Ahmed Bakir is a career iOS developer, entrepreneur, and educator. He is the author of three books on iOS development, including “Program the Internet of Things with Swift”, which ranked #3 on Amazon. In 2009, he started his consulting business, devAtelier, where he worked on mobile apps for a wide range of clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies. He has been a senior or lead developer on over 20 apps, including ones for major brands like UNIQLO and KFC. In 2015, he developed and taught a mobile programming certificate program for the University of California San Diego’s extension program. Ahmed is currently living and working in Tokyo, where he is overseeing a major luxury brand's apps for the Japanese market.

Aki Matsukura graduated from the First Department of Literature at Waseda University. After working for a publishing company specializing in educational materials for 9 years, she started teaching Japanese in 2002. She is currently teaching classes at various Japanese language institutions and universities.

Andrew Hankinson has lived in Japan for the past 30 years working in sales, marketing, and management for both Japanese and multinational companies. Working in business is his main career and focus. As a passion, Andrew got his start in radio broadcasting in his university days as a FM radio DJ. With this background he was then able to transition into voiceover and narration work after arriving in Japan in the early 1990's working with talent agencies and representing some of the biggest brand names in Japan. It was with this interest and experience in audio content production, Andrew officially started his podcast Now and Zen Japan on Jan. 6th 2020 after six months of research and self-study. Andrew is completely self-taught and now has published over 50 bi-weekly episodes continuously since the first episode in early 2020. Now and Zen Japan has a unique interview/conversation format with paid advertisers and a high quality after production output. The podcast has 4.9 ranking on iTunes and has been downloaded over 10k from around the world.

Mr. Larson was born in the United States and has lived and worked for over thirteen years in Japan. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and a Master of Arts degree from San Diego State University in California, as well as a certification in TESOL. He is presently pursuing a PhD in Language and Information Sciences from the University of Tokyo.
Currently he teaches English at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Tamagawa University. He is also an avid writer, having written plays for the stage and screen, and is now working on a media-based curriculum for English language learners.       

Andrew is a project management and corporate training professional with more than 15 years of direct experience. He has extensive experience in leading cross-cultural teams and building project management offices from the ground up. Andrew is a Certified Project Management Professional and Agile Scrum Master, and is fluent in reading and writing Japanese at the JLPT N1 level. He earned his MBA at Cornell University and completed the Project Management Certificate Program at UC Berkeley.

Annette Karseras is a coach and trainer who develops leaders and teams at all levels of the organization from aspiring new talent to regional leads. She has trained with the Coach Training Institute (CTI), the Intercultural Communication Institute (ICI), Systems Coaching group in the Society for Organisational Learning (SOL), and is currently a member of ICF Japan and the Society for Intercultural Education, Training & Research (SIETAR). Annette completed her Masters degree at the University of Leicester, UK. Annette's courses focus on personal, professional and organizational change. Participants takeaway practical skills they can use 'tomorrow' & insights for strategic win-wins long-term. Based between the UK & Japan, she has worked with professionals from 50+ countries, uses working Japanese and legacy French alongside her mother tongue English, with-a-Welsh-lilt whenever the topic of rugby arises.

Mr. Blick has over 20 years of experience as a PR and marketing professional, consultant, corporate trainer and educator in numerous multi-cultural environments across a wide range of industries and has worked with some of the top brands in the world from consumer goods, finance and banking, automotive, transportation, and technology. He has extensive experience working in global and domestic PR agencies in Tokyo overseeing client services, leading account teams, and developing new and existing business. Mr. Blick is currently an independent PR and marketing consultant, and recruits for the industry through an independent boutique HR consulting firm. He is also a corporate advisor to Kowa Shoji Co., Ltd., a Japanese corporation primarily engaged in real estate, manufacturing, and import-export. Besides teaching PR and media relations at Temple University Japan's Continuing Education program, Mr. Blick lectures at Globis University MBA program and has taught various marketing courses at New York University SPS in Tokyo. He has also been a guest lecturer at Sophia University, International University of Japan MBA, and Aoyama Gakuin MBA, and he is frequently requested to speak at local professional events in and around Tokyo. Mr. Blick holds a Bachelor of Science in Business and Political Science from the University of Kansas.

Prior to financial futures trading, Antonella worked at various investment banks in their Global Markets divisions, originating, marketing, and structuring various derivatives transactions in multiple assets. She worked for Societe Generale, BNP Paribas, HSBC and Mizuho in New York, Paris and London and her expertise in risk management and derivatives led her to cover both corporate and institutional clients. She holds a BA from Fordham University in New York and a degree in Law from the College of Law and BPP Law in London. She has also attended various management courses at IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland. Her two decades of experience in the financial markets includes dealing with all asset classes (FX, Equity, Fixed ncome, Credit, Weather Derivatives, and Life Settlements). Antonella started her career at the brokerage division of the Man Group in New York where she was focusing on marketing Fixed Income products to French Institutional clients. At HSBC she ran the Multi-Asset derivatives desk and focused on the European Institutional clientele.

Antonella is now focusing her efforts on establishing herself in Asia and is based in Tokyo, Japan.

April Perkinson has been involved in the music world all her life. She is currently a vocal coach, teaching her original class, Vocal Rejuvenation Techniques. She teaches Japanese and international singers performing in well-known musical companies and smaller community theaters. As a two-time Berklee College of Music graduate, she realized that guiding others on how to explore and perform was her passion. April was an adjunct professor until recently at Temple University, Japan, where she taught composing and sound engineering. She is now excited to be coaching and producing professional singers full-time and teaching in the Continued Ed program guiding students to dive into the joy of musicals.

Atsuko has taught a variety of Japanese language courses in the United States and Japan since 2011. She is adept at developing and implementing curriculum and helping students advance their understanding of Japanese language and culture. She prides herself in creating tutorial environments that accommodate the needs of each student. Atsuko earned a bachelor's degree in Japanese language and literature from Waseda University and a master's degree in Japanese Pedagogy from Columbia University in New York. As not only a teacher but also someone with experience learning a a foreign language in a foreign country, she understands the unique mixed feelings of anxiety and anticipation. Let Atsuko help improve your communication skills in Japanese, and discover the fun of language learning together.

