Meet the Team

Team Members

	Peter Galante A resident of Japan for over 9 years and candidate for Phd. at a prestigious Japanese university, Peter began JapanesePod101.com in December 2005 to bring his passion for Japanese, Japan and its culture to students of the language throughout the world. He has been student of linguistics and teaching for over 9 years.
	Natsuko Kawamoto The founding member of JapanesePod101.com, Natsuko is a translator at Erklaren, Inc. She lived in New York for four years when she was in elementary school, and is a graduate of Aoyama Gakuin University. She joined Erklaren Inc. in April 1998 and has been with the company since.
	Sakura Suzuki One of the original members of JapanesePod101.com, Sakura is also a translator at Erklaren, Inc. She lived in Ireland as a child, which is the source of her adorable English accent. Sakura is also a graduate of Aoyama Gakuin University.
	Chigusa Yamaguchi The host of a well known radio show in Tokyo, and has appeared on many other radio shows and television programs.
	Naomi Kambe Naomi is a qualified Japanese language teacher. She has experience teaching Japanese at secondary schools in Australia and the US. Since returning to Japan, she has also been involved in Japanese language training for exchange students and trainees from overseas. She is also a government-approved interpreter/guide and she possesses credentials of certification in tea ceremony, flower arrangement, and kimono dressing.
	Hiroko Nakamura Hiroko has been working as a freelance translator and simultaneous interpreter in and outside of Japan since 2004. She graduated from the Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas in 2007, obtaining a BA there. Since returning to Japan, she has been teaching at an international school while continuing to work as a translator and interpreter. She has obtained an ESL certification recognized by the Southern Baptist Convention. She has scored a 970 on the TOEIC test.
	Jessi Nuss Jessi was born and raised in California in the U.S., and currently resides in Tokyo, Japan. She hosts the Lower Intermediate Series and also developed and edited content for numerous other series at JapanesePod101.com. She holds a degree in Linguistics and Asian Languages and Cultures with a focus on Modern Japanese from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Besides Japanese, she is also fluent in Spanish, and she enjoys sharing her passion for languages with language learners from all over the world.
	Yuuki Mori Yuuki lived in Vancouver, Canada for two years and obtained certification for teaching Japanese at Yano Academy, in Vancouver, Canada. He is teaching Japanese as part of the Premium Plus Skype lesson at JapanesePod101.com. He is also a snowboard instructor at Gala Yuzawa in Yuzawa, Nigata. He has been learning Shorinji Kempo, martial arts for over ten years.
	Anthony Cannon Walker An artist and linguist and translator, Anthony has lived in Japan for 9 years. He first came to Japan on a 1 year exchange program as a high school student and went on to get a BA in Japanese language and an MFA from the prestigious Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. News and examples of Anthony’s artwork can be viewed at www.walker-art.net
	Yuuichi Suzuki Yuuichi is a graduate student at a university in Japan, majoring second language teaching. He started working at JapanesePod101.com in 2007 on internship. He has experience teaching Japanese at secondary schools in Australia and universities in Asian countries.
	Katherine Crosbie Kat was born and brought up in Edinburgh, Scotland, and began studying Japanese at the age of 18. She has lived in Japan for a total of just over two years, including a year of study abroad at Seikei University, Kichijoji, Tokyo, as one of a total of just twelve international students. She currently lives in Yokohama. She is a graduate of Edinburgh University with a first-class honours degree in Japanese Studies with Distinction in spoken Japanese, and is due to enter Tokyo University in April 2010 to read a Master’s degree in Sociology with a focus on gender studies. Kat has had a variety of interesting job experiences in Japan, including but not limited to izakaya waitress, maid cafe maid, and tour guide - all of which she says had “sociological value”! Kat puts her Japanese prowess down to the simple fact that she loves to talk - in any language - and believes that anyone can become fluent in a foreign language with self-confidence and the right motivation.
