A New Life in Japan

In 1996 I met some Japanese people for the very first time. The encounter was through my work, and as we became friends I wanted to know more about Japan and its culture.  Whenever I asked one of my new acquaintances about the best way to spend time in Japan, I always got same answer: teach English. So, that's what I decided to do.

In July of that year, I moved to Japan. I spent my first two years living among the rice fields of Chiba, working as an ALT at a rural junior high school through the JET Program. I arrived knowing not a single word of Japanese, and the isolation motivated me to study hard in order to communicate with the people around me.

Cory smiling at her iPad while wearing a headset and sitting at her desk.
Cory smiling while holding a textbook at a desk, between a computer and an iPad.

From Student to Head Teacher

After two years on the JET Program, I was ready for a new challenge. I moved to Kawasaki city and joined AEON, one of Japan's largest English conversation schools. I taught English to students of all ages, from children to retirees, and when I wasn't working, I traveled into Tokyo to take formal Japanese lessons.

As my Japanese improved, so did my responsibilities at my job. When our Japanese head teacher unexpectedly needed to take an extended leave of absence, I was asked to step into her role. I became responsible for managing teachers and meeting sales goals while attending head-office and district meetings conducted entirely in Japanese. I was the first foreign teacher in my district to take on the position, a role that required not only fluency in English and Japanese, but also an understanding of Japanese business etiquette and culture.

The responsibility was challenging, but my Japanese abilities improved even further, and the experience gave me an entirely new perspective on communicating and working in Japan.

Life Beyond the Classroom

After nearly ten years at AEON, I married a Japanese man and began teaching English from my home. I never advertised my lessons, but through word of mouth, I always had a full schedule.

When I became a mother, I experienced another side of life in Japan. As my daughter moved through nursery school, kindergarten, and elementary school, I became involved in the school community through the PTA, volunteering in the school library, and reading English books to students.

I also began helping other foreign parents when language or cultural differences made communicating with their children's teachers difficult. Acting as a volunteer translator for people from many different countries showed me how understanding another culture requires more than simply understanding the words being spoken.



Cory and her daughter bowing at a traditional shrine in Japan.


Cory smiling and holding a marker while teaching Japanese at a whiteboard.

How Language & Culture with Cory Began

After moving to the United States in 2024, I started an Instagram page to help Japanese women who had accompanied their spouse on a job transfer to America. I wanted to encourage these women to invest in their own English skills so they would feel less isolated during their time in the U.S.

The response I received surprised me. I heard not only from Japanese women, but also from people whose mothers had struggled in America as non-native English speakers. At the same time, I began receiving messages from people seeking Japanese lessons and guidance on being respectful when visiting Japan.

At first, I was hesitant to teach Japanese, but after working with a few learners, I realized how much I enjoyed helping people make sense of the language. I loved seeing students grasp the grammar that had previously confused them, and I enjoyed discussing the similarities and differences between Japanese and American culture. Helping travelers avoid common mistakes while traveling also meant the Japanese culture and traditions I loved so much would be treated with respect.

That experience eventually became Language & Culture with Cory. A way to bring together everything I had learned through language, teaching, travel, and 28 years of life in Japan.

What I Bring to Every Lesson

After learning Japanese myself, building a life in Japan, and spending decades teaching, I've learned that understanding a language comes from much more than just memorizing vocabulary and grammar rules. It comes from context, confidence, and knowing how people actually communicate.

My experiences have taught me how to meet learners where they are and help them get to where they want to go.