an online Japanese school with students from all over the world.
2024/12/19
A new beginner podcast episode is out: 忘年会
2024/12/12
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: ガチャガチャ
2024/12/8
A new advanced podcast episode is out: 週末の作りおき
2024/12/6
New Words and Kanji of the Year!
2024/12/3
A new beginner podcast episode is out: 私の好きなチョコレート
2024/11/25
Last Minute Tips for JLPT Preparation
2024/11/25
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: 天気の神社
2024/11/14
A new advanced podcast episode is out: つながらない権利
2024/11/7
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: カラオケで City Pop
2024/10/31
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: 私の地元の好きな人たち
2024/10/17
A new beginner podcast episode is out: 先生たちと飲み会
2024/10/10
A new advanced podcast episode is out: 最近、英語の練習のためにやっていること
2024/10/3
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: 母の誕生日プレゼント
2024/9/26
A new beginner podcast episode is out: 近所にできたショッピングモール
2024/9/19
A new beginner podcast episode is out: 新しい Macbook
2024/9/13
A new advanced podcast episode is out: Netflix -地面師たち-
2024/9/5
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: ボクシングを始めて3ヶ月
2024/8/29
A new interview podcast episode is out: 日本語や英語のレッスンで何をする？ Interview with Chiharu Part 2
2024/8/22
A new interview podcast episode is out: 日本語や英語のレッスンで何をする？ Interview with Chiharu Part 1
2024/8/15
A new interview podcast episode is out: 日本語ピクニック lead teacher のちはるさん interview with Chiharu
2024/8/8
A new beginner podcast episode is out: Waymo
2024/8/1
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: ハラハラ
2024/7/25
A new advanced podcast episode is out: 模様替えをしました
2024/7/20
Get Ready For Job Interviews With Nihongo Picnic!
2024/7/18
A new beginner podcast episode is out: 中学校の旅行
2024/7/11
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: 結婚式に行きました
2024/7/4
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: ゆかたを着ました
2024/6/27
A new advanced podcast episode is out: 長男の部活が終わりました
2024/6/20
A new beginner podcast episode is out: ボクシングを始めました
2024/6/13
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: 日本語のイベントをしました
2024/6/6
A new advanced podcast episode is out: 温泉でケーキとワイン
2024/5/30
A new beginner podcast episode is out: Apple Vision Pro
2024/5/23
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: New York
2024/5/16
We are having an in-person event for learners of Japanese in Tokyo on June 4th!
2024/5/16
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: Buenos Aires
2024/5/9
A new advanced podcast episode is out: San Francisco
2024/5/2
A new interview podcast episode is out: ポーランド interview with Akane Part 3
2024/4/25
A new interview podcast episode is out: ポーランド interview with Akane Part 2
2024/4/18
A new interview podcast episode is out: ポーランド interview with Akane Part 1
2024/4/11
A new beginner podcast episode is out: おんせんでアイスクリーム
2024/4/4
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: 飛行機で何をしますか
2024/3/28
A new beginner podcast episode is out: 読書会に行きました
2024/3/28
Special One-on-One lessons for the JLPT
2024/3/21
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: アルゼンチンとアメリカに行きます！
2024/3/14
A new advanced podcast episode is out: マルハラ
2024/3/12
Our website has a Japanese page now!
