Hi everyone, it’s Ako from Nihongo Picnic.
Our Japanese lessons are mainly online, but we actually host a few in-person events every year as well.
A few weeks ago, we held Picnic Night, which is our version of a fun nomikai (drinks & social time)! We rented out a cozy craft beer bar in Shibuya and invited our students, teachers, and friends of Nihongo Picnic. Around 30 people joined us for a night filled with good drinks, laughter, and lots of language mixing.
We had students who flew in from California just for this event (!), as well as participants traveling from Nagano and Saga within Japan. Some learners happened to be in Japan for work or vacation — from New York, Seattle, and Mexico — and joined too. It was one of those moments when we really felt the joy of connecting with people from all over the world through our lessons.
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Everywhere we turned, we heard “Nice to meet you!” and “Long time no see!” in Japanese, English, and even French. Many new friendships started, and online classmates finally met face-to-face.
Even though Nihongo Picnic is an online school, we were truly moved to see so many of you make time to meet us in person. It reminded us how special this community is, how online learning can bring people together, and how meeting offline can deepen those connections even more.
To be honest… I think I was probably the one who enjoyed the night the most.
Seeing your smiles made me incredibly happy.
Over the years, we’ve had picnics in Yoyogi Park, karaoke nights, casual meet-ups, and more. Next year, we’re planning an in-person teacher workshop in Fukuoka as well. And we hope to continue hosting events where students and teachers can connect.
We’ll keep sharing updates about future in-person events here in the newsletter.
For lesson inquiries, contact us anytime!
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