Before the voyage’s arrival into each port, the shipboard community has the opportunity to attend a Language Bootcamp presentation. The intention of the Language Bootcamp series is to help students learn basic phrases in the local language of the countries they will be visiting, as well as any cultural nuances that may be useful during their travels.

The Japanese Language Bootcamp was led by Academic Dean Anne Kinney, Interport Lecturer Harumi Yamanaka, and Canadian student and native Japanese speaker Daichi Ishikawa from McGill University. Listen to the podcast below to learn about the history of the Japanese language and a few useful phrases.