Students' comments

Sasha Armour - Advertising & Marketing Executive, Newspaper & Online - Nikkei Europe Limited ( March 2009)

I studied with Udagawa-sensei for a little over a year, and my progress in widening my Japanese knowledge has been palpable.
As I had already passed the JLPT Level 1 prior to beginning lessons, there were some reservations as to whether we would have a focus or goal to strive to.
However, the dedication and enthusiasm that Udagawa-sensei showed in his lesson planning meant that I was able to enjoy engaging and challenging lessons over the year.


The focus of my Japanese lessons was to grasp a wider vocabulary, particularly in the areas of economics, politics and business.
Another great aspect of his lessons is his flexibility to the student’s requirements and requests - as he knew I particularly enjoyed learning through visual aids, he always brought a variety of interesting video clips, such as news clips, documentaries, and Japanese business dramas.
The vocabulary we encountered in these clips, he made sure to note down and email to me, which has been most helpful for me to study from.


I would not hesitate to recommend Udagawa-sensei to anyone who is serious about studying Japanese.
If you enjoy learning and are prepared to study, then I am sure that you will get the most out the lessons and see your Japanese improve very swiftly!

My experience of the A2 exam - Summer 2008

After passing the AS exam in Summer 2007 with an A grade, I was looking forward to taking the A2 exam in Summer 2008.
Udagawa sensei advised me at the start that I would need to study hard to achieve an A grade at A2. He was right!
The A2 paper is a step up from the AS paper.

However, I took Udagawa sensei's advice and achieved an A grade in the A2 paper with a mark of over 84% (253/300).

The key steps for me to achieve this grade were:

Study harder. I spent more time studying every week both in formal lessons and in writing essays. Even though I have a full time job, this was essential. I tried to spend the same number of hours studying as a sixth form A level student would and I had a week of "study leave" before the exam.

Concentrate on the Essay topics. I chose (in consultation with Udagawa sensei) the Bokko-chan short stories by Hoshii Shinichi as my texts for one essay and 日本　の　一年 as the topic for the other.
The topics introduced me to many new Kanji and a lot of vocabulary. By writing essays every week I gradually mastered the vocabulary and Kanji and this study also prepared me for the other section of the exam (Reading and writing).

Know the standard essay topics. As with many subjects, the examiner often asks similar questions on certain topics. Therefore it was important to review past exam essay questions and to be able to write clear answers based on the actual questions (and not the questions that I wanted to answer!). I wrote many practise essays and reviewed them all in my lessons.
Gradually this improved my understanding of the topics, grammar and vocabulary.

Practise writing Kanji. I practised writing Kanji both in essays and on scrap paper at home. This helped me to remember the Kanji as well as to be able to write them.

Don't worry too much about the Reading and Writing section. Much of my writing practice was achieved through writing essays so in the exam I was able to answer the questions on the passage in Section 1, without much difficulty.
When I opened the exam paper, I was surprised by two points:
The translation from English to Japanese used some more complex English words that had to be translated. It is not really possible to prepare very much for this part of the exam and on the day I had to think carefully to remember the best words that I knew to prepare the translation.
The 日本　の　一年 questions were slightly different from the topics that I had revised.

However, I was able to adapt one of the topics that I had studied to write my essay.

I believe that because I had prepared thoroughly I was able to deal with these two "surprises" from the examiner.

Shaun De Boo
19 August 2008

Stuart Newman - Electronic Media Executive at NIKKEI

I studied with Udagawa sensei for almost two years and during that time he proved himself to be a resourceful and committed teacher.
Initially we studied for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 3 which I passed first time with a 70% pass rate.
I remember one of my early reservations of studying with Udagawa sensei was his suggestion of taking a 90 minute lesson as I thought I would tire and the latter part of the lesson wouldn’t be as useful.
However, due to the focus that Udagawa sensei had for each lesson and his consistent striving to help you improve, I found that 90 minutes went by very quickly and I always came out of a lesson feeling a sense of achievement.
Outside of our lessons I found Udagawa sensei to be enthusiast and very supportive of study groups I started, socialising with natives and joining others’ conversation groups.
We would regularly discuss the usefulness of such ‘outside studies’ (and other learning resources) often with a view of encouraging others to participate in worthwhile activities.

I would recommend Udagawa sensei to anyone who is serious about studying Japanese.
His strict teaching style encourages rapid improvement and his setting of achievable targets instils confidence and motivation.