2024/3/7
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: 美容院と私
2024/2/29
A new beginner podcast episode is out: コンビニの中のバー
2024/2/15
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: Tokyo Disney Land
2024/2/1
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: 好きなおにぎり
2024/1/25
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: 英語のレッスンが始まりました！
2024/1/18
A new beginner podcast episode is out: 毎日の飲み物
2024/1/11
A new advanced podcast episode is out: 買わなければよかったもの
2024/1/4
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: あけましておめでとうございます
2023/12/28
A new beginner podcast episode is out: Kindle
2023/12/14
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: 友達がやってるカフェに行きました！
2023/12/7
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: 「いらないねこ」
2023/11/23
A new advanced podcast episode is out: 本 Making of a Manager
2023/11/16
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: Dawn Cafe
2023/11/9
A new beginner podcast episode is out: もも
2023/11/2
A new advanced podcast episode is out: 客引き
2023/10/26
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: ライドシェア
2023/10/19
A new advanced podcast episode is out: 新幹線で九州へ
2023/10/5
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: スイカゲーム
2023/9/28
A new beginner podcast episode is out: 小学校の運動会
2023/9/21
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: 友達がやってるカフェ
2023/9/7
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: 電車で長野に行きました
2023/8/31
A new beginner podcast episode is out: 私の好きなスタバのメニュー
2023/8/24
A new advanced podcast episode is out: 結婚式
2023/8/17
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: IT企業の本屋さん
2023/8/10
A new beginner podcast episode is out: 花火
2023/8/3
A new advanced podcast episode is out: 外のゴミ箱
2023/7/27
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: 夏のBBQ
2023/7/20
A new beginner podcast episode is out: BitSummit
2023/7/13
A new advanced podcast episode is out: ねほりんぱほりん
2023/7/6
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: 中学生のおでかけ
2023/6/29
A new advanced podcast episode is out: この半年で読んだ本
2023/6/22
A new beginner podcast episode is out: 家の中の図書館
2023/6/15
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: スタバで働くルール
2023/6/8
A new beginner podcast episode is out: 映画館
2023/6/1
A new advanced podcast episode is out: 空き家問題
2023/5/25
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: エスカレーターのルール
2023/5/18
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: 日本語ピクニックのピクニック
2023/5/11
A new beginner podcast episode is out: SUGIZO
2023/4/28
A new interview podcast episode is out: 東京の保育園 interview with Momo Part 2
2023/4/21
A new interview podcast episode is out: 東京の保育園 interview with Momo Part 1
2023/4/14
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: ゲーマーの友達
2023/4/7
A new advanced podcast episode is out: 燃え殻さんのエッセイ
2023/4/5
Nihongo Picnic now has 3 official advisors on the team that will be helping us expand the business!
2023/3/31
A new beginner podcast episode is out: さくらタウン
2023/3/24
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: カルテット on Netflix
2023/3/17
A new advanced podcast episode is out: Online security について考える
2023/3/10
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: 新宿のゴールデン街
2023/3/3
A new interview podcast episode is out: PSVR2 で Horizon Call Of The Mountainを遊びました interview with Ayumi
2023/2/24
A new advanced podcast episode is out: Mercariで家具を買いました
2023/2/22
Join our Pilot Class - Business Japanese
2023/2/13
Ako will give a talk about online security for Japanese teachers at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.
2023/2/11
A new intermediate podcast episode is out: 雪の思い出
2023/2/10
We made original LINE stickers for learners of Japanese!
2023/2/6
JLPT Preparation: Practical tips
2023/2/3
A new beginner podcast episode is out: おすすめレシピ！まぐろアボカド丼
2023/2/1
Classes Opening in February 2023
2023/1/27
A new advanced podcast episode is out:「かがみの孤城」
2023/1/23
What is Discussion Class at Nihongo Picnic like?
2023/1/22
Pilot Class for Intermediate Discussion will be held in February 2023
2023/1/20
A new interview podcast episode is out: Vegetarian in 東京 with Junko part 2
2023/1/18
We are hiring! ピクニックでは日本語教師を募集中です！
2023/1/13
A new interview podcast episode is out: Vegetarian in 東京 with Junko part 1
2023/1/6
A new advanced podcast episode is out: あけましておめでとうございます
2023/1/5
Our Podcast is featured on The Japan Times
Connect with others and improve your Japanese in a collaborative group setting.
・Practice speaking with other people
・Learn from other people’s mistakes and successes
・Meet people with the same goals
Achieve your learning goals with lessons designed just for you.
・Get a more customized learning experience
・Receive one-on-one attention from the instructor
・Focus on the areas that you need to work on the most
1 on 1 with your teacher
Starting from once a week
Fit to your schedule
Get updates on employee’s progress
Customized for your goals
Starting from once a week
We offer customized Japanese lessons for corporate clients. Please let us know the goals and current situation of your employees’ Japanese skill.
