Japanese language school is running a new course in Brighton

The Tadoku course at Step Up Japanese will offer easy books, picture books, and manga comics, all in Japanese.

Tadoku means “read a lot” in Japanese and is a method of learning foreign languages by reading easy, fun books.

The six-week course will be on Thursdays at 7pm in the Friends Centre at Brighton Junction.

Fran Wrigley, Japanese teacher at Step Up Japanese, first learned about the “read-a-lot” method while living in Nagoya, Japan.

The Japanese writing system, which uses three different alphabets, is famously difficult.

And Fran now wants to encourage language learners to look beyond the usual grammar-based textbooks.

She said: “We all love to curl up with a good book but my students told me that reading Japanese books was intimidating.

“The feeling of achievement you get from reading a book in a foreign language is incredible.

“Lots of people use e-readers these days but there’s something nostalgic and reassuring about a real, paper book. I’m really excited about this. It’s going to be so much fun!”

Although there will be Japanese children’s books on offer, the course is for adults.

Visit stepupjapanese.com or email fran@stepupjapanese.com