★ 5.0 · 358 REVIEWS · TOP 1% ON ITALKI
Study Japanese with your passion for anime.
One-on-one lessons with a Tokyo teacher who has watched over 1,500 anime titles.
Book a lesson
🌐 …Times are shown in your own timezone. Pay by card and get the Google Meet link right away.
Trial Lesson · 30 min
Let's introduce ourselves and map out your quest. No pressure, no textbook.
Free cancellation up to 12 hours before.
What a lesson actually looks like
No textbook drills unless you want them. You talk, I catch what needs fixing.
You talk, I listen
Input and output in one hour. You pick the topic — I keep the conversation moving and note the phrases worth taking home.
Bring your favorites
Your senpai has watched 1,500+ titles. Quote a line, ask what it really means, find out whether anyone actually says that.
Adjusted to your level
Complete beginner or already conversational — the speed and the vocabulary move to wherever you are today.
AFTER EVERY LESSON
You leave with notes, not just a memory
Every student has a shared document that grows lesson by lesson. What we talked about, the phrases worth keeping, and the exact sentences I corrected — written down while it's still fresh, so you can review on the train instead of trying to remember.
It's yours forever. By lesson twenty it's a textbook nobody else has, written entirely around what you care about.
Student Profile
| From | Seattle, USA 🇺🇸 |
| Favorites | Demon Slayer / SPY×FAMILY |
| Goal | Order food and introduce myself in Tokyo (October trip) |
| Can read | ひらがな △ ・ かたかな ✗ ・ かんじ ✗ |
2026 / 07 / 18 — Lesson #3
【 What we talked about 】
- Self-introduction — just three sentences: your name, where you're from, your favorite anime
- Your October trip. What you'll actually say at a convenience store and a café
【 3 phrases from today 】
これ、くださいkore, kudasai
"This one, please." — Point at what you want and say it. Shops, cafés, food stalls: same phrase every time.
You used it at the register today — 「これ、ください」 — and it worked. Nothing else needed.
だいじょうぶですdaijoubu desu
"I'm OK / No thanks." — Use it to turn down a plastic bag, and to answer when someone asks if you're alright. One phrase, two jobs.
わかりませんwakarimasen
"I don't understand." — Say this instead of going quiet. It keeps the conversation going.
Pair it with ゆっくり おねがいします (yukkuri onegaishimasu) = "More slowly, please."
【 Fixed today 】
| わたしは アニメ を すきですすき (suki) takes が, never を | わたしは アニメ が すきです |
| わたしは コーヒーを のみます。わたしは パンも…Say わたしは once. After that, Japanese just drops it | コーヒーを のみます。パンも たべます。 |
【 Homework 】
- Write the は-row of hiragana (は ひ ふ へ ほ) and send me a photo on Discord
- Record your three self-introduction sentences — 30 seconds is plenty
- Watch Demon Slayer ep.1 and count how many times you hear はい (hai)
Student Profile
| From | Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦 |
| Favorites | Frieren / Odd Taxi / Bocchi the Rock! |
| Goal | Watch without subtitles by next spring |
| Can read | ひらがな ✅ ・ カタカナ ✅ ・ 漢字 △ |
2026 / 07 / 21 — Lesson #12
【 What we talked about 】
- 週末に見た『葬送のフリーレン』12話 — なぜ泣いたのか説明してもらった
- 来年の京都旅行の計画。宿・電車・持ち物
【 3 phrases from today 】
なんというか…
"How can I put it…" — 言葉を探している間のつなぎ。英語の "like…" と同じ役割で、黙り込むより自然に聞こえます。
Alexの発言：「フリーレンは、なんというか、時間の話ですね」 ← これ完璧でした
〜っぽい
"kind of / -ish" — 断定を避けたいときに。
子どもっぽい（childish） / 冬っぽい（wintery）
それな
