Handcyclist Tim de Vries learns Japanese at UvA Talen

Handcyclist Tim de Vries is taking part in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo in 2020. To prepare for his visit to Japan as well as possible, Tim took a Japanese language class at UvA Talen.

Customised Japanese language lesson

During the lesson, Tim learnt the fundamentals of Japanese: the hiragana, katakana and kanji alphabets. Once he had mastered differentiating between the various alphabets, Tim learnt a few sentences he might find useful during his stay in Tokyo. He learnt to greet people and introduce himself, for example, and also learnt a number of useful sport-related sentences, such as: ‘I'm going for gold in Tokyo!’

Watch Tim's Japanese language lesson on our Facebook page.

Follow Tim's road to Tokyo

Tim de Vries took up handcycling in 2011 and he became world champion for the third time in 2019. All his efforts are currently focused on his participation in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, his ultimate goal being winning a gold medal!

Would you like to know what else Tim is doing to prepare for Tokyo? Keep an eye on the website of his main sponsor Main Energie.

Learn Japanese in Amsterdam

UvA Talen offers Japanese courses at 6 different levels as well as the JLPT N5 exam training. Would you like a special Japanese masterclass like the one we organised for Tim? Get in touch with us.

More information about our Japanese language courses and the options for tailor-made training in Japanese.

You will find information about Tim de Vries on his website.