Nagorai Juku — Learning through Language and Dialogue
This page is a small English-language entrance to Nagorai Juku, a one-to-one online learning space based in Japan. We work mainly in Japanese with language, reading, writing, and dialogue. Students and adults may contact us, including people who live outside Japan and people whose first language is not Japanese.
You do not need to speak perfect Japanese to contact us.
We do not begin by placing everyone into the same course. We first listen to what you would like to read, write, think about, or talk about, and then consider whether there is a form of learning we can share.
What we may explore together
The Japanese word kokugo is often translated as “Japanese language,” but at Nagorai Juku it includes reading texts closely, writing, and thinking about meaning and expression.
Depending on the person, a session may center on:
- reading Japanese texts and checking how meaning is built
- writing, revising, and finding clearer ways to express your own ideas
- comparing Japanese with your first language or another language
- talking about learning, daily life, interests, or a question you would like to explore
- for students, schoolwork, future study, or educational choices, when appropriate
You may bring a text, school material, a piece of your own writing, or simply a question. Some sessions may focus mainly on Japanese. In others, reading, writing, and dialogue may move back and forth within the same time.
What we mean by dialogue
At Nagorai Juku, dialogue is not simply conversation practice, counseling, coaching, or a technique for quickly solving a problem. It is the broader human exchange that becomes possible when people attend carefully to one another.
It may include:
- listening to another person’s words
- searching for your own words
- putting into words what is not yet clear
- saying something again in a different way
- staying with a question without forcing an immediate answer
- receiving a point of view different from your own
- sharing silence or hesitation as part of the time
The aim is not to speak without mistakes or to reach a conclusion quickly. We value the time it takes to listen, think, and understand a little more of one another’s world.
Dialogue can begin even when we do not share a language perfectly.
Japanese and English
Most sessions are based in Japanese. The teacher is not a native speaker of English, and full English instruction is not offered as a standard service.
When helpful, English may also be used as a bridge. We can pause, rephrase, write something down, and check meaning together in Japanese and English.
Whether regular sessions would be workable depends on what you would like to do and how we can communicate together. It is fine to ask before you know the answer.
Who may contact us
This page may be relevant to:
- Japanese speakers living outside Japan
- people who are learning Japanese
- people who would like to read, write, or express themselves more carefully in Japanese
- people interested in the differences between Japanese and another language
- students and adults who would like to explore their thoughts or feelings through dialogue
- people interested not only in learning a language, but also in dialogue itself
There is no fixed Japanese level required for an inquiry. We will first listen to your situation and what you hope to try.
What Nagorai Juku does not provide
Nagorai Juku is not a Japanese-language school, and JLPT preparation is not its main service. We do not provide psychotherapy, medical care, counseling, or emergency support.
Dialogue may touch on personal experience, but it remains part of an educational relationship. We will be honest if a request is outside what we can reasonably offer.
How to contact us
If you are not yet sure whether Nagorai Juku would suit you, you may send a message first. You may write in English or Japanese.
It is enough to tell us, in simple terms:
- where you live or your time zone
- your first language and how you currently use Japanese
- what you would like to read, write, think about, or talk about
- whether you would like English to be used as a bridge
We normally reply to general inquiries within two to three business days. You do not need to choose a lesson plan before contacting us. If the conditions seem workable for both sides, we can then discuss the existing free first session.
Current plans and fees are listed in Japanese yen on the plans page. Available payment methods will be confirmed before lessons begin.
If you are under 18, please ask a parent or legal guardian to contact us. Depending on the laws that apply where you live, we may also ask for a parent or guardian to be involved before lessons begin.
Current plans and fees (Japanese)
About the free first session (Japanese)
Before you send the form
The contact form and the complete Privacy Policy are currently in Japanese. The form asks for your name or nickname, email address, the type of inquiry, who is contacting us, and a message. It also has optional fields for a lesson plan and subject.
Nagorai Juku uses the information you send to reply, consider a first meeting or lessons, provide and manage learning services, maintain the safety of the site and service, and meet legal obligations. We do not use it for affiliate advertising, behavioral advertising, or promoting third-party products.
The website may also collect access information, such as pages viewed, browser or device information, approximate region, and form submission results, for security and site improvement. Details are in the Japanese Privacy Policy.
Please share only what is needed. You do not need to provide a diagnosis or detailed medical information. If you write about another person, please make sure you have permission to do so.
This is a short English explanation. The Japanese Privacy Policy contains the complete policy. If anything is unclear, you may ask before sending personal details.
To send the form, please check the consent box near the bottom. By checking it and submitting the form, you consent to Nagorai Juku’s handling of the information you provide as described above and in the Japanese Privacy Policy.