I Interviewed my Japanese Language Teacher

[@LifeWhereImFromX]

By the way, Miki Yamamoto (the teacher I interviewed) just started doing one-on-one Japanese lessons online at www.nihongo-pro.com/online-japanese-teachers.

[@sorryimshy5412]

This channel is flawless with covering all the questions people interested in Japan don’t even know they should be asking

[@shmoolicious]

She is so honest, direct and beautiful!!!

[@Qwink27]

Miki-san is kinda.. nandarou.. Cute

[@Mjak-yd3og]

Beautiful teacher

[@Deli24knight]

Love her clarity in her explanations!

[@theloniousm4337]

This is a fantastic video Greg and answered many of the questions I had. Actually some of the commenters have provided extremely useful insights. Also, kudos on finding a cute teacher.

[@jeanieinjapan]

This is interesting, because I'm currently attending Japanese language school in Tokyo, but all the other students in my class are from European countries or English speaking countries like US/UK/Australia/Canada (no Chinese, Korean, or Vietnamese students in my specific class, although there are a handful of these students at my school). I have heard that at other schools it's almost all Chinese people, so I was glad I found a school where I would have more in common with the other students and not be the only person struggling with kanji. They are also super strict with attendance. I'm doing ok with reading and writing, but I struggle with speaking..

[@MohamedIbrahim-kp9pz]

All the love for the channel though, thanks for always being trying to help and add to the society!

[@bananakaya]

Miki san's English is so good, なんだろう、it is sad the Japanese thinks otherwise. She has to be the best native Japanese sensei I heard who speaks English fluently. I am still relieved that she hasn't give up a teaching career. We need more teachers like her. I used to also judge a person's language proficiency by appearance and race until I met my current sensei. He isn't a Japanese native but he can still delivers as a Japanese sensei. I hope Miki San can teach English someday. 頑張ってください

[@Lyonlionify]

QQ Low i really related to her Imagine you worked so hard, put money, heart and soul to get a qualification. But at the end people would just hired someone else based on their appearance

[@k1mpman]

I went to both the regular style and the conversational style. I preferred the conversational style. But the regular style had a lot more opportunities for making friends within the class. Conversational style had smaller classes with less students but that also makes it easier to interact with the teacher. They both have good qualities for anyone wondering.

[@Tyranthraxus78]

My language school was not easy as they only spoke Nihongo. From day 1. Talk about frustration.😭

[@gabrielladoucette4124]

Thanks for doing this series! I'm moving to Japan next week to start attending a language school. I used Go Go Nihon--a company that helps students apply for a language school, visa, housing, etc for free! Looking forward to hearing the other two testimonies coming!

[@MrMiggoH]

The language teacher was featured on Internationally ME channel too!

[@traceynewman2308]

Good job. Ive noticed since i started learning some Japanese for travel that its similar to Maori sounds which helps me. I'm maori Australian. :)

[@johnnytho1772]

Great video, I would interested in here more Japanese language teacher testimonial in the future.

[@makethiswish]

I'm loving this series of videos so far! I'm aiming to enroll in a Japanese language school in a couple of years, and it's interesting to see both teacher and student perspectives on learning the language. Definitely looking forward to your interview/perspective as well. :)

[@yaminogame7805]

I went to a Japanese high school in Japan as an American, and it was great. At first they tiptoed around me because I was the outsider, but because it was first term everyone was newly meeting people. I could speak Japanese pretty well and was out going so they accepted me pretty quickly..

[@OULIED2]

Thank you so much for this! I'll be going to language school in Osaka starting in September and my intention is to go to university afterwards to study linguistics. I love the content you put out. It honestly means so much for me, and I'm sure so many other people.

[@doogelyjim8627]

loved the video! Yamamoto-sensei (miki-sensei?) is fantastic, love hearing her input and experience in these videos

[@madakia]

That was quite an interesting video, usually it's only the students that are Interviewed. I did three short stays in such schools, one of them had very much those proportions of students while another at around 80% westerners. Those two felt very different since students didn't come for the same reasons, Chinese and close countries come for work and "serious" reasons (Like a French going to Germany), while westerners are generaly there because they love the place and other goofy reasons.

[@vivibuffy3352]

Madakia “Goofy" reasons LOL. I love how you put it that way!

[@satzhanzhussipbek7503]

Hi, Greg! I never comment your videos, but she mentioned my country, Kazakhstan. I am surprised. Btw, your videos are really good, man!

[@highbrand]

I went to a very traditional Japanese school in Shibuya years ago. It was also very teacher-centred, concentrating on vocab, grammar and kanji to prepare students for the JLPT. Great to get the required certification, but not so much for those who wanted to actually communicate well. Also, noticed most of the Korean students progressed quickly through the levels because on the language similarities.

