IMMERSE YOURSELF IN STORY WITH DAZAI OSAMU, AND PUSH THROUGH YOUR LEARNING CEILING

Deepen and broaden your knowledge of vocabulary, structure and meaning as you learn the language as it’s meant to be learned—naturally, through story. We pull apart the grammar, the nuance… everything you need to get the most out of Dazai’s 水仙, and the most out of your language learning.

We all know story is one of the most powerful art forms there is—a powerful tool for learning, and a powerful tool to lock things in so they stick. Not only will you know this story like the back of your hand, but you’ll be able to relay it to others in ways you never thought possible—and, with rapidly increasing access to the Japanese language (and your own!) in ways that will surprise you.

It all starts and ends with the story, and what better way to learn Japanese than with one of Japan’s most revered master storytellers?

Reach less frequently for the dictionary, and cut back on asking people to repeat themselves, when you drill with the story’s custom audio Anki decks, and the Audio Drills on the Go vocabulary megafile (the ​complete master file of every word in the story), and the Audio Immersion Pack™ (every sentence from every worksheet and quiz recorded in both Japanese in English-nearly 1,000 sentences in all) so you can drill and shadow to your heart’s content. Carry the audio with you on your mobile device, or in any other way you prefer to learn. Both English and Japanese recordings are available so you can listen to both with ease.

Not sure where your sentences should slow down, or… speed up when reading Japanese aloud? Our pacing and structure worksheets are one of our students most favorite things, and make reading at native speeds so much more possible (and fun!)

The entire mind map for Dazai’s 水仙 is created using the incredibly versatile MarginNote 3 (Mac Only). Maplopo Schoolhouse students receive mindmaps for each section of the story as a special bonus for enrolling. MarginNote is an especially amazing tool if you have an Apple Pencil as you can practice your writing DIRECTLY within your notes!

Learning a language is tough. Practice is hard. Translation is super-hard. But when you have friends working through it together, everything is possible. Our private Discord server IS that place. No hype. Mostly quiet. But when you need help, when you have a question, when you want to celebrate a win… we come out as droves do. Welcome to the Maplopo family.

We use a host of Japanese dictionaries and reference material (both vintage and new), to trace back the meaning of words, expressions, and grammar so you know you’re getting the most accurate etymology—and the most accurate story possible.

We also spend hours crafting example sentences that will intrigue, make you laugh, and bring new ideas and persepectives to you so you’re not stuck reading yet another sentence about Saru going to the 7-11 to buy donuts. Saru and his friends don’t visit Maplopo Schoolhouse, you can be sure of that.

With stylish, engaging videos that’ll have you feeling as though we’re working with you one-on-one, you’ll learn from Dazai’s unique style, learn how these elements function in writing and in speech, and deepen your learning of Japanese on the whole.

Tricky grammar points are sliced and diced as they appear in context within the story, and explained so any intermediate and advanced learner will understand… often, with even more story. You’ll find ZERO dry, complicated, abstract X は Y です grammar explanations in our tutorials. Instead, only straight to the point (yet nuanced) lessons designed with English speakers in mind. We’re proud of our videos, and they’re a big reason those fluent in Japanese consistently tell us “I wished I’d learned Japanese like this!”

With the companion Daffodil (水仙) workbook, you’ll be able to test your knowledge on paper, and outside the Thinkific course platform. One workbook lesson for each video module means you end up with well over a hundred lessons to cement your learning… over a thousand sample sentences, and tons of additional explanations to help flesh out the learning you’ll do in the video modules.

We’re all busy. Fitting language learning in between life, work, even the kids, maybe… means juggling is your second profession. That’s why everything in Maplopo Schoolhouse is here when you need it. The videos. The workbooks. Everything. All online, accessible on every device.

Auditory learner? You’ll love the reams of audio material we have waiting for you in Thinkific. Dig visuals? Stylish video tutorials will help sharpen your learning and are designed to meet your learning style—they’re also jam packed with logical diagrams and anecdotes that’ll help lessons stick. Fan of the kinesthetic? Print out the study worksheets and sharpen that pencil, because we’ve got you covered as well. Love to read and write? Well, that’s our middle name. Every video is custom sub-titled, and there is… of course, a lot to read on the whole.

No matter your learning style, we have the tools you’ll need to take your language learning from here to there. And, we’ll help you do it whether you’re a solo-flyer and love to cozy up to an Anki deck on a quiet afternoon, or if you’re the type to enjoy the camaraderie of a group and want to shine on our private Discord server.

As teachers, we want you to learn in the ways that suit you best. So, a la carte it is!

On repeat here at Maplopo Schoolhouse is the mantra that our courses are not designed to help you pass any test. That said, we’d be remiss in saying what you learn won’t help with your confidence, your vocabulary, and your listening skills—one of the most challenging aspects of any language test.

So, whether your desire is to pass the JLPT, the DLPT, the NAT-TEST, or the Kanji Kentai… scaffolding your learning using story has compounding effects. You’ll draw natural associations to grammar and vocabulary like never before so you can be sure all the note-taking and all the work you put in will pay off in more ways than one.