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ILL NINJA WARRIOR

October 21st, 2016

 

Hi everyone! Nanatsu here. :D

On September 29th, 15 of us went to Forest Adventure in Tochigi as a company trip! Have you ever heard of a Japanese TV program called “Sasuke” or maybe in the U.S. you’d call it “Ninja Warrior” where competitors compete in multiple obstacle courses to be the “muscle king”?  Well, Forest adventure is no less tough than them! Some activities were definitely challenging, and we had to use the muscles we hadn’t used for a while. (I could barely got myself up when I woke in the next morning…)

 

After about 2 hours bus ride from Akasaka,  we arrived at Forest Adventure Ohira, Tochigi. It was raining a bit in the morning, but luckily, the rain stopped by the time we arrived in Tochigi. (Good karma, maybe!:p) 

After putting on harnesses, getting a safety briefing and practicing together with the forest crew, Akira-san, we went off to the adventure!

There were 2 courses in Forest Adventure Ohira. One is ”Discovery Course” which is mainly for children between 5 years old to 9 years old and ”Adventure Course” which is more suitable for 9 year olds to adults. We took “Adventure Course” which is consisted with 32 activities divided into 5 sites in total.


Image from Forest adventure website (http://fa-ohira.foret-aventure.jp/)

We started off with an activity that was about 5 meters high and gradually went up to taller trees.

There were also zip lines between each site and they were super refreshing!

 

 

V

 

Also, each activity in Adventure course had an indication of its level from 1 to 4 .

 

 

 

Overall, it took us about 2.5 hours to complete the entire course, but it was definitely a rewarding, unique experience/workout you wouldn’t be able to have often in Tokyo.


A group shot after completing the course!

After we completed the course, we rewarded ourselves with the BBQ in the forest!

 

We also went to all-you-can-eat-grapes at a local veneyard in Ohira after we left Forest Adventure!

A variety of grapes we had was 巨峰 (kyohō, literally “giant mountain grape”) and it was a speciality of Ohira area.  

 

We also all got to take 1 bunch home as an omiyage. 

That’s it for today’s event report on Forest adventure trip. Thank you guys for reading this post!  Stay tuned for the next event report!

Best,

Nanatsu

P.S. Special thanks to Hawken, Jae, Marvin and Meg for providing the pictures and the videos!

Bowling Night at Innovative Language

August 4th, 2016

Hi everyone! Nanatsu here.

 

As it’s been forever since we last updated our office event blog here, we’d like to get back to sharing it with you all. My name is Nanatsu and I’ve worked on content for JapanesePod101.com in the past and now I’m working on the HR team at the ILL Tokyo office, and I’m also one of the party organizers for the company. :)

At the ILL Tokyo office last Friday, we had our 3rd after work party this year! This time, we got ourselves down to the iconic city central of Tokyo, Shibuya, and had a company bowling tournament! =○

Here are our co-workers, Matt and Nori playing “太鼓の達人 (Taiko no tatsujin)” the popular arcade game while waiting for the others to show up at the bowling place…

At the bowling alley we went, シブヤEST (Shibuya EST), we could use a monitor to order food and drinks remotely just like one of those 居酒屋 (izakaya, Japanese-style bar) or カラオケ(karaoke). Although it maybe took a little longer to get service here than in an izakaya, it was still very convenient as we could 100% focus on the game without having to run to get food.  

 

After ordering some food & drinks and some announcements from the party organizers as usual…

 

 

 The game begins!

 

“Nailed it.”

“I’m done.”

 

Everyone did a great job, trying their best to get the top score! Great job!

 

(All photo courtesy to Jaehwi, our KoreanClass101.com star!)

Have you been bowling in Japan? It’s one of the most popular sports to play after school or work since many bowling alleys in Tokyo are open until late at night. You will see a lot of “サラリーマン (sararīman) practicing even around midnight while drinking a beer or two. If you have a chance to visit one, please check out the place with the convenient ordering machine, too! 

#UberIceCream Delivery: Smiles at the Office!

July 15th, 2016

We still don’t have Pokemon Go here in Tokyo, but we do have free ice cream with #UberIceCream!

#UberIceCream

Today 400 cities around the world are enjoying frozen desserts delivered by Uber. Tokyo was one of the cities, so it was the perfect opportunity for the Innovative Language team to enjoy the refreshments.