[@decemberclouds]

Senmon gakko (she mentions this around 8:30 or 8:50) is vocational school/technical school. I don't think it's very different from an FE College in the UK or a Community College in the US because it's two or three years.

[@paulb36utube]

The whole series has been very interesting. Thank you.

[@MayonnaiseJane]

My husband taught for a few years at a Boarding School here in America, and the Chinese students did the same thing she mentioned in the video. They got through the courses without learning the local language, in this case, English, just talking Chinese to one another. I think it's because there are so many. When you have a lot of people around to talk your own language with, it wrecks the 'immersion' aspect of studying abroad. The students who learned the best were those where there were only a few kids that spoke their language, so they all HAD to learn English even to speak to one another. It's like the JET/ALT people (not all of them but some) that hang out pretty much with one another, and speak English all the time. They don't learn as much Japanese because they don't NEED it.

[@Hannah-if3lv]

Studied 5 months (all the time i could get off from work) at a japanese language school (赤門会日本語学校). I had a great time, as long as you find a teacher that you can go to for claification. Such as the reasoning why お昼ご飯 gets the formalizer お. Other then that it was simular to college Japanese language courses.

[@canadien325]

Sensei is cute

[@shenglongisback4688]

Lol yeah hmmmm

[@theloniousm4337]

Sensei is easy on the eyes.

[@TheKamakuraGardener]

なんだろう…(what shall I say.) 🤣🤣🤣

[@manicoquita]

Kanji=na•n•da•ro•u thank you duolingo 😁

[@OULIED2]

manicoquita That's hiragana, not kanji :)

[@manicoquita]

Ardy's OP ohh lol kanji are the Chinese lettering, right? Hiragana is the "cursive " and Romaji is for non Japanese words. Lol I get it confused sometimes. Thank you

[@OULIED2]

manicoquita katakana is for loan words. Romaji is when you turn the hiragana into Roman letters, for example, us spelling out "hiragana" and "katakana" as such, is romaji.

[@zam023]

Greg, if you ever want to interview a Japanese who teaches English, I recommend SherryBerry in Ehime (this is her channel name). She not only teaches, she runs the school.

[@kickicat628]

This makes me wanna go there even more to study 😣 one day I will

[@Jhud69]

I'd be interested in exploring whether it's at all possible to get a job in Japan as an English translation major graduate from a non-english speaking country. Most job listings understandably require a native level of English and while I'm definitely fluent, I'm still not a native and my pronounciation isn't that good. Is it possible to teach English without being a native?

[@TilmanBaumann]

She is right on about teaching adults. :)

[@lutherblissett7873]

Interesting info, I thought that the amount of weterns in Japanese Language Schools would be higher though. Especially after all this recent years of rampant youtube promotion of Japan.

[@xxMapSyrxx]

KZbin, however big it may seem to us, is a small space compare to the wider general media landscape : (

[@christophergoode3421]

So pretty

[@reshjuk]

For most engineering jobs, a JLPT N2 certificate is practically required. Or you have to be able to prove otherwise that your Japanese is at least at that level. I have recently gotten an engineering job in Japan, but getting it took a very long time (nearly a couple of years and a massive amount of job applications) and it was extremely difficult. The two main reasons mentioned by recruiters for why they have to reject me right away were 1) no work permit and 2) no JLPT N2 certificate.

[@reshjuk]

Eventually I found a recruiter who started to believe in me and she followed through all the way until I got a job, but it was still very difficult, and the recruiter trained me on how to do the job interviews. She found a position in which the work will be done in Japanese, but the employer accepts that in the beginning my Japanese will be a little bit shoddy. I am currently somewhere between the N4 and N3 levels, although I do not have any JLPT certificate. I am now waiting for the visa.

[@reshjuk]

So yeah, if you are looking for an engineering job in Japan, you should get the JLPT N2 certificate first, or N3 minimum, and only then start to look for a job in Japan, or otherwise your job hunting might be so difficult that you might give up. In Information Technology it is not required as much as in other fields of engineering, but it is required for many IT jobs as well. My field is Mechanical Engineering.

[@reshjuk]

If you are a native speaker of English, then you could just do an English teaching job for a few years and work on your Japanese on the side of it, and then try to jump to other jobs later. My native language is not English, and I wouldn't want to work as a language teacher anyway, so this was not an option for me.

[@reshjuk]

You could just check some recruitment websites that are targeted at foreigners who want to get a job in Japan. Look at what they say in the engineering job postings. They say they require N1, or N2. And they are not kidding. It's like that for something like 99 % of the jobs, other than the English teaching jobs. The thing is, if a JLPT certificate is NOT required, then those job postings typically receive a VERY HIGH number of applications, and it will be difficult for you to stand out from the crowd. Think about it - you might have better luck if you will apply to the other positions for which the requirements are stricter! But you should get the N2 certificate, and then try, because then your job hunting will be MUCH easier.

