Friendly native Japanese speaker helping you build a solid foundation and confidence in Japanese | 13+ years' professional teaching experience

Hello! I'm Keiko, a native Japanese speaker from Nagoya, Japan, and I've been living in the UK for many years. With over 13 years of professional experience teaching Japanese, I particularly enjoy helping beginners build a strong foundation and gain confidence step by step. If you're looking for friendly, structured and supportive lessons, I'd love to help you on your Japanese learning journey.

My experience & qualifications:
• 13+ years of professional Japanese teaching experience, mainly in UK higher education
• Former lecturer at the University of East Anglia, teaching from complete beginners to advanced degree-level students
• Experience teaching corporate clients through online language training providers
• Over 10 years working at a research institute specialising in Japanese arts and culture, where I organised public events and outreach activities. This experience deepened my passion for sharing Japanese culture with my students
• MA in Applied Linguistics, specialising in Second Language Acquisition and language teaching methodology
• Japanese Language Instructors Qualification

What I teach:
• Beginner Japanese — building a solid grammar foundation and developing practical, everyday conversation
• Intermediate and advanced Japanese — using authentic materials tailored to your interests
• Japanese for a range of goals, including travel, exams, university study and personal interest

What are my lessons like?
• Tailored to your goals, pace and learning style
• Grammar explained clearly and accessibly, without making it overwhelming, with attention to subtle nuances
• Cultural context naturally incorporated into lessons
• Structured yet relaxed — a supportive space where you can practise and build confidence

As someone who is currently learning Mandarin Chinese myself, I truly understand both the challenges and rewards of learning a language. I bring that experience, along with patience and empathy, into my teaching.

If you’re looking for an experienced tutor who can give you clear guidance while keeping lessons enjoyable and approachable, I’d be delighted to hear from you. Please feel free to get in touch to discuss your goals and learning needs. 😊