My experience of the AS exam - Summer 2007

I sat the AS exam in Summer 2007, having previously taken and passed the Japanese language Proficiency Test at 4 kyu and 3 kyu. The grammar level at AS is no higher than 3 kyu but AS requires:
  1. A much larger vocabulary and knowledge of kanji
  2. The need to write an essay including the use of Kanji
Udagawa sensei advised me to concentrate on vocabulary, kanji and essay writing. There were 2 main areas where I needed to improve: learning kanji and essay writing in a way that used a wider variety of grammatical structures.
Based upon these weaknesses, these are the main steps that I took to prepare for the exam.
By writing essays every week and using as many kanji as possible in the essays, I found that the number of kanji I could read and write increased significantly.
Regular essay writing (and reviewing them in my lessons with Udagawa sensei) gradually helped me to express myself more clearly using better grammatical functions.
Over the three months up to the exam, I wrote more and more essays on relevant topics and practised translation of Japanese into English. I increased the frequency of my lessons and also took a weeks holiday to study every day for the week before the exam.
In summary, I worked as hard as I could and concentrated on my weaknesses.
The effort paid off as I obtained an A grade with 277 marks out of 300.
Shaun De Boo

Tim Critchley - HSBC

weddingAbout one month before travelling to Japan, I began a frantic search for an intensive language course in London.
While this essentially proved fruitless, I had the good fortune to stumble across Udagawa san's great website!
Within days we had agreed arrangements for a crash-course on basic conversational Japanese, scheduled as I had requested, for one lesson per workday until my departure.
Apart from the intensity of the lesson-schedule, what made the program most effective was Udagawa san's genuine concern that the topics we covered were closely matched to my needs.
During each lesson he would ask if I had any questions, and I would respond with any areas which I wanted to concentrate more on, or general Q&A to provide cultural perspectives which augment the learning process.
Having been a TEFL teacher myself, I was a little nervous about the prospect of learning in a one-on-one environment since this can sometimes be a draining experience!
But although I confess my concentration was sometimes challenged by the intensity of the study, I was always rewarded after every lesson by the significant speed of our progress.
Ultimately the reason for me studying Japanese was in order to ask my girlfriend's father, for his approval of our engagement.
When the day finally came to meet her parents, Udagawa san's thorough instruction paid off.
Her parents were suitably impressed by my spoken Japanese, to the shock and delight of my girlfriend who had no idea I had been studying.
They were all startled that I had learned what I did in only one month, and I'm certain that all this went in my favour because I am now engaged to the woman of my dreams!
Arigato, Udagawa sensei!

Gregory Roath- Bank of New York

I studied with with Udagawa-sensei for a year and a half.
I found his approach to teaching Japanese a thoroughly enjoyable experience. After the initial shock of the Japanese-only-method, I began to fully appreciate his teaching style as I left each lesson satisfied in my growing ability to understand Japanese.
Each lesson left me ready for the next as my fascination grew for how the language worked. I especially enjoyed the insights Udagawa-sensei would provide into grammatical points as he attempts to prepare you for the enormous difference between textbook Japanese and everyday spoken Japanese.
My only regret was that I wasn't able to dedicate even more time to studying Japanese with Udagawa-sensei!!
I would whole-heartedly recommend Udagawa-sensei to anyone considering studying Japanese.

Gillian Nothard- September 2006

writingHaving lived and worked in Japan for three and a half years, you might think that passing AS-Level Japanese would be a walk in the park. However, I’ve been back in the UK for almost 6 years now and the kanji just seems to fade by the day!
Cue Kazuo-sensei!
Kazuo-sensei is an excellent teacher; he checks exactly what your objectives are and then assesses your level of Japanese to see how much work is needed.
In my case, I needed an additional AS-Level for an application to university and had very little time in which to prepare (only a couple of months). Japanese seemed an obvious choice, since I had already passed the 2-kyu exam whilst living in Japan, but looking at the AS-Level past papers, I discovered that I would have to write an essay as part of the 3 hour exam and it was then that I felt I needed some guidance in the form of Kazuo-sensei!
Essay writing was never my strong point at school, but Kazuo-sensei helped immensely.
He set me a few essays to write on various topics and then highlighted the key areas in which I most needed to improve.
Having been fluent in spoken Japanese, it became very apparent that I was often writing as if I were speaking, and there are many spoken words and grammatical constructions that are not permitted in proper, formal written Japanese.
After laughing at some of my colloquialisms in my essays, I worked hard at home (though I think Kazuo-sensei might debate that!) and sat the AS-Level exam in May 2006.
I needed to get an A-Grade for my university application and kept my fingers crossed that my work hadn’t come too late.

Results day arrived and would you believe that I achieved 300/300 in the exam?!

I couldn’t believe it either! I was so extremely happy at my result and it most definitely would not have been achievable had it not been for Kazuo-sensei’s classes.

