Japanese Skills for
Your Business and Career
Japanese for Career & Business
Practical Japanese for Professionals, Students & Future Careers
Personalized Online Training Worldwide
Japanese Training for Your Career and Future
OWL provides personalized one-on-one online Japanese language and cross-cultural communication training for professionals, university students, graduates, and career-focused learners.
Each program is customized to the learner’s goals, Japanese proficiency, professional or academic background, and future plans. Lessons focus on practical communication skills that can be applied in the workplace, in Japan, and in future career opportunities.
Training may include Business Japanese, workplace communication, cross-cultural communication, preparation for working in Japan, and advanced Japanese for career development.
Professional Japanese Training
Personalized Japanese language training for professionals and adult learners. Each lesson is tailored to your goals, level, and individual needs, with practical instruction designed to improve accuracy, confidence, and real-world communication.
Whether you use Japanese for work, communicate with Japanese colleagues or clients, prepare for business travel, or simply want to advance your Japanese skills, lessons are customized to help you make steady and measurable progress.
Achievement Goals
Clear learning goals are set based on your level and individual needs, with progress reviewed regularly.
Personalized Homework
Targeted assignments are provided when appropriate to reinforce learning and support steady progress.
Progress & Feedback
Regular feedback helps you understand your strengths, areas for improvement, and next learning goals.
Professional & Personalized Lessons
Personalized one-on-one Japanese lessons for professionals and adult learners, tailored to your level, goals, and learning needs.
Business Japanese
Workplace communication, meetings, emails, presentations, and professional interaction.
Comprehensive Japanese
Intermediate — Balanced training in speaking, listening, reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary.
Comprehensive Japanese
Advanced — Advanced Japanese through authentic materials, discussion, and analytical reading and writing.
Conversation Practice
Structured speaking practice to improve fluency, accuracy, and natural expression.
Japanese Skills Focus
Targeted lessons focusing on specific skills such as speaking, grammar, vocabulary, reading, or writing.
JLPT Test Preparation
Personalized preparation for JLPT N5–N1.
Japanese for Beginners
One-on-one foundational Japanese for beginner learners.
Group Programs
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Introductory Japanese — 5-Session Group Course
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Group Reading — Elementary / Advanced
About Your Trainer
Naoko Araya is a Corporate Japanese Language Trainer specializing in Business Japanese and cross-cultural communication for professionals.
She began teaching Japanese after moving to New York in 2010 and is now based in Michigan. With more than 10 years of teaching experience, she has worked with professionals and adult learners primarily across the United States, as well as in Asia and Europe.
Naoko specializes in helping professionals who work with Japanese companies, colleagues, clients, and business partners. Each training program is customized according to the learner’s profession, responsibilities, Japanese proficiency level, and communication goals.
Her lessons focus on practical Japanese that can be used directly in professional situations, including meetings, emails, presentations, workplace conversations, business travel, and assignments in Japan.
She also helps learners understand Japanese workplace culture, professional etiquette, communication styles, and cross-cultural differences, enabling them to communicate more confidently and build stronger professional relationships.
Naoko Araya
Corporate Japanese Language Trainer
Business Japanese | Cross-Cultural Communication
Professional Qualifications
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MTTC Japanese 100 — Passed
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ACTFL OPI Japanese — Advanced High
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420-Hour Japanese Language Teacher Training Program — Completed
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B.A. in English and American Literature
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10+ Years of Japanese Language Teaching Experience
Student Testimonials
Read what students say about their experience with OWL Japanese Lessons. These testimonials reflect progress in online Japanese lessons, including conversation, grammar, reading, pronunciation, JLPT preparation, and personalized learning support.
“Naoko-san is a great teacher. I've been taking weekly lessons with her for about a month now, and I'm very happy with the progress I've made. She has tailored the lessons according to my needs, and has a very systematic way of teaching the language. Within four lessons, I'm now able to make some basic conservations in Japanese. I highly recommend Naoko-san as your tutor."
Posted by Guo-Quan S.
