Hello! My name is Mai, and I was born and raised in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. I first came to the U.S. as a high school exchange student and loved learning English and about American culture. Learning a foreign language expanded my worldview, so I decided to continue studying in the U.S. I completed a bachelor’s degree in Political Science at a university in Wisconsin. My husband and I then moved to Japan and lived in Tokyo, where I went on to earn a master’s degree in Intercultural Communication Studies. Now we are back in the U.S. Studying in both countries allowed me to understand languages and culture in detail. I love to teach while sharing my experiences.

Teaching became my passion when I tutored Japanese at a high school, and I’ve taught Japanese in both classroom settings and online. I love watching anime, so if students are interested in this, I would love to discuss it during my lessons. If students are also interested in different Japanese topics such as music, novels, fashion, etc., I would love to include them in lessons because you learn faster when you are having fun.

I am looking forward to meeting everyone and helping you communicate in Japanese with confidence.