In summary, I highly recommend Kazuo-sensei as a Japanese teacher, no matter what level you’re at. Kazuo-sensei: makoto ni, arigato gozaimashita!

Jane Nelson - February 2006

I have been studying Japanese with Udagawa-sensei for 8 months and find him to be a superb teacher. As he is bilingual himself and has a profound understanding of how language works, he understands the difficulties involved in learning Japanese, which is not just a matter of grammar but also of cultural subtleties, which he explains clearly.
Udagawa-sensei clearly gives great thought to each lesson and tailors classes to suit each pupil. He is demanding and thorough but very patient and makes the lessons fun as well as interesting.
I found the pace challenging in a positive way, spurring me on to greater effort, and learning was constantly reinforced by regular revision.
I have spent years learning languages and have only once before encountered such an inspiring teacher.
I would not hesitate to recommend Udagawa-sensei to anyone wishing to learn this fascinating language and I doubt very much we will find another teacher with standards as high as his.

Bernard Nelson, Partner, Latham & Watkins - January 2006

My wife and I have studied separately with Kazuo-san for eight months in preparation for our relocation to Tokyo. His lessons are fast paced and demanding but never too demanding. The lessons are tailored to suit the individual student.
My wife is a linguist and takes to languages easily. On the other hand, learning languages has never been easy for me. Teaching Japanese to someone like me requires different skills than teaching Japanese to a skilled linguist such as my wife.
Kazuo-san has handled both tasks extremely well, thereby demonstrating a remarkable range of teaching skills. My ability, after only a few months with Kazuo-san, to read and write Japanese (in both hiragana and kanji) and to understand and speak it, far surpasses my initial expectations.
He has also provided a strong foundation in Japanese grammar that I am sure will prove to be a good basis for my future studies when I arrive in Tokyo.
To my vast surprise, I have greatly enjoyed my lessons with Kazuo-san. He has set a difficult, if not impossible, standard for my future teachers to meet. Kazuo-san is a remarkable teacher. I recommend him to any student without hesitation.

Chris Magill - July 2005

I have studied Japanese with Japanese 4 All for around six months. In that time I have learned both the hiragana and katakana alphabets and begun to study Kanji characters.
The learning process was daunting, but done in manageable steps and reinforced by reading and writing.
It is very satisfying to have this ability after such a comparatively short time. The lessons center around grammar constructions and vocabulary is brought in within context. However, vocab is one area which benefits best from plenty of private study. There is clear structure to lesson plans and crucially there is also systematic revision of what has been studied before. It is also pleasing that proper attention is paid to accent and pronunciation, which are particularly important in Japanese.
I have found oral practice to be 'last on the list' with other schools or teachers, but my good Japanese diction has been commented on by several people and in turn my listening comprehension is improving fairly fast as well.
The lessons are a challenge and often exasperating but always enjoyable and interesting.

Vera Rybinova

Lekce s Kazuo-sensei jsou velmi dobre strukturovane a jeho pristup k vyucovani se velmi dobre hodi jak pro uplne zacatecniky tak pro pokrocile.
Kazuo-sensei pouziva ruzne pomucky pri vyucovani coz umoznuje szit se s jazykem mnohem lepe nez kdyz se studuje pouze z ucebnice. Muj pritel a ja jsme se naucili ve velmi kratke dobe zaklady japonstiny a to nam umoznilo dorozumet se v Tokyu. Kazuo-sensei kladge duraz na cteni hiragana a katakana nam pomohlo pri cteni jidelnich listku v tokijskych restauracich.
Pro ty, kteri se chteji ucit japonsky s rodilym mluvcim mohu jenom doporucit hodiny s Kazuo-sensei.

Stuart Hodgson - Senior Project Engineer, Cryogenic Ltd. - May 2005

I have been taking lessons with Kazuo-san for a year and a half and feel I have made significant progress during this time. I attribute this primarily to his professionalism and flexible teaching style.
I can also say that I have very much enjoyed the lessons; in particular the general conversation practice that often preceeds the hard work on grammar and such.
Anyone who might be considering studying Japanese (seriously) in London would be hard-pressed, I think, to find a better teacher.

