Harumi

Paige W. from Castle Rock, CO

Harumi is very prompt, kind, and informative in her teachings. She was patient with us when we hadn't practiced or when we forgot words she may have just taught us. We learned about Japanese culture from Harumi to help us in our upcoming trip and would recommend Harumi for Japanese tutoring.

David G. from Englewood, CO

Initially, I wasn't sure how much I was going to invest in learning Japanese. My goal is to read, write, and speak the language fluently, but getting a personal tutor is always a bit of a gamble. Harumi has completely removed any reservations I had: she has proven to be a better tutor than I even hoped to get. I expected either a native speaker whose English wasn't perfect (what I got when I first tried to learn Japanese as a kid at Sakura Square in Denver) or a non-native speaker whose first language was English, but who had Japanese family and had been to Japan. Then I stumbled onto Harumi's profile. She says she's been teaching English to Japanese children for years and co-owned a conversation school with her husband? My expectations went through the roof after reading that. Harumi is even better than those impressive credentials suggest. Her English is impeccable; not once have I had to strain to understand her, and even more impressive is that she has never had a problem understanding me, even when I talk quickly or use colloquialisms. We can communicate perfectly, even when talking in very abstract terms about how to use certain words or phrases. I can't emphasize this enough: Harumi does more than tell me how to say certain things; she can easily answer my many questions about what the logic is behind the use of this or that particle or whatever word or phrase is confusing me at that moment. I don't just know new things after a lesson with Harumi, I understand them. Not only that, the lessons are just enjoyable. Harumi is a genuinely friendly person and is great to talk to. I have also learned Italian and a little Russian in my time, and sometimes I can get a little distracted when a quirk of Japanese reminds me of something amusing from one of those languages (for example, that "anno" and "ano" mean very different things in Italian, just as in Japanese), which shouldn't be surprising given the length of this review, but Harumi takes it all in stride and seems to me like the kind of person who can get along with most anyone. Short version: Harumi is way better than I expected, and I was expecting a lot based on her profile. Don't hesitate. If Harumi is in your area, and you want to learn Japanese, hire her!

Suzanne S. from Englewood, CO

Harumi is an excellent tutor! She is very organized and is very positive. She knows how to pace the lessons so that we are not overwhelmed but feel like we are learning some Japanese. She has taught us practical vocabulary and phrases that we can use when we visit Japan. I highly recommend her!

Aaron A. from Denver, CO

Harumi is an amazing tutor making the concepts easy to understand and the learning process fun. I am excited to continue working with her.

Susan B. from Littleton, CO

Harumi is an excellent teacher. She is knowledgeable and flexible, and designs our lessons according to my needs for my trip and for my learning style. She is very pleasant and a joy to work with!

Jeremy K. from Denison, TX

I've only had the first lesson, but it seems like we are a good match. I'm coming back to studying Japanese after a long hiatus, and want to focus on casual conversation and building confidence. Harumi-sensei seems to understand and is willing to be flexible with the lesson structure in order to better suit my goals. I'm looking forward to working with her.

Jorge L. from Littleton, CO

Harumi Sensei is a very good teacher, very adaptable to the student needs. Her classes are fun and flow really well.

Jose P. from Littleton, CO

She'll sit there patiently while I try to think of how to say stuff in Japanese and I never feel like I'm taking too long, I've had like a year of lessons and am learning at a good pace.

Stefany B. from Littleton, CO

Harumi is an excellent tutor, punctual, a great communicator, and uses creative materials. Harumi is kid friend and is always well prepared.

Alexis C. from Hutchinson, KS

How to make a statement and how to ask a question. How to introduce yourself and how to introduce someone else. How to say yes and no. She taught a few vocabulary words. A lot was learned in the lesson. I would definitely recommend this tutor.

Chris A. from Littleton, CO

About a year ago my 8 year old daughter asked about learning Japanese because of her interest in kawaii and anime. We have always wanted her to learn a second language, so we decided to find a tutor. We were lucky to find Harumi. The lessons never get boring for my daughter because Harumi has so many fun learning games to play with her. It's amazing to see how much Japanese she is learning while having fun the whole time. Thanks, Harumi!