Kon'nichiwa​! Nihongo kurabu e youkoso ! (Hello! Welcome to Japanese Club!)
An article by Sophie Blewitt, Former Head of Languages at Sherborne Girls (now Interim Head at Hanford Prep), and Shoko Middleton, Teacher of Japanese
The enthusiastic buzz of pupils is palpable on a Thursday and Friday afternoon as they excitedly come together from several Dorset schools (Sherborne Girls, Sherborne Boys, the Gryphon and other local schools) to learn Japanese here at Sherborne Girls. Run by our Teacher of Japanese, Mrs Shoko Middleton, this club offers pupils the opportunity to learn Japanese and gain language qualifications from the Skills and Education Group in Speaking & Listening and in Reading & Writing, both Entry Level.
Such opportunities are particularly important in an increasingly inter-connected world where we can all access language and culture from all over the world. Since its creation in 2021, over fifty teenagers have taken part and enjoyed this chance to develop their linguistic and cultural curiosity.
These young people choose to come together to learn Japanese for a variety of reasons. “I am here to learn, I love manga, anime and Vocaloid. The Japanese culture is really interesting too. I would love to use the Japanese language in real life and to be able to translate the written Japanese I see,” says one pupil. Another adds, “I wanted to visit Japan after watching anime. I thought learning would be very useful in terms of immersing myself in the Japanese culture. I also wanted to be with my friends and learn outside of normal school.” The popularity of Japanese art and literature is on the rise in the UK, and being able to learn with others is a real appeal.
Pupils in the club take part in trips for example last year they attended a Japanese public speaking event at Oxford University organised by the Japan Foundation as well as the Teikyo School,a Japanese boarding school just outside London, last year. Pupils have also participated in competitions and events run by the Japan Foundation, with some even winning prizes! Last year three boys entered a comedy video in the Japanese Language Championship, organised by the Japan Foundation, and got selected as national finalists.
The club ensures links with the Teikyo School and its pupils are maintained through regular contact - including a return visit to Sherborne to explore our beautiful town - and pupils collaborate on developing online projects together, as they learn more about each other's cultures and language. These young people are not just developing knowledge of Japanese language and culture but come together to build wider connections with others on a local level too.
As Shoko, Teacher of Japanese, says, “It is great to see girls and boys from a variety of backgrounds and year groups from the local community, working together in our Japanese Club. Older pupils often take the initiative and lead small group activities, looking after each other so well. Our Japanese Club is not just about learning Japanese – by learning Japanese and comparing it with English and other languages and cultures, young people become more open-minded, aware and tolerant.. It makes me very happy to see our pupils’ developing confidence in a new language and finding out more about other cultures; they are all lovely students, and I really enjoy working with them.”
When learning a new language – and particularly one with a different script – intellectual curiosity is developed and linguistic risk taking is encouraged. Japanese is not easy an easy language to pick up and requires learners to show enthusiasm but also grit as they persevere with learning its intricacies. These are skills which, in turn, develop resilience and empathy in learners and are virtues that the Sherborne Schools Group nurtures and encourages, seeing them as integral to the Character Education that helps our pupils flourish, ready to step out into the world as young adults.
One pupil, soon to finish at Sixth Form this summer, has just bought flights to visit Japan after his A Level exams finish and he is looking forward to using what he has learnt in our corner of Dorset during this trip to the other side of the world. Ganbatte, subarashii tabi o! (Good luck and have a great trip!)
We look forward to more assessment successes in the coming months, as pupils complete qualifications through the national Skills and Education Group and go on to use their newfound skills beyond Sherborne.
February 2026
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