Bavo Willems works internationally on architectural, art, interior and renovation projects and runs a creative studio in Yokosuka, Kanagawa. Recently, he has been working on several renovation projects and participated in expositions showing furniture design and installation art. In collaboration with 'Art Basics for Children', he designed various educational studios for, among others, the Margritte Museum in Brussels and the Chinese Pavilion in Brussels, a work by French 'Belle-Époque' architect Alexandre Marcel. Until 2008 he studied Architecture at the Saint-Lucas School of Architecture, Belgium, after obtaining his degree in Interior Design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Belgium.

Betty is from Brisbane, Australia and has several years experience working in the hospitality industry. Her experience includes handling day to day operations, promotions, and customer service at a cafe, fine dining restaurant and the banquet department in a five star hotel in Brisbane. While front of house supervisor, at a catering service in London, she was also part of the management team. Betty came to Tokyo soon after completing her Master's Degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She has taught English for over twenty years - In Brisbane, Taipei, London and Tokyo. Betty is a supportive teacher who strives to help students feel comfortable. The experience and enthusiasm she brings to the classroom makes it the perfect environment for students to broaden their skills and knowledge.

Chiyo Watabe holds a bachelor's degree in International and Cultural Studies from Tsuda College and a librarian certificate from Taisho University. She worked for Tsuda College library and Temple University Japan Campus library for thirty years. In addition to her career, she acquired a teacher's certificate of Taikanryu, modern style flower arrangement in 1978 and of Koryu, classic style flower arrangement in 1984. She has been (and still is) an adviser to the head of the school since 2005 and a member of Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Japan Ikebana Art Association since 2019. She has participated in various activities, especially Koryu Association Ikebana exhibitions for many years.

Christopher Rathbone currently works on international transactions with a large Japanese law firm in Tokyo, in addition to being an adjunct professor of Temple University of Japan Law School. He has worked as a legal translator since 2000 and taught classes and provided seminars on legal translation and legal writing for Japanese, Korean, Cambodian and US universities, as well as the Tokyo offices of many top US law firms. Mr. Rathbone graduated with honors from the University of Saskatchewan, earned a JD from the College of Law of the University of Saskatchewan and an LL.M. from Hokkaido University as a Monbusho Scholar. He is admitted as an attorney in Massachusetts.

Dan Sloan is a veteran multimedia journalist, who writes for Eurobiz Japan and other media after working at Reuters for 17 years. He is a frequent public speaker and commentator on current events, corporate communications and Japan for professional organizations and academic groups, a university instructor, and author of "Playing to Wiin: Nintendo and the Video Game Industry's Greatest Comeback." He is a former president of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan and a current Board Member.

Dan Clapper is an applied linguist, learning architect and entrepreneur with 30 years of international experience. He graduated from Stanford University with a A.B. in English (Phi Beta Kappa), he earned an M.S. in Cybernetic Systems from San Jose State University and an M.S.Ed. in TESOL from Temple University Japan Campus. He now holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. He has two decades of success as a manager of innovative educational projects at enterprise scale, including work with government, schools, universities and businesses in 16 countries. In 2004 he was invited by the US Department of Defense to speak on US foreign language education for the post 9/11 era. His company provides consulting on project management.

David Phillips earned his MAT in Applied Linguistics from the University of Southern California and has been working as an Academic English Instructor at Temple University Japan since 2016 and started working at Seikei University from April 2023. In addition to his university work, he also serves as an examiner for the Eiken Foundation of Japan throughout the year. Prior to living and teaching in Japan, he taught sociocultural anthropology to first-year undergraduates at the University of Washington and Intensive English courses at Seattle Pacific University for 5 years. David is focused on continuing to apply a sociocultural approach to every class lesson as a way to utilize student background knowledge and build co-created classrooms in which every student has opportunities to contribute and actively participate. When he is not teaching or publishing works on adapting materials for cultural responsiveness and autonomous learner development, David is working toward completing a doctorate degree in English Pedagogy at Murray State University and producing episodes for his YouTube channel called, "The Rhythm Circuit," which features a global listening base.

David W. Fingerote’s nearly two decades of experience teaching has allowed him to learn from and provide support to learners of all ages and various levels/backgrounds from many parts of the world. David trains, teaches, mentors, and consults, focusing on various topics related to learning. David aims to meet students where they are in their respective learning journeys. An M.Ed in TESOL coupled with a passion for testing and applying edtech innovations leads to sustainable learning opportunities for all course participants.

Dominic Carter is a working market research practitioner and entrepreneur with over 25 years experience (20 of those in Japan). He is the representative director and CEO of the Carter Group, which includes market research firm CarterJRMN. His education and early career was spent in Australia, and he has lived and worked in Japan since 1999. Dominic has extensive experience in cultural marketing adaptation, communications testing, brand development, brand tracking and consumer research. He also lectures for the Japan Market Expansion Competition in the areas of marketing and marketing research.

Doug Strable started teaching and working remotely in Japan 25 years ago, keeping sales teams and clients in broadcast television and tele-education updated with real-time product training and sales support. His volunteer work with junior high school students, their families, and school leavers led him to return to school online, and earn a Master of Arts degree in Learning and Technology from Royal Roads University, Canada. He is passionate about how learning online creates an environment that motivates students to develop, challenge, and share diverse ideas.
Doug has been actively developing engaging online programs for post-secondary instructors and corporations in Canada and Japan and helping instructors move their classes online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He just published a Japanese language version of Teaching in a Digital Age, by Dr. Tony Bates, to guide for instructors understand the changes they need to implement to engage students in learning online and in the classroom.

As founder and director of Concept Design, Ed Thompson works with multinational clients in Asia-Pacific providing strategic services covering marketing, business and partnership development with a focus on emerging digital technology.

With more than 20 years in Japan, he has built solid experience handling the varied challenges leading multicultural, cross-functional teams at all levels of global organizations, to consistently deliver positive outcomes for corporate initiatives.

He continues to assist both domestic and multi-national corporations in increasing brand awareness through the planning of effective digital and marketing strategies, customer loyalty programs, lead generation campaigns and advertising promotions.

