Student Testimonials

My name is Nick Richter, and I am a junior high school teacher in Nagoya. I came to Japan to teach English, spread the Gospel as a missionary teacher, and experience firsthand Japanese culture and the people. For many years, I had wanted to travel to Japan. I knew before I even entered the country that the language barrier was going to be a big one. I knew that Japanese people learned English in school, but not many Japanese people are fluent in English. I knew that to get the most out of my time in Japan, I would have to study and learn at least a little Japanese. Learning online or studying from a textbook can help you, but they only get you so far. I knew that to start to become fluent in Japanese, I would need a tutor. That’s when I went to HH JapaNeeds of Nagoya.

Getting a tutor through HH JapaNeeds was a great experience from the beginning to the end. I am a full time teacher, so I have a busy schedule. I was able to choose where and when to meet a tutor at times, on days, and at places that were convenient for me. I was also able to choose a tutor at an age level I felt comfortable with. My tutor has also been able to rearrange our meeting times when I have a faculty meeting or other school function.

One of the best things about tutors at HH JapaNeeds is they are able to meet your specific language needs. Although I studied general Japanese grammar and vocabulary from a textbook, my tutor was also very willing to accommodate my specific learning needs as an English teacher of young Japanese students. I often deviated from the content of my textbook when I asked my tutor many questions about the Japanese words for items in the classroom and how to give common commands and ask questions related to classroom activities. In addition, my tutor was also very willing to answer my many questions about various aspects of Japanese culture.

Thanks to my tutor from Helping Hands, I have become much more fluent in Japanese than when I came to Nagoya about a year ago. I can now talk to Japanese people whom I meet and really enjoy all that Japan has to offer. I can also communicated with my students with much greater ease, making sure my lessons are effective and they can really enjoy our lessons together.