Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia offers a Japanese Classroom program providing an accessible, affordable opportunity for language instruction in a positive group study environment. Classes are offered online, and students must be at least 18 years old to participate.

REGISTRATION FOR FALL SEMESTER HAS CLOSED

Our next semester will be Spring 2026.  Please fill out this Class Interest Form to be notified as soon as the registration for the next semester becomes available.

Course Schedules

Japanese Classroom programs are scheduled with spring, summer, and fall semester courses offered each year. Registration for each semester is typically open 2-3 weeks before the start of the semester and concludes the Friday before the first week of class. Each class meets online for 90 minutes per week for ten weeks during a semester.

Registration Fees

Registration fees for each class are $400 per semester, or $380 for JASGP members, except where otherwise noted.

Location

Classes are held online via Zoom. Students must have access to a reliable internet connection to participate.

The Genki Textbook

Our Genki-based courses are styled after college curricula, with classes starting at 101 and going up to 205. These sessions follow the Japan Times Genki Series and include reading, writing, speaking, listening, and cultural components. Each course covers 2 chapters. Japanese 101-106 cover Genki I and Japanese 201-205 cover Genki II.

Conversational Japanese for Beginners

Conversational Japanese is a 101-level course focused on more casual learning. This class concentrates less on grammar or script memorizing and is more geared towards learning Japanese for travel or other less formal uses. Through studying basic sentence structures and building vocabulary, students will learn how to introduce themselves, ask for directions, order food, locate an ATM, make requests, etc.

The accompanying textbook Nihongo Fun & Easy 2nd Edition comes with audio files that can be downloaded to the student’s computer or smartphone so they can practice listening at any time. Also, every sentence in the textbook comes with Romanized characters that serve as a pronunciation guide, so students can start practicing speaking without memorizing the various styles of calligraphic characters. Students should be sure to purchase the 2nd edition of the textbook.

Testimonials

“Learning Japanese at the JASGP has been a great experience that has only deepened my interest in Japan. Thanks to the dedication of the teachers and JASGP staff it has been a real pleasure to attend classes and improve my language skills. The JASGP has a wide breadth of programs and activities and I would warmly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about Japan, its language and culture.”
—Branimir Vasilić, 101-204 Student

“One of the best things about taking classes at JASGP is that everyone is learning Japanese for different reasons. Our classes are always diverse and the instructors are always engaging. I learn something new every class, culturally and linguistically.”
—Jessica Kwasniak, 101-102 Student