KINGSTON, R.I. – Sept. 9, 2025 – Rosetta Stone classifies Japanese as a category 4 language, recognizing it as one of the most challenging languages to learn. According to the company’s estimates, a person needs about 88 weeks to become proficient in the language. 

While there are only a small number of universities in the Ocean State that offer the language, at the University of Rhode Island Japanese is the fastest-growing language program.

One URI graduate has not only mastered it but is now taking his skills to the language’s country of origin. Newport native Zack Harden has accepted an assistant language teaching position through the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program, along with fellow URI graduate Ryan Gomes. The JET program only accepts about 1,000 applicants annually.

Harden’s journey with Japanese began in high school. 

“I was interested in watching things like anime and reading manga,” said Harden. “However, I think for me, the thing that really got me interested was listening to a lot of Japanese music and wanting to understand the lyrics.”

A Japanese band he fell in love with, Lamp, bolstered his interest.

“I had this whole plan about becoming a music educator and I applied to the early childhood education program at URI,” says Harden. “But after getting involved with Japanese and really getting invested in it, I was pulled toward language education.”

He says the Japanese department does an excellent job of educating students as well as providing them with opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities to hone their skills.

“The Japanese department is really big into building a community-focused department where students can rely on each other and ask questions, almost be like a little family within the school,” says Harden.

Using his love of educating as a springboard during his time at URI, Harden would tutor other students. Which he notes will help as he prepares to teach young kids in Japan. He also partnered with a classmate to organize a Japanese game day. It focused on using board games to enhance the learning of Japanese.

The JET program offers three distinct tracks: Sports Exchange Advisors, who facilitate cross-cultural exchange through sports instruction; Coordinators for International Relations, a role which requires more bureaucratic duties within a specific municipality; and Assistant Language Teachers (ALT) who are often placed in public school systems to assist Japanese Teachers with English during language instruction and lesson planning. 

Harden will become an Assistant Language Teacher. He will be among the first URI students to teach in Japan. For him it’s the perfect combination of utilizing a language he majored in and his passion for teaching.

He’ll be teaching English to elementary school students in Taiki, a town known as the home of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), on the island of Hokkaido. Harden faces the added challenge of teaching his native language through a foreign one. But because teaching has always been a passion, he sees it not as a burden—but as a joy.

“I feel like when you’re in elementary school, you’re excited to go to school, and as the teacher I can have a little bit of fun with them and I can also leave a lasting impression,” says Harden.

It’ll be a change for the kid from Newport. He says that Taiki is small in comparison to Newport, with a population of only about 6,000. However, he has learned that like the city he calls home, Taiki is a very tight-knit community.

Harden is planning to teach for at least two years, giving him ample time to become a part of that community. 

“It feels like forever — but I think two years is going to fly by,” says Harden. “And who knows, maybe I’ll fall in love with Taiki, and I’ll want to be there a little longer.”