DISCOVER THE ELEGANCE
OF JAPANESE FLUENCY

ようこそ！

Welcome to Nihongo no Niwa, a South African language school that celebrates a passion for Japan and its culture through the study of the Japanese language.

We offer weekly online lessons to help our students achieve their unique language goals. Our syllabus is structured to align with the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), and no matter the skill level or the motivation (be it personal or professional), we work with our students in both private and group classes to best meet their specific requirements.

We feel it is important to teach not only the language, but also to promote a deeper cultural appreciation and understanding. This is why we work with local Japanese institutions – including the Japanese Embassy of South Africa – to further this goal and expose students to unique opportunities in Japan and South Africa.

Our school also hosts regular get-togethers, as well as an annual year-end function, to foster a community spirit and help our students meet and connect with other like-minded individuals who share a passion for all things Japanese. At the end of the day, people learn best when they're having fun!

Welcome!

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OUR SERVICES

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PRIVATE & GROUP CLASSES

We offer tailored private and group classes—beginner up to advanced—adapted to your unique learning style and goal to ensure that every student learns in as optimal an environment as possible. We also specialise in workplace, JET Programme, and JLPT preparatory courses for those planning to live and work in Japan.

CULTURAL IMMERSION

Through regular school events, interesting cultural and linguistic articles, and connecting with local Japanese institutions, such as the Japanese Embassy of South Africa, we offer our students the opportunity to learn about the rich culture of Japan in fun and engaging ways.

Ugo, Tokyo Japan

Ugo B. – Tokyo, Japan | ユーゴ（日本・東京）

"My time at 日本語の庭 has been an incredibly transformative experience. I began my journey there at the age of 15, with little more than a passing interest in the language and no clear expectations for the future. At first, Japanese seemed like an insurmountable challenge. However, as I attended weekly lessons, my appreciation for the language and culture grew steadily, and my passion deepened. Today, I am pursuing my studies in Japan, a dream that seemed far-fetched when I first started. 日本語の庭 played a pivotal role in helping me discover that dream. I am deeply grateful for everything, Jasonさん. Thank you."

UPCOMING EVENTS

GET IN TOUCH

and connect with our online Japanese language school.

nnnjapanese@gmail.com

TRADING HOURS

Monday - Friday: 8am - 9pm

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🎎 H i n a m a t s u r i 🎎

Imagine walking into a Japanese home around the third day of the third month and being greeted by a flash of red steps filled with exquisitely dressed dolls.

That’s probably #ひな祭り (Hinamatsuri), celebrated on 3 March each year and also known as Girl’s Day.

Families with daughters display a set of dolls representing the Emperor and Empress in elegant Heian period court dress. These dolls symbolise the hope for harmony and a happy, prosperous marriage for their daughters one day. 🎊 🥂

Traditional dolls are made from wood with a coating of gofun (crushed oyster shells) and then dressed in silk and brocade. Modern ones are often made from clay, plastic, glassy fabric and paper mache.

Some households keep it simple with just the imperial couple, while others build full tiered displays with court ladies, musicians, and attendants placed on red cloth - like a miniature royal Heian wedding scene frozen in time.

There’s also a touch of folklore to the day: it’s believed that the dolls should be packed away right after 3 March… or some fear it will curse their daughters with a late marriage!

What do you think: Is this a practical reminder or just playful superstition? Let us know. 👀
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• 𝗛𝗶𝗻𝗮 - refers to hina-ningyō (#雛人形) the special dolls at the heart of this celebration.
• 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗶 - the Japanese word for a festival or holiday.
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#HinaMatsuri #雛祭り #DollsFestival #GirlsDay #JapaneseTraditions #NihongoNoNiwa #LearnJapanese #JapaneseLanguageLessons #SouthAfrica

🎉 A r t s & C r a f t s W o r k s h o p 🎉

Today we’re taking a moment to reminisce about our 2023 end-of-year event at Nihongo no Niwa. We were honored to host a Traditional Japanese Arts & Crafts Workshop for our students, a celebration of creativity, culture, and community that brought us all closer together. 🎊🌸

