Sho

It has now been one year learning with Sho sensei and choosing Sho sensei to be a part of my Japanese learning journey has been the best decision. We have now completed the whole Minna no Nihongo textbook covering N5 and N4 material. I started from not being able to speak at all to now speaking basic sentences pretty comfortably and can understand much more in my immersion study outside of class. Sho sensei is a true delight to learn with. He is engaging, meticulous with his lessons and makes sure you properly understand what you are learning. His structured teaching style, with vocabulary, kanji and now writing homework provide a tried and true method for learning Japanese in the most efficient way. I have tried many teachers before finally finding Sho sensei and am grateful I have someone who can guide me in my journey. I am very much looking forward to further lessons and moving to the intermediate level. よろしくお願いします。

I have been learning with Sho-sensei for 6 months now, meeting 3 to 4 times a week on average. I just achieved the milestone of completing the Minna no Nihongo beginners course. This is been an incredible experience. Sho-sensei is patient, kind, warm, and a delight to work with. I could not speak or understand any Japanese at all at the beginning, and now I can have basic conversations and understand almost 100% of the beginner Japanese audio content I’ve engaged with. It’s amazing how much progress I’ve made with Sho-sensei in such a short time. I love the immersive approach of his teaching materials and lessons. It would be tempting to resort to English to try to understand things, but the immersion focus really sped up my progress. Sho-sensei is excellent at moving at a students pace and carefully using vocabulary and grammar that the student can handle. I will continue with him for intermediate studies and would highly recommend him to anyone looking to advance their Japanese

I have been learning with Sho Sensei for over 2 years now and just completed the intermediate shadowing and reading course. Sho sensei is patient and provides structure to his classes so you always see progress. Minna no Nihongo taught the foundation of the language, the pre-intermediate speaking course really immersed me in the day-to-day grammar (this was the level where I saw major improvement in my listening comprehension while watching native content). The intermediate course focused on listening and reading (essays and complex questions about the essay). Sho sensei asks very detailed follow up questions about the essay, and makes sure you’re picking up the tougher grammar. Overall, this course has been helpful in understanding content that is spoken at a faster speed and with more nuance. Learning a language is not always a linear journey but if you’re looking for a talented teacher who consistently brings his A game every class, definitely book your lesson with Sho sensei!

I’m finally finished with the first 25 chapters of Mina no Nihongo. Sometimes I’m very hard on myself, as I still have trouble finding certain words or saying the right thing during my interactions with the people I work with (in Japan). But when I look back on where I was when I started, it’s crazy how far I’ve come. I’m so much more confident doing things in my every day life. I have lived in Japan for three years, but have only really started studying for the past five months or so. It’s incredible what a difference these lessons have made. My co-workers will speak to me in Japanese completely, whereas before they would insist on speaking English. I can speak clearly with my barber, waiter, friends etc. Even on days where I’m struggling to find the right words, I can look back on where I was, hardly even able to talk about the weather, and find joy in my journey of improvement. It’s crazy how much I didn’t know that I didn’t know. Thank you very much Sho sensei. Ganbarimasu!

I recently completed the Intermediate Course 1 with Sho Sensei. The shadowing technique that sensei uses is very effective at getting you to think more actively during lessons. It incorporates both listening and speaking at the same time rather than hearing a phrase and repeating it back afterwards. Having to listen and speak at the same time has allowed me to improve more quickly than practicing these skills separately. We also practiced reading, focusing on comprehension. The readings were interesting, usually having to do with different aspects of Japanese culture. After reading them on my own for homework, in class I would read them out loud and then sensei would check my comprehension by asking questions. Being challenged in this way trained me to read more intentionally and be more aware of when I do not fully understand something. I would recommend this course to anyone who is serious about taking their Japanese to the next level.

Sho-sensei is an extremely helpful and patient teacher! I appreciate that he assigns homework and he is very good at guiding students during the lessons