Oku Sensei’s understanding of how to explain the differences and similarities between Japanese and English. Making it easier to understand how you would think differently to properly understand what you are hearing/reading.
Keegan H
- First, could you tell us about yourself? (Your name, age, occupation, etc., as much as you are comfortable sharing)
- Keegan H; Age 28
- How long have you been taking classes at Oku Sensei’s Japanese?
- Almost 3 years
- What was your situation before you started Oku Sensei's Japanese?
- Very limited self-teaching of Japanese from time to time over the course of around 10+ years. Struggled with basic Hiragana and Katakana with almost zero Kanji and extremely limited vocabulary. Though Japanese is not the first language I have learned outside of English as I had previous experience learning German through proper lessons for a few years prior.
- What results were you expecting before signing up? And what results did you actually achieve?
- Learning to be fluent enough to at least hold meaningful conversation with native speakers, even if I was a bit rough. Ideally N3-N2 level and maybe one day N1 levels. So far I have become confident with Hiragana, Katakana, and a fair bit of Kanji as well as a fair bit of grammar and vocabulary. I can understand a fair bit of what I hear and read now compared to only a word here and there in the past.
- Why do you think you were able to achieve the results mentioned in Q4?
- Oku Sensei’s understanding of how to explain the differences and similarities between Japanese and English. Making it easier to understand how you would think differently to properly understand what you are hearing/reading. Plus the additional understanding provided from learning about cultural differences and how they play a role in the way the languages are developed and used.
- What was the most memorable aspect of learning at Oku Sensei's Japanese?
- My first real breakthrough and realizing that I really could learn Japanese by actually studying with someone who truly understood the language and could explain to me how it was different in a way that I could actually wrap my head around.
- Have you studied Japanese anywhere else? What differences did you notice compared to other Japanese language schools?
- Only self teaching through brute force back in the early internet days and eventually through applications on phones and computers. You learn basic concepts like vocab but there is no understanding of why things are how they are. Without the fundamentals, there was no actual progress being made.
- Did you find the price to be expensive? (Did you feel that what you gained was worth more than what you paid?)
- I do not believe that I ever got less than what I paid for. If anything, I was always provided with more knowledge than I paid for. Especially in comparison to previous ways of self teaching and how much those programs costed long term.
- Who would you recommend Oku Sensei's Japanese to? On the other hand, if there is someone you wouldn't recommend it to, what kind of person would that be?
- I honestly believe that anyone could learn through Oku Sensei’s Japanese courses. I will say that Japanese is tough, so you need to be prepared to make the time to take in and practice what you are taught through Oku Sensei’s lessons.
- What content attracted you to sign up for Oku Sensei's Japanese? Did you have any hesitations when signing up?
- The fact that she was one of the cheapest options but had actual teaching experience. Most other options I had found leading up to finding her website were very expensive with limited to no experience teaching the language outside of their “programs” which always was concerning. So seeing that Oku Sensei had prior experience teaching classes outside of just a single program, I had no hesitation and immediately signed up.
- If you hadn’t signed up for Oku Sensei's Japanese, what do you think your situation would be now? Also, when do you think is the best time to sign up?
- I believe that, had I not signed up for Oku Sensei’s lessons, I would have been at roughly the same place as when I had started. I would have likely continued to study through applications and brute force just barely progressing if I even progressed at all. I believe that if someone truly wants to learn the language and appreciate a culture much different from Western culture, then they should give learning the language a chance.
- As someone who has studied Japanese at Oku Sensei's Japanese, could you give a message to those who will start learning in the future?
- If you love learning languages and culture, Oku Sensei is going to be a wonderful fit for you. Do your best and enjoy the experience!
