Russian Language in the Land of the Rising Sun: Overcoming the Cultural Barrier

This article addresses the challenge of mitigating cultural barrier encountered by Japanese students in the acquisition of the Russian language. The study’s relevance is underscored by the increasing importance of foreign language proficiency in the global landscape, particularly within Japan. The influence of sociocultural factors on the learning process is examined, identifying key linguistic and communicative difficulties experienced by Japanese learners, including discrepancies in grammatical structure, phonetic systems, and speech etiquette. To achieve the research objectives, a comprehensive analysis of scholarly literature in pedagogy, linguistics, and intercultural communication was conducted. The study also synthesizes practical experience in teaching Russian as a foreign language to Japanese students and examines specific illustrative cases. Based on these analyses, the author proposes pedagogical recommendations designed to adapt instructional materials and cultivate a motivating learning environment that integrates both traditional and contemporary instructional approaches. Particular emphasis is placed on fostering an atmosphere of trust and mutual support within the classroom, facilitating students’ uninhibited self-expression. The findings of this research, grounded in the author’s personal experience, can be utilized by instructors of Russian as a foreign language, curriculum specialists, and developers of educational resources.

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