The YAMASA Institute, Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
An edutravel experience for the discerning foodie.
The Hattori Foundation-The YAMASA Institute
1-2-1 Hane Higashimachi, Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Ph: +81-0564-55-8111
Fax: +81-0564-55-8113
E-mail: [email protected]
nicejapanese.yamasa.org yamasa_en /yamasainstitute /user/YamasaInstitute
1-2-1 HANEHIGASHI-MACHI，OKAZAKI-SHI，AICHI-KEN，JAPAN 444-8691
FAX：+81-564-55-8113 TEL：+81-564-55-8111 EMAIL：[email protected]
Contents
1) Survey Time! P. 4
2) What is the NICE Program? P. 5
(a) Cultural and Culinary Components P. 6
Japanese Cooking Classes P. 8
Okazaki Gourmand Society P. 9
Tour to Ise Shima P. 12
Homestay P. 13
(b) Linguistic Component P. 14
3) Timetable P. 16
4) Curriculum Outline P. 17
5) NICE Gourmet Japanese Disclaimer and Refund Policy P. 18
6) Course Inquiries P. 19
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1-2-1 HANEHIGASHI-MACHI，OKAZAKI-SHI，AICHI-KEN，JAPAN 444-8691
FAX：+81-564-55-8113 TEL：+81-564-55-8111 EMAIL：[email protected]
Survey Time!
Are you passionate not only about Japanese culture but
also international cuisine and want to learn about both of
these things in an authentic and hands on way?
Are you planning on travelling around Japan in the next few
months? Do you also want to learn some Japanese that
can make your time here more productive?
Do you experiment in the kitchen and wish to add a couple
of new dishes to your expanding repertoire?
Are you a current resident of Japan who wants to learn the
basics of Japanese cooking but also have some fun while
doing so?
If any of the above is applicable, then the YAMASA Institute’s NICE Gourmet Japanese course, which is to be run exclusively on our
Okazaki campus in March/April 2017 is a great opportunity for you to:
1) experience Japanese gourmet culture
as well as
2) learn practical Japanese related to dining and other culinary pursuits.
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1-2-1 HANEHIGASHI-MACHI，OKAZAKI-SHI，AICHI-KEN，JAPAN 444-8691
FAX：+81-564-55-8113 TEL：+81-564-55-8111 EMAIL：[email protected]
What is the NICE Program?
Class Sizes: Minimum of five/Maximum of twelve
Application Period: From November until the start of March
Course Duration: From the 27th of March to the 1st of April.
Cost: \160,000 (All fees are included unless specified. Students will be given prior notice if particular costs are not included in the initial course fees.) ▲ Overall course costs may change if the student chooses to stay in a dormitory/YAMASA operated accommodation or if the student wishes to stay in a nearby hotel.
How to Apply:
Students can apply individually via the NICE website (nicejapanese.yamasa.org), via e-mail ([email protected]) or by telephone (+81-0564-55-8111).
In addition to taking NICE as an individual course, students are also able to supplement their initial enrolment with other courses that run prior and after the initial study period (March 27th to April 1st). For more information, please visit the NICE website.
The NICE Program aims to provide its participants with an experience that emphasizes the acquisition of language based, cultural as well as food preparation skills. In short, what you can get out of this course is best divided into two categories: cultural and culinary and linguistic.
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1-2-1 HANEHIGASHI-MACHI，OKAZAKI-SHI，AICHI-KEN，JAPAN 444-8691
FAX：+81-564-55-8113 TEL：+81-564-55-8111 EMAIL：[email protected]
Cultural and Culinary Components
As was mentioned in our earlier ‘survey’, this course is ideal for those who have a genuine passion for food; not only Japanese cuisine but food in its many forms. NICE offers you the ability to explore the many aspects of Japanese gourmet culture that are inaccessible ‘back home’.
Learn more about a worldwide gastronomic phenomenon!
The popularity of Japanese cuisine is increasing by the day. With many people looking for a healthier alternative to the numerous takeaway restaurants and fast food chains (of whose product is often of dubious nutritional value) that crowd the current landscape; foods such as sashimi and sushi have carved out a niche within the market.
Unfortunately, a lot of what gets sold in many overseas Japanese eateries can often end up being very different to the genuine article. While this can be delicious in its own way, it can also lack the authenticity of the ‘real deal’. 6
1-2-1 HANEHIGASHI-MACHI，OKAZAKI-SHI，AICHI-KEN，JAPAN 444-8691
FAX：+81-564-55-8113 TEL：+81-564-55-8111 EMAIL：[email protected]
NICE will take you beyond the more recognizable Japanese foods that you have been exposed to in your home country or during your travels in Japan. It will open your eyes up to different forms of cuisine that you may not have considered prior to enrolling in the course.
