Voices of Students
Adam G.
I’ve been learning Japanese for a little over a year and have been studying with the guidance of Kaz 先生（sensei). The Japanese language is very different from the English language, and studying Japanese alongside Kaz has made the difficult journey easier and more fun. True to his credentials, Kaz can explain grammar concepts in simple terms that can be confusing when self studying and provides great listening and conversation practice. Another great thing about Kaz Is that he has created a community of Japanese learners from all over the world. It’s been a pleasure to get to talk with other Japanese learners from different cultures. Twice, Kaz has provided me and other students with the opportunity to meet and talk with college students from Hiroshima. Kaz also offers many plans to meet the needs of all his students. Thanks to Kaz’s teaching, I am now able to (slowly) read Japanese manga and have noticed improvements in my conversation and reading abilities. I am sure that without Kaz’s help I wouldn’t be at the level that I am. In conclusion I’ve had nothing but great experiences and highly recommend becoming a student of Kazilla Academy.
Tracy M.
I highly recommend Kazuya Shida (Kaz-Sensei) if you are looking for a Japanese teacher.
He personalized my lessons, and catered it towards my interests and goals of reaching a certain language level. My lessons were fast paced; by shifting from reading, to writing, to visuals in one sitting which made learning and absorbing the lessons interesting and effective.
I find him to be a dedicated teacher who truly cares for this students, and it really shows thru his teaching skills.
Sari
Sensei has an exceptional approach to teaching Japanese. I have never experienced boredom in our clases. He manages to always keep it simple, clear, and fun. He also makes sure that the student understood the material by having them do a small quiz at the end of each chapter. He explains the grammar beautifully and clearly and provides homework to hlep with teh student's further understadning of the material. I love learning Japanese with sensei. かずせんせいはすばらしいにほんごのせんせいです！
Marc R.
When my Japanese school shut down due to the pandemic, I tried continuing on my own and it was really hard to stay motivated. I knew I needed some guidance, and after coming across Kaz Sensei's account I thought it was a perfect fit. What really stands out to me is how he works with students to create a personalized plan for them. Rather than simply learning the language, we work towards acquiring language as a way to interact and connect with others. More than just learning the vocab and grammar, we focus on using those as tools to have meaningful conversations. Learning from Kaz Sensei really helps me focus on the bigger picture of how acquiring Japanese is going to bring me happiness.
On top of what we review in the textbooks, Kaz Sensei is always connecting these topics to real-life examples, which puts the material into context so I can understand it better.
I really appreciate the amount of effort he puts into diving deeper with his lessons, which isn't something I've experienced from any other teacher. While I hardly noticed it at first, he's been creating opportunities for me to learn how to say the things I want to talk about this whole time. I think I have a very colorful personality, so feeling safe to ask questions and express myself freely in his class, while learning how to convey that all in Japanese, has been such a worthwhile and valuable experience. It's been a lot of fun and keeps me motivated to continue studying.
I'm able to share those feelings with the others in Kazilla academy during our weekly group chat. I've learned a lot from those who have already traveled to Japan and we bond over all the places we want to go to in the future. Traveling to Japan and finally being able to put everything I've learned from Kaz Sensei to practice is one of the things I look forward to the most. When the world becomes a safer place to travel again, I hope to go there with Kaz Sensei and the friends I've made in Kazilla academy.
Language acquisition is hard, especially if you're not living in Japan using it everyday, but learning with Kaz Sensei feels like I'm on the right path to getting there.