I currently live in Tokyo and I want to practice Japanese, but it’s not like I can just walk up to a random person and say “こんにちは”, so I was wondering if anyone knew a way to find language exchange partners or in general how I can practice speaking in Japanese (other than using set phrases at a grocery store or something)?
3 comments
I would suggest language apps like HelloTalk and finding a hobby/sport/passion and then getting to know people that are into the same thing.
I second checking out HelloTalk. If you haven’t used it before, it is an app that pairs people who are learning each other’s language. Guarantee there will be hundreds of people in Tokyo looking for someone to practice their English with (or any other languages that you might speak). If you want to practice in a more natural setting, I spent a lot of my time in Japan just sat in small bars where the locals were often more than happy to chat.
Pretty much every ward of Tokyo and many other prefectural offices offer volunteer language classes. I’m currently enrolled in 2 of them. Typically you pay a small fee per month (really small, like 500-1000円) and you spend an hour or two talking either 1-on-1 with a volunteer teacher or in a small group. If you enroll in a few of these, you can easily get a decent number of Japanese-only conversation practice hours per week, depending on your schedule. Search the name of your city followed by “(volunteer) Japanese lessons” or browse the ward’s website to find info on it