We are proud to introduce to you to some of our regular staff, the teachers who make up the heart of our Japanese language school.
All of our teachers are graduates of a rigorous 420-hour Japanese teacher training course at recognized schools. The length and content of this course was originally specified by the Japanese Ministry of Education, but has now become the standard qualification for professional Japanese language school teachers. It is equivalent to a university minor, and the result is a very high standard of teaching.
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| Name | Rie Kirby |
| Position | Owner, head teacher |
| Qualifications | Japanese teacher certification Tea ceremony certification Flower arranging certification |
| Specialty | Natural conversation |
| Teaching experience | 1 year as volunteer teacher, 2 years as part-time teacher, professional teacher since 2002 |
| Personal interests | Watching movies |
| Favorite book | Kinshuu by Teru Miyamoto |
| Philosophy | "Study should be fun!" |
| Joy of teaching | When students talk for more than 80% of the class time |
| Other information | Co-author of Gakken Publishing's well-respected Super Anchor Japanese-English dictionary, 2nd edition. |
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| Name | Miyuki Kuroki |
| Position | Manager, teacher |
| Qualifications | Japanese teacher certification |
| Specialty | Translation |
| Teaching experience | 1 year as a volunteer teacher, professional teacher since 2004 |
| Personal interests | Jogging, beer, picking oysters |
| Philosophy | "Learn for what you need, learn from what you need." |
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| Name | Mika Kajiwara |
| Position | Teacher |
| Qualifications | Japanese teacher certification |
| Specialty | Pop Culture |
| Teaching experience | 3 years as a professional teacher |
| Personal interests | Going to concerts, sewing |
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| Name | Kikuko Furuta |
| Position | Office manager, English teacher |
| Qualifications | TOEIC 965 points English degree from Hawaii Economics degree from Pennsylvania University |
| Specialty | Kind service and a smile |
| Experience | NGO Africa educational foundation, 1 year (South Africa, Uganda, Kenya) |
| Personal interests | Organic farming |
| Favorite book | Japanese mind |
| Philosophy | If you imagine it, it will happen. |
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Name |
Natsuko Iimori 飯盛 奈津子 |
Position |
Teacher, Office assistant |
Qualifications |
Japanese teacher certification, |
Teaching experience |
1 year as a temporary teacher in Wales, UK |
Personal interests |
Travelling, watching films, |
Philosophy |
為せば成る |
Joy of teaching |
Seeing an improvement of students |
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Name |
Yuuji Nogami 野上裕二 |
Position |
Teacher |
Qualifications |
Japanese teacher certification |
Specialty |
Games in class |
Teaching experience |
6 months as a volunteer teacher |
Personal interests |
Onsen |
Favorite media |
Anything by Makoto Shiina |
Philosophy |
Easy going! |
Joy of teaching |
When students make me smile |
Other information |
I love drinking. All teachers in this school are crazy about parties. Let’s go to a Japanese “izakaya”! |
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| Name | Michiko Nagayoshi |
| Position | Teacher |
| Qualifications | Japanese teacher certification |
| Specialty | Exam skills, grammar |
| Personal interests | Travel, cooking |
| Favorite book | Chinmoku |
| Teaching experience | 27 years as owner of and teacher at "Juku" cram school 1 year as Japanese teacher for Japanese children returning from overseas 1.5 years as volunteer teacher Professional Japanese teacher since 2003 |
| Philosophy | Respect the students. |
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| Name | Masako Gyokusen |
| Position | Teacher |
| Qualifications | Japanese teacher certification |
| Specialty | Exam skills |
| Personal interests | Reading |
| Teaching experience | Professional teacher since 2003 |
| Philosophy | Teach what people can use. |
| Joy of teaching | The moment when students "get" the lesson |
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Name |
Tetsuya Sonoda 園田哲也(そのだてつや) |
Position |
Teacher |
Qualifications |
Japanese teacher certification |
Specialty |
Speaks Korean |
Teaching experience |
Since 2004 |
Personal interests |
Karaoke, vacations and drinking, |
Philosophy |
Nothing is useless. |
Joy of teaching |
The feeling of studying together. |
Favorite media |
The musician “Salyu” |
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Name |
Chihomi Irie 入江千穂美 |
Position |
Trainee teacher |
Specialty |
Making students happy! |
Teaching experience |
Japanese teacher since 2006 |
Personal interests |
Music, parties |
Favorite media |
“Kintsuma” |
Philosophy |
Love is all. |
Joy of teaching |
When students say “Wakatta!” |
Other information |
ビールが大好きです。一緒に飲みましょう！ |
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| Name | Mayumi Satou |
| Position | Teacher |
| Qualifications | Japanese teacher certification
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| Teaching experience | 5 years as Japanese teacher for Japanese children returning from overseas 3 years as private teacher Professional teacher since 2003 |
| Philosophy | With heart and soul |
| Personal interests | Making clothes and accessories, watching movies and plays |
| Favorite media | The plays "Ikizuri no hitotachi yo" and "Shomeijin", by Kunio Shimizu |
| Joy of teaching | Seeing students be able to succeed with Japanese in lessons outside the classroom |
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Name |
Junko Maekawa 前川順子 |
Position |
Teacher |
Qualifications |
Japanese teacher certification |
Teaching experience |
1 year as a volunteer teacher, professional teacher since 2007 |
Personal interests |
Traveling, yoga, pets |
Favorite media |
Foreign dramas |
Philosophy |
Knowing differences broadens our horizons. |
Joy of teaching |
To encounter many people. |
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|
| Name | Takako Kubota |
| Position | Teacher |
| Qualifications | Japanese teacher certification |
| Teaching experience | With GenkiJACS since 2007 |
| Specialty | Pop Culture |
| Philosophy | Keep on Smiling |
| Personal interests | Japanese Traditional Culture |
| Favorite media | Books: anything written by Emy Yamada |
| Joy of teaching | When students use Japanese out of lessons. |
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Name |
Machiko Oyama 大山真智子 |
Position |
Japanese teacher |
Qualifications |
Japanese teaching certification |
Speciality |
Methodology of Japanese language |
Teaching experience |
12 years in London &
1 year in Japan. |
Personal interests |
Watching films, especially horror movies |
Philosophy |
Let’s do our best! |
Joy of teaching |
Seeing students smile |
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Name |
“Kim” Yuko Miyamoto 宮本裕子 |
Position |
Culture Class Coordinator |
Personal interests |
Partying, driving, sewing, art, making bags and hats |
Philosophy |
どうにかなる！ |
Joy of teaching |
When students are having fun! |
Favorite media |
ルパン３世 |
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Name |
Evan Kirby カービーエヴァン |
Position |
Director, student enrollment and public relations manager |
Qualifications |
Business and CIS degree |
Specialty |
Computers |
Experience |
2 years as high school English teacher, 1 year as prefectural teacher coordinator, 3 years as technical writer, college teacher since 2004 |
Personal interests |
Computers, Japanese talk shows with Shimada Shinsuke |
Favorite media |
The Japanese TV series “Trick” |
Philosophy |
Work should be fun. |