Emi is a UX Designer and User Researcher with over 10 years' experience across design, marketing & communications and tech industries. As the Head of UX Design at MetLife Japan, Emi leads the various spectrum of UX design and Agile collaboration through the Build-Measure (test)-Learn cycle. You can find her profile on Linkedin. New Tab

Eric Ritter has a Master's degree from Columbia University in New York in International Affairs and a Bachelors degree in Economics from SUNY-Oswego. He spent over 20 years in business as a financial analyst and lived in Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong before moving to Tokyo in 2013. He specializes in teaching business English in particular effective speaking and writing skills. He has written articles on business for various publications including the Nikkei Asian Review and the Japan Times. In his spare time, he likes to play tennis and listen to jazz.

Flavio has over 25 years of experience working in marketing and hi-tech business areas at global corporations in his native Brazil, Europe and Japan. Working directly and indirectly with brands such as Ambev, Adidas, Panasonic, Warner Music among others during his professional career, he is now an entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Fullcircle Innovation - A digital marketing startup agency based in Tokyo. Fullcircle has a strong presence on the social media space, working with influencers, developing apps as well as state of the art websites communities focused on green-eco-technology-science related issues. Fullcircle has won the Innovation Award in Asia from Red Herring on the year in 2010. Flavio holds a double master degree (e-business and MBA) from the International University of Japan (IUJ), Niigata, Japan.

Gil is an experienced Tokyo-based marketing consultant, professor, and managing director of his own company. He has taught at universities since 1998, when he was a professor at California Polytechnic State University. Since then, he has taught numerous courses at several universities and MBA programs in Japan. He has delivered a variety of interactive, case-based business courses online and has facilitated numerous corporate training sessions for mid- to upper-level managers. Throughout his time as a professor and trainer Gil has gained recognition for his engaging and sincere approach to education and professional development.

Gil’s work experience includes positions at IBM Asia Pacific, Nortel Networks, Hill & Knowlton, and Kyodo PR. In addition, he has advised many global and regional companies as well as ambassadors and embassies. He holds a master’s degree from the University of Kansas, a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College, and has attended executive education programs at Harvard Business School. He is from the United States and speaks Japanese.

Giorgio joined Walk Japan as a Tour Leader in 2015, and since 2017 he has served as Walk Japan's Tour Operations Manager. Originally from Italy, we first gained exposure to Japan at the age of 12, when he started an 8-year long pepen-pal friendship. He went on to pursue Japanese Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and spent an exchange year in Japan. He returned to Japan after graduation and travelled the country extensively as an English language tutor. The experience, he says, was an eye-opener as to how the education system and wider society functions in Japan. While recruiting English teachers from the UK, USA, Canada and Australia from his base in Tokyo, he has travelled the length and breadth of the nation. In his free time, Giorgio enjoys cooking, particularly Italian and Japanese cuisine, for friends.

Glenn Davies is from New Zealand and has been working in the education field in Japan since 1997. He graduated with a B.A. in history from the University of Canterbury, and has a Masters of Science in Education (MS.Ed) from Temple University Japan Campus. He has experience teaching at private language schools, elementary schools, and at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), teaching TOEIC, TOEFL, IELTS, Eiken, and business English classes. He is specifically interested in the areas of collaborative learning and test taking, as illustrated in his 2015 publication in The Language Teacher Educational Journal, on Developing Collaborative Learning When Teaching TOEFL iBT Classes, and an upcoming publication on the use of collaborative learning in student evaluation . His interests include history, Japanese baseball and travel.

Hayato Yasuzawa is a bilingual MBA and executive coach with 20 years' experience in HR management including compensation and benefit, recruiting, talent management and employee relations. He served for 6 years as Group General Manager-HR of North Asia region for one of the world's biggest dairy companies. Before that, he was previously a management consultant at Deloitte Consulting and HR strategy consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He has also worked as a learning and development manager for a global pharmaceutical company. With front-line business experience closely working with both Japanese and foreign senior executives in global companies, he deeply understands the challenges to make a balance between the representation of local markets while meeting requirements from Global Headquarters. He has been working closely with lawyers to mitigate the risks of labor issues in companies. He is very passionate to develop strong HR professionals and business leaders who are keen on creating "a great place to work" for employees in their respective companies. He earned his MBA degree from George Washington University, and LLB from Ritsumeikan University. He is also a graduate of The Columbia Coaching Certification program, Teachers College Columbia University.

Hideaki Saito has earned an AA from Peninsula College, a B.A. in anthropology from Moorhead State University, and M.A. in cultural anthropology from University of Oregon. After having taught English in language schools, he has been a part time English instructor at a Japanese University since 2003. In his free time, he enjoys working-out, riding a motorcycle, dancing Salsa and doing magic.

Hiroko is an experienced physiotherapist, acupuncture and massage therapist. She specializes in pain rehabilitation based on MDT (Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy) techniques, more widely known as the McKenzie Method. She is the director of Walk 100 Physio pain rehabilitation and treatment office. Qualified as one of the five Diploma MDT therapists in Japan by McKenzie International Institute after she finished the clinical practice at HNS hospital in UK. MDTʼs Self-care based rehabilitation programs are very effective for those with joint and muscle pain, and MDT is one of the best such treatment methods.
She also works at Minami Shinjuku Orthopedic Rehabilitation Clinic and Sumida Seizanen which is a facility or severe disabled patient with special medical needs such as respiratory therapy. Additionally, for ten years she worked at the JCHO Tokyo Shinjuku Medical Center, where she treated a wide range of clinical cases including hemiplegia, spinal cord injury, knee and hip replacement operations, all kinds of fracture and ligament injuries, Parkinson's Disease, COPD, and diabetes education. Prior to that, she treated sports injuries and undertook preventative care for athletes at Konami Sports Club. Her knowledge is based on the variable experiences at the clinical practices.

Ivan Botev, PhD, currently teaches at the Department of International Communication and Culture, Toita Women's College, Tokyo. Ivan does research in Primary, Language, and Higher Education, as well as in Picturebook Studies and Community Development. His team's current project is 'Exploring the Art of Living Together in 21st Century Ethnically Diverse Europe: Fostering Strong Sense of Belonging, Living in Harmony with One Another, and Integrating Refugees' funded by the Toyota Foundation.

