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

Using tailored slide decks, Shou provided a clear, structured course to polish my gaps. In each lesson kanji and vocabulary that are going to be used in the lesson are reviewed, giving context to the terms, rather than just memorising lists in isolation. Grammar is introduced by providing context, a need for the grammar point, and clear simple explanations. He provides interactive dialogues, providing plenty of opportunity for practicing new grammar and vocabulary. At the end of the lesson, topics covered are summarised, and a clear direction on what to do next, such as quizzes, new vocabulary, grammar and homework are provided. I strongly recommend him whether you are continuing from prior study, or picking up after leaving the language for a while, which is my case. I've gotten a lot more value than out of my times studying at university.

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 have been studying with Sho Sensei for a while, and we have recently been doing lessons that are focused on reading Japanese stories. These lessons also incorporate listening and speaking while reading, which forced my brain to engage more with the material. I think this style of learning has really improved my skills in all three areas. I felt challenged (in a good way) but never felt overwhelmed or like I was struggling. These lessons also gave me the opportunity to talk about the stories in my own words, which is a great way to facilitate comprehension of their nuances. I would recommend this style of lesson to anyone who is serious about increasing their Japanese skills and looking to make the most efficient use of their study time.

I’m really pleased with Sho-san’s teaching style. He is patient, well-organized, and follows a clear plan to steadily improve my language skills. I always feel calm and comfortable during our lessons, which makes learning very enjoyable. I can highly recommend him as a language teacher.