"Exactly / Same" — 完全な同意。友達との会話専用で、先生や上司には使いません。アニメではよく出ますが要注意。
【 Fixed today 】
| 私は京都に行きたいですけどお金がないです | 私は京都に行きたいんですけど、お金がなくて… |
| この アニメ は とても 面白いでした | このアニメ、とても面白かったです |
【 Homework 】
- 「〜っぽい」を使った文を3つ、次回までにDiscordへ
- フリーレン13話を字幕なしで1回 → わからなかった所をメモ
Student Profile
| From | Berlin, Germany 🇩🇪 |
| Favorites | 攻殻機動隊 / モノノ怪 / 平家物語 |
| Goal | 来年から東京勤務。会議で意見を言えるようになる |
| Can read | 漢字 ✅（ニュースは読める） / 苦手なのは「言い回しの角度」 |
2026 / 07 / 24 — Lesson #47
【 What we talked about 】
- 『平家物語』の語りの文体 — なぜ現代語より距離を感じるのか
- 会議で反対意見を言う時の前置き。角を立てない順番
【 3 phrases from today 】
〜かねます
"I'm afraid I can't…" — 断りの、いちばん丁寧な形。「できません」より柔らかく、ビジネスではこちらが定型です。
ご希望に添いかねます / 判断しかねます
Danielの発言：「その案は、私では判断しかねます」← 会議でそのまま使えます
とはいえ
"That said / Even so" — 直前の内容を一度認めてから反論に入る接続。逆接の中でも「相手を立てる」タイプ。
話し言葉は「とはいえ」、書き言葉は「とはいうものの」
〜わけではない
"It's not that…" — 部分否定。全否定と誤解されるのを防ぐ、大人の言い回しです。
嫌いなわけではない（≠ 嫌いじゃない。含みがまるで違う）
【 Polished today 】
| その意見は間違っていると思います会議で・目上の相手に | その見方もあると思います。ただ、別の可能性もあるかなと |
| 資料を送っていただけますか？催促のメールで | 資料の件、お手すきの際にご確認いただけますと助かります |
【 Homework 】
- 『平家物語』冒頭を音読して録音（意味より、まずリズム）
- 社内メールを1通、日本語で下書き → 次回添削します
- ニュースを1本選び、賛成/反対を3分で話す準備
What students say
★ 5.0 from 358 reviews on italki · 100% attendance and response rate.
First class has left me SUPER motivated! I've been really nervous to start speaking but this was a 10/10 experience and I can't wait to book more and continue my Japanese journey with Yuuki-san!
The lesson was conversation guided, which is exactly what I need to make my Japanese far more practical. Yuuki Sensei never made me feel self-conscious about my skill level. I immediately booked more lessons!
A really fun session — the time really flew by. Not confined to textbook phrases: I also got to hear natural Japanese during our conversation. Very capable of adjusting the lesson to different levels.
A very kind and friendly teacher, always ready to help you through questions and mistakes. The right call if you want not only a great teacher but someone to practice Japanese with while talking about otaku subculture.
Yuuki · Tokyo
YOUR TEACHER
The senpai who actually watched them
I'm Yuuki, a native Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I studied abroad myself, so I remember what it feels like to understand every word in a sentence and still not be able to say anything back. That's the gap my lessons are built around.
I've watched over 1,500 anime titles — not as a marketing line, but because it's what I do. So when you quote a line and ask "does anyone really say that?", you'll get a straight answer, and usually a better way to say it.
Outside of lessons I run a Japanese podcast, a Discord community called NihonGO School, and guided tours of Akihabara. Different rooms, same job: getting people to use Japanese out loud.
Beyond the lesson
Free ways to keep the Japanese going between lessons.
WHEN YOU COME TO JAPAN
Meet me in Akihabara
I also guide small-group tours through Akihabara — the shops locals actually buy from, the arcades worth your 100 yen, and the streets behind the main road that most visitors walk straight past.
It's the same job as a lesson, just outdoors: you order, you ask, you haggle a little, and I'm right there when the Japanese runs out.
See the Akihabara tour →
Ready when you are
Start with a 30-minute trial. We'll introduce ourselves and figure out what your Japanese actually needs.
Book a trial lesson · $13