Learning Japanese

Passport to Japan

Japan America Society of Colorado offers Japanese classes to help you prepare for your first trip to Japan*. Whether for business or pleasure, these classes will show you how to greet your tour guide in Japanese, how to ask for directions, the basics of table manners, and more. See details below for full class information.

Classes are taught by Junko Goodwin-Sensei who is also our Japan in the Schools Program Manager. Junko-Sensei has been teaching for JASC for several years and her Passport to Japan classes have been growing in popularity for many years.

Offered three times annually during spring, fall, and winter, be sure to promptly register when open enrollment becomes available!

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JASC members not only get a $50 discount when signing up for one of our Passport to Japan classes, but they are also the FIRST to know when enrollment opens up via our semi-monthly membership newsletter. Check out all the benefits of becoming a member today here!

*Passport to Japan is based off a travel curriculum developed specifically to address most commonly asked questions when traveling to Japan whether it is your first time or not. No Japanese level is necessary to participate. However, because this is not a full Japanese language class, course completion is deemed to not be equivalent to a high-school or college level course by any means.


Sign up for our Community newsletter for enrollment announcements or become a JASC member to receive discounts today!


Our Passport to Japan 1 & 2 for Fall 2024 is already filled up! If you'd like to be added to the waitlist, please submit the form below.


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FAll 2024

PASSPORT TO JAPAN 1: Beginner

This class is in-person, following basic health considerations, please refrain from coming to class ill.

Passport to Japan 1 will focus on travel for business or pleasure! No prior experience with Japan or the Japanese language is needed. You’ll learn about:

  • Flying into Narita / Haneda / Traveling in Tokyo

  • Traveling in Kyoto / Osaka / Tokyo

  • Japanese foods

  • Japanese manners

  • General conversational phrases

  • Gift giving

  • Watching Japanese TV

  • Being ready for an emergency

This class will be held IN PERSON on Thursday evenings for 8 weeks. All class materials are provided and are included in the cost. Materials will be provided on the first day of class.

  • DATES: Thursday evenings: Sept - 19, 26 | Oct - 3, 10, 17, 24 | Nov - 7, 14

  • TIME: 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. (16 total hours of class time)

  • LOCATION: Sakura Square, Denver, CO

  • PARKING: Free for class participants in Sakura Square parking garage UNLESS there is a home Rockies game. We cannot cover parking on the night of events such as the Rockies or Avalanche home games. Please check local schedules on the day of class.

  • CLASS SIZE: Max 20 students/ Minimum 8 - If we do not get enough participants, a full refund will be issued to all registrants.

  • PRICE: Please read our cancellation policy (click the registration link below). $250 /JASC Members $300 /General Public
    Click to learn about becoming a member

  • Cancellation Policy: Available at the bottom of this page.


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spring 2024

Passport to Japan 2: Beginner++

This class is in-person, following basic health considerations, please refrain from coming to class ill.

Built on the skills covered in Passport 1* participants will further explore the topics below:

  • Work /Company relationships

  • Regions of Japan

  • Life in Japan

  • Anime and other pop culture

  • Verb conjugations

  • Counting and counters-specifically for shopping and ordering

  • Travel-focused vocabulary

*Participants are welcome to skip Passport to Japan1 if they are comfortable with basic Japanese pronunciation, greetings, introductions, and simple sentence formats. Please be aware topics discussed in Passport to Japan 1 are not reviewed during Passport to Japan 2.

This class will be held IN PERSON on Thursday evenings for 8 weeks. All class materials are provided and are included in the cost. Materials will be provided on the first day of class.

  • DATES: Thursday evenings: Sept - 19, 26 | Oct - 3, 10, 17, 24 | Nov - 7, 14

  • TIME: 7-9 p.m. (16 total hours of class time)

  • LOCATION: Sakura Square, Denver, CO

  • PARKING: Free for class participants in Sakura Square parking garage UNLESS there is a home Rockies game. We cannot cover parking on the night of events such as the Rockies or Avalanche home games. Please check local schedules on the day of class.

  • CLASS SIZE: Max 15 students/ Minimum 5 - If we do not get enough participants, a full refund will be issued to all registrants.

  • PRICE: Please read our cancellation policy (click the registration link below). $250 /JASC Members $300 /General Public
    Click to learn about becoming a member

  • Cancellation Policy: Available at the bottom of this page.


cancellation policy

Withdrawal 72 hours prior to the start of the class - Full Refund

Withdrawal 24 – 72 hrs prior to the start of the class - 50% refund less a $10 processing fee

Withdrawal within 24 hours prior to the start of class - No refunds

Withdrawals after classes begin - No refunds

There are no refunds, transfers, make-ups, or deferments for missed classes. The instructor will arrange to get you any materials from a missed class.

If you would like to receive community non-member updates from JASC, including announcements for open enrollment for future classes, please submit your information below.

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