Hi there! Bonjour à tous! こんにちわ、みなさん!
I'm Maru, a travel and food lover! 😋🍴
I was born in Tokyo, studied at an art university in the UK🎨, and have worked as a scuba diving instructor in Egypt🤿 and a backpacker hostel manager in Okinawa🧔🏾♂️👩🏾🦰👩🏻🦰👱🏻.
I have travelled to many countries, and now, I’m living in France🥐, working as a Japanese teacher and travel planner.
Since I love Japan, I’m passionate about helping people who want to learn Japanese. Of course, I teach Japanese, but I’m also happy to give advice about travelling in Japan or living there😊
My creations
Me as a Teacher
I’m a professional teacher who listens carefully to students and provides proper corrections. If you want to maximise your speaking time and improve your real-life conversation skills, give my lesson a try! No matter how hesitant or slow your Japanese may feel, I’ll be super patient and support you every step of the way! 😊
I also work as a travel planner, so feel free to ask me about your trip to Japan during our lesson!
My lessons & teaching style
I offer two main types of lessons!
🗣 Conversation Practice
For learners who can have basic conversations, even if they’re a bit shaky. I’ll provide lesson notes, maximise your speaking time and help you build real conversation skills. Don’t worry if you’re not confident yet—I’m super patient! 😊
For B1+ learners, we’ll choose a topic in each lesson to expand your vocabulary.
🌱 Beginners’ Lessons
For those who can’t yet hold a conversation. These aren’t typical textbook lessons. I’ll provide fun activities like quizzes to give you plenty of chances to use Japanese. I’ll explain things in English as necessary. Lessons are fully tailored to your goals and pace, and I’ll provide lesson note.
My teaching material
PDF file
Text Documents
Audio files
Image files
Quizzes
Certificates
Japanese Language Teaching Competency Test - Japan Educational Exchanges and Services - 2022
Certificate verified
Teaching experience
2021 - 2022
ManagerSeasir
Education
2004 - 2007
Bachelor’s - Fine ArtCity and Guilds London college of Art
2003 - 2004
Other - FoundationChelsea College of Arts
Work Experience
2009 - 2022
ManagerSeasir
5.0
Rating
62
Students
343
Lessons
100%
Attendance rate
100%
Response rate
5.0
Rating
62
Students
343
Lessons
100%
Attendance rate
100%
Response rate
Japanese Lessons
Trial Lesson
25 lessons completed
USD 10.00+
A2-C2: CONVERSATION PRACTICE with corrections: Personalised lesson note is provided!!
A2 - C2Conversation161 lessons completed
USD 12.00+
Package with 13% off
A0→A2: BECOME CONVERSATIONAL in 50-100 lessons : Learn basic Japanese structure and vocabulary through speaking practice and exercises!
A1 - A2Language Essentials143 lessons completed
USD 14.00+
Package with 12% off
JAPANESE for SPECIFIC PURPOSES : Job interview, Resume review, Trip planning, etc
A1 - C2Conversation10 lessons completed
USD 16.00+
Package with 6% off
Availability
Based on your timezone (UTC+00:00)
My creations
Quiz (3)
25 Reviews
Anissa
23 Japanese lessons
Teacher’s pick
Maru Sensei is an amazing teacher!
It's hard to believe that it has only been two months since I started taking lessons with Maru sensei. In our initial lesson, I was honestly struggling even with basic greetings like hello and goodbye. Despite this, Maru Sensei has been incredibly patient and kind, always encouraging me to step outside my comfort zone—a quality I really appreciate.
Now, as my Japan trip approaches, I'm confident in my ability to grasp basic Japanese and engage with locals. There’s still so much to learn, but the progress I've made in such a short time is beyond what I could have ever anticipated. I fully intend to continue my lessons with Maru Sensei post-trip and would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone eager to become conversational in Japanese!
Dec 12, 2024
john spencer
38 Japanese lessons
Teacher’s pick
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I had over 300 lessons now on Italki and Maru-san is the best teacher! Please don't steal her from me (too much😁).
Jul 31, 2024
Sahra Gwen
4 Japanese lessons
Have had three lessons so far with Maru-san. She makes you feel at ease whatever your level and lets you focus on speaking. She offers corrections throughout the lesson but it doesn't interrupt the flow of conversation. Would absolutely recommend her!
Mar 4, 2025
Josh
51 Japanese lessons
Teacher’s pick
I've been taking lessons with Maru for almost 3 months now, the lessons have helped a lot with expanding my vocab, and the conversations are always interesting. I really appreciate the notes that she shares after each lesson, as they are great for revising. I intend to keep taking lessons with Maru for quite a while.
Oct 7, 2024
Rachel
11 Japanese lessons
Thank you Maru San.
She is a great teacher for my style of learning, no textbooks and lots of examples to integrate concepts and practice without it feeling stilted.
I love that she is easy to talk to and is gifted at correcting you smoothly while still giving me the opportunity to express myself.
Thanks for your support!
Mar 22, 2025
Gianna Wall
6 Japanese lessons
Very helpful teacher, provides lesson notes as well! It’s hard to find teachers for beginners but Maru makes it very easy to understand! 😊