The annual Summer Intensive Japanese Course was held at Tenrikyo Language Institute (TLI) from August 4 to 17, and 15 people came from France, the United States, Singapore, and Hong Kong to study the Japanese language and culture.

This course was initially an annual event organized by Tenri Japan-France Cultural Association, located in Paris. Eight years ago, however, the course started accepting students from Japanese language schools run by Tenrikyo Overseas Department's other centers. A year later, TLI took over the sponsorship of the course from Tenri Japan-France Cultural Association and has been hosting the course since then except last year when it was canceled because of the SARS epidemic.

Throughout the two-week course, which included a four-day homestay program in Nara prefecture, the emphasis was very much on learning "practical Japanese" through various experiences. Lectures were, as a matter of course, given in Japanese. Even daily conversation with the course staff was done in Japanese. Students particularly enjoyed programs such as doing interviews with pedestrians on the streets of Tenri and going shopping for a cooking class.

Included in the course were not only language classes, but also various kinds of cultural activities designed to enable students to experience Japanese culture first-hand. For example, participants learned Japanese etiquette with yukata (traditional kimono typically worn after taking a bath) on them. They also took on calligraphy, flower arrangement, and martial arts to get familiar with the culture.

Learning Japanese calligraphy was a new experience to most students. They had to struggle with the calligraphy brush, which was an unaccustomed tool for them, but each one of them earnestly worked by following the guidance of the instructors. As a souvenir, some wrote their friends' names in Chinese characters.

Commenting on this course, Chow Chin May from Hong Kong said that the tea ceremony was the aspect of Japanese culture she was especially interested in. She was happy with the experience of wearing yukata. According to her, this course was so fun and meaningful because it consisted of actual experience of culture as well as Japanese lessons.