Back to School 2026, at Osaka Jogakuin University

Back to School 2026 is Osaka JALT’s 16th annual spring conference sharing ideas on a wide range of topics related to language teaching and learning in a low-key environment to help everyone in the new academic year. The Call for Presentations is now open, with the deadline of March 15. Teachers, researchers, and students of all backgrounds and experience levels are welcome to submit a presentation proposal, and we’ll do our best to make room for everyone.

This year’s conference will again be in person at Osaka Jogakuin University, near Tamatsukuri station on the JR Loop Line and Nagahori Tsurumi-Ryokuchi Metro line. We expect to have about 50 presentations, and we will again have an after-conference dinner party at a nearby restaurant. Please check back later for more details, and plan to join us for what is sure to be another great day of sharing, networking, and learning!

¥1000 - ¥2000 (1000 yen for JALT members and full-time students, 2000 yen for others)

Hanami Social in Osaka Castle Park

April 5 @ 12:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Come join us for some friendly peer-, near-peer-, and community mentoring and networking at our annual hanami social in Osakajokoen (Osaka Castle Park)! It’s FREE and open to everyone, so please join us with family, friends, colleagues, students, pets, and acquaintances. All are welcome! Look for our blue JALT banner on the south side of the park, due south of the castle (and south of the south moat), and directly north of the NTT Building and to the west of the bus parking area. It’s a short, easy walk from Morinomiya or Tanimachiyonchome metro stations or JR Loop Line. We’ll have plastic sheets to sit on and a few snacks to share, so stop by with a beverage and possibly more food to share, and maybe an additional sheet to sit on to be sure we have plenty of room to stretch out. Most importantly, be sure to bring a happy vibe to celebrate the cherry blossoms, the coming of spring, and the start of the new academic year! 
Please stop by whenever you can for as long or as short as you like. We look forward to seeing you! 

In case of rain, this event may be canceled, so please check back closer to the date to be sure it’s on. Fingers crossed for good weather!!

Multilingual Café – Identity: Language & Culture

Presenter: Elisabeth Fernandes (Osaka Municipal University)

Abstract
Questions such as “Where are you from?” and “What is your mother tongue?” have been recurring themes throughout my life. Although they may seem straightforward, providing concise answers to them has consistently proven challenging. In this presentation, I will discuss how my cultural and linguistic background has influenced my personal identity and development.
For fun, let’s practice a few words of Portuguese.

Bio
Elisabeth Fernandes has been teaching languages for more than 30 years in Canada, Thailand, and Japan. She currently resides in Hyogo and is teaching mainly at OMU in Osaka. Interests include intercultural communication, learner autonomy, and neuro-education.

Sign-up form (for friends who might be interested)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeoeYvZYVN3CoE246YIBeDUlCtCQcbquKwnfHzYRGa5pUBacA/viewform

LTP Kansai Convention

Osaka JALT and other Kansai area JALT members will be hosting the JALT room(s) at this year’s annual Language Teaching Professionals (LTP) Kansai Convention on Sunday, Jan 18, at One World International School in Osaka. LTP Conventions will also be held in Tokyo (Feb 8), Nagoya (Feb 15), and Fukuoka (Feb 22). They’re always a very supportive event for language teachers from diverse backgrounds and teaching contexts.

Please register to attend the Kansai convention via this link, or if you’d like to apply to give a 45-minute presentation, please do so via this link, and be sure to let the organizers know if you’re a JALT member so you can be scheduled to present in the JALT room(s), in which case please also fill in this form. The deadline to submit a presentation proposal has been extended to December 12.

We look forward to seeing you there!

¥1000 – ¥2000

https://ltprofessionals.com/conventions/

Osaka Chapter Annual General Meeting (AGM)

This is Osaka Chapter’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), to be held again online. Current officers will report on their activities of the past year and on recent developments in the chapter and JALT-wide. We will also discuss chapter business for the coming year, including officer positions, events, and any other issues of interest. All those interested in learning more about the inner workings of JALT and the Osaka chapter are very welcome. Most of our current team of officers are happy to continue serving as officers in some capacity in 2026. Other Osaka JALT members in good standing interested in joining our team in the coming year are invited to nominate themselves or another Osaka JALT member as an officer up until and during the meeting on Dec 21, via this link. Please also use that link to get the Zoom link for the meeting, whether or not you’re interested in serving as an officer.

Free This event is free for everyone.