★ 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.
See the list — 986 confirmed so far, still adding →
Coming to Tokyo? I also guide a private Akihabara anime tour →
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.
WHEN YOU COME TO JAPAN
Meet me in Akihabara
I also guide private Akihabara anime tours — never grouped with strangers. 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