Expert of teaching complete beginners who really want to SPEAK Japanese
Teaches
Japanese
Native
Speaks
English
Spanish
French
Italian
Albanian
Other
Turkish
Expert of teaching complete beginners who really want to SPEAK Japanese
About Me
Me as a Teacher
My lessons & teaching style
Resume & Certificates
From JapanLiving in Praia, Cape Verde (10:45 UTC-01:00)
About Me
italki teacher since Dec 16, 2015
InterestsSports & FitnessTravelMusicFoodScience
Konnichiwa! I’m a Japanese teacher who loves helping beginners speak confidently from day one. After teaching in Thailand’s top language school, I now blend my nomadic adventures (Europe, the Americas, Africa!) into fun, practical lessons. I also love learning foreign languages myself and enjoy discovering different cultures through travel and communication. Outside of teaching, you'll often find me dancing, working out, or studying something new. Let’s turn your “I can’t” into “I did it!” (P.S. ¡Puedo enseñar japonés en español también!)
Me as a Teacher
After teaching Japanese on italki for a year and a half, I moved to Thailand to work at a well-known Japanese language school with a strong reputation. There, I gained valuable experience teaching Japanese in a structured classroom environment. In addition to grammar instruction, I specialize in helping students learn to write Japanese scriptsーhiragana, katakana, and kanjiーwith clarity and beauty.
My lessons & teaching style
In my lessons, I focus not just on taking classes but on helping students build practical communication skills. I structure each course to ensure students have plenty of opportunities to review and reinforce what they've learned.
Many learners feel nervous about starting Japanese from scratch, especially onlineーbut I've become very comfortable guiding beginners, and I truly enjoy it! I'd love for you to try a trial lesson and see how my method works for you.
*Please note that I only teach students aged 16 and above.
My teaching material
PDF file
Text Documents
Presentation slides/PPT
Image files
Video files
Flashcards
Homework Assignments
Certificates
Japanese Language Teaching Competency Test - The Japan Educational Exchanges and Services - 2016
Certificate verified
the Japanese Language Teaching Competency Test - Human Academy - 2016
Certificate verified
Teaching experience
2017 - 2020
TeacherWaseda Japanese Language and Culture School - Bangkok, ThailandI developed effective methods to enhance students' speaking skills by minimizing their reliance on written texts and encouraging natural, real-time communication.
2020 - 2024
Teacheritalki
Education
1996 - 2000
Bachelor’s - ChemistryWaseda University
2000 - 2002
Master's - ChemistryWaseda University Graduate School
Atsuko-san is an amazing Japanese teacher! She is always prepared with helpful materials and exercises. She's very patient (even when I make a lot of mistakes) and we end up laughing a lot. She has a very open mind and has personal experience learning a variety of different languages, so she really understands students' struggles with certain concepts. Atsuko-san makes every lesson fun; even when I'm tired or haven't practiced in a while, I feel comfortable jumping back in with her guidance. If you're like me and looking to learn Japanese from the very beginning, Atsuko-san is a great resource - she gives you the building blocks one by one and before you know it, you can start forming long sentences and complex ideas with ease. Japanese is a very challenging language, so between lessons you should still study every day and make sure to do your homework. :)
Mar 7, 2026
Robert Byles
14 Japanese lessons
Teacher’s pick
I was very nervous but Atsuko-sensei was very kind and helpful. I am beginning from scratch and she really took her time to explain things to me in detail. She did everything in her teaching style, she presented material, explained, guided, asked questions, and encouraged me. I will continue to work with her and I highly recommend everyone else do so as well.
Jun 6, 2024
Katy
5 Japanese lessons
Today we reviewed some words from the previous session and also practiced some short conversations with questions and answers. I had fun and learnt many things. Atsuko is always willing to help answer questions I have during sessions too.
Jan 12, 2026
Peter Graham
36 Japanese lessons
Teacher’s pick
I've been taking lessons with Atsuko San for close to 8 months, and she is a really fantastic teacher. She is lighthearted and fun, and she has lead me through the basics at a great pace while mixing in plenty of opportunity to practice what we learn in basic conversation.
I had been trying to study independently for a year prior to starting these lessons, and working with Atsuko San has helped me contextualize and progress through my independent study greatly!
If you're looking for a friendly and welcoming Japanese tutor who is incredibly responsive and helpful, I can't recommend her highly enough.
Mar 7, 2026
Ania Krzyżanowska
11 Japanese lessons
I had a great lesson with Atsuko! She creates a very comfortable and fun atmosphere, helping me speak much more. I’m looking forward to the next class!
Jan 17, 2026
Katy
5 Japanese lessons
Atsuko is very diligent in correcting my mistakes when it comes to missing things and pronunciation as well. The lessons are well structured, and I like that Atsuko shares things throughout the lesson about Japanese culture too. In the lesson today we did some reminders from the previous lesson, numbers, asking ages, some vocabulary and more.