My students are varied: some want to learn Japanese to prepare for a trip to Japan, and others use my tutoring to help them in school. I have tutored elementary through post-graduate students one-on-one, taught group lessons to all ages, and conducted classes for businesspeople in corporate environments.
Adult Lessons
With my adult students, I have them engage in imaginary everyday scenarios where they would have to use Japanese, like buying groceries at the supermarket, asking for directions, speaking in business meetings, or writing e-mails to colleagues. I also share various aspects of our culture, trying to speak mostly Japanese with them, so as to fully immerse them in the language. I often also do things like incorporate cooking into my Japanese lessons. Food is a universal language that really helps connect a foreign-sounding language to something tangible and real.
Happy Adults
“Yuko has a great tutoring style. My boyfriend and I are intermediate level adult students and Yuko made us feel like we could converse! She has a wonderful sense of humor, and deep knowledge of Japanese language and culture. We especially appreciated her insights about Japanese idioms. I look forward to learning more from her.” LeBrie
“I practiced Japanese with Yuko in the run up to a series of job interviews with Japanese firms. While I had studied the language in the past, I was very much out of practice when I started working with Yuko. In a couple short months, she helped me get my Japanese back up to a level high enough to get me through my interviews, and to land a great job. Yuko is patient, takes pains to tailor her lessons to the student’s needs, is very good at explaining things in a clear manner, and is more than willing to put in a lot of work if necessary. I strongly recommend studying with her to anyone looking to improve their Japanese, no matter their current level.” Mathieu
Youth Lessons
I do my best to create an atmosphere where students can absorb the language naturally, the way babies learn to speak without being taught. I prepare an environment where they hear my Japanese incessantly, and, little by little, get used to the sounds. Once they are accustomed to it, they start responding in Japanese as much as they can, with encouragement.
With younger students, I like to teach them by playing games both indoors and outdoors. When employing all their senses, and especially when they are also getting out and moving, the young students are able to make strong connections with Japanese.My elementary students are often in a Japanese immersion program and seeking to reinforce what they are learning in those classes.
My high school students include those who need help with school work, fans of Japanese culture, from Anime to history, and ambitious students looking for high scores on their language SAT’s.
Happy Youth and Parents
“Yuko’s cheerful encouragement gave me a sense of achievement after every lesson and helped me believe that I was truly capable of learning Japanese. In the years that followed with Yuko’s endless encouragement, kindness and support, I was able to go from zero to being fluent in Japanese. I have studied abroad in Japan twice and currently teach English in the Japanese countryside on the JET Programme. I couldn’t have achieved this without Yuko and Tobaru house, who gave me the encouragement to unlock my full potential.” Ruby
“We are thrilled to have found Yuko to tutor our son in Japanese. She is everything you want in an educator for your child: she is fun, patient, informed and responsible. She makes learning fun and effective. Our son looks forward to his time with her and is benefiting tremendously from their lessons. Five stars all the way!!!!!” Elizabeth
“We love everything about Yuko! She is amazing with our daughter who is not always the easiest to work with. Our daughter also cannot stop talking about her which is such a great feeling.” Nicole
Some Of My Students
