Meet Your Instructor
A native speaker with real-world teaching experience.
Mie Suzuki
Founder & Lead Instructor
Toronto, Ontario
Born and raised in Tokyo. Mie holds a BA in Japanese Language & Literature from Nishogakusha University and a Diploma in Japanese Language Instruction from the Inter-Cultural Institute of Japan. She taught at ISI Japanese Language School in Tokyo before moving to Toronto over a decade ago. With over a decade of experience, she specializes in business Japanese, JLPT preparation, and conversational fluency.
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We are growing. If you are a native Japanese speaker with a passion for teaching, we would love to hear from you.
View Open PositionsHow We Teach
Four principles that guide every lesson.
Conversational First
Speaking from day one. Grammar is important, but communication comes first. You will be forming sentences and having real exchanges before you memorize a single conjugation table.
Cultural Context
Language without culture is hollow. Every lesson weaves in the social norms, etiquette, and unspoken rules that make Japanese truly make sense — not just textbook translations.
Personalized Pace
No two students learn the same way. Your lessons adapt to your speed, your interests, and your goals. Struggling with keigo? We slow down. Flying through katakana? We move on.
Real-World Application
Every lesson connects to something you can use immediately — ordering at a restaurant, navigating a train station, reading a menu, understanding an anime without subtitles.
Why We Teach Japanese
We launched Tabiji because we believe language is the deepest way to experience a place. Our founder grew up in Tokyo, spent years travelling across Asia, Australia, and North America, and eventually settled in Toronto over a decade ago. Along the way, one thing became clear: the best moments abroad never came from guidebooks. They came from conversations — with a ramen shop owner in Fukuoka, a stranger on a Shinkansen platform, a colleague who finally understood the joke.
That is what we teach toward. Not textbook Japanese, but the kind that unlocks real connection — the confidence to navigate a Tokyo subway, order off a handwritten menu, or hold your own in a business meeting. Whether you are planning your first trip to Japan, relocating for work, or reconnecting with heritage, we build lessons around the life you actually want to live.
Tabiji means "the journey path." It is the idea that learning a language is not a destination but a road — and every student walks their own. Our mission is to make Japanese accessible, personal, and genuinely useful. We walk beside you, point out the things you might miss, and make sure you enjoy the view along the way.