HAMANO

I have completed 88 lessons over the past 18 months with Hamanoさん. As a language teacher myself, I can confidently say that she plans and delivers highly effective lessons, drawing on her many years of teaching experience. For beginner students like me, she uses GENKI, a textbook and workbook series developed by The Japan Times. This structured curriculum is especially helpful because it encourages students to learn hiragana and katakana from the beginning, rather than relying on rōmaji. Building literacy in the Japanese writing system early on is critical for long-term success, and GENKI provides clear, step-by-step support in reading, writing, and eventually kanji. Thanks to Hamanoさん’s guidance and the consistent use of these materials, I am making steady progress and growing more confident in communicating with my family in Japan. I highly recommend her lessons for anyone serious about building a strong foundation in Japanese.

Hamano is a brilliant teacher! I majored in Japanese at university but struggled to find online resources aimed at more advanced learners after I graduated, so I was worried about losing my Japanese ability. Now that I've been taking lessons with Hamano for about three months, though, my confidence and ability to read and speak Japanese have improved considerably. I was so impressed by how, in my first lesson, Hamano took the time to thoroughly understand my goals, interests, and previous experience learning Japanese. I said that I mainly wanted to work on my reading comprehension and speaking, so Hamano finds great books and articles for us to read together that are challenging and interesting. Hamano is just as enjoyable and easy to talk to about the nuances of vocabulary and grammar as she is about the ideas explored in the texts we read or more everyday topics! We mainly talk in Japanese but her excellent English ability is also immensely helpful. I look forward to every lesson!

今日もまた色んな面白い話が出てきて楽しかったです。勉強にもなりました。ありがとうございます！

I recently completed my 135th lesson with Hamano-sensei, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from such an outstanding teacher. Not only does she tailor each lesson to suit my interests, but her profound knowledge of Japanese culture, history, and current affairs enriches every session. Initially, I struggled with expressing myself in Japanese and felt hesitant to engage in conversation. However, Hamano-sensei's patience and expertise have boosted my confidence, and I can communicate easily even in Japan. Our curriculum has been diverse and engaging, encompassing traditional textbooks like Genki, as well as delving into classical poetry such as the 百人一首 and modern literature by renowned authors like 太宰治 and 夏目漱石. Beyond language proficiency, Hamano-sensei fosters discussions on current affairs, offering insights into the Japanese mindset and way of life. Most importantly, her enthusiasm makes every lesson incredibly fun. Thank you, Hamano-sensei!

Very Good, I really enjoyed this lesson!

今日はとっても面白かったです！いつもありがとうございます。