Our Japanese language school was buzzing with creativity as the day kicked off with an origami demonstration by 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗶 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮, a wonderful local outreach program dedicated to bringing the beauty of origami to disadvantaged communities. It was a pleasure to have Asemahle and Ayanda come and teach our students about the art of paper folding, and to tell us about their personal origami journeys. From cranes to hearts, our students folded paper into works of art! 🧡 📜

After all that creative folding, we took a break to savor some delicious treats, including some home-made #dorayaki... But the fun didn’t stop there!

We then delved into the traditional Japanese craft of 𝗞𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗸𝗼𝗺𝗶 (木目込み). Each student had the chance to create their own kimekomi mari ornament, choosing from traditional Japanese fabrics to craft beautiful, personalized decorations. It was a fantastic hands-on experience, and everyone left with their own unique piece of Japanese culture to take home. 🎨🌟

Thank you to Origami for Africa, and, of course, a massive ありがとうございます to our students for always being so enthusiastic to learn! We can’t wait to create more beautiful memories with our next year-end school event. 💖

#NihongoNoNiwa #OrigamiForAfrica #JapaneseCrafts #Origami #Kimekomi #JapaneseTraditions #JapaneseLanguageSchool #JapaneseClasses #LearnJapanese #CapeTown #SouthAfrica

🌊 J M S D F 🌊

If you’re a Japan enthusiast in Cape Town at the moment, then there’s a fair chance you’ve already heard of today’s topic! We’re thrilled to share highlights from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s (JMSDF) first visit to South Africa since WWII! 🎌🇿🇦

Last week, the 𝗝𝗦 𝗞𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗠𝗔 & 𝗝𝗦 𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗔𝗭𝗘 docked in Cape Town and opened their doors and hearts to South Africa. Several of our Nihongo no Niwa students embraced the opportunity and had an incredible experience exploring the naval destroyers, chatting with the crew members, enjoying musical performances, and witnessing martial arts demonstrations of Aikidō, Kyūdō, and Kendō. 🥋🎯🗡️

A huge thank you to the @embassyofjapaninsouthafrica for allowing us the opportunity to share in the excitement of this historic moment for both Japan and South Africa. We wish the JMSDF sailors well on the next leg of their journey! 🌍
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𝗙𝘂𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁 🔎
Did you wonder why the names of the JMSDF vessels are written in hiragana and not kanji? Japanese ship names used to be written in kanji prior to WWII, but, following the formation of the JMSDF, this tradition was abandoned to better differentiate them from the Japanese navy of old. 🎌
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Interested in learning more about the historic port visit? Read all about this historic event in our latest blog post! [Link in bio.] 🌸

#NihongoNoNiwa #JMSDF #CapeTownVisit #JSKashima #JSShimakaze #JapanMaritimeSelfDefenseForce #CulturalExchange #InternationalConnections #JapaneseCulture #LearningBeyondClassroom #HistoricMoment #CapeTown #JapaneseLanguageSchool

🇯🇵 🎲 B o a r d G a m e D a y ! 🎲 🇯🇵

Last weekend we hosted a Japanese board game day for our students, and it was a blast!

The students got to dive into a variety of exciting games, from themed games like 𝘙𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘍𝘶𝘳𝘺 and 𝘚𝘢𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘪 𝘚𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 to popular Japanese games like 街コロ and いろはくるた. #Shogi, a traditional Japanese strategy game, proved to be the crowd favorite! 🎴♟️

It was wonderful to see everyone strategizing, having fun, and practicing their Japanese skills. One of our students, パインさん, even made his own game for the day as a fun way to help with kanji and kana recognition! 🀄️🎌

Thank you to everyone who joined us for a day full of laughter, learning, and some (occasionally intense) good fun! Special thanks goes to @sword_and_board_games for generously allowing us to use their premises. It was a fantastic day for board games, and we can’t wait for our next school event. ^ - ^

