The author of this impassioned essay for this issue’s Teaching Assistance column worked as a teaching assistant (TA) for a business English course at a private university in a rural area. In this role, he closely observed how English was learned and used in a regional context. He found that the students were capable of handling grammar and vocabulary well enough, yet paused when asked, “Can you describe your hometown in English?” This question could be an opportunity to show affection for regional cities. However, he was disappointed when students fell silent and did not reply. The TA hypothesized that this silence did not come from a lack of knowledge, but rather from a lack of purpose and opportunity.
In Japan, English is largely taught as a subject for examinations rather than as a language for expressing ideas or communicating with others. Having worked as a TA, I often see how this exam-oriented tradition—focused on memorization and grammatical accuracy—shapes the way students approach English. They study hard and understand the rules, yet when it comes to speaking, many hesitate. This is not because they lack ability, but because they have rarely been given a real reason to use English. The fear of making mistakes in public also creates a quiet classroom, where accuracy is valued more than expression.
Kagoshima reflects this broader challenge, but it also holds a special possibility. Geographically, Kagoshima is closer to major Asian cities, such as Seoul, Taipei, and Shanghai, than to Japan’s own capital, Tokyo. This premise alone changes how we can think about English education. If students can learn to describe and explain their hometowns in English, they can communicate Kagoshima’s strengths directly to the world. With the right environment, one that values communication over perfection, English education here can shift from preparation to participation, from memorizing for tests to connecting across Asia.
English Education in Asia: Lessons for Regional Empowerment
Across Asia, English has played different roles depending on local history and policy, but one common feature is its power to connect local communities with the global economy. When I visited Hong Kong, I confirmed that English retains co-official status alongside Chinese and continues to serve as the main language of law, finance, and higher education. Research also shows that English-medium instruction remains dominant in elite schools and universities, underscoring its role in maintaining global competitiveness (Evans, 2013). When I visited Singapore, I found examples of how a clear national vision can turn language policy into a development strategy. English there functions not as a cultural replacement, but as a tool for innovation, critical thinking, and international cooperation. Singaporean students tend to rank among the world’s highest in reading, mathematics, and science, demonstrating strong reasoning and communication skills. I believe this success reflects an education system that emphasizes argumentation, evidence-based reasoning, and creativity—abilities that extend far beyond linguistic competence. When I visited the Philippines, by contrast, I noted the risks of traveling abroad to work. English proficiency has created a mobile workforce, but one that often relies on overseas employment. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan educators use English as a link language between Sinhala and Tamil communities demonstrating how English can promote unity while preserving cultural diversity.
In contrast to its Asian neighbors, Japan seems to struggle with exam-centered instruction that values accuracy over communication. Students are trained to study about English rather than through English, limiting their confidence and creativity. In Kagoshima, young people tend to look toward Tokyo for opportunity rather than outward to the wider world. To move forward, Kagoshima needs a global approach—adapting global methods to local realities through active, experiential, and community-based learning. English should not be treated merely as a means of mobility, but as a language of participation, enabling students to express their regional identity while engaging with Asia and beyond.
From Kagoshima, the World Is Not Distant: It Is Right Next Door
I suggest that English can empower rather than homogenize; it can strengthen local initiatives while opening doors to the world. Seoul is only 620 kilometers away, roughly the same distance as Tokyo, and both Taipei and Shanghai are just a short flight away. This proximity gives Kagoshima an advantage that has not yet been fully used in education.
At the International University of Kagoshima, David McMurray’s (2018) Business English program and textbook offered a model for connecting the global and the local. Through case-based learning, students discuss real-world issues, such as trade, negotiation, and regional development. The text combines the active learning method of business case study with the utility of learning English. In the chapter, Case of the Islanders, students take on roles of an oil company, island residents, and government officials, debating how to balance profit with community welfare before drafting a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in English. In another project, students roleplayed as trading partners with cities, such as Singapore, Kaohsiung, Dalian, Busan, and Kagoshima. They analyzed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) and the product, price, place and promotion (4P) marketing framework for each city.
As a TA, I observed how these tasks transformed the classroom dynamic. English was no longer a distant subject—it became a working language for reasoning, persuasion, and imagination. Students were not memorizing; they were negotiating with their classmates. These moments convinced me that regional learners can build global competence without leaving their hometowns, as long as English is taught as a means of active participation.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
In many ways, Kagoshima’s landscape itself is a classroom. It is a vibrant city full of educational materials: Volcanoes, islands, tea farms, and coastal towns form a network of living lessons about culture, environment, and resilience. When students learn to explain these resources in English, they are not only improving their linguistic skills, but they are also training to communicate the region’s identity to a global audience. In a place where Tokyo feels distant, but many parts of Asia are within reach, outdoor learning becomes both educational and entrepreneurial.
