Staff Interview with Emi Graham

What led your path to Travel Hokkaido?

After many years of teaching Japanese, I really believe that learning about a country’s culture, history, and background makes it easier to understand the language when you are struggling with studying. Knowing the culture and specific characteristics of the people helps to understand why things are expressed in a certain way, or why a specific word, grammar point, or mindset is applied. 

Many language schools only focus on teaching Japanese from textbooks, but I was drawn to Travel Hokkaido, because of our vision for to teach the Japanese language but also enable students to experience Japanese culture, meet with locals, and interact with others.

I joined Travel Hokkaido because I wanted to teach Japanese in an enriching and holistic environment.

Describe a typical day/week as the Education Manager.

My typical tasks include creating classes that match the individual needs of my students, planning events where participants can interact with locals, planning activities or culture experiences, and simply enjoying communicating and spending great time with my students.

How do you ensure academic programs at Travel Hokkaido are what students want and need?

My main priority is communicating with my students and building classes that are based on the understanding of their goals. The curriculum has a solid base, but we adjust the classes to support each student in their learning process and help them to reach their unique aims for the future.

You have experience designing curriculums and activities as the previous Head of a Japanese Language School. How do you integrate that experience into your current work?

Meeting students from over 30 countries in my last position definitely broadened my horizon and helped me see Japan from my students’ point of view! The experience of creating different curriculums for regular classes or more specialized classes—such as Japanese business manner—let me understand about learning goals. My experience in advising students from all over the world is also really valuable now in this new setting. All of these experiences help me when I’m trying to understand the student’s needs and create classes to help them get the best out of their study abroad experience.

What about Japanese do you love sharing with students?

It is often the case that students only study the Japanese that is written in textbooks, and even though they understand it, they can’t really apply it when they actually want to speak. I want to create an opportunity for students to understand Japanese culture and mindset, and learn Japanese that they can actually use.

You are local to Hokkaido. What makes it an ideal location for students and travelers?

People from Hokkaido are friendly and open-minded. The living cost is low and students don’t have to worry about high rent fees like in Tokyo. Another advantage is that we don’t use much dialect in Hokkaido, so you can have a conversation in standard Japanese and actually practice what you’ve learned in the classroom.

What does meaningful travel mean to you?

For me it means broadening your horizon through many experiences.

Why is it important for individuals to travel and experience new cultures?

It is important because it enriches your life. By having many different experiences, you can widen your view, see things that you have never seen before or notice things that you have never noticed before.

If you could recommend any Travel Hokkaido program or tour, which would you choose?

I would recommend the Be The Change program, because participating in an internship in a Japanese company will help to really deepen your knowledge of Japan and open many opportunities for the future.

What hopes do you have for the future of the academic programs at Travel Hokkaido?

I want Travel Hokkaido to be a place where people from many different countries can gather, inspire each other, and spread their energy around the world.