HIGH, QUALITY LESSONS FOR YOU.
Building a Japanese learning experience that actually feels rewarding.
Empowering learners from all backgrounds to speak freely, express their ideas confidently, and develop real fluency through practical communication and strong vocabulary foundations.
My mission is simple: to help students learn Japanese while also teaching them how to learn effectively — using proven methods, structured systems, and tailored strategies designed around each student’s individual needs.
Learn how to study efficiently through Japanese itself, guided by a native bilingual Japanese and English speaker — without wasting hours relying on Google Translate.
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Creator of
鷲見 海 先生
Sumi
Kai
Hey, I'm a bilingual Japanese tutor who has helped students succeed across all levels of the JLPT, prepare for job interviews, and build confidence in everyday conversational Japanese.
After earning consistent 5-star reviews while tutoring on Preply, I transitioned into private tutoring to provide a more personalised learning experience.
My mission is simple: to help you build an effective, enjoyable, and sustainable Japanese learning journey.
NATIVE LESSON. REAL RESULTS.
Don't take my word for it. Take theirs.
WORDS FROM MY STUDENTS
Meet one of my Student, Rudi!
A student from Scotland who has been learning Japanese with me for over a year.
Rudi tried online tutoring a couple of times before with another online tutoring company but struggled to continue due to the time lost with many Japanese tutors not communicating proficiently in English and losing half the lesson to translation, instead of covering more content and measuring progress.
Since we began back in September 2024, he has established a clear understanding of the study systems and can appropriately recognise many phrases and kanji, and has built strong listening skills through my lessons and his visits to Japan. It's been a pleasure tutoring Rudi, and he's one of the clear examples of why I stand by and uphold my teaching philosophy: learning how to learn through Japanese.
Rudi was one of the students for whom my specialised, tailored tutoring, with an emphasis on progress over results, made a huge difference, due to our shared understanding of how dyslexia can impact the speed of learning.
Rudi struggled to memorise vocabulary, kanji, and phrases through traditional repetitive writing, so we had many sessions reflecting on study skills, the appropriate mindset for the long term, and how to self-study independently in order to continuously see progress beyond the lesson. As a tutor, its been inspiring the see him show up after 12h or sometimes 15h shift work to then still willing to improve his Japanese communication skills.
Meet another student, Andrew!
Andrew demonstrated a strong and well-rounded command of foundational Japanese, passing the JLPT N5 with a total score of 98/180 and a percentile rank of 73.5 — placing him above nearly three-quarters of test-takers worldwide.
Most notably, he achieved a top "A" rating in all three core linguistic sub-skills — vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension — indicating a genuinely balanced and internalized grasp of the language's building blocks rather than strength in one narrow area, while his listening performance, though comparatively the weakest section, still cleared the passing threshold comfortably, confirming functional real-time comprehension of spoken Japanese consistent with the CEFR A1 level.
Beyond the numbers, Andrew has been studying Japanese with me since October 2024, with the aim of generally improving his Japanese. Since then, we have progressed substantially — not only passing the JLPT exam, but also holding ten-minute conversations in lessons with minimal assistance, and now preparing together for the JLPT N3.
Andrew is one of the best success stories I've had the pleasure of teaching: he has internalized effective study techniques and proactively studies outside of lessons continuously, using our lesson time to exercise and reinforce what he's learned independently, through conversation practice and mock tests. Despite some major challenges he has faced over the years, it has been incredibly rewarding for me to watch his progress and dedication in learning Japanese, and to see him rise to meet the challenges along the way.
STOP STUDYING JAPANESE PASSIVELY
Effective studying starts with strong and simple engagement with the material. The effects are long lasting and sustainable. Many learners are studying with ineffective methods which are not active learning.
❌ Passive re-reading of notes
Flipping through grammar notes and vocab lists feels like studying, but it's closer to skimming. Your brain recognises patterns it's already seen without being challenged to retrieve or use them. Recognition isn't the same as recall — if you can't produce it under pressure, you don't actually know it.
✅ Active recall practice
Close your notes. Test yourself. Write sentences from memory. Force your brain to retrieve information rather than just recognise it — that struggle is where real retention happens.
