I was interviewed by the language education publisher ALK for their magazine, Japanese Journal. During the interview, Nakayama-san, a Japanese language teacher, asked questions that brought up stories from my past. It was a great chance for me to reflect on how my past and present are connected. I ended up sharing a lot of personal experiences.

Some topics were similar to those I discussed in my previous interview with My Eyes Tokyo (linked here: https://lnkd.in/gUQ9E4TC), but this time, the focus was on the journey of becoming a Japanese language teacher and what that’s been like. The interviews complement each other, as they cover different aspects of my story.

Later, I realized that Japanese Journal might have had a purpose in mind: to show people the background, personal stories, environment, and working style that make up the life of a Japanese language teacher. Perhaps they wanted to tell future teachers or those questioning their path, "There’s no single right way—just do it your way."

This is my personal interpretation, of course, but I hope that my unplanned, imperfect journey can be a bit reassuring to those who might be inspired by it. If knowing that I’ve managed to make it this far in such an “improvised” way can give someone peace of mind, I’d be happy. 😊

One regret was that, with limited time, I couldn’t talk about the many people who helped me at different stages. I’ll try to share more about that on my blog.

Japanese Journal also highlights various working styles of other Japanese teachers, so please check it out if you're interested: https://x.gd/RnPoT