This is achieved via 4 aspects of the course: Japanese cooking classes, the Okazaki Gourmand Society, Culinary Japanese
Lessons and a weekend tour to Ise Shima.
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1-2-1 HANEHIGASHI-MACHI，OKAZAKI-SHI，AICHI-KEN，JAPAN 444-8691
FAX：+81-564-55-8113 TEL：+81-564-55-8111 EMAIL：[email protected]
Japanese Cooking Classes
Students will participate in a cooking class taught by a qualified and experienced Japanese cooking teacher, Michiyo Nishimura who not only has an enviable level of cooking expertise but is also vastly experienced in teaching Japanese cooking to foreigners.
Our cooking class will aim to teach a style of cooking that is both
unique and with a certain ‘je ne sais quois’ about it. The dishes
that you will be taught (which include grilled ayu sweetfish and
donburi rice bowls) will also able to be made with ingredients
that are accessible back home.
The class will be conducted in the cooking studio run by the
Kurashi no Gakkou, (YAMASA’s sister school and community learning centre), which is equipped with all the necessary utensils and equipment for you to whip up a metaphorical storm in the kitchen.
In addition to learning how to make the kind of food that you
could only find in a restaurant in your home country, you will be
able to use the Japanese that you have picked up during class
time in a practical and functional setting.
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1-2-1 HANEHIGASHI-MACHI，OKAZAKI-SHI，AICHI-KEN，JAPAN 444-8691
FAX：+81-564-55-8113 TEL：+81-564-55-8111 EMAIL：[email protected]
Okazaki Gourmand Society
While cooking food is a lot of fun, eating it can also be a lot of fun as well! For this reason, we have set up the ‘Okazaki Gourmand
Society’ as a part of the broader NICE program. These are a series of events/tours that introduce you to the various ways that you can enjoy Japanese dining in and around Okazaki; the city that YAMASA calls its home.
Okazaki Gourmand Society events will include:
Visit to Tea Factory at Nishio
The first trip in our itinerary will be to the Nazan tea factory in
Nishio, Aichi, Japan. During the course of the tour you will be
given an explanation of the history of maccha tea and the
process of how it is cultivated. After a tour of the grounds of the
factory, you will be able to sample the many varieties of tea
available at this location; ranging from the maccha that many of
us are familiar with to Japanese kinds of sweets.
Okazaki Castle/Tea Ceremony Okazaki itself is the home to a large slice of Japanese history as
it is the birthplace of Ieyasu Tokugawa, a famous samurai who
reunited Japan after a long period of civil war. The actual place
of his birth, Okazaki Castle, will be one of the locations that we
will visit.
After our visit to Okazaki Castle, we will be taking a tour around
the area surrounding Okazaki Minami park (the area that houses
Okazaki Castle) to visit some traditional Japanese confectionery
stores. However, before we embark on that...
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1-2-1 HANEHIGASHI-MACHI，OKAZAKI-SHI，AICHI-KEN，JAPAN 444-8691
FAX：+81-564-55-8113 TEL：+81-564-55-8111 EMAIL：[email protected]
Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing)
Before launching on our tour of downtown Okazaki, we will
engage in a long time Japanese tradition: cherry blossom
viewing. While looking up at these flowers is part of this activity’s
appeal, the entirety of what makes up hanami isn't merely limited
to just this. The bulk of this activity is mostly relaxing with friends
while enjoying good food, drinks and company. We will bring a
few beers, some dumplings and some good friends along to
make this event a memorable one.
Visit to Osu Shopping District
After having lunch at Onjaku (a local Japanese eatery that serves most high standard Japanese fare) we will be visiting the
Osu shopping district.
A roofed shopping district located 5 minutes from the Sakae entertainment district, Osu is an interesting mish mash of traditional Japanese culture, modern Japanese subculture, shopping and local and international cuisine. The site of the
World Cosplay Summit, Osu is also contains home to numerous local and international restaurants. Osu not only will tickle your cultural sensibilities but also broaden your appreciation of both old and new Japan.
However, prior to visiting Osu, you will be taken to lunch at the
Onjaku kaiseki ryori restaurant. Providing a multi course meal,
Onjaku serves the Japanese equivalent of haute cuisine: kaiseki ryori (懐石料理）.
Izakaya Trip
Any visitor to the Land of the Rising Sun will tell you that you will
have to visit a traditional Japanese bistro (known in the local
dialect as an 居酒屋= izakaya) before you leave. As part of the 10
1-2-1 HANEHIGASHI-MACHI，OKAZAKI-SHI，AICHI-KEN，JAPAN 444-8691
FAX：+81-564-55-8113 TEL：+81-564-55-8111 EMAIL：[email protected]
Okazaki Gourmand Society, we will do just that.