Jason Murray has worked in Education in schools, colleges and universities in the UK and Japan since 1997. For the most part of his teaching career, he has worked as a Lecturer in English Education in universities at Waseda University and Rikkyo University. His other roles include working as a SENCo (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) in primary schools and colleges in the UK. He strongly believes in inclusive teaching where learning environments are cultivated so students are treated equitably and supported in their learning. When not teaching, Jason likes to indulge in creative pursuits such as drawing. He gained a degree in graphics at Bristol University and after obtaining an MA in visual arts at the University of Arts, London in 2017, specializing in rotoscope animation, he continues his art-making practice with independent projects. Exploring aspects of Japanese culture, its social history and geography predominantly occupy his practice. An on-going project titled, Once Useful which began in 2016, explicates abandoned, uninhabited, derelict Japanese and British architecture. Fortunately for Jason, the on-going project ties in with another of his interests, Cyclogeography. He has always been a strong advocator of cycling as a means to improve biodiversity and as a result, reduce noise and air pollution.

John has been instructing an array of business management courses in Continuing Education at Temple University Japan since 2007. He is also an adjunct professor of business management at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). John has had a varied career working as a stockbroker and investment advisor, in information systems and e-commerce management, launching and managing a business with employees, as a project manager with Microsoft and in public relations with Toys 'R' Us Japan. He has written business plans and consulted on business start-ups, and written for several publications and published two books: "Making Conversation" and "Milo, the Closet Monster and the Anti-Monster Society" in support of his Anti-Monster Society. John has a BA in Economics from the University of British Columbia, an MBA from Deakin University, a Certificate (with honors) in Electronic Commerce Management from BCIT and is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Jack Leaver graduated with a Bachelor degree (1970) in Architecture and from the University of Oklahoma. He practiced architecture for 6 years and returned to study for his Master's of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma and received it in 1978. At the same time he acquired his architectural license in Oklahoma. He began teaching Architecture at different Universities in the USA that included Hampton University, Louisiana State University and The University of Louisiana at Lafayette. While continuing to practice and teach he came to Japan, initially starting a small internship program with his university and various architectural offices in Tokyo.He eventually remained in Tokyo and worked for two architecture firms and after receiving his Japanese Architectural license and opened his own office in Tokyo. Since 1981 he has been teaching computer graphics, andthis has developed into one of his specialties as well as design.

Johnathan McCaskill is a US-qualified lawyer with nearly 20 years of experience, including over 15 years of international law practice. He has worked as a lawyer for several international organizations including the United Nations (UN) and the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), where he has advised on human rights laws, criminal investigations and prosecution tactics.

Dr. Karan Sahar is a UK-licensed Clinical Psychologist with a passion for working with adults and children who have neurological and neurodevelopmental needs. He brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his work with over 15 years of clinical and research experience in international settings. Dr. Sahar received his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of London (UK), his BSc in Psychology from Royal Holloway, University of London, and her MSc in Rehabilitation Psychology from Nottingham University (UK). Throughout his career, he has worked with people of all ages, addressing a variety of mental and physical health issues in the public and charitable sectors.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Sahar has several years of experience teaching and consulting psychology students and health professionals. He takes an active interest in applied research in clinical psychology, particularly in the positive psychological adjustment to chronic health conditions. Dr. Sahar relocated to Japan in December 2020 and has since established his own practice, LivFull Psychology. He offers person-centered online psychotherapy, counseling, and parent training. He uses an integrative approach to therapy in his clinical practice, but he frequently utilizes Cognitive-Behavioral, Acceptance-Commitment, and Solution-Focused Brief therapies.

Kathleen Schmitz taught English at universities in Mexico, Malaysia, and the United States before coming to Japan.  At TUJ she worked in many areas of the university English language instruction programs, including course development and administrative work.  She is especially interested in intercultural topics and teaching English through content related courses. Currently she has ended full time work at TUJ but has continued with part-time teaching, primarily in the Continuing Education Program where she has taught courses related to global issues since the earlier days of the program. Her MA is in Intercultural Education/TESOL.

Kazuyoshi Hisano is the President of both Conoway, Inc. and the Feed Forward Association, and the Vice President of Cognitive Coaching Association. He is an entrepreneur and has vast experience in domestic and multinational companies (i.e. Tyco Electronics, Philips, and Bureau Veritas), where he played various management roles. Before starting Conoway, Inc. he served as COO and Executive Managing Director at ProFuture, Inc. He has coached thousands of people in the past 30 years, and has launched "CEO Coaching", his only one on one CEO and equivalent coaching service. His work is backed by cognitive science, the study of "how the human brain works". He is author of several business-related books, including CEO Coaching, Gold Vision, and Feed Forward. His goal is to provide pro-bono coaching services for people in underdeveloped countries. Kazuyoshi has acquired Bachelor's in Economics from Tokyo University and an MBA from Tsukuba University (top of the class).

Dr. Hakoda is currently an instructor at Aoba Japan international school. Prior to Aoba, he was a professional conductor of symphony orchestras and musicals, and Professor/teacher for over 20 years in the United States. Dr. Hakoda has directed Musical Theatres and Operas for professional companies as well as community based theater / schools throughout his career. He has over 40 shows in his credits. In addition, Dr.Hakoda is also known for his talent as a composer, with over 20 works to his credit. He has won a number of awards and honors as a composer, including the 1998 Claude T. Smith Phi Beta Mu Composition Contest, the 1996 MMEA Collegiate Composition Contest and a Departmental Distinction at St. Olaf College. Hakoda also received the 2003 Outstanding Young Band Director Award from Kansas Bandmasters Association and was named as the 2014 Kansas Federated Music Club “Composer/ Conductor of the Year.” Recently he produced a CD “This is me!”, for a professional singer, Deris Takagi. The CD includes musical covers and his original songs. Dr. Hakoda holds a Doctor of Education degree from Columbia University, a Master of Music Degree from Wichita State university, and a Bachelor of Music degree from St. Olaf College.

