UCL PhD Japanese Tutor: Passionate, Professional Coaching for All Levels | Worked with many academics and PhD candidates

I have been very lucky to study Japanese with Mariko-sensei for nearly 6 years now. One of my favourite traits of hers is if you ask any question about her language or culture, she will dedicatedly research what she can and come back with an answer for you. I really appreciate how she crafts the lessons and workload according to your interests, no matter how niche. I would recommend her to anyone.

I have been studying Japanese with Mariko for almost two years and I could not recommend her and her lessons enough. On top of being kind, friendly and passionate, Mariko is an extremely patient, encouraging and professional teacher. Her lessons are extremely insightful and well-structured, and learning Japanese with her is such a fun and engaging activity I genuinely look forward to every week. Since studying with Mariko, my Japanese skills have improved to an extent I could never have imagined to be possible, and I wholeheartedly recommend Mariko to any prospective student looking for an exceptional Japanese teacher.

I have been taking lessons with Mariko for a few years. She is a brilliant teacher and puts a lot of thought into each of our lessons, tailoring them to my learning goals. She is a lovely teacher and I really enjoy our lessons together, I would highly recommend her to students of all ages and abilities!

Mariko is a brilliant teacher! I have been taking 1-1 lessons with her for a few years now. She puts so much effort into each lesson, catering the sessions to my development goals which I appreciate. I highly recommend her to students of all ages and abilities!

Mariko has been my private Japanese teacher for many many years! We used to meet in person in a café near my office but switched to online in 2019 and kept it like that since. I thoroughly enjoy Mariko's lessons and I can't see myself studying with anyone else. She's extremely good at understanding weaknesses and preparing bespoke material to overcome them. She's creative and makes every lesson unique. Every week I feel I have improved a bit more, which is never easy when you're studying a language than you don't practice every day. And, Mariko never fails to recognise my progress! Which gives me great satisfaction. I couldn't recommend Mariko more!

Mariko has been teaching me since 2021 and was a huge support during my PhD and postdoc which needed Japanese language skills. She is an incredibly smart, kind, and patient tutor. Mariko really tailors her classes and listens to her students and I would recommend her to beginners and fluent speakers alike!

I've been tutored by Mariko regularly for over two years. I find her easy to talk to, flexible with when she is available, interested in my progress, and attentive to detail. She's already helped me through a JLPT exam with flying colours, and a trip out to Japan. Her lessons are structured around what you want to gain from them. She will advise on realistic goals, but whether it's cramming vocabulary for an exam or trying to improve conversational skills, content is always based on your needs and your feedback. It also means the assigned out-of-lesson work always feels timely and relevant, which definitely helps with motivation!