Basic skit
Mini-dramas in video format. Erin, an exchange student, takes on the challenge of using Japanese at school and in her daily life. Key phrases are introduced here.

Explanation and exercises
Explanation of key phrases and practice exercises are introduced by the cartoon teacher Honigon (anagram for Nihongo!) and other cartoon characters.

Variations of key phrases
There are many examples of use of the key phrases by various people such as college students, shopkeepers, housewives etc. 　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　

What's this?
Unique Japanese things like sock glue or chopstick rests are introduced here in the form of a quiz.

Advanced skit
Mini-drama based on natural conversation among Japanese people. Variations of key phrases are introduced here.

Let's see/ Let's try
Section where learners see and experience aspects of Japanese life, such as exchanging business cards or unpacking onigiri sold at convenience stores.

Japanese around the world
Report on individuals around the world who study Japanese or use Japanese at work.

Text book
This resource includes a textbook, which contains :

• Manga version of the basic skits.
• Scripts of basic and advanced skits in Japanese and English.
• Grammar explanations and practice.
• Additional vocabulary.
• 'What's this? and 'Let's see / try'
• Japanese around the world.

1. Watch the basic skit and understand what is going on. To introduce or review expressions or grammar patterns, show the basic skit to your students. First show the skit without giving any information to your students, and let them guess what is going on.
2. Give the title After showing the skit, give the title of the skit to your students, show the skit again and ask them to pick the key expressions/patterns.
3. Guess the title As an a
4. Practice/review the key expressions/patterns Use the exercises in 'Explanation and exercises' to practice the key expressions /patterns.

1. You may ask students to read the manga version of the skits before you show them the DVD, or alternatively they can read the manga after they have seen the DVD, to enhance their understanding.
2. Ask students to read the script version of the skit. Then cut out the speech segments from the manga bubbles, and make a tasksheet with the bubbles blanked out of the manga. Give the students the blanked out task sheet and the speech segments, and ask them to match the speech to the appropriate bubbles.
3. Another benefit of manga is that it presents onomatopoeia in an authentic setting. You can ask students to pick up these expressions/descriptions and guess what they mean.

This material provides a wealth of information on Japanese living culture, particularly youth culture. To introduce aspects of Japanese culture to your students, as well as the skits themselves, you may use the segment これは何(なに)・・ 'What's this' and やってみよう 'Let's see/ Let's try'. In the segments 'Senior high school students in Japan' and 'Japanese around the world' you can hear the voices of Japanese high school students or Japanese learners in other countries. These segments provide a good opportunity for your students to compare other lifestyles with their own, to reflect on their lifestyle and to discover the benefits of learning Japanese. Understanding and valuing all languages and cultures is one of the goals of Intercultural Language Learning, and this is achieved through reflection and taking responsibility for one's learning. Discussions generated by these segments may be useful in developing students' intercultural ability.