Luiz Olimpio has been practicing yoga since 1999. He has trained in India with the nonprofit Yoga Alliance and holds regular meditation retreats in the Tokyo area and across Japan. He is a mindfulness facilitator for corporate clients to support organizational behavior. He is the founder of Olimpyoga, an executive mindfulness and wellbeing consultancy where motion and meditation are intertwined to promote physical health and enlightenment. Trainings include diversity and cross-culture communication workshops, senior management mindfulness facilitation, and teambuilding facilitation for cross-department synergy.

Besides delving in government think tank and management consulting, Dr. Sharma has spent more than 10 years doing macro-economic research and teaching, at premier institutions such as Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Tokyo and London School of Economics. Till April 2012, he worked at the Tokyo headquarter of Daiwa Capital Markets, as Director in the Corporate Finance Department. Thereafter he has delved in full time academics teaching Finance and Economics at some of the renowned business schools in Asia, including Doshisha Business School.

Dr. Sharma runs an investment Advisory. He had worked as a newscaster with NHK World Radio Japan for 13 years and advises a number of alternative investment ventures. In 2006 he co-founded a rural primary education initiative in India. He has published in top-notch academic journals, edited books and newspapers.
He holds a Ph.D. in financial economics.

Marni Cueno holds a M.Sc. in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the University of the Philippines (Los Banos) and a PhD in Medical Science from Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences. He has also obtained certifications in TESOL (Teaching English as a Secondary Language) from Arizona State University and Data Analytics from Temple University (Ambler campus). Currently a Research Scientist at Nihon University School of Dentistry, he has authored several manuscripts published in peer-reviewed international journals. He has received international awards and fellowships from the Bill Gates Foundation (USA), Wellcome Trust (UK), Society for Free Radical Research (SFFR)-Asia, and Singaporean Society for Immunology (SgSI). In his spare time, he teaches computer-based image analytics, network analytics, and structural analytics to high school students studying in an international school and, likewise, assists both undergraduate and graduate students from varying universities with English-related tasks, such as: manuscript writing and editing, business correspondence writing, oral and poster presentations, and TOEFL preparation.

A British English teacher, instructor and examiner from Birmingham, England. Martin Mayne has been in Japan for 18 years and has worked for a number of companies and schools both in corporate training and exam preparation. He is currently active as an examiner at the Nihon Eigo Kentei Kyokai and as an instructor for a number of companies. In what little free time he can squeeze in, he enjoys running, cycling, keeping fit and Indian food.

Masatoshi Hirakata has more than 20 years of leadership experience in various business units' functions and management positions in Asia Pacific and international IT business area. He earned a BA in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from Sophia University and an MA in Economics from Temple University Japan. He has been teaching in the Continuation Education program at Temple University for more than 10 years. Recently he started a series of AI and statistics courses using Python and R. He also enjoys Skiing for many years and has recently become interested in Skiing as a lifetime sport and its relationship with preventive medicine. He studied physical conditioning, fitness methodology, and skiing technical reference at Canadian Sport Business Academy. He holds SAJ Skiing class 1 certificate, Canadian Skiing Instructor Association Level 2 certificate, and Avalanche Skill Training 1 certificate from Avalanche Canada.

Mason Hester is a licensed lawyer in the United States and has been working as an adjunct professor with TUJ since 2017. He also works in Tokyo as a consultant providing educational services for law firms and legal departments alike. Prior to coming to Japan, Mr. Hester worked as a general practitioner handling cases ranging from criminal to contractual work. 

Mr. Hester has two B.A.'s from Mississippi State University. His undergraduate work in the arenas of political science, philosophy, and religion underlie his strong interests in natural law and metaphysics. Prof. Hester is passionate about universal sentient rights. In the classes he hopes to help develop his pupils' critical thinking skills and their innate skepticism so that they can learn to be independently minded individuals.

Maurizio is the Chief Financial Officer for Credify Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based Fintech company developing enterprise solutions focused on embedded finance and digital identity. Maurizio has over 20 years of international finance experience, with expertise in credit derivatives, structured finance and fund management. Maurizio's recent roles were as Managing Director at UniCredit, Italy's largest bank, and as Partner at TriSpan LLP, an asset management firm based in London, where he was deputy Chief Investment Officer of TriSpan's global macro fund. Maurizio holds an Mphil in Financial Economics from the University of Cambridge and a first-class honors degree in Economics and Management from Royal Holloway College of the University of London.

May May Ho qualified as a Fellow Chartered Accountant ("FCA") under the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) in 2007 after training with Ernst and Young in London. She is a UK and Singapore Chartered Accountant and holds an MSc in International Business from the University of Lancaster, UK. She has experience in financial auditing at Ernst and Young before moving on to regulatory reporting at Merrill Lynch and later the Royal Bank of Scotland. Since 2011 she has embarked on an academic and writing career drawing on her experiences and expertise. Away from work May May enjoys fashion and travelling.

Mete Yazici is a tri-lingual and multi-cultural professional living and working in Japan. He has worked in Financial Services, Insurance, IT/Software, and Legal Services as a senior leader for more than 22 years before transitioning to Leadership Coaching and Training. Mete's current mission is to help companies and leaders drive sustainable growth.
He is a holder of International Coach Federation's Professional Certified Coach (PCC) accreditation, in addition to M.Sc. In Psychology from California Southern University, MBA from International University of Japan, and Certificate in NGO Management from Temple University. He is currently working to become a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD.)
His interests cover a wide range of topics such as Positive Psychology, Leadership Development, Digital well-being, Self-Leadership, and Coaching.

Miho is an England-based opera journalist who has been a member of the Foreign Press Association in London since 2015. She graduated with a BA Hon.in Opera Studies from Manchester University and received her MA from University College of London (UCL) by researching gender issues and Orientalism in Opera. She has contributed articles to and produced feature spreads in both Japanese and English magazines since 2014. For all articles, she makes sure to interview opera singers, directors and instrumentalists for first hand reference. Supporting the development of opera and widening its audience by conveying her joy and knowledge is her passion. She also thoroughly enjoys traveling across the globe to visit different opera houses.

