≪ About me ≫

To everyone visiting this page,

and to my students who have been taking lessons with me
thank you so much♪

It's been five years since I started on Cafetalk...

And, somehow, I’ve become the mother of two kids! Haha

After taking a long break due to pregnancy and childbirth,

I’m finally able to accept new students!

So, belatedly, I decided to write an introduction column.

I even filmed my first YouTube video!

It's a little embarrassing, but I’d be so happy if you checked it out.

In this column, I’ll talk about “my hobbies,” which I’ve mentioned in both the video and my profile.

I am, without a doubt, an "OTAKU"

When I was a kid, I used to hang out with friends outside, but from the age of six, when I came home, I’d always watch anime or read manga.

It was also around that time that I started collecting character figures.

Not only Japanese works, but I also loved American shows like CARTOON NETWORK and nickelodeon, and "SpongeBob" was my very first English teacher.

Since having a child, it’s been hard to keep up with every new anime, but I still manage to watch around seven shows each season—especially ones based on manga I love or ones that catch my eye in the trailers.

One of my recent favorites is My Dress-Up Darling! ♡

I also love watching dramas.The American series Severance was so good

that I kept thinking about what would happen next even when I wasn’t watching it—it even showed up in my dreams!

Actually, NARUTO is what inspired me to become a Japanese teacher.

When I was in high school in New Zealand, I often joined Japanese language classes.

One day, a classmate brought in the NARUTO manga for everyone to read.

When they asked me, “What does ‘~dattebayo’ mean?” I couldn’t explain it.

Why does the main character talk like that? What does “datte,” “ba,” or “yo” each mean?

I had no idea how to answer.

That experience made me start thinking about Japanese as a language—not just something I grew up with.

I started wondering, “Could Japanese be the most interesting language in the world?” and felt a strong desire to teach it someday.

Thanks to my hobbies, I’ve learned so many new things and feelings.

They also led me to discover the career of teaching Japanese, and now I get to enjoy conversations with people from completely different cultures and perspectives.

Even now, while raising kids and dealing with all the challenges and time constraints, my “otaku time” is what gives me life♪

Whether I’m studying abroad, working, teaching, or being a mom—

I’ll always be an OTAKU at heart.

In our lessons, I’d love to hear about what you’re passionate about too!

And if there’s a show that’s so good you can’t sleep because you’re dying to know what happens next—please tell me about it!

Thank you for reading～♡