	Christopher Nelson Chris first came to Japan as an exchange student from the University of Minnesota. After graduating with a bachelors degree in Japanese language and literature, he returned to Tokyo to live and work full time. Chris now fills his time as an English teacher, voice-actor, Master of Ceremonies, and amateur musician.
	Motoko Obata Motoko was born in the US and raised in Tokyo, Japan. She is interested in languages— especially English because of her origins—and has found that Japanese is the most interesting language. She completed a course in Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language at the International Christian University in Tokyo. After graduating, she went to Melbourne, Australia and participated in the Assistants to Teachers of Japanese Program, sponsored by the Department of Education in Victoria. She cultivated her passion for Japanese while teaching the language to energetic Australian kids for one year, and then joined the JapanesePod101.com team in 2012.
	Tomoyuki Tsuchiya Tomoyuki Tsuchiya was born in Tokyo. After living in Texas for 2 years during his childhood, he forgot some Japanese and had to study it from the beginning. After a long effort, he is now a researcher of Japanese linguistics, and is conducting research about Japanese idioms and proverbs while teaching at a university.
	Natsuko Yamamori Natsuko is a native Japanese speaker. She’s currently working as a freelance interpreter/translator of English and Portuguese. As a longtime big fan of soccer, she wanted to become an interpreter for soccer players when she was 16 years old. To that end, she studied Portuguese at the Osaka University of Foreign Studies. She recently worked for the international championships of volleyball as a team interpreter. She also took a one-year postgraduate diploma course in teaching Japanese in London. Describing herself as a language/linguistics maniac, she’s very happy to meet the listeners at JapanesePod101.com and help them learn Japanese..
	Alisha Alisha was born in California and raised in Oregon. She’s a native English speaker. Following graduation and after obtaining her BA in Japanese with a secondary concentration in business, she worked as an English teacher for two years in Japan before transferring to her current positions. She currently works at both Tokyo University and a beer/spirits import company. She enjoys cooking, knitting, exploring Tokyo, and sampling craft beer from all around the world. She is very glad to be working with the JapanesePod101.com team, and hopes that the listeners will enjoy her work as well.
	Risa Risa was born in Aichi Prefecture in Japan. She spent a year abroad in London and studied English there. She’s now studying French. She’s very interested in traveling around the world, and hopes to travel to as many countries as possible. Besides that, she also likes playing guitar and singing songs at karaoke. She enjoys helping people learn Japanese at JapanesePod101.com
	Miki Hatanaka Miki was born and raised in Mie, Japan. She used to live in the international dormitory of Nagoya University for three years, and that experience stirred up her interest in foreign language and international communication. She also taught basic English and other subjects as a part-time teacher to cram school students aged 10 to 18 when she was at college. Now she works for JapanesePod101 and a translation company. She likes traveling abroad, watching O-warai (Japanese-style comedy), and learning English.
	Keiko Keiko was born and raised in Japan and currently resides in CA, USA. She started her career as an architectural designer after graduating from the university. Along with her life-stage change, she started her new career as a translator/interpreter/language teacher. She is very happy working with the JapanesePod101.com team, and hoping that she can make many language learners happy as well.
	Aki Aki was born and raised in Nagasaki, Japan. Languages are her passion. She earned a BA in Turkish from the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and started her carrier at a publishing house in Tokyo. She later worked as a proofreader and editor in Saga, Japan. She spent a year in northern Manitoba, Canada teaching Japanese to local children. After traveling the world, Aki has put down roots in a French village in eastern Quebec. She currently works as a freelance translator and proofreader.
	Izumi Izumi was born in Amami-Oshima, Kagoshima and raised in Ishigaki-jima, Okinawa. She studied English further in Oregon after she graduated from high school and went to college in Hawaii. She lives in the U.S now, but she taught English at a cram school for Jr. High schoolers before she moved there. She plays the piano, does Japanese calligraphy which she started when she was 5, and she still enjoys those. She joined the JapanesePod101.com team in November 2018 and she is thrilled to be a part of them.
