Understanding Everyday Japanese Through Private Online Lessons: Edward’s Story

2026/10/08

Student Profile & Learning Overview

Edward is a British student living in the United States. He is learning Japanese with the goal of living and working in Japan in the future. Below, he shares his experience with private online lessons at Nihongo Online School.

Nationality: British
Country of Residence: United States
Learning Period: Since June 17, 2026 — approximately 4 months
Lessons Completed: 35 hours of private lessons
Lesson Schedule: Three 60-minute lessons per week, in the evening in his local time
Learning Progress: Minna no Nihongo, Lesson 13 → Lesson 25

Learning information is current as of October 2026. Lesson hours refer to lessons completed.

Edward’s Experience with Nihongo Online School

Q1. What is your main reason for learning Japanese, and what is your goal?

My reason for learning Japanese is that I want to live in Japan in the near future, with the intention of integrating into Japanese society and speaking Japanese well enough to work a full-time job in Japan as the end goal.

Q2. Before joining Nihongo Online School, how did you study Japanese, and what difficulties did you have?

Before joining Nihongo Online School, I was in a full-time university learning Japanese in both an online and in-person environment. I studied Japanese through a combination of classroom learning and self-learning exercises. Out of the two, I had the most issues with self-learning-only but have made improvements since joining Nihongo Online School.

Q3. When choosing an online Japanese course, what were you looking for, and what made you decide to study with Nihongo Online School?

I found that, while searching, Nihongo Online School offered the best program when compared to others, namely due to its one-on-one teaching sessions and solid study materials that mirrored what I was used to in a university environment. As well, since I would be working while learning, the later and more authentic, albeit later, schedule gave me good flexibility.

Q4. What do you usually study or practice during your private lessons? Which parts of the lessons have been especially helpful for you?

During the lessons, we use Minna no Nihongo Book 1 and 2, as well as original learning material. I find it very helpful that my teacher can aid with difficult subjects and break down said topics into more manageable subjects.

Q5. What can you do in Japanese now that you could not do before starting the lessons?

Please share specific examples related to speaking, listening, reading, writing, or everyday communication.

Prior to starting the lessons, I found it hard to understand day-to-day Japanese that I had previously seen and heard in TV, books, etc. despite intensive learning in a classroom environment. I find that I can more easily understand casual Japanese which allows for me to feel more comfortable speaking and listening to Japanese conversations.

Teacher’s Comments

Practicing Japanese in Situations Relevant to Edward

We begin each lesson with a free conversation in Japanese, helping Edward gradually become more comfortable listening and speaking before moving on to grammar. After practicing a grammar pattern, we adapt sentences from the exercises and use questions and answers based on situations relevant to him.

Progress in Grammar and Everyday Communication

When Edward started, he was studying Lesson 13 of Minna no Nihongo and had difficulty conjugating verbs. He is now studying Lesson 25, can conjugate verbs, and can use a variety of sentence patterns for everyday conversation.

He now speaks with more confidence than before. Even when he wants to express something a little more difficult, he tries to communicate using the vocabulary and grammar he already knows. He also responds more smoothly to corrections and incorporates the corrected expressions into his practice. Through this process, I feel he is developing a wider range of everyday Japanese expressions.