Enrollment Steps

One day I had to attend a—I can’t remember exactly what it is called, but it was one these brain-washing, team-building things every company nowadays tortures their employees with. We started with a short introduction round—name, hobby, etc. Of course, everybody had model hobbies like hiking or reading or reading while hiking.

Everyone except this one Japanese guy, who said without any false modesty: “My hobby is drinking.”

So, he and I started drinking together. Regularly. Meaning almost every day. But in a totally responsible manner.

One thing led to another—or, to be more precise, drinking together led to cultural exchange—or, to be absolutely precise, he started drinking Russian vodka and I started learning Japanese. It was fun, but I wasn’t really making much progress in Japanese, although I was (and still am) quite committed to learning the language. Maybe I wasn’t focused enough though…

Thanks to Nihongo-Pro I discovered that one can learn Japanese without drinking! What a mind-blowing experience! Well, to be honest, with Araki-sensei we quite often talk about food and drinks, but so far we have managed to remain sober.

The most amazing thing though is that online Japanese lessons with Araki-sensei actually, really help. Before my first lesson I was, let’s say, a bit concerned whether I’d be able to understand anything, but right from the first minutes, Araki-sensei involved me in a conversation I couldn’t even imagine I was capable of. But by means of some voodoo magic (or maybe due to Araki-sensei’s experience?) all of a sudden I realized that I can be quite talkative, even in Japanese.

It has been almost a year since our first lesson. The only disadvantage of online lessons I have discovered so far is that one can’t drink together with the teacher. But collaboration technology and tools are rapidly improving, so I’m pretty sure the day will come when Araki-sensei and I will have an online Japanese class while drinking. Of course, in a totally responsible manner.

I was a Japanese language major back in college and I wanted to continue studying Japanese after I graduated.

I studied by myself for two years after I graduated since I could not find the right teacher. I wasn't a beginner so I really needed someone who could easily grasp my level of Japanese and help me prepare for the JLPT N1.

Steve, who helped me with the setup, was friendly and helpful, and answered my questions before the trial lesson. I really like how fast he responds to my e-mails.

Nakano sensei never stops encouraging me, and I can tell that she truly cares about my Japanese study and well-being. She is very good at answering questions as well: I ask a lot of questions regarding the vocabulary and grammar, and she always gives me the answer right away in an easy-to-understand way. She simply makes difficult materials so easy! :)

She is friendly, caring, and professional. I love the fact that she is my Japanese teacher and I will keep taking her class until I master the Japanese language! :)

Thank you Nihongo-Pro and thank you Nakano sensei!