Yumiko

Katie C. from San Francisco, CA

I can't possibly describe what an amazing tutor Yumiko is!!! I came to her a bit lost -- I had taken Japanese for five years, but hadn't used it in at least three. I didn't know where or how to start back up. Yumiko crafted customized lessons for me that brought me back up to speed in just a short amount of time. I wanted to get better at casual conversation, which was nearly impossible for me to do by studying textbooks alone. Yumiko explained the nuances of casual speech, and made sure that I understood everything before moving on with lessons. She even went out of her way to help with a special project that I was working on. Overall, she was extremely patient, flexible, and fun to be around. We met both at cafes and her home; both worked perfectly. I can't recommend her highly enough, and I hope to continue my lessons with her as soon as I can.

Tami Z. from San Francisco, CA

I am a vice president of a major advertising agency. Before I reached out to Yumiko sensai, my Japanese was less than rudimentary. Yumiko sensai helped me learn Japanese. Within 3 short months, with Yumiko sensai's teaching, I was able to deliver an important 3-minute speech in Japanese in front of 120 Japanese guests. My Japanese audience thought I was a native speaker because of my pronunciations and the perfect form of my grammar. This is all because of Yumiko sensai. She was meticulous in correcting my pronunciations and wrote my speech for me. In the meantime, she made my sessions fun and full of laughter. I cannot thank her enough. Though my speech is over, I am continuing my study under Yumiko sensai expecting to reach the next level.

Sherri W. from San Francisco, CA

In preparation for a 3 week trip to Japan, I was looking for a tutor who would provide me with a working ability in vocabulary that suited my interests. Yumiko was perfect! She understood my needs, created lessons that met my needs and was encouraging. Everything I was looking for.

Samuel H. from San Rafael, CA

Yumiko is a great Japanese tutor. She is very patient and flexible with schedules. She is a great find and a great teacher.

Penelope A. from San Francisco, CA

I was a complete beginner at the Japanese language, so naturally I was a little nervous, however I was immediately put at ease. I had a great experience being taught by Yumiko: she is always full of energy and eager to help I would recommend her to anyone.

Benjamin S. from San Francisco, CA

Yumiko is a professional and very fun and friendly tutor. On the first day she gave me a test to see what level I was at and then we have gradually been learning new things since then. She is very organized and explains things in a helpful manner. I'm going to be so much better prepared for my trip to Japan because of her! Doumo arigatou Yumiko!

Mandy K. from San Francisco, CA

My daughter was struggling in her high school first year Japanese class; she did not have any prior experience with the language. We called Yumiko halfway into the first semester, and it was a great decision! She is so engaging and covers all parts of the language: reading, writing, and verbal. She is patient, understanding, and fun. My daughter never feels bored during her lessons. Yumiko goes beyond the school curriculum and really teaches for understanding the language, not just for memorization. My daughter's high school Japanese class focuses on memorization before teaching the grammar; however, Yumiko teaches grammar, which in turn makes learning the language much easier. Much of the material my daughter learns is practical and could be used in everyday conversations with a Japanese person. She is available for help beyond the lesson time, which is great for reinforcing what is learned during the lesson as well as asking for emergency help before the next scheduled time. We love Yumiko and will continue to have lessons with her for all four years of high school and perhaps beyond!

Adam C. from San Francisco, CA

Yumiko's experience definitely shows. After a few minutes of discussion and some language evaluation, she was able to determine what level of attention I needed. She also left it open for me to choose what aspects of Japanese I wanted to focus on, and was willing to structure class according. Extremely easy-going and fun tutor to talk to. I learned a lot, and had fun at the same time. Highly recommended.

Eric L. from San Carlos, CA

Yumiko is a very effective and friendly teacher. She determines how much you know and what you enjoy to help provide the best learning experience possible. If you have any questions during or between lessons, she will gladly answer them. She is very flexible in her teaching so she can adapt her plan to improve lessons when necessary. Full of energy, things are never boring when she's teaching. She certainly has the sense of professionalism a teacher brings, yet is personable and makes one feel comfortable around her. The only issue that might be problem is that, on rare occasion, she may have to cancel a lesson last minute due to her schedule. Other than that, I find Yumiko to be very enjoyable to have as a tutor.

Matthew P. from San Mateo, CA

I have been attending Japanese lessons with Yumiko Y. for the past nine months and I have found Yumiko to be highly professional, reliable and an excellent tutor. She is very patient and clearly explains the nuisances of the Japanese language and makes the lessons fun. I would highly recommend Yumiko for anyone out there seeking a Japanese tutor.

Sheilah Y. from San Mateo, CA

Yumiko makes learning Japanese fun and easy. She has excellent communication skills and she is patient. She is able to gently push you out of your comfort zone so that you are able to start speaking Japanese after your first lesson. Her teaching methods are practical for learning all the nuances of a new language.

Kevin B. from Berkeley, CA

Yumiko-sensei has been a wonderful tutor of Japanese for me for the last several months. I had taken several years of Japanese classes, but then stopped and did only on-and-off self-study for a few more years. How fortunate that I found Yumiko-sensei, who was able to bring my Japanese into shape in advance of a trip to Japan. One thing I have particularly appreciated about Yumiko-sensei's tutoring style is how precise she is. She would hear me speak a sentence, write it down, and then point out where I had made errors and how the sentence should properly be constructed. Her feedback revealed that I made a lot of small errors with particles, grammatical usage, etc. This was exactly what I needed, since self-study cannot offer this kind of interactive feedback. Moreover, it surprised me, since only a few months earlier I had been receiving tutorials from another tutor through my school, but that tutor had not caught my mistakes. Only with Yumiko-sensei's feedback did I realize where my Japanese had remained strong and where it had lapsed. Of course this is not to say that Yumiko-sensei is harsh or intimidating; on the contrary she's extremely nice and friendly, and caring about her students' progress, so improving my Japanese has been fun rather than a chore. Reading other reviews of her, it seems she has been just as helpful to students of all levels of Japanese study. I highly recommend her to anyone interested in learning or improving their Japanese. I should add that she is very communicative over email and flexible with scheduling, so arranging our sessions has been really easy.

Heidi H. from Langley, WA

I completed my first lesson and cannot wait for the next - I can tell that Yumiko will help me reach my goal of becoming fluent in Japanese! She was very personable and knowledgeable. Thank you Yumiko!

Margaret M. from San Francisco, CA

Yumiko is great at explaining language conventions and grammatical nuances, giving her students a faster path to understanding. I look forward to doing more work with her this year!

Kimberly K. from San Francisco, CA

Yumiko Sensei quickly identified my strengths and weaknesses and together we came up with a plan to help me learn a new language. Very excited for upcoming lessons.

Jim G. from Sausalito, CA

We are not serious student of the Language and just wanted to pick up a few words in connection with an upcoming vacation. Yumiko understood our interest and was very helpful. Were we to ever wish to learn more, we would gladly study with her.