Ming Tam is a translator and editor from Canada who works mainly in technical, medical, scientific, and academic fields. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Translation Studies from Portsmouth University, U.K., and a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology and Immunology from McGill University, Canada. She has work experience in biotech and pharma research as well as teaching. She has a passion for figuring out creative strategies to deal with hard-to-translate terms and culture-specific items, especially food terms, to bridge the gap between languages and cultures and facilitate communication.
Her goal is to help students learn not only practical translation skills, but also to translate with awareness of the purpose of translations and the role translators play in an increasingly globalized world.

Dr. Nagisa Todoroki obtained her BA from Sophia University, Tokyo and Master and Doctor of Education (M.Ed., Ed.D) degrees in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)/Applied Linguistics from Temple University. She has been working as a professional simultaneous interpreter (SI) and technical translator for over 20 years, and she is also the President of En Clair Inc., a professional conference interpreting and translation agency. She initially started working as an NHK interpreter, NTV satellite simultaneous interpreter, TBS translator, etc. She has also worked for over 300 major private corporations, major international conferences, and various governments. She has also involved in marketing and PR agency assignments for over 20 years and has been taking over 1,000 simultaneous interpreting assignments for media presentations and press conferences to date.

Nami began classical ballet training at the age of 5 with Matsuyama Ballet Company and continued her training with numerous teachers and studios throughout her life. In 1994, she moved to the USA to study dance and academics, receiving a B.A. in International Business and Psychology and later received MEd in the Globalization of Education. During her years in the US, she studied ballet and modern dance under the tutelage of major dance mentors including Katherine Horn, Mary Anne Mee, Patricia Mc Bride, and Jean-Pierre Bounnefoux. In 1997, she received a scholarship from the Joffery Ballet School in NYC. From 1998-2000 she danced professionally with the North Carolina Dance Theatre, and from 1999-2000 with The Moving Poets. She has taught ballet and creative movement as well as choreographed for numerous ballet schools in the US, including as an adjunct professor at Point Park University of the Performing Arts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 2004 - 2013. Returning to Tokyo in 2013 she has been a Performing Arts teacher at Aoba-Japan International School. Nami is currently researching in the link between EQ (Emotional Intelligence) and Dance through kinesthetic empathy.

She is a web design and front-end expert, and proficient in programs and languages such as Adobe Photoshop, XD, HTML/HTML5 and CSS/CSS3, plus more. A native of Fukuoka, after graduating from high school, Natsuki moved to New York to become a professional dancer. While studying graphic design at the School of Visual Arts in New York, a web design class set her on the path. She gained experience as a web designer in All Nippon Airways’ (ANA) Manhattan office, and since returning to Japan, she has done web design work for a wide range of companies including Pasona Group, Yokohama Convention & Visitors Bureau, Meiji University and Kinokuniya. She has also served as a web design instructor at Digital Hollywood for nearly 10 years.

Nobuyoshi Kotani earned a master's degree in Applied Linguistics (specializing in TESOL) and Translation/Interpreting at Macquarie University, Australia in 2014. He also obtained CELTA at Bell International College, U.K. in 2016, as well as a Postgraduate certificate in TEAP (Teaching English for Academic Purposes) at the University of Leicester, UK in 2018. Nobuyoshi has over 10-year teaching experience of general English, academic English, English discussion and IELTS preparation to senior high school students, undergraduates and adult learners. His publications include various test preparation books for IELTS, TOEFL iBT, and EIKEN.

Norm Farrell has been teaching English to non-native speakers since 1970. He came to Japan in 1972 and has been here ever since. He worked in language schools and at a Japanese high school until 1992 when he got a master's degree in English education from Temple University in Japan. He then taught as tenured teacher and as a part-time teacher in various Japanese universities until 2015. He has been in the continuing education department for eight years.
Norm's main interests are reading, nature and languages. Before becoming a teacher he worked two years as a seasonal park ranger. In the United States, and here in Japan he often goes hiking in the hills west of Tokyo, enjoying being outdoors and seeing what plants and birds he might be able to find. He lived in Europe for three years as a teenager and there developed a passion for languages. He speaks several and finds language learning to be a sort of game - and he feels himself fortunate to have a profession in which he can help others to play the same game.

Norman is a corporate executive coach, facilitator and HR consultant with a BSc in Civil Engineering from the University of Manitoba. He has around 30 years of working experience in the Asia Pacific Region namely in China, Korea and Japan. Motivated by his great interest in Asian history and cultures, he has accumulated a vast and diversified first-hand experience. Having lived and worked in Asia for such a long time, he has provided a variety of customized experiential workshops to a wide number of multinationals in various sectors. In addition, he conducts an annual seminar on Diversity and Inclusion at the ICS center in Hitotsubashi University which is attended by students taking the MBA Program.

Pablo Figueroa (PhD) is an Argentinean-born cultural anthropologist specializing in Japanese studies. He has lived in Japan for over fifteen years and currently teaches at various prestigious universities in Tokyo. His research looks at the crossing of photographic images with contemporary history in Japan and how the camera can be used to explore social responses to cultural change. Previously, Pablo was a full-time assistant professor at Waseda University where he conducted classes on globalization, social change, perceptions of Japan in the world, and contemporary disasters. His work on risk communication, citizen participation, and risk governance of the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe was featured in several scholarly publications.

Professor Rosenkjar is an expert in various aspects of linguistics, language teaching methods, and literature. He has a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University in German language studies; a master's degree from San Francisco State University in English, with a concentration in language teaching and in American and British literature; and a doctorate from Temple University in second language education. He has published in the areas of content-based English teaching, designing English reading courses for Japanese students, research and theory of curriculum and course design, and understanding poetry. His interests include culture studies, history, linguistic theory, and literary texts; and he reads extensively for pleasure and professional enrichment in these areas. He has been a full-time faculty member of Temple University Japan Campus since 1988.

Originally from Toronto (Canada), Paul Kates has over 20 years of diverse professional experience. After the completion of his MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University, he began his career in the Entrepreneurial Services Practice of Ernst & Young, providing accounting, auditing, and consulting services to a wide variety of businesses. He then moved on to management positions for companies operating in both the consumer goods and hospitality sectors, including a Fortune 500 company, where he was engaged primarily in marketing, sales, customer service, and merchandising activities. Paul arrived in Tokyo in 2006 and has spent the majority of his time here as a University Instructor and Corporate Trainer. Among other things, he teaches an assortment of business courses and workshops at TUJ.

