2025.12.04

Connecting Japan and Tanzania Online — SUN Japanese Language Lesson Project

SUN Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Shumpei Nakasone; hereafter “SUN”) held online lessons introducing Japanese language and culture at Sakura Girls’ Secondary School in Tanzania as part of its global Japanese education support initiative.

Across four sessions, many students joined the classes and experienced the Japanese language for the very first time. Working closely with local staff and school officials, the project created a meaningful learning space that bridged countries and cultures.

What Is Sakura Girls’ Secondary School?
Sakura Girls’ Secondary School was established to promote girls’ education in Tanzania.
The school is funded through the Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects(Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan), the JICA Partnership Program (JPP), as well as donations from companies and individuals.

Its operations are jointly run by the Japan-based Group Kilimanjaro Inc. and the local NGO Sakura Vision Tanzania, both of which are dedicated to improving educational environments and expanding learning opportunities for female students.

Project Overview

■ Program Details
・Total of four sessions
・Participants: Students of Sakura Girls’ Secondary School, Tanzania
・Lesson format: Online (Japan–Tanzania)

■ Lesson Topics
・Basic Japanese expressions
・Trends and youth culture in Japan
・Hands-on cultural activities and more

■ Project Highlights
・Sharing Japanese culture and current youth trends through online sessions
・Working closely with local Japanese staff and the school principal
・Curriculum designed to combine language + cultural experience
・Classes conducted in English, with teaching support from Do College

Voices From Tanzania

Local Supporters
・“It was wonderful to see students enjoying the online lessons while learning popular Japanese youth slang and poses. It gave them a new perspective on the diversity of the Japanese language.”
・”We hope to keep spreading Japanese language and culture, working together with both high schools and universities.”

They noted how engaged the students were and expressed hopes that the cultural exchange will continue to grow.

School Principal
・Reason for introducing the program: To offer students an opportunity to learn an international language and deepen ties with Japan, with an eye toward future study abroad or exchange programs.
・Impression of the classes: Students understood the content and participated enthusiastically.
・Student Reactions: The students actively participated in the lessons, and their interest in Japan grew.
・Future plans: To strengthen ties with Japan through ongoing online lessons and two-way educational and cultural exchange programs.

Students
■ Before the lessons:
・“I knew about Japan from movies and novels.”
・My impression of Japan was that it was the country where the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and many people lost their lives.
■ After the lessons:
・“I learned that Japan is technologically advanced and that the economy continues to develop every day.”
・“It was fun to learn about Japanese youth culture, especially the popular poses.”

The classes sparked curiosity about Japanese school life, traditional culture, sports, everyday expressions, and much more.

SUN’s Next Steps
Inspired by this initiative, SUN aims to create more opportunities for future international students and workers to learn about Japanese culture and strengthen their language skills before coming to Japan—helping society move toward a more inclusive and multicultural future.

This initiative demonstrated the powerful potential of connecting learning across borders through online education.

We welcome collaboration with educational institutions and organizations. If you are considering introducing Japanese-language classes, please feel free to contact us.

Japanese-Language Education Services

▶Digital Learning Platform for Japanese Language Beginners: KURASHI STUDY for Beginners

An online platform for learning hiragana, katakana, basic kanji, and grammar in a game-like format. It includes a progress-tracking system, making it suitable for schools and organizations.

▶ Online Japanese Learning Service for Foreign Employees: HANASU PLUS
A Japanese learning service focused on speaking skills. Online lessons and a companion app help learners build everyday conversation, improve expressive ability, and strengthen workplace communication and trust.

▶ Japanese language Learning App: KURASHI STUDY
A Japanese-learning app that teaches grammar, vocabulary, expressions, and pronunciation through a 96-episode story. Supports online lessons and JLPT prep.