[@swicheroo1]

We have a LOT of Language Schools in LA. They exist almost purely as Visa mills for long--even indefinite--stays. I'm a US National but I have a lot of acquaintances who do that. Maybe they're from wealthy families. Maybe their other Visa ran out.

[@roamiblu1833]

That is very interesting. So even though she has a certificate in TESOL to teach English a lot of parents prefer Native English speakers. Wow.

[@ib2505]

3:47 English subs :D

[@MageThief]

I was surprised to see so many Swedish students in my Japanese Language school.

[@deeloy5142]

What does that word means in English and how is it pronounce in Japanese time(1:57)

[@EmirisNeverendingDream]

Dee loy Nandarou. It's mainly used when you're trying to think of a something and it doesn't come to you right away, like "What is it?" "Um".

[@linnyunt]

I had a similar experience at my Japanese school with lazy, immature students. They didn’t want to study and I think they just wanted to party all the time. What’s the point?

[@AyubuKK]

Cool!

[@Philson]

Yeah conversation is hard for me. I can only learn from text so far. No chances to practice. :(

[@manicoquita]

Are those keyblades?

[@apdroidgeek1737]

manicoquita lol wtf it kinda does...

[@manicoquita]

apdroid geek right?😂😂

[@Wolfswind003]

I can't deal with the teaching style in Japan :( So I wouldn't recommend them unless you might find a school specifically for western students. I came specifically to Japan to attend Japanese language courses at a university. The classes are so bad that I only sit off my time and have to do all the work at home alone. The teachers are nice, but they don't do any work at all. They do the exercises in the book without explaining things properly. We work with the Daichi books, so if we learn new grammar we should just read the book (not in class though, because there is no time for that) because there are many Chinese students the teachers tend to explain the Katakana words and give examples with Kanji (those who can't read Kanji are usually even more confused). The teachers don't even put work into giving us extra exercises, handouts etc. even the exams are just copied from books. It's a very disappointing experience :( Also, the classes are only in Japanese so if you don't understand a word the teacher won't give a quick translation. They just let you struggle and then maybe move on to another student not caring that you didn't learn anything :/ I also feel treated like a kid in elementary school because if you are sick you have to write an e-mail etc. you can't just miss the class. I wish people had to study more pedagogy courses in order to become teachers and would think of fun ways to make the lessons interesting (dialogue practice, group work, writing assignments, songs, games...)

[@AyubuKK]

Agi S. Hm

[@nintendoplayer07]

Agi S. I heard Temple Univeristy is a really good school with a Japan campus that could help you slowly get accustomed to everything in Japan

[@JayJapanB]

Classes anywhere are kinda bad. I recommend private tutors. They are not that much more expensive and can be done anywhere with an internet connection. You can couple that with frequently searching out language partners. The more Japanese you know from classes the more you can converse with language exchange. Also it's a big plus speaking a popular language like English, French, Spanish, German or Korean. (Especially English). You are much more likely to find a mutual language partner then.

[@FA-nl5fi]

I had the same experience studying a Japanese course at SOAS University in London as a secondary school teacher myself, I found my teachers methods severely lacking all he did was exercises from the text book which I could do on my own, I dropped out after a couple of weeks, he also claimed that it would be impossible to pass the JLPT N2 without living in Japan

[@Wolfswind003]

Cath HL What do you mean by student-centered teaching? The job of a teacher is literally to provide information in a understandable way. Anyone can read through a book at home, but what you can't do alone is practicing dialogues, presentations, getting essays corrected... A teacher should provide an alternative explanation to that in the book, in case someone didn't understand the explanation. Especially when it comes to learning a language it is not just about memorizing the sentences from the textbook, but practicing and using the words. Switching them up, learning how to use the grammar patterns to talk about yourself, interests, opinions, experiences etc. A teacher should be the one to check if those are correct, if the pronunciation is understandable... I used to say a word wrong in class the the teachers never cared to correct me. Other people never understood me because of that until I finally met someone who spoke good English and Japanese and he corrected me...

[@alvin081988]

I wonder if Japanese schools teach Japanese Language(Sentence Construction, Reading and Writing etc....) and Literature just like what we have in Philippines(Filipino Subjects)

[@michaelbanks1617]

Damn, she's super pretty. Is she accepting students? Lol

[@MohamedIbrahim-kp9pz]

I am living in Japan for a while now, I think I don't to enroll in her school, And she is right, I hate non interactive lecture style!

[@massvt3821]

The irony is that learning English in Japan would be much easier with a native-born Japanese citizen, who is fluent in English. An English-only instructor would run into many problems..

