JOIN / JOETSU INTERNATIONAL NETWORK

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International Affairs Center

JOIN stands for Joetsu International Network. Its objective is to act as a bridge between local citizens and the rest of the world, foster mutual understanding with other cultures, and provide general assistance to non-Japanese residents of Joetsu.
You may make many friends through our services, such as Japanese lessons, or through the events we schedule.　We also offer free consultation service for foreigners.

Operating Hours:	Weekdays 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
CLOSED:	Saturday, Sunday, Holidays, Every 3rd Wednesday, and New Years period (Dec. 29 - Jan. 3)

Let's learn Japanese

Japanese Classes

There are several group Japanese classes offered to JOIN members in addition to private lessons and advanced courses.

Free Group Lessons

JOIN offers free group Japanese classes to non-Japanese residents of Joetsu. You are required to sign up as a member of JOIN before you can attend these classes. Membership is 1000Yen per year (for foreign residents) and you can sign up at JOIN in the International Affairs Center at Shimin Plaza.

There are a few levels in this Japanese class. One is focused on "communication" and the other is focused on "Reading and Writing". The aim is to find common interests between different countries including Japan within the local communities and recognize each other's cultures through learning Japanese.

Click here for more information → 2023 Lesson schedule


Thursday Class	Day/Time	Thursday　18：00～19：30
Thursday Class	Venue	Shimin Plaza（Tsuchihashi,2554）【MAP】
Saturday Class	Day/Time	Saturday　10：00～11：30
Saturday Class	Venue	Shimin Plaza（Tsuchihashi,2554）【MAP】
Naoetsu Class	Day/Time	Wednesday　10：00～11：30
Naoetsu Class	Venue	Naoetsu Manabi no Koryukan（Chuo,1-3-18）【MAP】
Kubiki Class	Day/Time	Sunday　13：30～15：00
	Venue	Kubikiku Minamigawa bunkan（Matsumoto,243-6）【MAP】

*Nursery Service (application required one week in advance.) 【application form】

*Japanese class is for residents and people who work in Joetsu.

Private Lessons

Enquire at JOIN for times and availability of private tutors.

Procedure

Fill the application form at JOIN office
Choose the tutor (it may take about a week)
Meet the tutor (please exchange phone numbers)
Start the lesson
Cost is 1,000 yen per hour

Attention

When you need to cancel a lesson, make sure to call your tutor or the JOIN office before the day.
If you are absent from the lesson without notice, or cancel suddenly, we may have to ask you to pay for it.
Please tell your tutor or the JOIN office:
when you are having problems with the private lesson.
when you need to finish taking lessons.
when you have to be absent for a long time.

When you're in trouble

Foreigner Consultation

JOIN provides free consultation three days a week to foreigners residing in Joetsu. Feel free to talk to the friendly JOIN staff. All information will be kept confidential.

TOPIC	International Marriage and Divorce Issues Visa and Immigration Issues Children's Japanese Education and School Enrollment Child Adoption Issues Family Issues Others: Drivers License, Work and Employment Issues, etc.
WHERE	International Affairs Center, Shimin Plaza 2F
WHEN	Weekdays 10:00 - 12:00 13:00 - 17:00
Language	Japanese (appointment necessary for other languages)

JOIN EVENTS

These are one of most popular events at JOIN. It is a good opportunity to meet people who are living in the Joetsu area. Why don't you join us?

Helpful LINKS

Immigration Bureau of Japan
Multilingual Medical Questionnaire (More than 20 languages supported)
Joetsu City Office (Japanese, English)
Niigata International Association (Japanese, Chinese, English, Korean, Russian)