Yamamoto-sensei
Kyoto · 14 yrs teaching
JLPT N1 · Academic writing
Former Hitotsubashi lecturer · M.A. Applied Linguistics
The Faculty · Est. Kyoto, 2014
Thirty-eight names. Thirty-eight hometowns. One promise — every voice you hear is native Japanese.
YazaGaku was built on a single conviction: real fluency requires a real teacher. Meet the Kyoto-anchored faculty behind the 87.3% JLPT pass rate, the 14 million lessons delivered, and our 60-day fluency guarantee.
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Featured Faculty
A directory you can read like a magazine spread.
Twelve instructors from our 38-person native team, chosen to represent the range of specialties our learners ask for most — from keigo in a Tokyo boardroom to JLPT N1 past-paper drills to anime script translation.
Saito-sensei
Tokyo · 9 yrs teaching
Business Japanese · Keigo
Ex-Marunouchi consulting · Keigo certification, NHK
Nakamura-sensei
Osaka · 11 yrs teaching
Conversation · Kansai dialect
NHK Osaka broadcaster · Bilingual education, Kansai U.
Kobayashi-sensei
Sapporo · 7 yrs teaching
JLPT N2–N3 prep · Kanji
Hokkaido U. M.Ed. · JLPT scorer since 2019
Inoue-sensei
Fukuoka · 8 yrs teaching
Anime · J-culture · Slang
Script translator, Studio Ghibli-affiliated · M.A. Literature
Hasegawa-sensei
Nagoya · 16 yrs teaching
JLPT N1 · Reading strategies
Former Japan Foundation instructor · Ph.D. candidate, Nagoya U.
Aoki-sensei
Sendai · 5 yrs teaching
Beginners · Hiragana · Survival
Tohoku U. B.Ed. · 1,200+ beginner graduates
Mori-sensei
Yokohama · 10 yrs teaching
Business etiquette · Negotiation
Ex-trade liaison, Mitsubishi Corp. · M.A. International Relations
Takeda-sensei
Nara · 12 yrs teaching
Classical Japanese · Tea ceremony vocab
Nara National Museum docent · Ph.D. Japanese Literature
Fujita-sensei
Kobe · 9 yrs teaching
JLPT N3–N4 · Grammar systems
Kobe U. M.A. Linguistics · JLPT N1 scorer
Ueda-sensei
Hiroshima · 6 yrs teaching
Heritage learners · Speaking confidence
Hiroshima U. B.A. · JFL pedagogy certificate
Tanaka-sensei
Kyoto · 22 yrs teaching
JLPT N1 · Kanji etymology · Calligraphy
Former Hitotsubashi lecturer · YazaGaku co-founder
Plus 26 more native instructors across Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu — every slot bookable through your subscription.
By The Numbers
What "100% native" actually means inside YazaGaku.
38
Native Japanese instructors on the active faculty
0
Bilingual non-natives hired for coaching — ever
14M+
Lessons completed on the platform since 2014
187,000
Active subscribers learning from them in 94 countries
"The first time a learner holds a ten-minute conversation with me — mistakes, laughter, the whole thing — I know the textbook alone could never have done that. That moment is what we are here for."
Match Your Goal
Six learner goals. Six instructor specialties. One subscription.
Whether you are sitting JLPT in December, prepping for a Tokyo transfer, or tracing the grammar in a Miyazaki screenplay — there is a named instructor on this faculty whose week is built around your goal.
JLPT Prep
All six levels, N5 → N1
Past-paper simulations updated each December, scored against the official rubric. Pair with the instructor who set your level — they have walked thousands of learners through that exact test.
87.3% pass rate across 4,200+ coached candidates since 2018
Business
Keigo · Negotiation · Email etiquette
Former consultants and trade liaisons run a working-Japanese track that mirrors the meeting room you are about to walk into.
Conversation
Real speech · Real pacing · Real laughs
Pair with a native speaker from Kyoto, Osaka or Sapporo — and learn that the textbook politely left out half the language.
Kanji
From 0 → 2,000 joyful characters
Etymology-first curriculum, taught by a calligraphy-trained senior instructor. Radical by radical, stroke by stroke.
Anime · J-Culture
Scripts, slang, registers, vibes
Our culture-track instructors translate professionally and teach the registers your favorite shows actually use.
Heritage
For listeners who want to finally speak
A patient, no-judgment track for heritage learners who grew up hearing Japanese and want to finally answer back.
Inside Your Subscription
How a 1-on-1 coaching session actually works.
Video coaching is included in every paid tier — not a $400/month add-on. Here is what booking a native instructor feels like, from the first search to the lesson notes in your inbox.
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01
Pick your instructor
Filter the faculty by city, specialty, JLPT level, or availability. Each profile shows a short bio, a sample voice clip, and the next ten open slots in your timezone.
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02
Book a 25- or 50-minute slot
Reschedule freely up to two hours before the session. Your AI study plan suggests the best slot based on the grammar or kanji you are working through that week.
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03
Join the video room
Browser-based, no install. Shared whiteboard, sentence-by-sentence correction, and a built-in dictionary for the words you do not know yet — both of you, side by side.
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04
Review your lesson notes
Within an hour, your instructor's notes, new vocabulary, and three follow-up drills land in your study queue — ready for the next morning's AI-personalized review session.
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No credit card required · 60-day fluency guarantee