Information About Tomo - Whitford tutor

Personal Description:

10 years teaching Japanese — from basics to business. Let’s reach your goals together!

Konnichiwa, my name is Tomo. I teach Japanese on Italki.
I am from Japan and currently live in New Zealand.

I enjoy movies—almost all kinds—as well as anime and manga. I also practice martial arts such as kendo and BJJ.

My Japanese accent is close to the standard Tokyo accent, and I am also familiar with the Osaka accent since my father is from there.

I was born in Japan and graduated from a public high school in Kanagawa Prefecture. Later, I studied Film and Chinese at the University of Victoria in Wellington, New Zealand. During that time, I met many local and international friends, and that was when I first started teaching Japanese.

Tutoring Experience:

I’ve taught Japanese both casually and professionally. I also worked at a translation company in Japan, where I had the privilege of working with people from many different countries. There, I helped explain and refine their Japanese, which deepened my passion for language and communication. All these experiences have made me confident — and excited — to teach and enjoy the Japanese language with learners of all levels. I know how challenging learning a new language can be, how nervous you might feel about making mistakes, and how rewarding it is to express yourself better than yesterday. If I can be of help on your learning journey, it would be my pleasure.

Tutoring Approach:

I like to structure lessons based on your interests, plans, and goals.

Whether you want to prepare for a trip to Japan, have natural conversations, watch anime without subtitles, or just start learning Japanese, let's have a chat and see what we can achieve together.

We can use many different materials such as textbooks, anime clips, articles, and even online random topic selection tools.

I have taught students from beginner level to advanced business settings, and I truly enjoy the process—it also gives me new perspectives on my own language.

Lessons are tailored to your goals and interests, so we can build your skills while having some fun along the way.