Through this site, I hope to help Japanese people learn English. But, even more importantly, I hope this English Seminar will serve as a useful guide to learning through English. To that end, I’ll introduce high-quality podcasts, videos, and other content that I myself have found to be interesting or valuable. In doing so, I’ll strive to make it easy for Japanese students of English to understand and enjoy the content by providing clear English-language explanations and Japanese translations.
Language learning tools
I’ve developed two types of language-learning tools for users of this site: specially formatted videos and a flashcard app. The videos present information in English and with English and Japanese subtitles arranged in a unique way that facilitates learning through English. The flashcard app is designed to help students memorize vocabulary. It provides access to vocabulary cards based on the videos I make and on the CEFR-J Wordlist, and can also be used independently to memorize any content for which flashcards can be made.
Videos
On this site, you can download videos with the following characteristics:
- Narration in English
- Vertical orientation
- English subtitles above and Japanese subtitles below the main video
- Subtitles can be turned off by turning your phone on its side
These characteristics are designed to make it easier to practice dictation or shadowing on a smartphone.
App
The characteristics of my flashcard app, which I call “Kankaku,” include the following:
- Responsive, customizable spaced-repetition scheduling
- Free vocabulary cards, with audio, that are based on my videos and on the CEFL-J wordlist
- Ability to make your own cards
- “Cram mode” for test preparation
- Links from each vocabulary card to a wide variety of dictionaries
The “seminar”
I chose to use the word “seminar” in the title of this site for two reasons: (1) to emphasize my focus on helping people who are interested in learning about various topics through English; and (2) to express my interest in developing an interactive community of people who discuss ideas and learn from each other.
Interest in learning
Learning a language opens a door to a new world of ideas. What makes language learning such an enriching experience is the opportunity to encounter new information and ways of thinking. Through this site, I would like to help you use English as your doorway to a new world of learning. The emphasis on learning through English should make it ideal for students who are preparing to study abroad. But, regardless of the level of your English or your specific goals, if you love to learn, then this site is for you!
Interactive community
Whereas lectures tend to be one-directional, seminars are characterized interaction among the members. A good seminar feels supportive and welcoming. That supportive atmosphere allows participants to ask questions and express ideas freely. That is the sort of interactive community I hope to build here.
I anticipate that the blog, social media, and perhaps a community platform such as Discourse will be the primary communication tools that I will use to facilitate our interaction. As the community grows, it may become increasingly difficult for me to answer all questions and respond to all comments individually. On the other hand, I’m hoping to build the sort of community where other participants step up to help others and respond to their concerns when I’m not able to.
About me
I’m currently a professor of comparative culture at Kumamoto Gakuen University. I developed my app, Kankaku, and the uniquely formatted videos I’ll share on this site in a course I began teaching here about 10 years ago. My teaching of that course will end in a few years when I retire, but after that, I plan to put all of my energy into sharing materials and ideas on this site.
I began studying Japanese when I first came to Japan from the United States as an exchange student nearly 50 years ago. As I struggled to learn the language I got some excellent advice from SATO Yuji, an older student in my dormitory who eventually became a colleague of mine at Kumamoto Gakuen University. That was to always learn words in sentences. That principle has served me well in my own studies and is deeply integrated into all of the materials I will share here.
Although I’ve been studying Japanese for nearly 50 years, I’m still learning. I use Kankaku to study Japanese every day and am currently preparing to take the “Japan Kanji Aptitude Test Grade 2” (漢字検定2級) in 2026 or 2027. Of course, after I pass (I expect to pass 😉), I’ll publish a video here about my experience and what I think Japanese people who are preparing for TOEIC and other tests might learn from it.