Search
Masahide F.'s Photo

Native Japanese tutor/Genki1&2/JLPT/Conversation for All levels
Masahide F.

740 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Instant Book

Hourly rate: $45

Claim a session with Masahide F. that fits your schedule

See more options

About Masahide


Bio

I am a native Japanese speaker. My knowledge about Japan is very broad based on my experience. I worked 15 years in USA and nearly 30 years in Japan including management position.

I got a degree of marine engineering in Japan. I used to work onboard ship as a ship’s engineer, visiting so many countries. Also, while I worked at the head office of the shipping line, I often went on a biz trip to many countries. After returning to America, in 2018, I graduated from Orange Coast College of...

I am a native Japanese speaker. My knowledge about Japan is very broad based on my experience. I worked 15 years in USA and nearly 30 years in Japan including management position.

I got a degree of marine engineering in Japan. I used to work onboard ship as a ship’s engineer, visiting so many countries. Also, while I worked at the head office of the shipping line, I often went on a biz trip to many countries. After returning to America, in 2018, I graduated from Orange Coast College of California in political science major to acquire broader knowledge about America. In this way, I have been exposed to many different cultures and have learned a lot about the life of people. In the meantime, while I worked in Japan and America, I used to give a lecture on machinery for new guys/customers. The opportunities help a lot about how to teach. Therefore, I am confident that I will be able to teach Japanese well in speaking, listening, reading and writing based on my broad experience.


Education

Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology in Japan / Orange Coast College in California
Marine Engineering Political Science

Policies


Schedule

Loading...

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat


Approved Subjects

Japanese

Japanese

I am a native Japanese speaker and a highly experienced Japanese tutor with over 680 hours of Japanese lessons on Wyzant. I specialize in lessons mainly using Genki 1 & 2, JLPT N5/N4 preparation, and Japanese conversation practice for students at all levels – from complete beginners to advanced learners, including free conversation lessons to brush up rusty Japanese(Please see review from Adam). I have lived and worked in Japan for over 30 years and in the U.S. for 15 years, including in management roles. My deep understanding of both cultures allows me to teach practical, real-world Japanese, not just textbook expressions. I’ve helped many students improve their conversation skills, and gain confidence in both written and spoken Japanese. I am/was tutoring high school students with the textbooks of Adventures in Japanese and Yookoso. Furthermore, I am tutoring an advanced student with a JLPT N2 exercise book. Also, I'd be happy to teach intermediate students, using a textbook like "An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese" or "Tobira: Gateway to Advanced Japanese". I have a cousin working at a Language school in Japan (EF international language school) who is teaching Japanese to foreigners in Japan. I am frequently contacting him to get info how to teach Japanese efficiently. My motto is to do my very best any time. From my experience of learning English, I realize that the lesson time only is not enough to improve the skills. What's important is how hard the student works for the preparation of the lesson. The same is true of the tutor. The tutor should spend time on preparation for the lesson in order for the student to have the most effective lesson. I will work hard for all students. Specifically, I have made a recap of the most important or complicated points from the grammar on each lesson which I believe should be of big help for the students to understand the grammar better. It includes verb conjugation, adjective conjugation, Te-form conjugation, and so on. Also, I made a lesson sch
Masahide F.'s Photo

Questions? Contact MASAHIDE before you book.

Still have questions?

Contact Masahide
Response time: 21 minutes

Ratings and Reviews


Rating

5.0 (312 ratings)
5 star
(312)
4 star
(0)
3 star
(0)
2 star
(0)
1 star
(0)

Reviews

Incredibly Patient and Knowledgeable Tutor

I started with Masa-san a couple of years ago with barely any understanding of Japanese beyond some basic Hiragana and Katakana. After working with him through Genki I and reviewing the vocabulary and grammar in-depth, I was able to pass the N5 exam and am currently working towards passing the N4 exam. In general, Masa-san is an incredible teacher who does a fantastic job of explaining different grammar structures in a clear and engaging way. He is patient, thorough, and always willing to review vocabulary until you fully understand it. His structured yet flexible teaching approach ensures that every lesson is productive, and he always tailors his lessons and explanations to suit your learning style. For example, when I expressed interest in developing my reading comprehension, he tailors lessons specifically focused on that section. If your looking for a knowledgeable and dedicated tutor, I highly recommend Masa-san as he is kind and genuinely invested in his students' progress!

Alexander, 187 lessons with Masahide
Tutor responded:

Alex, Thank you very much for your feedback. You are one of the longest standing students I've ever had. I've really enjoyed my lessons with you. It's hard to keep studying, but you've continued your Japanese studies this far while studying and working. That's admirable. Let's keep working together to pass the N4 test! Masa

Excellent tutelage

I've been studying under Masa-sensei since around late 2023, and with both structured and unstructured lessons during our classes, I've gone from barely knowing any hiragana to being able to read, write, and hold basic conversations. He personalises my lessons to make sure that I am progressing at a good pace and practises areas in which I am deficient with me. I hope that as of this post, I will continue to make good progress and that I will be able to pass my Japanese proficiency tests soon!

