Kimi

Kimi Tutor Interview

Q. Hi Mizuno! Would you kindly give a brief self-introduction to the Cafetalk community?

A. Hello everyone! I'm Kimi and I currently live in Kobe. I am 32 years old. At the moment I work as a receptionist at a beauty salon while teaching Japanese on Cafetalk. At my receptionist job, I accept reservations from customers and take telephone calls.

Q. Tell us a bit about where you're from. We saw on your profile that you are from Kobe. What is it like living there?

A. The city where I live in, Kobe, is actually a port city. The harbour in Kobe is approaching its 150th anniversary this year. Kobe is a city surrounded by mountains and the ocean and has a beautiful night view. With delicious food and famous structures such as Kobe Beef, the Kitano Ijinkan town, Port Tower, Akashi Kaikyō Bridge & the Kobe Luminarie illuminations in December, Kobe has always thrived thanks to the many tourists visiting.

Q. What are you usually up to when you're not teaching on Cafetalk? What are your hobbies and interests?

A. I'm usually working as a receptionist at a beauty salon. On public holidays I go shopping or take it slow at cafes or restaurants with my family and friends. I also enjoy travelling, so I travel abroad whenever time allows it.

Q. In your profile you mention that you are interested in international communication and took classes at university. Did you take anything away from those lessons that you apply during your Cafetalk lessons?

A. I have always enjoyed connecting with foreigners and I myself am also in the midst of studying English everyday. Sadly, my English is not good enough yet to be of much help during lessons, but I'm trying my best to be able to help students who can't speak Japanese at all yet with my English skills.

Q. Even though you do not have a teaching qualification, your lessons are very popular on Cafetalk. What is your approach on education? Do you have a foundation or core value that you apply during your lessons?

A. I always aim to explain everything as simply as possible and to never let the fire of my smile go out!! And I try my best to make my lessons fun. As far as time allows it, I will explain as long as it takes the student to understand the concept in question completely.

Q. A lot of students are probably curious about the atmosphere in your lessons. What can a student imagine a lesson with you to be like?

A. The age range of my students is quite wide, so I'm customising my lessons to each individual student. Of course, I listen to what the student wants to do and then adjust the lesson according to their individual level.

Q. Your most popular lesson is your customised Japanese lessons. What kinds of classes can students request for this customisable lesson?

A. I offer Kanji reading and writing practice, grammar lessons, conversation lessons, lessons on how to speak on the telephone in Japanese, JLPT prep classes, interview prep classes, free talk lessons, lessons to help my students understand Manga, Kansai dialect lessons, lessons about fashion and make-up, or really anything that is popular in Japan at the moment. For children or complete beginners I offer lessons on reading and writing Hiragana and Katakana or colours in Japanese, and sometimes we also have a lesson centered around a video. The most important thing for me is adjusting my lesson to my student's preferences.

As for materials, we sometimes use whatever textbook the student owns or the materials I prepare.

Everyone learns and wants to learn differently, so I always aim to customise my lessons to each student's individual needs.

Q. Finally, would you like to leave a message for your current and future students?

A. Everyone, thank you for always booking plenty of lessons with me! Being able to meet many different students through Cafetalk, I feel like I myself also learned a lot. I cherish every single encounter I make here on Cafetalk, and I will continue to do my very best to be helpful to all of my students, and I am prepared to work even harder to provide meaningful and instructive lessons for all of you. I look forward to meeting you all in my lessons(*^ω^*)

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Kimi

Profile

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