This study reports on the findings of a questionnaire administered to 93 students studying Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) at British universities, focusing on their views of the role of grammar in their learning of Japanese. Learners' views are important because mismatches with their teachers' views can affect their learning negatively. Following previous studies, the learners in this study, who were at upper-beginner to lower-intermediate levels, valued formal instruction and wanted teachers to give detailed explanations on grammar. In particular, their views suggested that they seek greater understanding of the semantic and pragmatic features of new grammatical structures. We suggest that particularly in the case of a 'less familiar' language such as Japanese, anglophone learners can benefit from a 'focus on forms' approach that incorporates different learning processes such as pattern recognition and making associations, alongside a 'focus on form' approach that assists their understanding of how the target grammatical structures are used in context.