1. Please tell us a little about your teaching philosophy and experience:
    I have had a very simple teaching philosophy “Tanoshiku wakariyasuku!” which means learning in a fun and “easy to understand” way.
  2. What do you teach at the CAE and how long have you been with us?
    I have taught Japanese at the CAE for about 4 and a half years.
  3. What do you like most about teaching at the CAE?
    Meeting people who have a love of Japan and Japanese culture. It makes me feel proud of the country I was born and grew up in. Also, meeting people who have a passion for language learning.
  4. Why do you think the CAE is such an important part of the Melbourne community?
    The CAE is such a unique school where anyone can learn anything at any time!
  5. How many languages do you speak?
    I have to say only Japanese and English. I learnt French as my second foreign language at university back in Japan. I’ve also learnt a bit of Chinese, Korean, Indonesian and Thai.
  6. What’s your top tip for learning a language?
    Ahh, I can talk about it for hours and hours… It would probably be “practice it not too seriously, but REGULARLY!”.
  7. Do you ever get confused and end up conversing in multiple languages at the same time?
    Always! Often I say “Aach! Machigatta!! (Oops, I made a mistake)” to myself during my lesson. My students think “???” at first but they quickly come to understand what’s happening because I say it so often.
  8. What’s the most embarrassing language error you’ve ever made and what happened?
    I have so many of these! However, when I think about the following instance, I still get a red face. During my homestay program in Canada (it was my first experience overseas), I always said “I am NICE” instead of “I’m fine” when people asked me “How are you?”. I was so moved because everyone always smiled so kindly at me anytime I answered their question, without knowing they smiled at me for a different reason. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes — it’ll become a fun memory!
  9. What super power would you choose if you could choose one?
    I don’t think I need any because I’ve already got one! Please come to my class and find it out!
  10. The best coffee in Melbourne can be found at…?
    Flinders Lane and Degraves Street!
  11. Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
    My blood type is Type O. My star sign is Virgo. And my Chinse zodiac sign is Horse. That makes me easy going, critical and delicate. Make any sense? Thank you for reading my profile. Hope to see you in my class.

Language courses available at CAE