A large number of locals could be seen sitting on the floor of Research library in Dubrovnik yesterday just for one reason – because of their interest in Japanese language and culture. They all came to the Japanese course organized by Matanka Association, which is free of charge and will be held twice a week.

-    I’m really surprised by the number of people that appeared – stated the teacher Kazuhiro Tamari, who had to make two learning groups because he didn’t expect that much of the interest.
This is for sure not an ordinary class – first you take your shoes off, then you sit on the floor and then you learn. In the relaxed atmosphere students got their chance to learn basic phrases such as arigato (thank you), sayonara (goodbye), as well as gestures and bits of Japanese culture. Also, the teacher emphasized some differences between Korean and Chinese language, since many locals tend to confuse them with Japanese.

-    Just imagine that you go to Japan and somebody talks to you in Croatian, you would be overwhelmed – said Kazuhiro Tamari, alluding on the fact that many Japanese visit Dubrovnik and would sure be surprised if somebody talked to them in their language.

All the participants left the course with smile on their faces, happy because they got a chance to experience something new.