Andrew Hawkins

The wheels in my head have been turning over a business idea. There are several eikaiwa (“English conversation schools”) in Japan, but in nearly two years teaching English here, I have yet to see computer-aided language learning really being pushed anywhere. Net cafes (also called media cafes and manga cafes), which provide Internet access at computer terminals and a variety of reading materials for an hourly rate, are also widespread. I’ve been thinking of a way to somehow combine the two.

Start with a standard Japanese net cafe format. There are 20-30 booths with PCs and TV monitors. There is a large library of manga and periodicals. There is a self-serve bar for soft drinks and soft-serve ice cream. There is a printer/copier. There are also some food and media items for sale. Add to this language learning software (such as Rosetta Stone) on the PCs, and a selection of English comics and periodicals. Anyone could pay to use the cafe, they wouldn’t have to be a language student.

Adjacent to the cafe would be some classrooms for regular language classes, and a children’s computer lab with a number of inexpensive all-in-one touchscreen PCs. The Asus EeeTop would fit the bill nicely. Language students would get a certain amount of time in the cafe included with their class fees.

There are some drawbacks, however. As my friend Hiroki pointed out, net cafes cater to a rather narrow demographic of teenagers and young adults. Older students, such as housewives, wouldn’t be drawn to a net cafe for English lessons. Parents wouldn’t want to send their children to one either. So the two sides would have to have separate entrances, and be treated and advertised like separate businesses as well. Also, the initial capital required for the PCs, software licenses, library, and other equipment would be high.

I see a lot of entrepreneurs struggling. I don’t think I would be a particularly good one, and I’m not planning to stay in Japan long-term. But this seems like a fresh business angle, and it would be interesting to try.