Japanese teacher Makiko

Makiko

Professional Teacher
Teaches
Japanese
Native
Speaks
English
🌸Awarded italki Excellent Teacher (Mar) /15 yrs EXP/Friendly lessons for all levels, Group, JLPT
From JapanLiving in Melbourne, Australia (04:56 UTC+11:00)
About Me
italki teacher since Mar 8, 2021
InterestsFoodArtEnvironment & NaturePets & AnimalsFilms & TV Series
Hi😊 I'm Makiko, a certified Japanese teacher with over 15 years of experience in Melbourne, Australia. Originally from rural Shizuoka, I bring authentic cultural insights to my lessons. I've taught tons of students from beginner to advanced levels, with all 2024 JLPT students passing. My background as a graphic designer in Tokyo helps me create visually engaging educational materials. Outside of teaching, I enjoy art, cooking, watching movies from around the world, and supporting elderly people. I'm also a dog lover! I've visited the U.S., several European and Asian countries, and lived in the UK. Every place was a wonderful experience. Let’s study Japanese together !
5.0
Rating
146
Students
3075
Lessons
100%
Attendance rate
100%
Response rate

Japanese Lessons

Trial Lesson
85 lessons completed
USD 14.00+
GENERAL JAPANESE CLASS 【All levels】★Welcome complete beginners★
A1 -  C2

Language Essentials

2,430 lessons completed
USD 26.00+
Package with 4% off
Conversation class【 Bring a coffee ☕️】
A2 -  C2

Conversation

103 lessons completed
USD 27.00+
Package with 2% off
JLPT N5-N2 preparation class
A1 -  C2

Test Preparation

215 lessons completed
USD 32.00+
Package with 4% off
Group Class 【for 2 to 3 people】
A1 -  C2

Language Essentials

184 lessons completed
USD 44.00+
Package with 4% off
Honours student class [☆Students celebrating their 100th lesson/1h 5 lesson pack]
A1 -  C2

Language Essentials

58 lessons completed
USD 22.00+

Availability

Based on your timezone (UTC+00:00)

230 Reviews

AJ / エージェイ
108 Japanese lessons
Teacher’s pick
Makiko-sensei's lessons are always fun and my Japanese has already improved so much since I started learning with her. She is kind and patient, and provides feedback and corrections without it being overwhelming. Thanks to that I've become a lot more comfortable speaking Japanese. I look forward to improving further with her guidance.
Feb 25, 2025
Nate
471 Japanese lessons
Teacher’s pick
For anyone interested in learning Japanese I highly recommend Makiko-sensei. I had been studying the Genki 1 book on my own for several months but wasn't really sure what kind of progress I was making. I scheduled a trial lesson with Makiko-sensei and feel so lucky and fortunate to have found her as my teacher. Ever since the trial lesson I've been taking classes once a week for a few months now and the hour session is always a highlight of my week that I look forward to. Makiko-sensei is a compassionate and patient teacher that makes learning enjoyable while always ensuring you actually learn the material. I constantly have questions and stumble over previously taught subjects but she always takes the time to review with me with a smile on her face. I'll soon be upping to 2-3 times a week because I enjoy learning from Makiko-sensei so much. I've always had a dream of learning the Japanese language and with the guidance of Makiko-sensei I believe I can make that dream a reality.
Nov 22, 2021
Student skylar youngblood
skylar youngblood
137 Japanese lessons
Makiko is extremely professional and easy to understand. She explains grammar very clearly, and if something doesn’t click right away, she always has multiple ways to break it down. She adjusts her Japanese to your level, so nothing ever feels overwhelming. She always comes prepared with a plan and remembers exactly where we left off each lesson. We usually start with short stories about our week, which helps me switch into a Japanese style of thinking right away. Her teaching style is very detailed, she goes through the textbooks thoroughly, cover to cover, without skipping important points. I’ve been studying with Makiko for over a year now and have taken more than 100 lessons with her. She’s definitely one of the best Japanese teachers I’ve ever had.
Dec 8, 2025
Jamie Butcher
50 Japanese lessons
Teacher’s pick
My sister and I were very lucky to find Makiko sensei on our first try. Sensei makes learning Japanese fun and interesting despite her students being working adults already. Makiko sensei helped us to transform from beginners in Japanese to barely elementary school level, the progress we have made it really amazing. We also asked Makiko sensei to help us prepare to take the JLPT N5 exam, through her careful teaching and guidance we were luckily able to pass and we hope to take the next level soon! Senseis lesson is something I look forward to every week, I would highly highly recommend Makiko sensei to anyone looking to learn Japanese or take their current study to the next level!
Feb 17, 2025
Timothy Doersam
64 Japanese lessons
Makiko does a lot in every lesson to help me with language learning: she assists with my pronunciation, with particles, with verb endings, and so much more! She uses the book materials so well, and I feel like I get way more than what I pay for in each lesson! She is one of the best teachers I have ever had, and I really feel like she's a major person aiding in my Japanese language journey!
Dec 11, 2025
Rona Brodrick
3 Japanese lessons
2nd lesson with Makiko sensei completed. I feel very comfortable with her as I learn to get over my fear of taking the leap and speaking out loud! :) She is very respectful when correcting me and I appreciate her use of the whiteboard and screen-sharing of documents/resources. I look forward to our next session.
Dec 4, 2025
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