	Yasuko Ushijima Yasuko presides over a theatrical group called GLENS in Tokyo. She draws on her experience in radio broadcasting for her work at JapanesePod101.com, to which she lends her clear, easy-to-understand voice. She hopes to continue working on the fun projects at JapanesePod101.com that are similar to the comedies she works on in the theater group.
	Takeya Kodama Takeya was born and raised in Tokyo. He has a passion for nature, the mountains, and the ocean thanks to his parents who put a lot of emphasis on enjoying nature as he was growing up. After graduating high school, he aimed to become a musician and devoted himself to performing live shows (where he did guitar and vocals) for 12 years. He was introduced to JapanesePod101.com by Natsuko-san, and has been doing voice acting for the site since 2006. He is also a qualified Japanese sake advisor.
	Go Katsumoto Go is a stage actor who mainly acts with the theatrical group Tokyo Geo Grande. As a part of this group, he appeared in “The Second Class of Approach Performance - Mission in the Office” in June 2008 and “The Third Class of Approach Performance - Mission of the Future” in January 2009. He has also appeared on a TV show called “Noriyuki’s Talk in Hokkaido” broadcasted by Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting Co., Ltd. He has been doing voice acting for JapanesePod101.com since January 2009.
	Chihiro Nagai Chihiro works mostly as a voice actress, but in addition does narration, stage work, and also works as an extra. Her previous works include Yusha no Kuse ni Namaiki da, Sugar+Spice!! Ano kono suteki na nanimokamo, O-chaken Hotto Medaru, Lair Land ~Shojo no Yakujo~, Spectral Force 3, Bokura no Pererandia!, Senchimento no Kisetsu, Card Battle Game “Gakuen Burai”.
	Mayumi Kishimoto Mayumi was born and brought up in Tokyo, Japan. She is Project Manager and a content creator at JapanesePod101.com. She became interested in teaching Japanese as a foreign language and studied how to teach it while working for another company. She passed the Japanese language teaching competency test and joined the JapanesePod101.com team in March 2007.
	Noriyuki Noriyuki lived in Seattle, Washington in the U.S. for four years, and learned English, American culture, and CIS (computer information systems). With great reluctance he left the U.S., and shortly after scored a 980 on the TOEIC test. In November 2007, he joined the JapanesePod101.com team and has been working as an engineer/audio editor and occasionally as a voice actor. He is also a scuba diving maniac.
	Kaori Furuhashi Kaori was born and raised in Kanagawa, Japan. She has a licence to teach English at junior high and high schools in Japan. She worked in a trading company for about five years and at the same time she studied the translation of American movies and TV dramas into Japanese. Through translating English conversation into Japanese conversation she noticed many interesting aspects of the Japanese language. Currently, she is studying Japanese education at a graduate school in Tokyo, and teaches Japanese at a language school.
	Nana S Nana is a certified Japanese teacher born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. She graduated from Rikkyo University with a major in Intercultural Communication and Japanese-Language Pedagogy. She completed a 4-year Japanese teacher training course at Rikkyo in 2015. Nana has always been a driven individual with a strong sense of curiosity, and she had many passions, and hobbies even at a young age. Interests such as learning a new language, arts & crafts, professional makeup artistry, and of course, traveling, have consistently been some of the most rewarding pursuits in her life.
	Risa M Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, Risa has traveled the world for both education and work. She was an exchange student at a high school in the U.S. Later, she was graduated from a university in Tokyo and earned a Master’s degree in the UK at a prestigious British university. Her professional experience is also diverse, including business development in Japan, project management and coordination in East Africa and the UK, and translation, article writing, market research, and so forth, in various countries. She loves traveling and she has been to around 50 countries so far. Apart from her mother tongue, she speaks fluent English as well as beginner-level Swahili and Italian.