This Okazaki Gourmand Society event will see us go to Kuukai,
a local Izakaya close to Okazaki station, to enjoy a broad
selection of Japanese food ranging from the deep fried (e.g.
kareage style fried chicken, tofu and potentially blowfish) to
lighter fare (such as tuna and kingfish sashimi, edamame beans
and cold ramen noodles).
Japanese Café:
NICE students will also have a weekly chance to practice their
Japanese with their teachers at the YAMASA Institute’s on site café ‘Kurumi’. Order food using the Japanese you have learnt in class while enjoying good food and company.
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1-2-1 HANEHIGASHI-MACHI，OKAZAKI-SHI，AICHI-KEN，JAPAN 444-8691
FAX：+81-564-55-8113 TEL：+81-564-55-8111 EMAIL：[email protected]
Weekend Tour to Ise Shima
Students of the NICE Gourmet Japanese Program will go on a tour on the last day of course to Ise Shima. It is often said that language cannot be separated from the culture that it was spawned from. The same can also be said for food. Being aware of this,
YAMASA will be taking NICE students to a location of cultural significance to get a first hand glimpse of the society that created the food that inspired this course.
The site of the most recent meeting of the G7 group of nations, Ise Shima also holds considerable significance in the cultural life of Japan. It is home to Ise Jingu, a large, sprawling complex that is considered one of the most sacred shrines in the country (and one that also has links to the Japanese royal family).
During our trip to Ise Shima, we will be indulging in a meal of Matsuzaka beef at the Isshobin beef restaurant. As Matsuzaka (the city in which said beef is reared) is located in the same prefecture as Ise Shima, this is a great opportunity to experience a broad range of what not only Mie has to offer but central Japan as well.
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1-2-1 HANEHIGASHI-MACHI，OKAZAKI-SHI，AICHI-KEN，JAPAN 444-8691
FAX：+81-564-55-8113 TEL：+81-564-55-8111 EMAIL：[email protected]
Homestay/Accommodation Options
All NICE students will be given the option of staying with a local Japanese family during their time at YAMASA. Homestay is a great opportunity for you to get to know more about the Japanese lifestyle. In addition to this, a homestay visit is also a chance for you to apply both the linguistic and culinary knowledge that you have picked up in class. It’s also great for trying home cooked Japanese food cooked by your host family as well as for allowing you to cook more international fare for your host family.
Whilst homestays are offered as a primary component of this course, it is not an essential part of it. For those who would like to stay in accommodation besides homestay, YAMASA has a range of accommodation options available which can be accessed from the
YAMASA homepage (http://www.yamasa.org/en/facilities_accommodation.html).
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1-2-1 HANEHIGASHI-MACHI，OKAZAKI-SHI，AICHI-KEN，JAPAN 444-8691
FAX：+81-564-55-8113 TEL：+81-564-55-8111 EMAIL：[email protected]
Linguistic Component
Many first timers to Japan can find the experience of going to a restaurant (with absolutely no English on the menu) a trying experience.
While this can be avoided if one were to go to all English speaking locations during one’s travels, this can often be limiting in that it does not give one access to the full gamut of what Japan has to offer; in both a culinary as well as cultural sense.
The NICE Gourmet Japanese Program aims to arm you with the kind of practical and functional Japanese that will serve you well during you travels across Japan, get the most out of your experience while you are here as well as allow you to better appreciate the conveyor belt sushi, gyudon and ramen restaurants that you will be frequenting while you are here.
This will be achieved by the following aspects of the course:
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1-2-1 HANEHIGASHI-MACHI，OKAZAKI-SHI，AICHI-KEN，JAPAN 444-8691
FAX：+81-564-55-8113 TEL：+81-564-55-8111 EMAIL：[email protected]
Cutting edge e-learning focused curriculum:
Harnessing the kind of technology that has been witnessed in many Western classrooms, NICE utilizes e-learning technology that allows teachers to put the learning needs of their students at the forefront.
The application of this ‘teachnology’ brings about the following benefits.
The bulk of your class time will be spent on practicing the vocabulary, expressions and vocabulary that you have learnt prior to arriving in class. Students who learn at a slower pace will be able to access lessons online to insure that they are able to keep up with the rest of class.
Students are also able to collaborate with each other using interactive learning portals to answer each other’s questions and
exchange notes as well as directly interact with their teacher should they need clarification on a certain point.
Practical Japanese related to dining and culinary pursuits:
NICE is that it will give people travelling Japan the tools to be able to not only get out of a Japanese restaurant in one piece but also to be able to successfully order food, give ones opinion on it and pay the bills. While this may sound a bit simplistic, for many visitors to Japan, this can be a lot to ask.