During my teaching assistantship, I applied active learning techniques, such as role-plays, group discussions, and outdoor sessions, with undergraduate students. Whenever students engaged in collaborative activities rather than passive listening, participation increased and spontaneous English emerged naturally. Outdoor sessions were especially memorable. We conducted fieldwork at the Satsuma Student Museum in Ichiki-Kushikino, Minami Kyushu, and on the island of Amami Oshima, where students described the scenery, industries, and histories of their own communities in English. One student remarked that, for the first time, they felt English “belonged” in their daily life.
These activities and reflections were also documented in a series of TA reports (see Hara, 2024a, 2024b, 2024c, 2024d), which described how experiential and outdoor learning practices were implemented at the university campus to enhance student motivation and intercultural awareness.
These experiences reinforced my belief that education must extend beyond school walls. When students stand on a pier facing the ocean or describe the smell of volcanic soil in English, learning becomes tangible. The goal is not perfection, but connection to use English to articulate who they are and where they come from. From Kagoshima, Asia is not distant; it is right next door.
Reflections
Kagoshima serves as an ideal case for rethinking English education, one that integrates intercultural understanding with experiential learning. Historically, the Satsuma domain demonstrated a fearless openness to external influence—sending students to Britain after the Anglo-Satsuma War.
I believe that the samurai spirit of learning from the enemy can be extrapolated to what Kolb (1984) conceptualized as experiential learning. Encounters with others need not be viewed as threats, but rather as opportunities for self-transformation. Reflecting on these experiences, I have come to see English education in Kagoshima as a form of regional revitalization. The issue is not that students lack ability; rather, they lack a reason to use English. Once a clear purpose is established—to communicate, to attract, and to trade—their motivation and confidence will grow dramatically. The students I observed became noticeably more engaged in role-plays when learning outside the classroom, speaking more freely and with confidence that felt genuine. The open air seemed to awaken their senses: The sound of the wind, the view of the sky, and even the scent of the trees all helped to spark imagination and bring their words to life. In these moments, English stopped being a subject confined to textbooks; it became a living language, one that connected them to their surroundings and to each other. Through such experiences, students started to rediscover their hometown from a new perspective, realizing that learning English could also mean finding new ways to describe who they are and where they come from. In my opinion, this personal transformation revealed how education rooted in a place can lead naturally to a global mindset—one that represents English education that only Kagoshima can offer.
Conclusion
Combining textbook case studies of business English and outdoor learning methods can nurture learners to transform from test-takers into communicators. When they negotiate an MOU, debate as corporate representatives, or introduce a local business in English, they begin to understand that language is an instrument of action and imagination. It allows them to connect Kagoshima’s products, landscapes, and stories directly to Asia’s markets.
English education, in this sense, need not be about leaving one’s home to study abroad; it can be about rooting and reaching. By combining active learning, local engagement, and a forward-looking perspective, Kagoshima can redefine internationalization on its own terms—not as an imitation of metropolitan norms, but as collaboration grounded in regional identity. The true measure of success lies not in test scores, but in transformation when students can stand proudly and say, “From Kagoshima, the world is not distant; it is right next door.”
References
Evans, S. (2013). The long march to biliteracy and trilingualism: Language policy in Hong Kong education since the handover. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 33, 302–324. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190513000019
Hara, Y. (2024a, May 15). Riaru kēsu wo tori ireta jyugyō zukuri: Daigaku insei ta no katsudō yori [Creating classes based on real business cases: Reflections from a graduate teaching assistant]. Concept Staff News. https://intercultural.iuk-plus.net/?p=2130
Hara, Y. (2024b, May 29). Rōru purei wo tori ireta jyugyō zukuri: Daigaku insei ta no katsudou yori [Incorporating roleplay into English lessons: Reflections from a graduate teaching assistant]. Concept Staff News. https://intercultural.iuk-plus.net/?p=2143
Hara, Y. (2024c, July 26). Bijinesu eigo, zenki saishūkai: Daigaku insei ta no katsudou yori [Final reflections on the first semester of business English: A graduate TA’s experience]. Concept Staff News. https://intercultural.iuk-plus.net/?p=2239
Hara, Y. (2024d, August 15). Bijinesu eigo to kōshō sukiru wo manabu [Learning business English and negotiation skills]. Concept Staff News. https://intercultural.iuk-plus.net/?p=2185
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall.
McMurray, D. (2018). Active learning and active testing. Shinbundo.