❌ Hoarding Anki decks without active use
Downloading decks, building card stacks, and reorganising your SRS setup feels like progress. It isn't. A deck you collect but don't consistently review is just digital clutter. The tool only works when you show up for it every day.
✅ Lean, consistent Anki review
Keep your decks manageable and review them daily, even for ten minutes. Fewer cards reviewed properly beats hundreds of cards reviewed poorly.
❌ Grammar-first, output-never
Studying grammar rules in isolation without ever speaking or writing gives you knowledge with nowhere to go. You can analyse a sentence perfectly and still freeze when someone talks to you. Understanding how Japanese works isn't the same as being able to use it.
✅ Early and regular output
Start producing Japanese before you feel ready. Write short sentences, record yourself speaking, make mistakes in a low-stakes environment. Output forces your grammar knowledge to become usable language.
❌ No logging system or tracking progress
Without a record of what you've studied, what you've struggled with, and how far you've come, you lose perspective. Patterns in your mistakes stay invisible. Progress feels invisible too — and that's when motivation quietly disappears.
✅ A study log to track, reflect, and improve
Keep a simple notebook or digital log. Note what you studied, what tripped you up, and any wins, however small. Reviewing it weekly turns scattered sessions into a compounding system.
These are only some of the refinements we'll make throughout your Japanese learning journey—reducing ineffective study habits, improving your learning systems, and teaching you how to learn more effectively through Japanese.
What's in the lessons and what do I offer?
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👉 Weekly 1-to-1 live lessons (50 mins)
👉 Custom study plan created for your goals
👉 Lesson notes to review anytime
👉 Vocab & grammar resources sent after every lesson
👉 Instagram/messaging support between sessions
👉 Monthly progress reviews
👉 JLPT mock tests & feedback (if relevant)
Still unsure where to start?
That uncertainty is exactly why this call exists. In 25 minutes, we'll cut through the noise, look at where you actually are with your Japanese, and map out what needs to change. No sales pitch. No homework. Just clarity.
Book your free trial session and leave knowing exactly what to do next.
LESSON PLANS
Whether you're just starting out or going all in, there's a pack built for where you are right now.
The 5-lesson pack is the perfect first step — one focused month to experience structured, personalised Japanese lessons before committing long-term.
The 10-lesson pack is the most popular choice for a reason. Two months of consistent weekly lessons with enough time to build real momentum and start thinking differently in Japanese.
The 15-lesson pack is for the serious learner. The biggest saving, the longest runway, and the fastest results — especially if you're pushing two lessons a week toward a fluency goal or JLPT target.
5 LESSON
190
£200→ £190 (5% off)
A focused month to get started or restart.
Ideal if you want to explore structured lessons before committing long-term.
1 lesson/week — covers 1 month
Valid for 2 months
10 Lesson
360
£400 → £360 (10% off)
The sweet spot for steady, consistent progress.
Enough time to build real habits and see measurable results.
1 lesson/week — 2.5 months
2 lessons/week — just over 1 month
Valid for 3 months
15 Lesson
510
£600→ £510 (15% off)
Built for serious learners who want real fluency gains fast.
The best value and the biggest discount.
1 lesson/week — 3+ months
2 lessons/week — ~7–8 weeks intensive
Valid for 4 months
Every pack includes the full JPKAIZEN experience — custom study plan, lesson notes, vocab and grammar resources, and support between sessions.
The only difference is how far you go.
Explore the Collection
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THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND JPKAIZEN
JPKAIZEN exists to offer something beyond the ordinary classroom experience:
structured, individualised support for students who want to master Japanese and understand how they learn best while doing it. At its core, JpKaizen is built on meta-learning — the practice of learning how to learn.
The goal is not simply to teach Japanese, but to help learners build a clearer understanding of themselves through the process of learning it. Language becomes the medium for something larger: refining one's own learning system, building self-awareness, and developing the ability to adapt strategically. Learning Japanese shouldn't be reduced to memorisation.
It should be a chance to identify your strengths, confront your weaknesses, and continually sharpen your approach.
