BA, Japan Women’s University, Tokyo. Japanese language teaching certification, Aoyama Language School, Tokyo. A passionate educator with myriad expertise—most prominently in Japanese language and culture, including cooking, art, and calligraphy as well as physical fitness—Yoshimi is also a Zumba instructor, certified by Zumba Fitness; an aqua exercise instructor, certified by the Aquatic Exercise Association; and was a cooking assistant to nationally acclaimed chef and cooking instructor Tokiko Suzuki in Tokyo. In the United States, she was a private Japanese language teacher for more than 70 students age 4 through 75, with proficiency ranging from beginner to N1 (near native fluency) level, and a workshop facilitator of Japanese cooking, calligraphy, and art for workshops hosted throughout Westchester, including at Sarah Lawrence College, the Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden, and more than 10 public libraries in the county. She is founder of Magokoro New York; her original artwork features Yuzen Washi (mulberry paper). From 2008-present, Yoshimi has been a Japanese language tutor at Sarah Lawrence College; from 2008-2017, a private flute teacher; from 2015-present, a Zumba exercise instructor at Fort Fitness, Fort Montgomery, NY; from 2016-present, an aquatic exercise instructor at Premier Athletic Club, Montrose, NY; and from 2020-present, founder and lead instructor of the original online exercise “Rejuvex.” In 2016, she was translator for the documentary film Sense the Wind; and from 2008-2018, she was a contributing writer for the bimonthly magazine You-You in Osaka, Japan. Since 2008, Yoshimi has been chairman of the New York Alumnae division of Japan Women’s University in Tokyo; and since 2010, she has been a board member and treasurer of the Croton Council on the Arts. SLC, 2022–
Previous Courses
Japanese
Beginning Japanese
Open, Seminar—Year
Beginning Japanese is an introduction to Japanese language and culture, designed for students who have had little to no experience learning Japanese. The goal of the course is to develop four basic skills: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing (hiragana, katakana, and some basic kanji) in modern Japanese, with an emphasis on grammatical accuracy and socially appropriate language use. In addition to classes with the faculty instructor, there are weekly, one-on-one tutorials with one of the Japanese language assistants.
Faculty
- Sayuri I. Oyama
- Yoshimi Arai
Japanese I
Open, Seminar—Year
This introduction to Japanese language and culture is designed for students who have had little or no experience learning Japanese. The goal of the course is to develop four basic skills: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing (hiragana, katakana, and some basic kanji) in modern Japanese, with an emphasis on grammatical accuracy and socially appropriate language use. In addition to classes with the faculty instructor, there are weekly, one-on-one tutorials with one of the Japanese language assistants.