No one picks up a language with one hour of class-time a week. How can we best establish your foundation, nurture your progress, and accelerate your learning outside the time we spend together?
Balancing theory with practical tools, Nihongo Picnic is language learning, evolved.
Jenn Harrison
Starter
Akane-sensei's Starter Class with Nihongo Picnic is a lot of fun, and absolutely brightens my Tuesdays every week. She provides a very friendly and cooperative learning atmosphere, is more than happy to help with any questions, and is very organized with her work. It's awesome that she adds additional small stories, vocab, and phrases of interest during our classes too - I've definitely gotten more confident in my Japanese speaking & listening skills thanks to Akane-sensei. I love this class so much, and I highly recommend it!
Norbert Woehnl
Beginner 1
The teacher makes learning a really fun and interactive experience. They also did a great job at the beginning of finding the right entry level for me and the fellow students - with everybody at a similar level, it is even more motivating to study and improve together. I look forward to continuing my studies and improving my Japanese abilities, and can sincerely recommend Nihongo Picnic to anyone.
Jamie C
Intermediate
My job sometimes makes it difficult to have a lot of energy to study Japanese. I often finish my class energized and excited to continue studying. The different "levels" of homework let me keep learning when I have extra time, or I can just do the "basic" homework if I am busy.
Krystel
High-intermediate
This is my 2nd class and I've had different teachers for each. Both teachers made sure we understand the grammar and vocabularies. Pretty satisfied that Nihongo Picnic listens to students' feedback. For instance, we asked for news articles for reading from last class and then my next class had news articles for reading comprehension.
Joey Alonzo
JLPT N3
Nihongo Picnic's lessons are perfect if you are looking for a fast paced prep course for the JLPT test! Vocabulary, grammar, and reading are all covered thoroughly and intensely!
David Laskey
Advanced
Nihongo Picnic is filling a gap I've felt in my Japanese studies for a while. The class sizes are small so everyone gets a chance to practice, and the teachers are really kind, knowledgeable, and eager to help you grow!
Kevin Schlenker
Business Japanese
Business Japanese can be a minefield, from the different levels of Keigo - all the way to actually speaking about business topics and trends. But three months of 1x week lessons in the business Japanese course and I feel more confident knowing key phrases to help you feel more confident in business settings.
The course is incredibly well structured with weekly phrases set as the main aim of each lesson, complemented by email samples, homework and class discussion.
It’s great doing these as a group as well since we get to role play and even do short, 1 min. Speeches sometimes (it’s a bit scary at first!) but all great practice in a fun and well organised environment.
This class is a great place to start if you have never learned business japanese or Keigo / or if you want to re-enforce some of your previous knowledge.
Wade Bannister
Starter
The Starter class with Miki was perfect for me. The pace of the class was right on and there was flexibility in the homework to allow us to do more or less depending on how much time we had. The classes were always engaging and all the students got opportunities to speak and listen as well as receive individualized feedback. It really helped jumpstart my Japanese learning!
James pearson
Private
Before taking the class I just kind of resigned myself to being the person who was fine with just reading Japanese and not speaking it, but thanks to the course my speaking ability and confidence to strike up a conversation with others and have my options properly expressed had increased exponentially.
Catherine G.
Beginner 1
Izumi sensei is a kind and skilled teacher. At first I felt nervous about speaking in Japanese, but her warm personality makes me feel welcome, even when I make mistakes. I'm so glad to be her student!
Atila Orhon
Starter
The Nihongo Picnic Slack community as well as the class cohorts build a nice camaraderie that I didn't expect from an online language school, kudos!
Jack E.
Beginner 1
This class accelerated my study by allowing me to speak out loud, something that's hard living away from Japan. By having a focus on verbal communication, the conversation class teaches me to express myself and better listen to others; it also reenforces grammar and vocabulary that I learn through reading and memorizing.
