Learn How to Speak Japanese in San Francisco

The history of the Japanese in San Francisco begins in 1869, when the first Japanese immigrants arrived in San Francisco Bay to open their businesses. This wave of immigration has never stopped and, today, there are over 10,000 Japanese speakers in the city, as recorded by the 2010 census. This population primarily lives in Japantown (the largest in the USA!), which has been the epicenter of the Bay Area’s Japanese community since 1906. This is a six-block area full of themed shops and restaurants along Post Street in the Western Addition neighborhood. Start learning Japanese to connect with this growing community and take advantage of every opportunity available to bilingual speakers in San Francisco!

Why Study Japanese in San Francisco

Learn Japanese for Work: In 2020, the Japan External Trade Organization carried out a survey report on Japanese companies operating in the San Francisco Bay Area. The survey found a total of 950 businesses (the highest number ever recorded since this series of surveys was first conducted in 1992) that have created employment for an estimated 55,000+ people in San Francisco. If you decide to apply for a job at one of these companies, including industry giants like Samsung or Toyota, your knowledge of Japanese will help you stand out when applying for a new position. Meanwhile, if you already have a business and would like to know more about how to set it up in Japan or you are seeking Japanese business partners, you should get in touch with the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California, an institution founded in 1950 to promote business, mutual understanding, and goodwill between Japan and the United States. The Chamber provides assistance to businesses from Japan wishing to open a Northern California office and vice-versa, and it also provides its members with opportunities to network and learn more about this large overseas Asian market. For example, every year, they organize a New Years’ Eve Gala that is attended by important businesspeople of Japanese origin. Why not attend and build long-lasting business ties using the skills you learn with Language Trainers?

Learn Japanese for Culture: The Japanese culture is very much alive in San Francisco and it shows in its beautiful Japantown. This is a fun place to explore, with three themed indoor malls and a great variety of authentic Japanese shops and restaurants. In Japantown, you can find anime, ceramics, kimonos, sushi, manga, Japanese fashion, and sweets, so order these items in Japanese and impress the personnel with your flawless pronunciation! And those who love literature should definitely visit the Kinokuniya Library on Webster Street, part of a huge Japanese bookstore chain. This store opened in 1969 and was the first of its kind outside of Japan. There, you will find an extensive selection of books written in Japanese about the nation’s history, culture, cuisine, and more. They also store items related to anime and J-pop, so if you ever want to buy sushi socks, this is the place to go!

Learn Japanese for Social: Learn Japanese and you will also be able to meet new people who love this Asian language and culture as much as you. For example, you can join the Japanese English Language Meetup, a very popular exchange group with more than 2,000 members. The organizers host weekly meetings where you will find beginner, intermediate, and advanced level students, as well as native speakers. Don’t waste this chance to put what you learn with us at Language Trainers into practice in a friendly and relaxed environment.

Where to Learn Japanese in and around San Francisco

Start taking Japanese at your convenience! Our language instructors will tailor every lesson to your individual needs and preferences, so you achieve fluency in a quick and effortless way. Just get in touch with Language Trainers and we will arrange for a native Japanese teacher to go to your home or office. You may decide to take your course in a public space in San Francisco too, such as San Francisco Public Library on Larkin Street, Weaver's Coffee & Tea on Market Street or Iron Horse Coffee on Maiden Road.

If you want to take a Japanese course but are not based in downtown San Francisco, you can still contact us. Our instructors are also based in areas like Concord, San Jose, Stockton, Cupertino, Santa Rosa, Fairfield, Oakland, Fremont, Hayward, SunnyVale, Santa Clara, Vallejo, Berkeley, Richmond, and Antioch.

So, are you ready? Let’s go, 行こう(Yukō)! If you have studied Japanese before, you can take our free online Level Test to help us know more about your current skills. Afterward, we can use that information to tailor a language course just for you!