Alister Logan - November 2005

I started studying Japanese with Kazuo about six weeks ago with the intention of taking a GCSE at the end of this academic year.
With very little previous experience of Japanese and with four other AS subjects to study towards the prospect of taking an exam in a language I had only been studying for a year was very daunting. However with just six weeks of study, thanks to Kazuo's teaching I feel far more confident about this aim and with the best part of a year still to go before my exam I think obtaining a high grade at GCSE is not unrealistic.
I have one 1.5 hour lesson a week and look forward to each one and each week I really feel I have taken another step towards my goal.
Over all I am extremely happy with the lessons and with the progress that I have made and hope to continue my lessons even after my exam.

hanayomeSince Kazuo introduced photographs to my lessons I feel my speaking skills have improved considerably.
The photographs, particularly ones from Japan, are very interesting and help me to understand not just the language but also certain aspects of Japanese culture.
For example I found the photos from a Japanese wedding particularly interesting.
As well as help with oral practice the photographs also help with reading. It is particularly useful for understanding signs.
For example I have studied several photographs of hotel signs which has allowed me to understand things such as room and meal prices.


Over all the introduction of photos to my lessons has been very positive as it makes conversations more relevant and puts reading practice into context.

Hywel Dawes - Risk consultant at the FSA - April 2005

I have been studying with Udagawa-sensei for 8 months.
I had been learning Japanese informally for two years, and had limited knowledge of the language, but could not read or write kana or kanji.
Udagawa-sensei's teaching style provides a very good combination of discipline and flexibility. This has enabled me to achieve my short-term goals of improving my basic grammar and learning to read and write Hiragana and Katakana.
Udagawa-sensei breaks down the subject into manageable chunks, while at the same time trying to stretch students. He clearly enjoys teaching, and is very patient when I get things wrong.
This has helped to give me the confidence to move onto more complicated grammatical structures and Kanji.

Richard Byworth (Japanese Convertible Bonds Trader), Nomura International plc - December 2004

I started lessons with Kazuo in anticipation of moving to Tokyo with Nomura for a few years.
He has a relaxing but structured style to his lessons, and though we are constantly being pushed to higher levels by Kazuo, he never seems to move too fast.
As a result our lessons are hugely rewarding and after just five 2hour lessons, both my wife and I feel very confident in forming several basic sentences to get us by when in Japan.
We are both hoping we can find a teacher with such natural ability and great teaching style as Kazuo when we move to Tokyo.
Thanks Kazuo......Shujin wa biru o nomimasu yo! Kanai wa shujin o kikimasen!

Ian Fleetham - Japanese CB Trader - Nomura International plc - December 2004

I discovered Kazuo-san via his website back in October when I was searching for a private tutor to deliver a crash-course in the Japanese language.
Through the 2hr lessons we have with him each week, both myself and my girlfriend have made good progress with what is a demanding subject.
Punctual and flexible, Kazuo-san delivers his lessons at our house and does so in a very clear, well structured and firm manner (he won't let you continue until you've mastered the section you're on). He has enabled us to tailor the course to suit our needs and the thought of being thrown into the deep-end in Tokyo next January doesn't seem quite as daunting.
Kazuo-san is a very natural teacher and comes highly recommended.

Maryse Gray - Lawyer (Corporate Law), Herbert Smith

Kazuo was highly recommended to me as a teacher and he has fulfilled, if not exceeded, my expectations. His lessons are stimulating and fun but at the same time quite intensive so I always feel that I am getting the maximum out of my time. My one and a half hour lesson passes like five minutes!

Sarah Carlson -Economist, Financial Services Authority

Kazuo's rigorous but flexible approach to teaching has allowed me to make significant progress in a relatively short period of time; he carefully tailors lessons to play to students' strengths and shore up their weaknesses.
With each business trip to Japan, my confidence in my Japanese abilities has grown as I am able to put concepts learned in the classroom into practice.

Susann - Electronic Arts

Der Unterricht mit Kazuo-san ist eine unheimliche Bereicherung sowie eine gute Herausforderung.
Ich habe in den letzten Jahren unheimlich viel von ihm uber Japan gelernt, nicht nur die Sprache aber auch uber die Kultur. Kazuo-san schafft es mit seiner Geduld und Zielstrebigkeit diese schwierige Sprache einfach erscheinen zu lassen.

Mein Interesse an Japan hat sich durch ihn in den letzten Jahren weiter verstarkt und ich kann es kaum erwarten bald wieder in mein Lieblingsland zu reisen um meine neuen Sprachkenntnisse zu testen.



Fuer jeden Mutigen der es mit der Japanischen Sprache aufnehmen will, kann ich Kazuo-sen-sei nur warmsten als Mentor empfehlen.

Bernadette - Electronic Arts

Cela fait environ un an que je prends des lecons de japonais avec Kazuo-sensei.
Il arrive a nous apprendre, a mes collegues et a moi, le "Japonais sans douleur " : il sait rendre interessants les jeux les plus benins, les lecons de grammaire les plus ardues , et meme l'hiragana le plus biscornu.
C'est un excellent professeur , qui ne perd jamais patience, meme quand nos balbutiements sont approximatifs. Il n'hesite pas a mettre le doigt sur nos points faibles mais il reste toujours ouvert et souriant devant nos silences perplexes .

