“The most important thing I want in a teacher is for them to have been in my shoes.”
Kokusaba's strength is in our dedicated team of compassionate and highly-skilled tutors. Some of our tutors grew up in Japan and expanded their horizons by studying abroad or at international schools. Others grew up overseas and successfully navigated their way through Japanese academic life. Each of them experienced and adapted to different cultures and learning styles, excelled in international curricula such as IB, and enrolled in a prestigious university. This background allows Kokusaba's tutors to connect with your child not just as an instructor, but also as a friend—because they once stood where your child stands now.
Over 90 Tutors
Ready to assist
Tutors from
16 Countries
Where Our Tutors Go to School
Waseda University
The University of Tokyo
Keio University
Top overseas universities
Messages from Our Tutors
Minami Wakabayashi
English, Math
Hi, I’m Minami! I have been tutoring at Kokusaba for over a year now and I really enjoy it.
One of the best things about tutoring with Kokusaba is the opportunity to interact with and inspire students to study in this crucial time of their life. Feeling both the responsibility and excitement of helping them improve their understanding of what they're learning, I currently tutor two students at an international school in Tokyo. I appreciate my previous experience of attending an international school because I better understand the curriculum and how it feels to be in such a diverse learning environment.
In addition, each student has a different personality, level of motivation, and method of study. Therefore, I try to consider those elements as much as possible and be flexible in my teaching style. I may not be a perfect tutor for everybody, but I wish to be the best I can for my students. I never feel tired of teaching my students because each lesson is a different experience.
I hope to continue to learn with Kokusaba students and assist them in following their dreams!
I strongly believe in the power of positivity and curiosity in motivating us to do our best, no matter what we decide to pursue in life. Throughout my time in school, whether it was in an international school in Japan or in India, or in university, at Cornell and now at Waseda, the teachers and mentors who have helped inculcate in me a feeling of positivity towards learning have strengthened my desire to carry that forward and motivate other people around me.
My approach to teaching is simple: if we can understand each other, we can learn from each other, and we can grow as individuals together. Kokusaba really believes in this philosophy too, and the students I interact with have each taught me many useful things about life, while hopefully receiving some advice and help in return :) The fact that we can schedule classes based on our availability means that I feel energetic and happy meeting my students, which helps us make the most of our time.
If you want to meet a friend, mentor, and teacher, all in one, to help you out with the things that may overwhelm you, you’ve come to the right place!
Aditya Goyal
Test Prep, IB Guidance
Cindy Song
Math, Science
I have started tutoring with Kokusaba quite recently and within such a short time, I have already been able to meet a number of students from all different backgrounds. In fact, I have been given the opportunity to tutor two students from my previous middle school. This made me realize that Kokusaba is well capable of connecting students with the teachers who can best assist them with their learning.
Further, with the majority of tutors being college students like me, Kokusaba is very understanding and flexible with scheduling as well. We can work within our academic field of confidence and interest, which guarantees a higher quality of teaching for our students. With Kokusaba, I do not just tutor, I also learn and gain new insights from interacting with my students. With each student being a unique learner, I pay extra attention to observing each individual and come up with distinct teaching methods that are best suited for them.
My ultimate goal in Kokusaba is to help students improve their areas of weakness and to boost their level of confidence in learning. I also aim to provide students with a memorable educational experience and help them achieve their full potential in academics.
It's only been a year since I joined the Kokusaba community, but I've already experienced and learned many things, especially on how to become a successful tutor. Although I'm far from being perfect, I can provide some advice for my fellow Kokusaba tutors.
Personally, the most important thing in tutoring is how you can create an environment where students feel comfortable and excited to learn. Often times, students aren't really fond of academics in general, so our job would not only be to teach various subjects but to sort of entertain our students while tutoring. I understand that it's difficult to do that, but it can be simple things such as talk about something casual in between sessions, add some humor to your teaching method; as long as it can uplift the atmosphere!
Of course, don't forget the substance since, at the end of the day, we are here to guide our students to become more engaged in academics and improve as a learner. Nonetheless, always keep in mind that the best way to improve your students' academic discipline is to make them motivated and engaged in it.
Shotaro Koito
Socials, History
When selecting a tutor for your child, we always choose the individual with the most relevant experience, both academic and personal, to obtain the perfect match.