Originally from the United States, Rick Derrah has an M.Ed. from Boston College focused on secondary-level education, an M.A. from Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and a Ph.D. in Education from Temple University. His dissertation investigated challenges facing high school teachers in Japan. In the United States, he held a high school teaching certification and taught in a public high school. In Japan, he worked as an ALT and took teacher education classes at Kwansei Gakuin University. After receiving his junior and senior high school license he worked as a fully licensed teacher in a private junior and senior high school for eight years in the Kansai area of Japan. Currently he is an associate professor at a university in Osaka.

Robert Garone has lived in Japan and worked in the Japanese financial services industry for over 25 years. He started as a credit analyst with Citibank, moved into equity analysis at UBS and Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, and was the Japan Representative for Frontpoint Partners (a hedge fund purchased by Morgan Stanley) between 2005-2007. He now works as an equity analyst at Optimal Fund Management and periodically conducts finance seminars for Japanese companies. He also speaks Japanese and has taught Japanese-to-English translation at Simul International in 2013. Robert has a BA in Asian Studies from Colgate University and an MBA/MA (Asian Studies) from University of Virginia. In addition to his background in finance, Robert has had an interest in martial arts since high school, when he practiced both Taekwondo and Gojo-ryu karate. In 2014 he resumed his martial arts training, and has since earned a black belt (2 dan) in Uechi-ryu and become a certified instructor in Okinawan Uechi-ryu karate. He views karate as an art for self-defense as well as a means towards mental and physical well-being.

Ron Scott has been teaching English in and around Tokyo since arriving in Japan in July 2005. From Canada, Ron obtained both an honours Bachelor's degree in Drama and Psychology from McMaster University and a Master's in Drama Therapy from Concordia University.
An avid traveler, Ron travelled around the world on a cruise ship, running a recreational facility for children. Ron has also been acting and making people laugh since an early age, and is very active in the Tokyo English theatre community.
Due to his interest in acting, and particularly in comedy, Ron is very interested in and specializes in teaching both natural English and how we can use comedy and humor to communicate, connect, and create deeper relationships with others.

Sam is a long-time resident of Japan who loves both the science behind and consumption of beer. He originally came over to attend a Japanese university and has held various positions in different fields since graduating. He currently has been working at Baird Beer for over 5 years and learned much about this beloved beverage in this time. In his private time he likes to watch movies, play games, and listen to music. His personal Rubiks Cube record is 1 minute and 20 seconds. He speaks English and Japanese and is currently working on Korean.

Baird Brewing is a joint partnership company founded in 2000 in Numazu, Japan by the husband & wife team of Bryan and Sayuri Baird. It is a family company born of a deep passion for beer and a great reverence for brewing history, tradition and culture. Their motto is Celebrating Beer. This means the comprehensive enjoyment of beer in a way that enhances the overall experience of life. Today, Baird has grown into one of the biggest most well-known craft breweries in Japan with taprooms across the country.

Samer Sami has more than fifteen years of teaching English to non-native speakers in different countries. In Japan, Samer has worked with the largest private provider of professional foreign teachers to the Japanese government through its ALT program. Samer has also served as an ELT with well-established and respected chain of private English schools. This enabled Samer to have solid knowledge about the Japanese context of English teaching including the new English course of study, ALT’s/EFL’s technical competencies, and classroom management. Samer has an MBA from Waseda University, a bachelor’s degree in English Language from Damascus University, and a TEFL certificate from the American Language Center. In addition, Samer is an accredit Cambridge Speaking Examiner and EIKEN Examiner. Samer has been delivering teacher training programs for ALTs in Japan, and at those programs he helped participants to thoroughly understand and to effectively implement the English teaching fundaments, which professional English educators need to master their profession within the English teaching industry.

Santosh L. Gawande holds a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) degree from Mumbai (Bombay) University, India, and is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and AWS Certified Solution Architect Associate. He is also Sun certified Java Programmer and Architect -1.

Currently he works in the financial sector as an Information Technology professional. During his entire professional career he primarily worked for Engineering, Insurance, E-Commerce and in financial domains developing various products using primarily Java, J2EE, C, C++, VB, Spring, UML, Oracle and other RDBMS along with Open-Source tools on Cloud, Unix, Linux and Windows platforms. His hobbies are researching, playing Chess, listening to music, hiking, sketching and animation.

Sarah Furuya is trained Relationship Systems Coach ORSC™, certified practitioner in Lumina Spark® and Saville Wave® Psychometrics and holds BSc Hons in Human Psychology and Biology. She has spoken at the HR conferences in Tokyo and Osaka on Leadership and protecting the female HR pipeline, delivered leadership programs in SE Asia and UK, has spoken at the Women's International Networking Conference and was President of FEW Japan 2011-13. She is founder and coach at Sarah Furuya Coaching delivering private and executive coaching and workshops. She is on the Board of Directors of Refugee Empowerment International (REI).

Sarajean is a Tokyo-based consultant providing program coordination, training program facilitation, and capacity development advisory services for institutions such as JICA, Japan PlatForm, the Give2Asia Foundation, the Center for Global Partnership, Morgan Stanley, Sophia University and others seeking to gain strategic advantage while better meeting community needs and promoting more effective civic engagement. Sarajean's most recent training programs focus on CSR and SDGs, Unconscious Bias and Every day Sexism, Cross Cultural Communications and Basic Conflict Mediation skills development for international organizations and 2020 volunteers. She holds an undergraduate degree in sociology and a Master's in International Affairs with a focus on human rights in East Asia from Colombia University. She has also earned professional certificates in Disaster Management, Humanitarian Response Management and Conflict Mediation.