David, 98 lessons with Masahide
Tutor responded:

David, Thank you for your feedback. Has it already been two years? You’ve really improved a lot. Your reading and writing are now at an intermediate level, so the next focus is on developing your conversational skills. Since you’ve already built such a solid foundation in reading comprehension, it would be a waste not to take your speaking ability further—you already have enough vocabulary and grammar understanding to do so. Let’s keep working hard together. I really enjoy our lessons, David!

Extremely Knowledgeable and Patient Teacher

Masahide is extremely knowledgeable and got right into work on our first lesson. He set's an aggressive pace but that's exactly what I needed. I haven't practiced speaking Japanese nearly as much as I did on our first session. Thank you Masahide-san.

Jeff, 5 lessons with Masahide
Tutor responded:

Jeff, Thank you very much for your feedback. It was fun working with you last week.I absolutely love and warmly welcome people like you who approach learning Japanese with such passion. Let's keep working hard together to study. Looking forward to seeing you this week again! Masa

My first lesson with Mashide

Masahide sensei is a very patient teacher who seems to have a great sense of just the right pace for individual students. He explains things extremely well. I'm looking forward to more lessons from Masahide. So far, it has been a pleasure learning from him. Thank you

Sentwali, 5 lessons with Masahide
Tutor responded:

Sentwali, Thank you very much for your feedback. Your Japanese is pretty good. I've really enjoyed teaching you Japanese. I know you are working hard to improve your Japanese skills as quickly as possible. You told me that you wanted to be able to speak Japanese as close to fluent as possible by the beginning of next year. I replied that the hurdle is quite high. But let's work together toward that goal! I am rooting for you. Masa

Great Teacher and Instructor

Masa San provides clear instruction, explanation, and moves at a speed comfortable for the student. He follows up with a summary of the lesson so students can review and practice the material afterwards. Definitely will continue japanese lessons with him.

David, 4 lessons with Masahide
Tutor responded:

David, Thank you very much for your feedback. It was fun working with you.I love students like you who try to learn Japanese with passion. You are looking to move to Japan to work in the future. Therefore I know you will work hard to learn Japanese. Let me help you with your goal. I will be responsible for tutoring you to improve your conversational skills so that you can work in Japan in the future. Let's work hard together! Masa

Patient tutor and native speaker

I met with Masa san to brush up on Japanese prior to a visit. We met weekly for several months in free-flowing sessions. We discussed many topics and during that time he would use the chat window to clarify words and phrases I didn't know in kanji and furigana. Very helpful

Adam, 5 lessons with Masahide
Tutor responded:

Adam, Thank you very much for your feedback. It was really fun working with you. We discussed a wide variety of topics from family to politics including food preference, travels, economy, global environment and so on. I was very happy to realize that your Japanese was coming back to you very quickly. Have fun in Japan! Masa

Great tutor

Just starting out with Intro to Japanese as a college course. Felt I needed some extra help before the first exam. Masahide is great to work with and very thorough. I did very well on my first exam and plan on continuing to work with him through the semester.

Robert, 14 lessons with Masahide
Tutor responded:

Shay, You did well on the test? I am so so glad to heat that😁 But I was pretty sure that you would get a good grade on the test, because I realized during the first lesson that you worked hard to learn Japanese. Anyway, let's work and enjoy Japanese together going forward👍 Thank you very much for your feedback. Masa

Knowledgeable and patient tutor

Masahide is working with me using the Genki 1 workbook. I am a beginner and he is very easy to work with and very patient. He is very helpful and is very careful to make sure I am pronouncing the words correctly. I highly recommend Masahide as a tutor.

Sara, 13 lessons with Masahide
Tutor responded:

Sara, Thank you very much for your feedback. You are also patient and I realize you are a hard worker. It may take time to master a foreign language, but don't worry. I will be with you as long as you have passion to learn Japanese together with me! I am looking forward to seeing you at the next lesson. Masa

Extremely Understanding & Patient

Grateful for my first lesson with Masasan. I was thankful for the time he spent helping me understand pronunciation and helping me focus on being able to repeat after him in the correct way. ありがとごさいます!

Noah, 16 lessons with Masahide
Tutor responded:

Noah, Thank you very much for your feedback. It was fun working with you. Now we are on the same page about how to improve your conversational skills. The keys to success are previewing and reviewing course materials. I cannot wait to see you again! Masa

A+ Tutor

I needed help crafting a speech I am going to give at a Japanese wedding. Masa did an excellent job of communicating with me ahead of the lesson to coordinate expectations and work to do ahead of time. He translated my full speech to Japanese before the lesson! During the lesson we went line by line and he was very patient. After the lesson, I realized wyzant did not record the session (still haven’t gotten anything?) so he was kind enough to record himself reading the speech and send to me after the fact. Thank you Masa!

Lance, 1 lesson with Masahide
Tutor responded:

Lance, Thank you very much for your feedback. I was impressed with your attempt giving a Japanese speech although you are not so good at speaking Japanese. Your passion, attempting to do so for your brother's wedding in Japan, I love it very much. Your pronunciation is good. I am confident you will do a great job at the wedding. Good luck and enjoy Japan! Masa