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect: a sad grey sky, rain, and high temperatures because summer in Tokyo is not a joke. What better way to enjoy the Friday, the infamous last push before the weekend, than with  ICE CREAM?! It’s a universal way to create happiness.

And this is what happened after we had an unexpected ice cream break, with a bag full of Ben & Jerry’s delivered by Uber to our office in Akasaka! There was ice cream for everyone, some colourful shirts, and pins to complete a perfect scene as we savoured the Bourbon Brown Butter or Dark Chocolate Brownie flavors!

 

Whether you’re an Uber driver or part of the #TeamTaxi, never forget that it’s possible to learn a language in your car!

And to all other language lovers, don’t forget to enjoy our hot 30% off deal on one of the 34 languages of your choice with the “SUMMER2016” discount code. The campaign starts on July 18th, 2016 ! 


Click the link below to get a HOT 30% OFF at…

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New Feature! Finally… An Easy, Step-by-Step Path for Learning Languages!

May 25th, 2016

Hello Listener,

Want a guaranteed, step-by-step way to learn a language – without getting lost or wondering what to learn next? Just imagine yourself going from….

  • “I only know a few phrases”…to speaking with confidence
  • Not having enough words to finally expressing yourself
  • Not being able to read and write to mastering it all
  • And imagine going from Absolute Beginner Level to Beginner… all the way up to Advanced

Imagine you had a path – designed by our language teachers – that took you to fluency! Interested? If so, read this newsletter carefully to learn more!

You get just that with Learning Paths: your new study tool at Innovative Language! Here’s how you take advantage of Learning Paths – your step-by-step roadmap to mastering your target language – at any of our 34 Language Learning Sites.

Click Here to Get Your Free Lifetime Account & Access Learning Paths!

1) Choose Your Learning Level on the Top Left Side of the Page.
You already selected this when you signed up. Based on your level, you’ll get the Learning Paths and lessons that are right for you. When you change your level, we will add recommended courses for the new level as well.

Choose Your Learning Level on the Top Left Side of the Page.

2) Take the Learning Path to Mastering Language with “My Pathway”
Inside “My Pathway,” you will see your recommended learning paths based on your level. All lessons have been handpicked by our language teachers. To see more recommended paths, simply click on “See All” and to start learning, click on the blue “Study Now” button.

Take the Learning Path to Mastering Japanese with “My Pathway”<br />

3) We Guide You From the Lesson #1 ‘til the Last – Until You Reach Your Goals
You’ll never be confused about what lesson to take next. Once you’re done with a lesson, click on “Mark as Complete” and we will take you to the next lesson. You’re guided every step of the way until you reach your language learning goals – whether learning to read or write, reaching fluency or simply speaking with confidence.

We Guide You From the Lesson #1 ‘til the Last – Until You Reach Your Goals<br />

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Want to know how far your language has come along? Don’t worry, we track your progress so you can see exactly how much effort and dedication you’ve put in. This is perfect for learners who are motivated by seeing their progress grow!

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Want to add some Writing Lessons, Pronunciation Lessons or Listening Lessons? Customize your Learning Paths by adding more lessons. Simply click on “Add A New Path” and find the paths that fit your goals and interests!

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To Your Fluency,

Team Innovative Language

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Top 10 Korean Dramas to Help You Learn Korean

April 15th, 2016

The best thing about learning Korean through dramas is that dramas are fun. And when you fall in love with a good story, you can use some of that obsession to power your learning. In addition to boosting your vocabulary, dramas allow you to learn better pronunciation and intonation and it helps you improve your listening comprehension skills. Much like Japanese Anime, Korean dramas have a variety of themes, which means that there’s something for every one. K-drama, after all, is not just about confessing one’s love, heart breaks and teenage crushes.

Here is how you can boost your Korean Skills with the Help of K-Drama:
1. Pick a show you can enjoy. Learning a language has to be fun, or else it just doesn’t work.
2. Re-watch and Shadow. Try watching every episode at least twice. During the re-watch, try shadowing the conversation: repeat what the characters are saying, even if you don’t understand it completely.
3. Couple your drama watching with fun Korean lessons. Sign up to KoreanClass101.com for FREE and start learning with our Absolute Beginner lessons!