5 Tips For Choosing The Best Japanese Teacher For You

How do you know which Japanese teacher is right for you?

If you’re looking for your first Japanese teacher, or if you’ve tried a few teachers but feel like you’re just not making progress, this article is for you.

When I first became a Japanese teacher at a university in the UK back in 2006, the only other Japanese teachers I knew were my colleagues at the faculty. Fast forward 20 years and the teaching landscape has changed dramatically.

There are so many teachers to choose from!

Demand for Japanese teachers increased from about 2015, when many tourists and expats started posting about their experiences in Japan. Japanese is now one of the most popular languages to learn.

Nowadays there are thousands and thousands of teachers, both online and in person, as well as hundreds of courses and apps. There’s never been a better time to learn Japanese!

If you’re not sure about what the best way to learn Japanese is for you, check out my article on How To Choose The Best Japanese Course For You.

But if you already know you want lessons, how do you choose the best Japanese teacher for you?

It’s not like a mixed bag of sweets where you can easily just pick another one - it takes time, effort and money to try different Japanese teachers. There’s booking, communicating, being on time, payment, materials and potential travel costs.

I can imagine how difficult it is for you to choose the right one.

If you want to find the best teacher for you, and to make your Japanese learning journey as smooth and effective as possible, these 5 tips will give you the tools you need to make the right decision:

1. Make sure the teacher offers personalised content
2. Find teachers who have a flexible approach
3. Make sure the teacher understands your cultural & language background
4. Find teachers who offer strong learning support
5. Find a teacher with the right times and availability for you

 My students often say, “I’m so lucky I found you!” That’s how I want you to feel when you find the right teacher for you - like you’ve found a hidden gem.

1. Make sure the teacher offers personalised content

In order to get the best results, a teacher should be able to design a course just for you. It’s better to avoid teachers who stick to certain textbooks. Second language acquisition is not one-size-fits all. Everyone is different and everyone learns differently.

In the best case, a prospective  teacher will:

Step 1: Ask for your goals, skills, situation, interests and available time

Step 2: Check your current level and knowledge

Step 3: Design a course that matches your current level and goals

Through this process, they’ll show you how to reach your goals and keep you motivated, so you can stop stressing and look forward to faster progress.

For example, I was approached by Kumiko Ohta, the founder of Sake Sommelier Academy, to design a course for international students of her ‘Master of Sake’ course.

The requirements were:

• Complete beginner level
• 45-minute lessons
• 3 to 5 lessons in total
• Focused on daily conversation and understanding instructions
• Specialised vocabulary for tools in a sake brewery

Normal language course can be minimum 3 month. Courses for Microsoft Excel can be as short as 5 lessons, so it’s challenging to design a language course into this short time frame.

However, I was able to design a course by asking about the activities and types of conversations students would be participating in, and focused on the most important situations and the most useful expressions. This allowed me to arrange practical, relevant content in order from easiest to most difficult.

The result was that students found the Japanese lessons helpful and enjoyed communicating with staff in the brewery!

Ask your prospective teachers if they’re happy to design a course just for you. If they say yes, it’s a good sign to give them a try.

2. Find teachers who have a flexible approach

If you find a teacher who can design a course just for you, the next step is to check to see if you can change the process or content whenever you need.

Life happens. Sometimes you can get busy unexpectedly and the pace of the course can be too fast. Or you might want to learn for a specific event that comes up suddenly.

You should feel comfortable asking. It’s even better if a teacher can react to your struggles, changing situations and goals without being prompted.

For example, one of my students is an art dealer specialising in Japanese art. She originally requested a course to prepare her for a business trip to Tokyo, and she wanted to be able to say big numbers at an auction. Japanese yen makes the price seem even bigger than it would be in most other currencies, so it was very important for situation.

Once she mastered numbers, she wanted to improve her conversational skills so she could communicate better with her Japanese clients. After that, I suggested learning how to describe the condition of a print, which she found very useful.

Each time the course changed, we focused on specific words and grammar points that were relevant and useful to her life.

If a teacher can identify and understand your needs, you’ll feel supported and encouraged to learn more and more!

While apps like Duolingo are quite fun, especially with the way they’ve gamified their content, they don’t allow for personalisation. Sure, you can skip ahead, but the content is set in stone, and if it’s not relevant to your situation, there’s nothing you can do but go through it and hope for better in future units.

You also don’t really know which teachers (if any) designed the course, so you can’t contact them for learning support.

I designed the Master Speaking Japanese course to allow students to choose their own vocabulary, so the content is always fresh and relevant to each individual learner.

3. Make sure the teacher understands your cultural & language background

Everyone makes mistakes when they learn a new language. But why do certain mistakes happen again and again?

