I'm proud to announce the New York Anime Festival is partnering with Japan Society, a non-profit institution dedicated to fostering cross-cultural exchange between the peoples of America and Japan, for events that'll run throughout the year. Japan Society's first act in this partnership will be an appearance at the 2008 New York Anime Festival. At NYAF, Japan Society will conduct five introductory Japanese language lessons open to all New York Anime Festival attendees from 1:15 to 4 PM on Sunday, September 28 in NYAF's Workshop Room.

Japan Society's language lessons will be taught by a top instructor from its Toyota Language Center. Beginning in 1972 with a single class, Japan Society's language education program has grown into one of the most respected in the nation. Today, the Toyota Language Center offers 12 comprehensive levels of Japanese, as well as a variety of specialized courses and workshops including shodō (Japanese calligraphy) and a Japanese Language Teacher Training Program.

Attendees serious about learning Japanese are encouraged to sign-up for full courses at Japan Society's Toyota Language Center following the introductory program offered at the New York Anime Festival.

NYAF is deeply honored to partner with an organization as well-known and respected as Japan Society. Japan Society is the first name in the world of Japanese language instruction and cultural education, and we couldn't image a better partner to bring the rich language and past of Japan to the New York Anime Festival.