Rupert Davies-Cooke - Producer, Acorn Films

Udagawa sensei makes Japanese an exciting language to learn. I wasn't born with a talent for learning languages and have always faced great resistance to memorising new word forms. I found in Udagawa sensei a teacher who goes to great pains to find the right way to teach each pupil. He is a thoughtful and patient man, and his enthusiasm is contagious. He is not just a great teacher, but also a good friend.

Philippa Symington -The Nihon Keizai Shimbun & Business Monitor

I heard about Udagawa sensei through a colleague as I searched for a stricter teacher - I haven't been disappointed! He really gears the lessons to my specific needs and requests, honing in on my weak points relentlessly but with great attentiveness, as I learn to speak in a more Japanese way! I greatly enjoy our weekly sessions and leave each lesson determined and inspired to study more diligently. What else can you ask of a teacher?

Arthur Pollock - Morgan Stanley

Udagawa Sensei is an excellent teacher and his lessons are good fun and informative. He is very disciplined in his teaching methods and expands one's vocabulary and grammar really well with connected references to new words and phrases. He is the definetely the right person to get you through the exam of your choice and to extend you to the best of your abilities.

Jeff Edwards-Ph.D - Director, Alliance Manager, IPSEN

I have been having Japanese lessons for a few months with a total of 24 hours tuition in total to date. The lessons with Udagawa san have moved my ability in Japanese forward very quickly in my opinion.
What seemed an impossible task at the start has been approached in a step-wise and reiterative manner. This has meant that I have accumulated a good working vocabulary and am gradually improving both in speed of understanding and in speaking.
For me the most important feature of the teaching is the concentration on oral drilling and the important repetition at each lesson of many of the basic components of everyday speech patterns.

Udagawa san has also concentrated very much on business focussed discussions using the technical words that I would need in real useage which is very important.

Charles Coyne - C & C Electronics

Udagawa sensei is an excellent teacher and his experience comes across immediately. You couldn't be in better hands in preparing for the Japanese proficiency exams or for improving your spoken Japanese.

Martin Berridge - IT Specialist

I began lessons with Udagawa san in winter 2000 as lower/intermediate student, he helped me pass the Japan Foundation level III in winter 2001 and he is helping me study for level II. He is extremely patient and has a very flexible and imaginative way of helping me overcome hurdles.

Shaun - Tax director

Udagawa sensei is a very adaptable teacher. He is always happy to answer questions and to explain a word / phrase / idea to help students understand a point - even if it is not the subject of the lesson.

James Bolton - Electronic Arts

Kazuo has made the lessons a lot of fun. I thought Japanese was going to be impossible to learn, but I can now see that it is possible.

Patricia Low - Deutsch Bank

I derive a lot of satisfaction from my weekly lessons as I feel my language abilities slowly but surely improving. It is a stimulating and challenging way for me to spend an evening, and it so different from my ordinary working life that I thoroughly enjoy the experience.

Charlie - Solicitor at Herbert Smith

I had my last Japanese lesson today with Kazuo.
I just wanted to say thank you for all your work behind the scenes but also to thank Kazuo for what were excellent sessions over the last few months which were both practical and easy to manage.
He is a very good tutor and I am now hoping that his teachings have given me a solid language base on which I will be able to survive in Tokyo! Many thanks indeed.

Tony McMahon -News Editor, Cantos Communications

"I'm learning Japanese because it's still the world's second largest economy, a very interesting country with a great culture. It's so different from European languages, that's it's a great mental challenge to get to grips with it. And I feel my brain has had a work out after every lesson!"
Japanese is a challenge - a very different structure to the European languages I'm used to.
So, with Kazuo, we make steady progress through the grammar and I get the opportunity to have ninety minutes of talking in Japanese non-stop. It's sometimes difficult to guage what I sound like in Japanese but Kazuo is very encouraging.
Having passed Level Four - with a hundred per cent on paper one to my amazement - I've decided to keep progressing on, even if it's getting noticeably tougher.

Ken Sharp - Student (Southampton Institute) on a gap year.

I had eight two hour lessons with Kazuo and they went extremely quickly because he works in a very progressive and intensive manner.
Furthermore his intensive teaching style is balanced out well with patience and morale. I think he is very observant when it comes to the learning traits of the individual student, he very much adapted to my qualities. I was kindly given a lesson summary by email containing words I had trouble remembering.

(TY 　)