Learning, Playing and Connecting: Our 4th Sakura Student Gathering in The Hague

On Sunday, 27 September, we came together in The Hague for our 4th Sakura Student Gathering—an afternoon of Japanese language games, shared discoveries and conversation. Over an enjoyable hour and a half, we explored Japanese beyond the textbook and exchanged ideas about travel, food and where to find a taste of Japan closer to home.

Bringing Japanese to Life Through Games

One of the activities was a guessing game featuring Japanese onomatopoeia: the expressive words used to describe sounds, movements, feelings and sensations. These words are a colourful part of everyday Japanese, but understanding when and how to use them can be difficult through textbook study alone. Exploring them together gave us a chance to discover how Japanese speakers bring everyday experiences to life.

We also played Japanese bingo, drawing on words participants already knew while discovering new vocabulary along the way. It was an opportunity to revisit familiar words, learn from one another and make vocabulary practice a shared experience. Everyone’s knowledge became part of the activity, reminding us that fellow learners can be a wonderful source of new words and ideas.

Sharing Our Connections to Japan

Alongside the games, we exchanged information about travelling in Japan and Japanese restaurants in and around The Hague. Language learning often connects with the things we want to do—whether that is planning a trip, enjoying a meal or feeling more comfortable in an everyday conversation. Sharing these interests made the gathering a chance to connect through our enthusiasm for Japan as well as practise the language.

That combination is what makes these gatherings special. They give us space to explore what we have learned, ask questions and discover something new together in a relaxed setting. Our 90 minutes were filled with opportunities to learn, share and get to know one another.

Next Time: Japanese at the Table

For our next gathering, we are planning to hire a café or restaurant for a private event and practise ordering in Japanese through realistic role-play. With a real dining setting around us, the aim is to bring useful language into context—from choosing something on the menu to placing an order.

We’ll share the date, venue and further details once the arrangements are confirmed.

Thank you to everyone who joined our 4th gathering and contributed their knowledge, curiosity and conversation. We look forward to seeing you at the next one!

Stay connected with Sakura Japanese Workshop for upcoming gatherings and more opportunities to bring your Japanese into everyday life.