Hi! Patrick here with Smith’s School of English in Koenji. Japanese love their seasons. The longer I’m here, the more I realize its importance. In the winter, activities for Japanese include visiting illumination spots. In the spring, activities include flower watching (Hanami) and picnics around the beautiful Sakura trees. However, the summer activities of Japanese […]
English Pronunciation With a Pro- Akiko Nakanowatari
One of the advantages of being a native speaker of English and living in Japan is not only helping people within Smith’s School of English, but also outside the school. So many people here in Japan have helped me in different situations, so it is very satisfying to be able to give something back in […]
The Top 10 TV Shows to Learn Conversational English
New students often ask me, “How can I improve my English?” What a great question. I have taught English in one form or another for over half my life, so I suppose that qualifies me as somewhat of an expert. Had someone asked me this question pre-coronavirus, my answer would have been: Have a gf/bf […]