In addition to the basics, we also teach specialist cooking vocabulary such as steam, boil, fry and deep fry as well as the names of unique Japanese
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Timetable
Period 3/27 Mon. 3/28 Tues. 3/29 Wed. 3/30 Thu. 3/31 Fri 4/1 Sat. 4/2 Sun.
1) 9:00-9:50 Pre Course End of Course
Japanese Japanese Japanese Japanese 2) 10:00-10:50 lessons lessons lessons lessons
3) 11:00-11:50
Lunch 11:50-12:40 Japanese Café Cooking Lessons Weekend Tour to Okazaki Castle Ise Shima 4) 12:40-13:30 Aiya Tea Factory tour Hanami (Cherry Lunch at Onjaku
in Nishio Blossom Viewing) Arrival and check in Trip to Osu Shopping 5) 13:40-14:30 at YAMASA by this Stroll around Okazaki District
time. city centre including
6) 14:40-15:30 (Please arrive by areas of culinary Graduation
6PM) significance. Ceremony
Return to accommodation Izakaya Tour
Key: ▲ Japanese Lessons/Administrative Tasks ▲ Okazaki Gourmand Society/Weekend Tour/Japanese Café ▲ Cooking Lessons
Curriculum Outline
Learning Focus Target Vocabulary Examples Activity especially relevant to
Understanding and using taste This is bitter/this is sweet/this is Nanzan Tea Factory (Tues,) words. salty.
Asking what something tastes like. What does that taste like? Nanzan Tea Factory (Tues,),
Politely refusing foods that you do I’m not really that crazy about Stroll around Okazaki city not like. pork… Centre (Wednesday),
Making requests at restaurants. Can I have a menu please? Lunch at Onjaku (Thurs), Izakaya Tour (Fri)
Asking about things you don’t What are your specials? Lunch at Onjaku, (Thurs), understand or don’t know about. Izakaya Tour (Fri), Weekend tour to Ise Shima (Sat.)
Politely refusing unwanted items. I don’t really need a bag/receipt Weekend tour to Ise Shima (Sat.) Trip to Osu Shopping District (Thurs.)
Using nouns to ask for permission. May I pay by card? Weekend tour to Ise Shima (Sat.), Trip to Osu Shopping District (Thurs.)
Language relevant to cooking lesson Cooking verbs and temperature Cooking lessons (Fri.) adjectives
Vocabulary reflecting real life situations: dried gluten, soups and broths, types of cherry blossom, bowls, pour, send around, (to) serve, (to) steam
Simple food vocabulary, Listening Practice: pour, mix, boil
NICE’s curriculum has been designed to have maximum relevancy to the activities you will be participating in every day. It has also been made with the goal of allowing students to be able to order in restaurants and go shopping after the course is complete. Therefore, curriculum is designed with the end goal of being able to successfully navigate the izakaya tour and trip to Ise Shima. 1-2-1 HANEHIGASHI-MACHI，OKAZAKI-SHI，AICHI-KEN，JAPAN 444-8691
FAX：+81-564-55-8113 TEL：+81-564-55-8111 EMAIL：[email protected]
NICE Gourmet Japanese Refund Policy and Disclaimer
Disclaimer:
1) Some locations listed within the itinerary that require forward booking (such as restaurants) may change to a different yet comparable location if reservations are unable to be made at the initial premises/location.
2) Previously arranged events may need to be cancelled on account of inclement weather, natural disasters, terrorist attacks or acts of God.
Refunds:
Students are entitled to the following refunds if they notify YAMASA of their cancellation (via e-mail) by 12am of the following dates (JST- Japanese Standard Time). 1) Students will be entitled to a full refund should they notify YAMASA by the 11th of February 2017 2) Students will be entitled to a 2/3 refund if they notify YAMASA between the 12th of February and 15th of March. 3) Students will be entitled to 50% refund if they notify YAMASA between the 16th and 26th of March. 4) Students who cancel from the 27th of March onward will not be entitled to a refund.
Final notification on running of course:
YAMASA will endeavor to provide notification to all NICE students by the 10th of February 2017 if there have been any changes to the course or overall cancellation of the course due to various factors (insufficient enrollment numbers, natural disasters, unavoidable circumstances, illness etc.).
In circumstances such as those listed above, YAMASA will contact each applicant and refund their tuition in full if this is the student’s preference.
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Course Inquiries
If you have any specific inquiries concerning the NICE Gourmet Japanese Program, please feel free to contact the following
YAMASA staff members.
English: Glen Cowan E-mail: [email protected]
Japanese: Takako Seko E-mail: [email protected]
Mandarin: Shu Ching Yu (Haru) E-mail: [email protected]
We look forward to seeing you at the YAMASA Institute!