“I’ve spent a whole year with naoko and thanks to her i’m oing to Japan to study. She’s great and a wonderful person. Instead of saying that she helped me in japanese (that of course she did, and did it great) I would rather say that she has been my life coach and my friend, a real (and rare to find) sensei. We laughed, we enjoyed, we exchanged opinions and cultural aspects of our life and that was awesome. I can’t thank her enough for everything she did.”
Posted by Paolo.B
“Naoko-san's lessons are always very interesting, time flies! She is a very patient and supportive teacher. This year, she guides me towards JLPT N3, and I must say she is doing a fantastic job. I've received lots of useful materials, and we always study using authentic Japanese. Naoko-san has a lot of experience, and she always finds a way for me to understand this difficult language. I would not hesitate to recommend her lessons to anyone interested in the Japanese language and culture.
Posted by Gosia K.
“Naoko san is a kind, patient and knowledgeable teacher. I have been taking lessons with her for about a year and look forward to my classes every week. Naoko san has helped me learn how to read hiragana and katakana more fluently with consistent reading practice. In addition, I have been learning to speak correctly and with confidence during our weekly lessons. She gives interesting and engaging homework assignments that effectively reinforce what I have learned. Therefore, I would recommend Naoko san as a teacher for those who are seeking high quality Japanese lessons.”
Posted by Jill J
“I highly recommend Naoko anyone who is considering a Japanese tutor for themselves or their child/children. Naoko has been tutoring our son in Japanese for over a year now. Naoko is well-organized and provides thorough materials. Her manner is extremely professional. She is always courteous and punctual. It is very easy to communicate with her via text or email to make plans or cancellations when necessary. I just cannot express how thankful I am that we found her. She has greatly enriched my son’s Japanese learning experience and has consistently provided lesson materials, and interactions that have significantly improved my son’s speaking skills and knowledge of Japanese vocabulary, grammar, and culture. Our son takes 60 minute in-person lessons bi-weekly and is always eager to attend. He really enjoys his lessons and interactions with Naoko. His Japanese has greatly improved during his time with her."
Posted by Samantha V.
“I'm a new student, taking online lessons with Naoko-san. I really enjoy Sensei's approach with teaching and learning. She created a lesson plan that is flexible and fun. This is an integrated, customized approach with conversation practice and free talk, short essay writing with grammar and stylistic correction, and textbook learning. Naoko-san also provided a range of learning resources. I highly recommend these classes and her teaching methodology!”
Posted by Laura. S.
“Every lesson is so well-prepared and thought out. I enjoy the variety of materials that are used in the class, and all of the conversation practice about a wide variety of subjects!”
Posted by Haley. H
“A few months ago, my son applied to Stanford University's Reischauer Scholars Program, and yesterday he was notified that he has been accepted!! Only 25 to 30 exceptional high school students are selected from the United States to participate in this intensive study of Japan. We are so happy and excited for him. It has been such a blessing seeing him study and become more and more interested in Japan over the last 3 years. I have learned much from his studies and now, to see this new door open for his growth and learning makes me very thankful for his hard work and enthusiasm, and I am appreciative that his study has been recognized in such a way. Naoko, you have been the central teaching figure in his Japanese education, his living connection to Japan. Thank you so much for your letter of recommendation and your dedication to teaching.”
Posted by Bruce V.
“We love Naoko-san. She is really patient and works well with my children. They are bilingual Japanese and English but still need to learn kanji and keep practicing. Having lessons with her helps keep up their Japanese language ability. She is very professional and organized and is also good with kids. I highly recommend Naoko.”
Posted by Leah. T.
“I’ve been studying with Naoko for several years, and in that time, I’ve gone from only knowing hiragana and katakana to being proficient in Japanese at around the N3 level. I could never have made such progress without her. She is enthusiastic and genuinely invested in helping her students succeed and tailors classes to their individual goals. She is extremely knowledgeable about her field and always knows the right learning materials to use. You could not ask for a better guide on your language-learning journey!”
Posted by Nicolas. V.