To students who want to take some lessons outside of school while you are studying Japanese,
Kudan Institute will help you find your hobby. We would like to introduce some place or organization which accepts foreign learners.
※This service is only for Kudan students (current students or applicants)
Would you like to take Judo lessons at the Kodokan while you are studying Japanese at Kudan Institute? The Kodokan(a 13-min. walk from Kudan Institute) accepts beginners to advanced skill level.
【Minimum 3 months for beginners / Minimum 1 day for those who have black belt 】
※Women can take the “Women’s class
".
There have been many students who took Judo classes while they were studying at Kudan Institute. We would like to introduce some of the students who were serious about studying Japanese and learning Judo.
My goal coming to Japan was to earn my Judo black belt at the Kodokan.
So, in order to understand my Judo instructors, I decided to learn Japanese.
It was a good decision. I encourage foreign students to do Judo and learn Japanese.
You have enough time to do both. By going to Judo practice, you will be able to apply the Japanese you learned in class with your teachers and peers.
My basic conversation and listening skills improved from going to practice everyday.
At the beginning it was about 90% Japanese and 10% foreign Judoka. Now it is about 30-40% foreign Judoka in 2019.
You can make Japanese friends to help you better understand Japanese culture and people. By studying Japanese at Kudan Institute, I was able to understand my Judo instructors and talk with my peers. In the end, I achieved my goal.
I think Judo is a great hobby that will also help you improve your Japanese. Train and study hard! Good luck!
I had little experience of Judo in Sweden. Since I came to Japan, I wanted to try and get my black belt in Judo.
When researching about Judo, I found that the Kodokan might be my best choice.
I started learning Japanese by studying how to read and write Hiragana and Katakana. In my last term of school, I was in the advanced level and often interpreted teachers’ explanations to other foreign students in Judo class.
I think doing judo probably helped my Japanese studies in the beginning.
It was a place where I had to try and use the Japanese I'd learnt during the day while also picking up a lot of vocabulary from the judo lingo. Do it! You won't regret it and it will be the perfect mix between physical and mental exercise!
My friend Simon, who trained at the Kodokan, tried to convince me to join for a whole year before I actually decided to see what this sport was really about.
Eventually, it grew on me quite fast. At the beginning, I trained around 3-4 times a week, but have lately felt the need to go every weekday.
The teachers always speak Japanese with the exception of maybe one teacher, who may repeat what he said in English.
But whether they speak English or not doesn't really matter that much.
Because the teachers are very precise at showing their version of the technique.
They would help out if there was something wrong in one's own technique.
I personally think it was easier to learn Japanese since I started building up my routine based on Judo. Thus, I structured my time to sleep, wake up, eat, study and so on. (except for the weekends when I hung out with friends and did whatever I felt like doing)
I can certainly say that I don't regret starting Judo or studying Japanese.
I also want to tell people who are interested in coming to Japan that if you feel it is important to you, don't let anyone else influence you to give it up for whatever reason.
Because in the end it's your life, your experience and development as a person. Therefore, you should do what you feel like doing.