Often these mistakes are tied to speech patterns and word orders inherited from a learner’s primary language.

If your teacher understands your cultural and language background, they’ll be able to give you appropriate explanations and feedback that will help you avoid and move past these mistakes.

You’ll be able to shift from your own cultural mentality and learn how native Japanese speakers think and express themselves, which will make your Japanese sound natural and fluent.

A phrase I use a lot is “Mind = Expressions.”

I normally use it to talk about how learners can learn better by understanding the cultural mindset behind the Japanese expressions they’re studying, but I think it also applies to Japanese teachers.

If a teacher can understand your way of thinking and cultural perceptions in your country, they’ll be able to help you bridge the gap between your own culture and the Japanese mentality, which will have a huge impact on your Japanese!

It’s crucial to receive clear feedback. If you do, you’ll progress steadily and you’ll be thrilled with your improvement.

If you want to read more about how “Mind = Expressions,” read my article on How To Learn Japanese.

4. Find teachers who offer strong learning support

Your teacher should be approachable whenever you need support. Teacher support is essential for language learning.

Check if your teacher:

1. Provides support for how to study between lessons (not just giving homework)
2. Organises events to meet other students or native Japanese speakers

Of course, homework can be useful, but if you feel stuck or if a method isn’t working, you should be able to ask for support.

A teacher should be able to provide support for your specific needs so you can continue to progress, no matter what happens in your personal life.

Why should your teacher organise events?

It’s one thing talking to a Japanese teacher who is patient, who understands what you’re trying to say, and who will give you supportive feedback. It’s another to test your skills in a ‘real life’ setting with other learners or native Japanese speakers!

It’s a great opportunity to test your progress, to meet other learners, to get inspiration, and to stay motivated.

Last year, I invited my students and Japanese friends and teachers to celebrate my birthday. One of my students who has been learning with me for the last 13 years said to me that he studied all the way home (a 2 hour trip) because he was so motivated after meeting my other students and some native speakers.

Check to see if your teacher organises events that will let you meet with native speakers and other learners! You’ll enjoy learning Japanese a lot more and your progress will become unstoppable.

Many apps and courses rarely show which teachers (if any) designed the course, so you can’t contact them for learning support. With the Master Speaking Japanese course, I both designed the course and appear in the video lessons and speaking practice sections.

The Master Speaking Japanese course also includes optional 15-Minute Mini Speaking Lessons, which gives you access to a qualified, experienced native Japanese teacher whenever you feel the need. Arai Academy teachers understand the course, so there’s consistency in their approach and they’ll understand exactly where you are and what you might need help with.

5. Find a teacher with the right times and availability for you

If you’ve found a Japanese teacher who can do all of the above, congratulations! Your progress speed will dramatically increase and you’ll enjoy learning a lot. 

But there is a downside to these amazing teachers: they’re usually in high demand and it’s hard to find a booking!

So, make sure to book well in advance if possible so you can secure your time slot.

This goes both ways: if you’re too busy for a typical 1 hour weekly lesson at the same time and day and for the same duration every week, it’s better to request shorter lessons. That way, you can still have a chance at securing regular lessons to keep moving towards your goals.

I have a student who takes a 30-minute lesson every Friday morning before work. He’s been successfully learning with me for more than 8 years!

The Master Speaking Japanese course lets you study in your own time. You can access the course content 24/7 without the need to book a lesson. If you feel stuck or really want some personalised help, the optional 15-minute mini lessons are a great way to boost your progress.

These 5 tips will help you choose the best Japanese teacher for you, so you can have the best possible outcome. I hope this helps you, and that it leads to you reaching your goals quickly and with greater confidence!

Mineko Arai

Hello! I'm Mineko Arai. I’ve been teaching Japanese for about 20 years. I was a lecturer at top UK universities like the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, the University of Sheffield, and King's College London. 

I was also employed by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office to prepare diplomats for postings to the British embassy in Tokyo.

I'm now the director of the Arai Academy of Japanese Studies. The academy has provided corporate training to the British Museum,  as well as executives and business leaders at companies like Deloitte, Sony, Dentsu and Mitsubishi UFJ Bank.

I was also voted #1 online tutor at Vidalingua.

I have an MA in applied Japanese linguistics from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London and an MBA in Education Management from King's College.

Most textbooks and courses lock you in to stock examples and phrases, which are unusable, and sound stiff and unnatural. However, the Master Speaking Japanese course empowers you to say exactly what you want naturally and fluently from the very beginning! Get started for free!

Arai Academy: We'll help you master speaking Japanese - even if you've struggled many times before! Speak confidently by taking small steps with meaningful practice.