Tsubasa Language Services - 808 French Rd

I just joined this year, and i have to say that it’s the best school i’ve been to, hands down. My teacher, Can-sensei is a very patient and understanding teacher who takes the time and effort to ensure i am learning well. Though the language is not easy to pick up, i am glad that my teacher is thorough in teaching and makes learning fun and engaging. This is a very good school for people who want to pick up Japanese as they have a really engaging curriculum! I look forward to all my classes each week as they are really fun! If you are ever thinking to join the school, just do it! One of the best decisions i’ve made in my life!?

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to study Japanese in a few schools such as Japanese Cultural Society and Ikoma Language School in Singapore and even COTO Language School in Tokyo. To those searching for a suitable school, I feel it is important for you to know your purpose of learning Japanese. Is it just an activity / pastime after work and school? Is it for your career development to accomplish a third language and work in a Japanese-related organisation? Is it to find a common community and forge deep friendships with Japanese language lovers alike? Is it to learn more about Japanese culture? If your answers is yes to all of the above, I will highly recommend you to learn under Can-sensei. Can-sensei is the most committed and passionate language teacher I have ever come across over the years. Despite the small setting of his classes, the syllabus and learning environment that Can-sensei provides will not pale in comparison to those big schools in the market. Can-sensei focuses strongly on building a solid foundation and as such, his class is relatively small with not more than 8 persons per session. This is a great bonus as every student obtains a good amount of attention from Sensei and he is able to correct you on the spot, especially on your pronunciation and conversational skills. With a small class, you will soon forge great friendship with your classmates and this makes learning even more enjoyable! Another interesting aspect of learning under Can-sensei is his unique teaching syllabus. Although he uses the same textbook as Ikoma Language School, every student has to undertake a ten-week Foundation Studies class, which includes a project on Japanese dramas and a written test before you start proper on Basic Japanese (using the textbook). This is especially important to ensure a strong foundation in all students and true enough, students will find it easier to understand future lessons taught using the textbooks. This explains the reason for the 100% JLPT passing rate record in his classes! The project also provides students with a different perspective of learning Japanese language outside the classroom setting! In fact, most of us develop an addiction to watching Japanese dramas after our project. Apart from using the textbooks, Can-sensei also includes other aspects of Japanese cultural learning in his syllabus such as tea ceremony, interview etiquette, Japanese history, Japanese social trends and Japanese drama watching; all without additional cost! I don’t think you can find this in other schools being conducted free of charge. Above all, Can-sensei is a totally selfless Japanese language educator. He provides free learning materials and notes on his official website, which are accessible to anyone and, as I know, is always on the search path to writing study notes and simplifying Japanese language to all keen learners. This is the greatest contribution that a passionate educator can make to the learning society, which is an admirable trait! It is with regrets that I am unable to continue my learning under Can-sensei due to personal commitments but I felt very blessed to have met him and learned under him for a short period of time. For all of you out there searching for a great learning and coaching experience on Japanese studies, I highly recommend you to consider learning under Can-sensei! And to Can-sensei: Sincerely appreciate and thank you once again for your guidance. You have been a great Sensei/Coach/Educator and I extend my best wishes to you and the rest! -Lim JW

The teacher knows his work well and is very professional when teaching. It is different from having a Japanese teacher as it allows you to ask your queries in English or Chinese. Exceptionally helpful to those who have just started learning the language. :) Managed to obtain a score of 166/180 for my JLPT N4. Thanks Can Sensei!

Communication with Can sensei is very easy as he is proficient in all three languages: Japanese, English, and Chinese! Although Singaporean, he definitely has the qualification and skill to teach Japanese. There are many times when I could only express myself in broken Japanese, and yet he is able to decipher the meaning correctly and taught me how to rephrase in a better way. The classes are kept at a comfortable (small) size and every class is made custom to the pace and preference of students within the class - which is great because he identifies and then addresses the areas we are weak/strong at and work around it. Classes are relatively interesting too, as we sometimes get to watch dramas and pick up some "native lines". At a personal level, Can sensei is hardworking, generous, and always ready to help. He actively helps students who are less privileged and even sometimes in the area of personal life (i.e: i remembered that he helped one of our classmate with his job search, another with advices of how to survive in Japan when she moves there, etc). Very thankful to be able to learn Japanese under Can sensei. I have taken Japanese class elsewhere before but this is the first time I have studied under the same teacher for more than 6 months; and I'm still enjoying my lessons :) Edit (13 Apr 2021): Still enjoying the rich engagement that occurs in our classroom. This is a tough language to learn. But Can sensei has proven that lessons do not necessarily need to be boring/dry. Our classes are pretty cool, we experienced learning through: 1) Japanese dramas; 2) Japanese video games; 3) Group presentations; 4) Japanese conversations between ourselves while having celebrations of all sorts (i.e: Japanese food day, Chinese food day, etc); 5) Japanese music; 6) Invitation of native Japanese to our class; and 7) Our ever caring Can sensei I highly recommend learning Japanese through Can sensei :)