Born in Normandy, France, Sebastien Lemoine visited Japan in 1987 for the first time, as a business student. He fell in love with the surprising moments that never fail to come, when confronting Japanese people and their culture. For family or work purposes, he has travelled back and forth since, made Tokyo his home again in 2008.
In 2013, he put an end to his career as financial markets specialist. He invested time in proper training and research about one of his hobbies, nihonshu. Advanced Sake Professional (certification by the Sake Education Council), he embarked on sharing what he loves about Japanese sake and its culture with visitors and foreign residents. He produces workshops, events and tours, working with high end travel agents and international corporations. Sake consultant, sake teacher at French culinary school Le Cordon Bleu, Sebastien is hosting the Sake On Air first English language podcast about sake and shochu.

www.passerelle-s.com New Tab

http://sakeonair.com New Tab

Seungkeun spent several years as a language instructor in public schools in Korea, and served as an English-Korean interpreter during his military service. Living, working and traveling in a variety of international contexts has also helped him to better understand the needs of language learners. He received a Bachelor's of Education from Seoul National University of Education, and completed the M.S.Ed. in TESOL program at TUJ. He works as an English/Korean language facilitator at TeLaCo (Teikyo Language Commons) of Teikyo University now.

Shai is a Senior Vice President at GENKAI Capital Management- a trailblazing Japanese Asset Management Firm where he is also a member of the firm's managing committee. In addition, Shai is an adjunct professor of real estate at Temple University Japan campus and previously at New York University. He holds a master’s degree in real estate finance & Investment from New York University and a BA in Management & East Asian Studies (graduated Magna Cum Laude) from Tel Aviv University. Shai is a New York licensed real estate salesperson (inactive). Shai started his real estate career at a New York Investment Bank where he was involved in, well over, 12$US Billion in real estate debt and equity transactions. Upon returning to Japan, Shai joined Cushman & Wakefield where he pursued tenant representation, land acquisitions, equity raise, portfolio management and investment sales opportunities. While at C&W Shai was the recipient of the Broker of the Year, the Transaction of the Year Office/Logistics and the Deal of the Year (across all business lines) excellence awards.

Takuo Misaki is a Japanese licensed attorney who handles a wide variety of litigation and disputes, and has extensive experience representing foreign clients who are involved in disputes in Japan. He also regularly represents both employers and employers in labor disputes and his experience in the area of labor law also extends to the drafting and revising of rules of employment, conducting investigations in incidents of employment misconduct and representing employers during collective bargaining. He also handles medical malpractice suits, divorce, criminal cases and other commercial litigation.

Terumi is an IT and global business consultant with customers both in Japan and in the US. Her workshops at TUJ include Business Communications, Speak with Confidence, Assertiveness, Information Security and others. She has a BSE in Computer Science from Arizona State University and MBA/MA in International Management from the Wharton School/University of Pennsylvania. She has served in the US Army as a Military Police Officer, a Navy liaison officer for the Mutual Defense Assistance Office in the US Embassy in Japan, and head of consulting businesses at Symantec and RSA in Japan. Her advocation is dog training and handmade soap. Her current professional interest is in Blockchain security.

Thomas Meyer is both an educationalist and researcher, having obtained a master’s degree in education research methodology from the University of Cambridge and a doctorate from the University of Oxford in the sociology of education. Thomas currently teaches courses on academic English, test preparation, including IELTS and TOEFL, as well as research methodology at several Tokyo-area universities including Temple University Japan Campus. A longtime resident of Japan, Thomas is an avid cyclist.

Todd Birzer has more than 25 years of experience as a product manager and product management leader at Silicon Valley and West Coast US companies. Todd is the author of Becoming a More Strategic Product Manager, and has an MBA from Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania.

Tom Frengos is an author, facilitator, and coach based in Japan. He holds a Masters of Applied Science (Psychology of Coaching), Masters in Education and Honours Bachelor of Psychology. He has delivered workshops on unconscious bias training, cross-cultural management and conflict resolution in Canada, Australia and now Japan. He is currently researching and writing about Wabi Sabi, particularly how it can develop empathy, resilience, and well-being in the workplace.

Toshiki Onozuka's work experience ranges from a 27 year career in diverse accounting and finance roles in ExxonMobil (1977 to 2004) to working as a controller for Walt Disney Japan (2005 to 2012), including a three year supervisory responsibility for the accounting function in Walt Disney Korea. In addition to management-related tasks, he has accumulated a wealth of experience in a diversity of accounting and finance-related jobs while working for Controller's, Treasurer's, Strategic Planning and the SAP Project team. Toshiki has been teaching accounting courses at Temple University Japan Campus since the year 2000. Between 2013 and 2014, he was invited as visiting professor to give lectures on International Financial Reporting Standards and other accounting courses at Tashkent Financial Institute in Uzbekistan, where he is also currently honorary professor. He holds a MBA from Foster School of Business at the University of Washington, and a CPA from the Washington State Board of Accountancy.

Yoko Haruhara is an art columnist who has extensively written about Asian art for the Japan Times since 1997, focusing on exhibitions of Japanese, Korean and Chinese art and artifacts. Her publications include Artists in The Residence, a special publication of the United States Department of State for the American Embassy in Tokyo.

Yoshiharu is president of HPO Creation Inc., a management consulting company specializing in leadership and organizational development. He focuses his current practice in the areas of organizational change, leadership development, executive coaching, and marketing and sales development.

Earlier in his career, Yoshiharu spent 12 years in marketing and 12 years in human recourses and organizational development working first as Associate Marketing Manager for Richard Vicks, Japan, moved on to Marketing Manager at P&G along with acquisition, and later moved to HR/OD performing various management positions, including corporate training manager, Taiwan HR manager, Regional OD and talent development director. Yoshiharu holds a BA in Inter-cultural communication from Kita-Kyushu University, an MBA from Northwest Missouri State University and an Ed D in Organization Change at Pepperdine University.

Yujiro Shimogori has a Master's degree in Education with emphasis in Human Development & Psychology from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. degree in Education with focus in Bilingual Education from San Diego State University. He is a 14 year veteran as a primary, secondary, and higher education educator and researcher in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Tokyo. Educated, lived and worked in Japan and the US, he is bilingual and bicultural, and proficient in Japanglish as well. His research interests include bicultural identity development, bilingualism, culturally relevant pedagogy, and second language acquisition. Shimogori enjoys visiting new places, taking long walks, and watching baseball, judo, kendo, NFL games, and sumo.