Highly Anticipated "Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan - Pre-Intermediate (A2/B1)" Released!
On March 31, 2026, the Japan Foundation released the "Pre-Intermediate (A2/B1)" level of its free online coursebook "Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan," designed for foreign nationals living and working in Japan.
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- 📰 Published: April 1, 2026 at 00:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 1, 2026 at 01:06 (1h 6m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 22, 2026 at 04:06 (506h 59m after Collected)
The Japan Foundation (JF) releases the Japanese coursebook "Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan - Pre-Intermediate (A2/B1)" for foreign nationals living and working in Japan on March 31, 2026.
"Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan" is an online learning material aimed at helping foreign nationals acquire the Japanese language skills needed for daily life and work in Japan. In 2020, Starter (A1), Elementary 1 (A2), and Elementary 2 (A2) were released. It is designed so that learners can acquire useful knowledge and culture for living in Japan in addition to the Japanese language.
Since its release, it has been widely utilized by many users, and as of the end of February 2026, the cumulative page views of the website reached approximately 23.75 million.
In recent years, as the number of foreign nationals working in various fields increases, there is an expectation not only for the basic Japanese proficiency acquired up to Elementary 2, but also for the Japanese language skills needed to live smoothly as a member of the local community and perform work. Furthermore, there is a growing need among people who have passed the Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese (JFT-Basic) and are waiting to visit or work in Japan to continue engaging in Japanese language learning continuously.
In response to this situation, we have developed and are releasing "Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan - Pre-Intermediate (A2/B1)" as a material to further develop basic Japanese language skills at the elementary level.
By studying the pre-intermediate level, the goal is for learners at the elementary level to acquire Japanese proficiency that will keep them out of trouble in daily life in Japan and enable them to communicate independently. It takes up various communication situations encountered in daily life and at the workplace, allowing learners to acquire practical Japanese that can be used immediately.
The production of the pre-intermediate level took about two years from concept review to writing and production. In the concept stage, through surveys of users and interviews with domestic and international Japanese language education experts and learners, we repeatedly discussed topics necessary for actual life in Japan, information that is useful for foreign nationals to know, and the Japanese needed to actively participate in society. In the writing and production stage, in addition to incorporating many photographs of things seen and used in real life, we recorded actual sounds from streets and Japanese classrooms to use as background noise, realistically expressing life in Japan.
"Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan" is provided on a website, so anyone anywhere in the world
"Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan" is an online learning material aimed at helping foreign nationals acquire the Japanese language skills needed for daily life and work in Japan. In 2020, Starter (A1), Elementary 1 (A2), and Elementary 2 (A2) were released. It is designed so that learners can acquire useful knowledge and culture for living in Japan in addition to the Japanese language.
Since its release, it has been widely utilized by many users, and as of the end of February 2026, the cumulative page views of the website reached approximately 23.75 million.
In recent years, as the number of foreign nationals working in various fields increases, there is an expectation not only for the basic Japanese proficiency acquired up to Elementary 2, but also for the Japanese language skills needed to live smoothly as a member of the local community and perform work. Furthermore, there is a growing need among people who have passed the Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese (JFT-Basic) and are waiting to visit or work in Japan to continue engaging in Japanese language learning continuously.
In response to this situation, we have developed and are releasing "Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan - Pre-Intermediate (A2/B1)" as a material to further develop basic Japanese language skills at the elementary level.
By studying the pre-intermediate level, the goal is for learners at the elementary level to acquire Japanese proficiency that will keep them out of trouble in daily life in Japan and enable them to communicate independently. It takes up various communication situations encountered in daily life and at the workplace, allowing learners to acquire practical Japanese that can be used immediately.
The production of the pre-intermediate level took about two years from concept review to writing and production. In the concept stage, through surveys of users and interviews with domestic and international Japanese language education experts and learners, we repeatedly discussed topics necessary for actual life in Japan, information that is useful for foreign nationals to know, and the Japanese needed to actively participate in society. In the writing and production stage, in addition to incorporating many photographs of things seen and used in real life, we recorded actual sounds from streets and Japanese classrooms to use as background noise, realistically expressing life in Japan.
"Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan" is provided on a website, so anyone anywhere in the world