どうもありがとうございました。じゃあまたね。

#JapaneseLanguageSchool #LanguageLearning #BoardgameDay #Shogi #SouthAfrica #JapaneseClasses #日本語の庭 #NihongonoNiwa

🍜 Ō m i s o k a 🍜

大晦日 (Ōmisoka) is the Japanese name for the last day of the year. At Nihongo no Niwa, we humorously refer to it as "Big Soup Day" as a helpful mnemonic. This also ties in well with the Japanese tradition of eating a piping hot bowl of soba noodle soup, called Toshikoshi Soba, to bid farewell to the old and usher in the new year.

There are a few ways of wishing people well for the coming year, and here are two polite options to keep those language neurons fired up this holiday!

— 今年もよろしくお願いします (Kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu): This New Years phrase means ‘I wish a good relationship for us both in the coming year’ (Lit. Please look after me next year too).

— 明けましておめでとうございます (Akemashite omedetō gozaimasu): This New Years greeting means ‘Happy New Year!’ (Lit. Congratulations on the dawn of the new year!) and is used AFTER the New Year has begun.

From Nihongo no Niwa, we want to wish everyone a joyful New Year filled with happiness, growth, and language adventures! May 2024 be a year of success and exciting discoveries in our language studies! 🎇📚✨

#HappyNewYear #JapaneseCulture #Oomisoka #LanguageLearning #NihongoNoNiwa #JapaneseLanguageSchool #JapaneseCulture #LearnJapanese #JapaneseLearningCommunity #JapaneseLessons #StudyJapanese #JapaneseClassesSouthAfrica #LearnJapaneseCapeTown #JapaneseClasses #JapaneseLanguageClub

🇯🇵 J a p a n D a y 2 0 2 3 🇯🇵

#JapanDay2023 was a great success, and we are very grateful to all who helped make the day so special! It was lovely to see so many of our students enjoying the festivities, and to meet so many wonderful new people.

Particular thanks goes to the Office of the Consul of Japan in Cape Town & the @EmbassyofJapaninSouthAfrica for hosting the event and for giving us all a space to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation for the unique culture of Japan. どうもありがとうございます。^ - ^

To those who completed either our QR code scavenger hunt or registration form, we will be sending out emails within the next few days so please keep an eye on your inboxes. 📬✨

To everyone else: 良いお年を迎えてください！(That means, “Have a good new year!”) 😉🎌

#JapanDayCPT #JapanDay #JapanDayCT #JapanDayCapeTown #NihongonoNiwa #JapaneseFestival #WhatsOnInCapeTown #JapaneseLanguageSchool #LearnJapaneseSouthAfrica #JapaneseLanguage #LearnJapanese #JapaneseLanguageClassesSouthAfrica #JapaneseLanguageClub #JapaneseCulture #WeebCulture #OtakuLife

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NIHONGO NO NIWA

DISCOVER THE ELEGANCE
OF JAPANESE FLUENCY

ようこそ！

Welcome!

OUR SERVICES

PRIVATE & GROUP CLASSES

CULTURAL IMMERSION

Ugo, Tokyo Japan

UPCOMING EVENTS

GET IN TOUCH

SIGN UP FOR REGULAR ARTICLES ABOUT ALL THINGS JAPANESE

Be it language tips, cultural insights, or school news, we have it covered.

NIHONGO NO NIWA

DISCOVER THE ELEGANCE OF JAPANESE FLUENCY

ようこそ！

Welcome!

OUR SERVICES

PRIVATE & GROUP CLASSES

CULTURAL IMMERSION

Ugo, Tokyo Japan

U​PCOMING EVENTS

GET IN TOUCH

​

SIGN UP FOR REGULAR ARTICLES ABOUT ALL THINGS JAPANESE

Be it language tips, cultural insights, or school news, we have it covered.

DISCOVER THE ELEGANCE
OF JAPANESE FLUENCY

UPCOMING EVENTS