Participants' Voices
Akylina / Greece
Ikuya's classes are a great introduction to some of the most important Japanese authors, classic and modern alike, and the discussions that ensue are always lively and constructive. I also love discovering new Japanese authors to look out for, whose works I may not have had the opportunity to read otherwise.
Anika / Germany
Useful: The presentations of the authors and the similarities or differences between them. Enjoyable: Listening and discussing the insights of the other students. There is a personal benefit in every single class I attended by now.
[…] I’m so happy, I took the courage to sign in to Ikuya's classes!
Dani / Spain
It is always extremely useful to get to know the background of the author at the beginning as a great starter. The whole discussion is always the most delicious dessert. Thank you for the questions: they provide the vital backbone of the discussion. Always a highlight of my week 🙏🏼
Testimonials
Kelly Cargos
Former Colleague of 6 years
Nichibei Kaiwa Gakuin
Ikuya is rare among teachers. He’s totally committed to his craft, and he puts high demands on himself as a professional. Before every class, he makes extensive preparations, researching background information, checking vocabulary, and anticipating questions so that he can give his students complete support. On his own time, he’s invested in teacher training, earning numerous qualifications and accumulating experience so that he can cater to his students’ needs.
As much as he demands from himself, he demands the same from his students. When I observed Ikuya’s classes, I was surprised at how the room seemed to crackle with energy. Ikuya was firing off questions between excited bursts of explanation, and all of the students were on the edge of their seats. He was so passionate that it was impossible to sit there without feeling excited about the subject myself. That’s the type of teacher I want to learn from – someone who can light a fire under my curiosity. If I were to study English again, I’d like nothing more than to study with Ikuya.
Joshua Yardley
CELTA Trainer, Local Center Manager
Boston Teaching House
I had the absolute privilege to be Ikuya’s trainer on his Cambridge CELTA course. It’s rare that I come across a teacher who is so dedicated to the profession as Ikuya is. His care shows in his preparation and performance. Taking part in his lessons it’s like a work out. You are exhausted, but feel great afterwards because you pushed yourself harder than you ever have in any other classroom setting. It is for this reason that Ikuya earned a distinction in the course. He is truly in a level above.
Maria Ardley
EFL Teacher
I've been taking the Japanese literature in English classes on a Sunday morning and I can honestly say that I love it. I did part of my university degree in Japanese but only really studied the language, so to be able to dive into some of the culture of the country is fantastic. I always look forward to receiving the comprehension questions- I read the story and discuss the questions a bit with my husband over a beer on a Saturday night (it's a bit geeky, I know!), and am always surprised by how much there is to say about one short story. I've always loved reading but had been put off analysing the stories I read in any way because of the negative experience I had of English literature at school. The level of challenge of the questions is just right though, and sometimes there's some Japanese history to research too, to put the story into context, so I feel like I'm learning a lot.
Ikuya is a great teacher. He's enthusiastic, polite and leads the class with confidence. I really enjoy hearing about the author before we dive into the discussion part of the class; we are given a brief biography and told the main themes the author's works represent. I would highly recommend this class, and definitely don't think that you need to be a literature expert to take part. I'm not!