Interactive Tanka Appreciation Activity in the Class for Advanced Learners of Japanese

Abstract

The purpose of the class activity in this study was to provide an opportunity for advanced Japanese learners to enhance their imagination and communication skills by sharing interpretations of Tanka Poetry and to gain an appreciation for mutual learning through such an interactive appreciation activity. In this paper, we will report on the contents of the activity, and analyze both the students’ interpretations of the Tanka poems and their written descriptions of their own impressions of the activity after completion. Through these, we hope to show the potential significance and possible challenges of such activities in the future.