This was our third trip to Yamanakako with our first-year students. Every year, on the last school day before the holidays, our Academy travels to see Mt. Fuji together with first-year students. This year, we once again set off on this special journey. This time, we visited: ① Arakurayama Sengen Park 新倉山浅間公園（あらくらやま せんげんこうえん） A famous sightseeing spot known for its panoramic view of Mt. Fuji. Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side this time, and Mt. Fuji was only parti

Today, students from Yamanashi Prefectural University joined our first-year class. They were divided into two groups and participated in a Japanese lesson together with our students. This was a great opportunity for our students to communicate in Japanese with peers of the same age and make new friends. To help everyone start the conversation more easily, the teacher prepared several activities. Through these tasks, students not only introduced themselves but also practiced t

What a packed day — after which everyone’s muscles definitely hurt! Our very first スポーツ大会（スポーツ たいかい） , CLAY Sports Day, was a huge success! At our school, we have 4 classes — two for second-year students and two for first-year students — so 4 teams took part in CLAY Sports Day. But today didn’t start with fun and games; it started with First Aid Training - life-saving training. Each class had a 45-minute masterclass where they could practice on a mannequin how to save a pers

Ms. Araki and Mr. Ishiyama from the Traffic Planning Division of the Yamanashi Prefectural Police Headquarters visited our school and gave a presentation on Japanese traffic rules. Although they travel around the prefecture every day to conduct traffic safety classes in various places, this time they kindly offered a special lecture for our international students, using simple Japanese that was very clear and easy to understand. They spoke slowly and clearly, sometimes adding

Today started a little differently than usual. Instead of our regular teachers, the morning meeting was attended by witches, wizards, a talking pumpkin, and the Lorax! Naturally, the lessons were also conducted by magical beings and other mysterious creatures. Even phone calls and interviews were handled in full costume! The whole school has been decorated for Halloween since the beginning of October to bring a Halloweeny autumn mood. We hope we managed to do that! 🍁🎃 Durin

The Culture and Language Academy of Yamanashi's October 2025 Entrance Ceremony was held at one of the hotels in Yamanashi Prefecture. During the ceremony, our school director, Shimura-sensei, and Mr. Masaharu Nakagawa gave their speeches. This year’s representative of the new students, Pempero-san, gave a speech to his fellow classmates and encouraged everyone to do their best and move toward success together. 入学式おめでとうございます! Dear new students, congratulations on your entrance

This year, we once again celebrated Dashain together at the girls’ dormitory. Our dormitory leader, Rajani-san, gave a short speech, greeting everyone and expressing her gratitude to the teachers and friends for their kindness and care. Yoda-sensei placed tika made of red rice on everyone’s forehead as part of the traditional blessing. The students prepared plenty of delicious food — rice, curry, and even chips! There were several kinds of curry, and each came in two versions

There are many websites for learning Japanese. Today, we would like to share some websites, apps, and tools that work as great resources...

Meet Leonardo, a professional rugby player who came to Japan just for 3 months on a tourist visa — enough to study basic Japanese, pass the JLPT, and prepare to apply for a student visa and university admission next year!

We went to Tokyo — and it was AWESOME! Every year, we take our second-year students to Tokyo for the 進学説明会 (しんがくせつめいかい / shingaku...

One of the most common tips from Japanese teachers for improving your language skills is: listen more ! In one of our previous blog posts, we introduced some Spotify channels with Japanese podcasts . But… where should you start? Which one should you choose? This time, we've selected 5 specific podcast episodes  that are perfect for beginners and a great way to get into the habit of listening to natural Japanese. ・ ことのは・日本語の会話 Ep33 【N5～】 せいとがまちがって使っている日本語🤨 Ep48　【N5～】　きびとやまむの趣

Finally, we're officially welcoming our first-year students with the Japanese entrance ceremony — 入学式 (nyūgakushiki)! We hope this marks the beginning of an exciting journey for each of you, and we wish you a year full of growth, learning, and discovery. Here’s to a promising start, new friendships, and countless adventures ahead!

Meet Yoda-sensei! Yoda-sensei is a principal and a true mother of our CLAY Academy! She is the first person you meet after arriving in Yamanashi, she helps students with adapting to Japan, as well as all their documents, visas, and helps them find their first part-time job. She is always supportive and encouraging. Let's get to know her better! Yoda-sensei 　 依田 　先生 依田　礼子 ヨダ　レイコ Here is the original　友達アンケート (Tomodachi Anketo). Favorite food 　好きな日本料理　 野菜がたくさん入ったお味噌汁 やさい が たくさん

When our students first arrive in Japan to study at CLAY, their sensei helps them find their first part-time job. However, with...

We would like to congratulate the students of the 2-year and 1.5-year Advanced Japanese Language Course on their graduation! It was an...

In today's Friends Questionnaire, we are gonna have the opportunity to get to know Nagai-sensei! She is kind and sweet and loves...

Today, besides our usual textbook studies, we had a practical lesson in Japanese calligraphy. 書道　（しょどう、shodō）ー Japanese calligraphy The...

A blue demon disturbed our classes! Say it loud and clear: "Demons out! Good fortune in!" Why? Because today is Setsubun!!!!

Hey everyone! Today was a special day—we had a police officer come to our school to give a lecture to all the first-year students. It was packed with useful tips and reminders about staying safe and following the rules in Japan. Here’s what stood out to me: Lock It Up! Did you know burglaries are on the rise in Japan? The officer stressed how important it is to lock your house and bicycle properly. I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry! Don’t Be That Person Doing things

The Bowling Tournament in Culture and Language Academy of Yamanashi! Do you like bowling? What about digital bowling? Last Friday, Sensei...