[@devinngeorge]

She's so gorgeous

[@lutherblissett7873]

She is probably married with a man who doesn´t comment on youtube videos about the beauty of random women. Think about it.

[@stvsueoka1]

^^^ the youtube comment police have spoken

[@lutherblissett7873]

stvsueoka1 It's called common sense.

[@raymonde4272]

Miki is married with a daughter, she mentioned them in the Working in Japan interviews.

[@selvii]

Nandaro

[@bluebearbank247]

This video points out another interesting truth. I hear there are too many English teachers from native English speaking countries in Japan, and they cannot find decent teaching jobs. Japanese person who learned English to teach English in Japan has even far less chances to become a teacher...

[@ib9rt]

Most of the time she said "nandarou", but once she said "nandalou" :-)

[@shenglongisback4688]

ib9rt yeah cos the r and l are not a single sound.. its kinda in between.. so saying nandarrrrrou is wrong and nandalllllou is wrong its more soft.. So long story short they can saying it both ways

[@zackblue6557]

Great videos keep it up 🇺🇸🇯🇵

[@kaiyu583]

どのように日本に住むのが好きですか？ 私は子供だったので、前にそこにいたことはありません。 今夏、私は自分の国に戻ってくることを願っています！

[@DJRayBoston]

Americans can't get a work visa in Japan, so i've heard the '" go to a language school '' just for the visa, but it's a waste of money from what i've heard on youtube, who is responsible for this ban on work visas for americans?? Japan or US, i would love to know. I would go work in a convience store for a year just for the opportunity to live in japan for a while but i can't and with no college degree i can't get any visa unless is through marriage. it's rather disappointing..

[@LifeWhereImFromX]

Yes, it seems that getting a student visa is an easy way in for people from many different countries. Although I've never heard about this ban on work visas for Americans. I know lots of Americans with work visas in Japan. Maybe you're referring to working holiday visas, which is easy to get for people from the commonwealth (Canada, Australia, U.K., New Zealand).

[@DJRayBoston]

yes you're correct, working holiday visas was what i was thinking about, americans are excluded from that entirely.

[@LifeWhereImFromX]

Ah, ok, yes, you're right about that.

[@xahal]

DJ Ray Boston Working holiday visas are usually a bilateral deal, and the US doesn't give out working holiday visas. So it's not so much Japan banning US citizens. AFAIK the only countries where US citizens can get a WH visa are Australia and Ireland.

[@vangrails]

Do I 'know' her? I have a feeling that I have seen her before in a video here at KZbin, a video not made by you.

[@LifeWhereImFromX]

I interviewed her for the working in Japan video 😀

[@MisokatsuPangolin]

Just listening and repeating isn't a good way to study any language, you need to practice actual conversations. Unfortunately, this is hard to do in a large classroom. As for students cheating or slacking off, I think many of them come to Japan to have fun and don't really care about studying as long as they pass and get their credits. Especially at a school where learning another language is mandatory, there are bound to be students who slack off.

[@xxdarkslayerlord1922]

Man the only reason I wanna learn Japanese is because I watch a lot of anime.

[@WolkeYume]

The japanese school system is pretty flawed when it comes to learning languages in my opinion. A lot of my japanese friends study English, but can't speak it, because at school they only learned it in writing. For example you have a lesson called "conversational english" and the exam is writing things down?! And they use this same technique for foreign students, like with the bit where she said they don't do discussions in class. So I think it's kind of.. presumptuous of her to criticize her student's ability to speak and listen, when they never cover it in class. I'm aware that you still have to study a lot in your free time but if you don't start in class, what's even the point of going? Everyone can read about grammar and vocabulary in a book.

[@foodlfg]

it's answered in the video: visa. :p

[@WolkeYume]

Peter Toth I meant going to language school ;)

[@Kurohitsuji365]

Now I know why I know many Japanese that speak Spanish. But she is wrong!! Portuguese pronuciation is way closer. I know because I sort of speak all the three languages.

[@itskalesy9658]

5th

[@yeagermcbipper9008]

Reverse discrimination is DELICIOUS. Japanese parents don't want a qualified Japanese person teaching English. LOL

[@cherielullet1955]

When im 18 or so im moving to Japan to go to japanese language school so I can become an anime voice actress.

[@SansBalance]

There are many more would be voice actresses than voice acting jobs in Japan. The competition is intense, and you would need real skills (and many voices) to even begin to compete.

[@sitoudien9816]

One wonders if she is a good teacher? The japanese lecture style of teaching is a real turn off especially for language learners. If you look at this from the reverse, japanese teaching english to japnese students, the results would be not much different. Failure and lack of interest. Furthermore, she emphasized communication, but the hypocrisy is she doesn't teach that???