What’s it all about?

Many of us are itching to get on a plane and fly off to a favourite location, but this is an itch we cannot scratch right now, so let’s take a virtual exploration of a fascinating country instead!

If it is Japan you are keen to go to, or if you are just interested in learning about this increasingly popular tourist destination, with its festivals, cherry blossoms, temples, gardens, shopping, bullet trains, food, powder snow and much more, you have come to the right place.

Travel brochures and websites abound featuring all the usual images of modern-day Japan, a mix of old and new, and to some extent this is an accurate portrayal.

But there is far more to the real Japan than travellers will ever see in these glossy pictures, and likely will come across during a short stay there.

What will we cover?

Let us introduce you to numerous aspects of everyday life in Japan, and show you a few things about this fascinating country that many tourists will not see or learn about.

How many tourists:

Stay in a love hotel
Purchase underwear from a vending machine
Buy a freshly-cooked sweet potato from a street vendor
Know the procedure for taking a bath in a onsen (hot spring) or private residence
Play pachinko
Get to understand the meaning of the koi no bori (long fish-shaped flags) flying on flag poles from late April into early May
Travel on the Yamanote line in peak hour

Join us as we learn of the wonderful and intriguing aspects of daily life in Japan – the country to our north that went from almost nothing to world superpower twice, in the space of little more than a century. It is still the world’s third-largest economy, and its society is the most homogeneous of all the advanced economies on Earth.

What you learn at this session might just add a further dimension to your next trip to Japan, or help you decide that you are ready to pack your bags and explore.

Who will be teaching?

Stephen Peterson has spent nine years of his life in Japan. While there, he got married, raised a family, set up two small businesses, made numerous friends, travelled around, and had a thoroughly enjoyable time.

Drawing on this experience, he wants others to learn more about Japan beyond the glossy travel brochures. This will be through a powerpoint presentation of photos, supported by Stephen’s commentary.

Questions about the class? Please email melbourne@lanewaylearning.com.

Gift a class to friends, family or colleagues!

You can purchase digital Laneway Learning gift cards in various values with a custom short message message! All gift cards are valid for 3 years (36 months). All gift cards are flexible and can be used for in-person or online classes.

Using a gift card or class credit?

For gift cards purchased via Laneway Learning's Humanitix digital gift card page enter the gift code as per below during checkout:

If you have a PDF/paper gift card similar to LL7777 please email our team with your voucher or details. Note: we need up to 2 business days to process your request so please choose a class at least 2 days in the future!

Before you book

Please ensure you enter your email address accurately - this is where we will send your ticket, access links and other important information about the class.

Please read our terms and conditions. By purchasing a ticket or attending a class you agree to these terms and conditions.

All our classes are live only (not recorded).

If you can't afford our classes but would still love to come, we would still love for you to come too! We are a not-for-profit community organisation and having you at our classes is what matters. We have introduced three different prices for our regular evening classes: $14 that covers all costs, $9 sponsored tickets for those struggling and $18 'pay it forward' tickets. If you can afford it please select the full price or pay it forward so we can continue sponsoring others who can't.

This class is delivered online via ZOOM:

ZOOM is free to install on your Windows or Mac computer and also available as an app for your mobile/tablet device.
You will need either the meeting link or both the meeting ID plus password. You don't need to create an account to attend a meeting!
If you are new to ZOOM please ensure you have downloaded and installed it in advance of the class.
Here is a link to the ZOOM support site for a 1 minute tutorial on how to join a meeting.
You can optionally join from a device with a camera and microphone.

Parts of this image are from Watercolor vector created by freepik www.freepik.com