Lisa
Starter
The Starter class with Miki was really great! I am someone who struggles with severe social anxiety, so normal classes have always been very difficult for me. The small class with Miki was a perfect fit for me. Not only has it helped me with my understanding and pronunciation, but it has also helped me to be more comfortable talking with other people. I look forward to the Beginner class!
SC
Advanced
I enjoy attempting to speak about deeper topics, and having a regular cadence of homework helps keep me active in Japanese. The teacher does a great job encouraging conversation and keeping things lively.
Sean Sanford
Starter
I was a little nervous about starting to learn a foreign language, but the instructor has done a phenomenal job making learning Japanese approachable and fun. Even if you're only able to do the minimum homework, and attend the hour long class, you'll walk away having learned something, and feeling confident in your ability to learn more.
Cody Wilson
Intermediate
The lessons are well put together. The opportunity to practice Japanese with native speakers as well as other students in whole group and small group settings provides a variety that makes practice exciting.
Schedule a 25 minute meeting to learn if Nihongo Picnic is right for your goals.
During the call, we will decide which class is right for you.
We will send you a link to complete your payment.
We will invite you to join slack, where there will be a channel for your class, and you can talk to students and teachers.
Class begins! You will get a calendar invite you can join.
CEO / Japanese Teacher
Ako has taught Japanese as a freelancer since 2002. She is well-known on social media for her informative and interesting Japanese tweets, and has experience working in games and IT sectors teaching Japanese. Ako is interested in how to make language learning motivating for students, and is creating her own content and events to help students stay motivated and enjoy studying Japanese.
Lead Teacher
Chiharu has been teaching Japanese for about 5 years. Before becoming a Japanese teacher, she used to work for a hospital as a nurse. For the past 5 years, she’s been teaching Japanese at a Japanese school, companies, online classes and more. At the Japanese school, she had some classes focused on kanji in addition to other classes. She’s very research-oriented and always actively improving her teaching skills. Chiharu loves football.
School Coordinator
Momo is our school coordinator at Nihongo Picnic. She works closely with both students and teachers to build a collaborative environment focused on Japanese learning. Her ability to work with people with different nationalities and backgrounds is proven in her former work as an office manager at an international games company. If you have any questions about the tools or even the tuition payment, she is your go-to person! She is also passionate about language learning!
With 15+ years of entrepreneurial experience in Japan, Guillaume provides advice on company management and cross-cultural communication.
Mark provides us with support for both B2C and B2B marketing, driving new business development, and offering guidance on Japanese language classes within the gaming industry.
Leveraging his expertise in operating a coding school in Tokyo, Kani offers guidance on school management and recruitment, as well as in implementing IT tools.
Heather is a globally-recognized, ICF-certified transformational leadership coach and educator based in Tokyo. She helps Nihongo Picnic create an environment of psychological safety for lessons.
Canyon is product designer & software engineer building the language learning app Context and collaborating with Nihongo Picnic to build digital tools that help teachers and students.
Do you sponsor student visas?
Sorry, we do not.
Is it possible to join from outside of Japan?
Our classes are online by default so you can join from anywhere in the world!
Do you offer lessons for children?
Yes, this is possible. Please contact us for details.
If I miss a lesson will I get my money back?
For group lessons, if you miss a session you will not be able to get that money back. However to make sure the next lesson goes smoothly, we will always provide details of what was covered in that lesson over slack. For private lessons, it is possible to cancel up to 24 hours before hand, but if you cancel after that you will still have to pay 100% of the lesson fee even if you cannot make it.
Are the lessons all in Japanese?
Aside from the starter class, all classes are conducted in Japanese. For private lessons and corporate lessons, please let us know your preference.
Can I view a recording of the lesson afterward?
We do not record our classes, to avoid any unexpected trouble. Also, when things are being recorded students and teachers may feel uncomfortable speaking freely which can get in the way of the class. While we don’t record the classes themselves, the slides used during the lesson are shared with everyone. Students who miss class would be able to review past slides and homework on slack so that they can join the next lesson smoothly.
Fill in the form below and we will contact you to figure out next steps or answer any questions you have.
