or select/design their own study program.
Contact Us
Joshua Kessler
Email: jkessler@greenriver.edu
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Takako Wolf
Email: twolf@greenriver.edu
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Career Outlook
Learning Japanese can lead to many exciting careers. You could become a translator or interpreter, helping people understand each other in schools, businesses, or government jobs. Some students go on to teach English in Japan or work with Japanese companies.
Japan has the third largest economy in the world, so knowing Japanese can help you get jobs in business, technology, and international trade. It can also help if you want to work in travel, anime, video games, or other media. No matter what path you choose, speaking Japanese shows that you have strong communication skills and understand another culture—something that many employers value.