This year, I landed a job in Japan. I entrusted Tsubasa Language Services with my learning journey in April, and I moved here in December. I absolutely recommend them because it prepared me very well for living here, among other things, and I will continue to study with them. This is what I’ve managed to accomplish: ・Negotiated with several estate agents in Japanese (there are cheaper, better, and more options than on English sites, which are often the leftovers priced at a premium, or expensive housing) ・Settled my water, gas, electricity and internet in Japanese ・Handled my bank and city hall application procedures in Japanese (they may have an English speaker, but the queue can be for hours just to talk to that person) ・Face daily life without problems ・I can read the labels in the supermarket, operate machines etc ・I can chat with my colleagues in Japanese ・I can converse with shop staff and ask for recommendations ・I can read food and travel recommendations written by locals ・I can watch Japanese shows and the news ・Minimal culture shock (was mentally prepared) Before classes: For context, I had an N4 prior to starting classes, but I was rounded down to a N4 prep class because my foundational grammar was shaky to begin with. I still slip up on some basic grammar concepts, but I’ve already made significant improvements this year thanks to Can-sensei. These are how his classes stand out from the other language schools that I’ve enrolled in: ・Perspective of someone who studied Japanese and understands the workings of both the language and culture as a non-native. ・Oftentimes, native speakers do not understand why certain grammar rules are a certain way, or are unable to explain them, because they learned them naturally and intuitively. ・Understands the process of learning Japanese from zero. ・Understands Singaporeans’ unique issues when approaching the Japanese language. ・Able to speak with a native accent, and corrects students when they say things in a weird way. ・Uses his own experiences and knowledge to bring real-life dimensions and applications to the textbooks. ・Explains why cultural things are a certain way. ・Strong familiarity with the textbooks ・Can-sensei can immediately tell you which book and chapter a grammar concept is from, and frequently annotates his notes with references from memory. ・Good opportunities for conversation practice ・My experience with language schools is that conversation is often skipped or practiced with fixed phrases (where you model one sentence and just change one or two words). At Tsubasa Language Services, students practice having real conversations, and have our grammar corrected live. We often pick up new vocabulary while doing this, too. I myself am a language teacher, and I sincerely respect Can-sensei’s knowledge, passion, and teaching techniques. He is sincere, compassionate, and capable. I strongly recommend his classes. Thank you so much for being an integral part of my Japanese learning journey. Best wishes with your endeavours, and I know that with your guidance, this place of study will flourish. Sincerely, K

A very welcoming place for beginners to learn Japanese language. I started with them since Foundation Studies and it helped to set the foundation needed before moving on to the main textbook. There are opportunities for individual and paired projects and these help to increase your understanding of the nuances and the culture itself. It is definitely not a place where drill and practice is being practised. We usually start off the lesson with 30 minutes of conversation where we are paired with our peers in the class to listen and converse. This makes learning the language more meaningful as we are learning to apply our knowledge in authentic contexts. I do not know much about how typical language schools will deliver their content, but at Tsubasa Language Services, we do not rush to finish the chapters in the main textbook. I love the parts when we have the opportunity to watch snippets of Japanese dramas during lessons to see how the phrases are used in context. I'm glad I chose here to start my journey of learning the language. I don't think you can find this form of dedication demonstrated by Can-sensei in other Japanese language schools. (Currently in the Beginners' class)

I joined TLS in 2021 as a student taking one-to-one lessons with Can-sensei. I have had prior experience with Japanese but I was finding it difficult to progress past the barrier that many language learners encounter when they reach the intermediate stage. However, with Can-sensei I feel that I have been making real progress with the language. With 14 years of experience, Can-sensei is an excellent teacher who is very knowledgeable about both the Japanese language and culture. Moreover, he understands the JLPT assessment and its marking style well, and I am confident that under his guidance I will be able to perform well in these exams. I also appreciate that he does not shy away from correcting the errors I make, which has given me an awareness of how I can improve. A good aspect of the classes is Can-sensei’s flexibility and that he doesn’t rely too heavily on the textbooks. He frequently highlights important grammar points that are important in the higher JLPT levels and provides his own notes that expand on the material contained in the books. He is also able to refer me to useful resources to support my language learning outside of the classroom. Even though my classes have been online, the quality of lessons I am receiving is on par with in-person teaching. Can-sensei has been able to accommodate my specific requirements as someone looking for a more intensive pace of lessons than is typically offered by language schools. He has also made arrangements to allow me to participate in weekly conversation sessions to practice my Japanese in a more relaxed setting with other students. Thus, I believe the one-to-one lessons have good value for money and come with ample opportunities to interact with other language learners. As an individual, Can-sensei is warm and personable, and I very much enjoy our classes together. He has been accommodating of any requests I have, and has always taken the time to answer my questions. It is a relief to have found such a dedicated and kind teacher who I can entrust my learning to. I would definitely recommend Can-sensei and TLS to anyone interested in learning Japanese.

From the moment you sign up for classes here, you will notice this is a unique school. Rather than accepting your payment right away, you have to pass an interview to be accepted into class. This might seem like a minor process, but it demonstrates the school's values - they are invested in your success. They encourage you to think about why you want to study Japanese and what your goals are, so you keep yourself accountable for your progress. It's probably easier to just accept students automatically, but Tsubasa wants to build your commitment in learning Japanese, and in doing so, ensures your peers in class have a similar level of focus and aspirations as you. This is one example, amongst many things you will experience along the way, that makes you feel a sense of community at Tsubasa, from the unassuming space filled with books for students to browse, food night, to the generosity of the school with time, money, material and resources...etc, if there is a right way to run a learning company with heart, this is probably it. Thank you, TLS!