The Three S's
Simple. Smart. Sustainable.
Simple, well-designed systems are what make progress last. Language learning is saturated with productivity hacks, marketing noise, and conflicting advice. JpKaizen deliberately cuts through that noise. Rather than chasing trends or overengineered study techniques, the focus stays on understanding how a student currently studies — and how that process can be made more effective.
Japanese, in particular, presents this challenge in a compounded way. Every student arrives with different goals, strengths, schedules, and constraints. Progress usually comes down to making the right choices and prioritising what actually matters, rather than doing more of everything.
JpKaizen treats each learner's path as distinct and builds instruction around individual needs rather than a fixed curriculum. As a native, academically fluent speaker of both Japanese and English, I work to bridge the two languages and cultures directly, helping students develop real proficiency in both comprehension and expression — not just textbook competence.
Why "Kaizen"?
There's a personal story behind why the word Kaizen became part of this name.
During my highschool years, I was floored by a set of final exam results. Despite months of study, late nights, and real personal sacrifice, I scored far below what I'd expected of myself.
I opened the results page sitting on a beach. Staring at the screen, I started questioning everything — whether the work had meant anything, whether I should give up, why the effort hadn't translated into the outcome I wanted.
Afterward, I walked along the shoreline for hours, trying to process it.
At some point, I noticed a strip of gold-toned light running across the sand — the contrast between the pale, sun-bleached surface and the darker sand beneath it. It reminded me of Kintsugi.
改
善
金
継
ぎ
Kintsugi, literally "golden joinery," is the traditional Japanese practice of repairing broken pottery with lacquer mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. Instead of concealing the damage, the technique highlights it — the repaired cracks become part of the object's history rather than a flaw to hide. That idea reshaped how I thought about failure. Setbacks and mistakes aren't proof of inadequacy. They're evidence of having tried, struggled, and kept going. For me, those particular cracks reflected the difficulty of adjusting to an unfamiliar UK education system, years spent navigating Japanese schooling with undiagnosed and poorly understood dyslexia, and being told repeatedly that I wasn't "academic enough."
For me, those particular cracks reflected the difficulty of adjusting to an unfamiliar UK education system, years spent navigating Japanese schooling with undiagnosed and poorly understood dyslexia, and being told repeatedly that I wasn't "academic enough." More than anything, that moment became a reminder that failure isn't final — you can rebuild and keep moving. Kintsugi taught me to treat those experiences as part of the process rather than something to hide. Every setback became material to build from.
What Kaizen Actually Means
Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy of continuous, incremental improvement. The word combines kai/改 ("change") and zen/善 ("good") — commonly rendered as "change for the better." The underlying idea is that small, consistent improvements compound into significant results over time. I relied on this principle throughout my own academic career.
Studying and testing in a second academic language was one of the harder challenges I've faced. Over time, I built the systems and habits that let me work through obstacles that had initially felt insurmountable. With dyslexia, scoring perfectly on kanji tests was never a realistic target. I remember my Japanese father sitting me down at the dining table, encouraging the same traditional study methods that worked well for most students. Those methods didn't work for me — not because I lacked effort, but because they weren't built around how I actually process information.
So I built my own approach instead. I tested methods, discarded what didn't work, and refined what did — designing a system around my actual strengths and limitations rather than forcing myself into someone else's. That approach eventually got me results that outpaced many peers who hadn't faced the same obstacles.
That experience is the direct basis for how I teach now.
JPKAIZEN Approach
JPKAIZEN combines two ideas: Kintsugi and Kaizen.
Kintsugi treats setbacks and imperfections as part of a learner's story rather than something to erase.Kaizen treats growth as the product of small, consistent improvement rather than sudden breakthroughs.
Together, they define an approach where progress is measured not just in language ability, but in resilience, self-understanding, and the learner's ability to keep adapting.
In practice, this means holding a Kaizen Reflection Session with each student once a month — a dedicated check-in to review progress, name persistent sticking points, and adjust the learning strategy going forward.
The aim isn't only to get better at Japanese.It's to become a better learner — because once you understand how you learn, that skill carries over far beyond the language itself.
