What would you like to do most when visiting Japan?
Sightseeing? Well, that’s fine, but you can also do that by visiting YouTube and watching videos that show the best parts of the country. Even original pop-culture like manga can be enjoyed through the Internet nowadays. Perhaps you are looking forward to savoring healthy and delicious Japanese cuisine? Well. I’m sure you can find great Japanese restaurants in big cities without the hours of flight involved in coming all the way here. Why do you have to leave your cozy sitting room to fly to the far end of the world?!
No; In my opinion, the best part of travel is meeting people. If you agree with me, please take a chance to visit the Yokohama English Club. When you visit countries where you cannot speak the local language, it becomes extremely difficult to become acquainted with the local people. Although most Japanese have learnt English for 9 yearsat school, English conversation is far from fun for many Japanese who are in fact truly bad at. So why don’t you visit the club where people willingly learn English, rather than hoping to be lucky enough to meet fluent English speakers by chance? Let me show you how the Yokohama English Club can be one of the best places you can visit here.
1. The venue is easy to get to, being close to JR Yokohama station.
2. Fixing a date to visit is not difficult, for the club gets together three times a week.
3. Advanced level English speakers regularly attend the gatherings.
4. Every meeting starts with introductions, for the club doesn’t have any fixed members.
5. Most of the time, some of the attendees go out for lunch or drinks together afterwards.
Normally, 30 to 50 people will be there to welcome you. Five to six people sit at each table according to their English level. The first part of every meeting is an “icebreaker,” in which you make pairs and introduce yourself to your partner. You don’t have to feel nervous or shy because only your partner is your audience. After that, all members at your table come together again.
The main part of the meeting is a game, to help members enhance their command of words or expressions. Since the age and background of the attendees vary greatly, this gathering can serve as a great chance to get information from people in different fields. For example, one of the attendees I often met at the club was the owner of classic cars who had a wide range of knowledge about such cars. There are also people who are deeply involved in volunteer activities. Therefore it is not rare to find new friends who share your hobby, and that is why there are some spin-off gatherings that were born from this club. Please see the photo of one of the spin-off clubs I belong to. We have been seeing each other for over 3 years after first meeting at this club. Even without regular sub-gatherings like ours, many attendees keep in touch with one another.
This club’s system is completely different from English conversation schools in Japan. Each attendee must aply to attend each meeting, being free from any obligation to attend any further meetings. As space is limited, all attendees have to make a reservation in advance through the club home page or by email. Therefore, please be sure to contact the club organizer through the email address below before you visit the club.
Contact address: mail@eikaiwaclub.com
I’m sure you will enjoy your visit to the club. And who knows—you might even meet a person who becomes your life-long friend!
