Hayakawa gets its own new campus

Amid gracious bows and nervous laughter, the J a p a n e s e Consul General Masanori Nakano inaugurated the new premises of Hayakawa Japanese Language School and Cultural Centre on Sunday.

 The entrance to the building was crowded with students, well -wishers and curious onlookers who were bewildered by the sudden presence of a strong Japanese contingent on their street.

 Addressing the gathering, Masanori congratulated Hayakawa on the new premises and said that it was a symbol of the growing friendship between Japan and India.

 “This will be another chapter in our relationship and I hope the students who learn Japanese here will be able to help the 300 native Japanese companies who have set up store here,” he added.

 Started in 2005, Hayakawa School originally operated out of a rented premises in Mogappair.

 “We needed more space for students as well as a better location in the city.

 This is our own building and we will move in as soon as the building work is finished,” said Yuko Shimizu, managing director of Hayakawa.

 Currently there are around 250 students enrolled at the institution, which trains students to pass the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT).

 “N5 is the basic level, while N1 is the advanced level.

 A minimum of N2 is necessary to qualify working in Japanese companies,” said Chenthil Kumar S P, Director of Hayakawa to City Express.

 He goes on to add that IT employees and engineering students make up most of their clientele.

 Hayakawa also teaches cultural awareness along with language instruction.

 “We organise a lot of cultural events to highlight Japanese culture.

 Recently, we had a Japanese anime festival as well as a food festival.

 We hope to expand and bring in more of these elements in the future,” said Chenthil Kumar.

 Heads of various Japanese companies like Yoshiyuki Inayama, managing director of Toshiba JSW and Takeshi Akiyama, director of KOBELCO Constructions among others participated in the inauguration.

 Japanese students who are here on a cultural exchange programme were also present