Garden of English

Garden of English is an extracurricular program for UTokyo students, researchers, and staff members who want to improve and maintain their conversation skills in English. Are you an international student at UTokyo who speaks English fluently? If so, please apply for the TA position :-) We will put a notice about the TA positions on this website when we recruit new TAs.

Let's have a chat in English with UTokyo international students!

What's "Garden of English"?

Basic information

✓ English conversation program for UTokyo students, researchers, and staff members

✓ Free of charge

✓ Conducted online via Zoom

✓ A session is about 15-30 minutes

✓ A pair of TAs will talk with one guest or a pair of guests who know each other

✓ You can chat in any other languages if everyone in the Garden agrees to do so

✓ No teaching of English (or other languages)

How to join the Garden

3 steps!

1. Check the calendar below for the TAs' available dates and times

2. Click the date and time of your preference on the calendar, and enter your name and email address you usually use to book the session
* You can use a nickname
* In case that you didn't receive a confirmation email upon your booking and it is not in your spam folder, please email us for the Zoom information (Contact)
* If you wish to cancel your booking, please select "Click here to cancel this booking" at the bottom of the email you receive from Garden of English upon your booking. This will allow other people to make a booking for the time slot

3. When it's time, join the Garden via Zoom. The details will be sent to you upon your booking
*After you leave the Garden, please access the questionnaire (you can find the link to the Google Forms in the email sent upon your booking) and give us your feedback on your experience

Sometimes there are last minute cancellations and reservations become available. Please check the reservation section just before the session, even if it is fully booked!

Session calendar and booking (Can be booked up to 2 weeks in advance)

* Session not visible if booked

• TA pair No.1: Gunjan & Julia (Tue 18:00 & Thu 21:00)
  
• TA pair No.2: Charisse & Daniel (Wed 12:25 & Wed 13:00)
  
• TA pair No.3: Stanley & Joy (Tue 9:00 & Wed 9:00)
  
• TA pair No.4: Justine & Ariane (Tue 14:00 & Thu 15:00)

TA pair No.1: Gunjan & Julia (Tue 18:00 & Thu 21:00)

TA pair No.2: Charisse & Daniel (Wed 12:25 & Wed 13:00)

TA pair No.3: Stanley & Joy (Tue 9:00 & Wed 9:00)

TA pair No.4: Justine & Ariane (Tue 14:00 & Thu 15:00)

*Charisse instead of Ariane for 9 & 16 May

Introduction of 2024S TA

Gunjan

Home: India

Language: English, Hindi, Kannada, Japanese

Interests: Reading books , Cycling in the streets of Tokyo and Chiba, Fixing things

Hello ! I am Gunjan Joshi, a third-year doctoral student in the Department of Electrical Engineering, specializing in explainable AI frameworks for earth observation remote sensing. My work in remote sensing enables me to travel the Earth's surface without ever leaving my lab. However, when I do step outside, you'll often find me hiking somehwere in Chiba, taking leisurely strolls in Tokyo, or embarking on cycling adventures wherever my bicycle leads.

Drop by to have a friendly chat!!

Justine

Home: Philippines

Language: English, Filipino, 日本語 (ちょっと)

Interests: Watching TV series, playing word games and some Pokemon games, listening to pop music

こんにちわ! I am Justine from the Philippines. I am currently pursuing a Master's degree in Urban Engineering, focusing on active transport and bicycle lane networks. I have been enjoying my stay in Japan for more than a year and I am truly grateful for this opportunity. Here, I've met great people and made new friends, visited famous landmarks and tourist spots, savored a variety of meals like ramen and okonomiyaki, and indulged in desserts like matcha flavored foods, among others. I've also immersed myself in Japanese culture, and experienced picturesque views of nature in all four seasons.

I hope we get to have a meaningful and fun conversation as we share each other's experiences, cultures, and interests. よろしくおねがいします。

Charisse

Home: Philippines

Language: English, Filipino, Japanese (a little)

Interests: video games, watching tv series, reading manga, listening to a vast genre of music

Hi I'm Charisse from the Philippines! I'm a 2nd year master's student from the Urban Engineering department. I've been living here for over a year now but I still find Japanese culture fascinating. Travelling to other places and trying their food are some of the things I enjoy.

Listening to other people's stories is fun and entertaining, and sometimes I learn new and interesting things, so please talk to me freely!

Stanley

Home: Philippines

Language: English, Japanese, Filipino, elementary Chinese, learning Spanish

Interests: escape rooms, YouTube, taking strolls, languages

Hey, Stanley here from the Philippines! I'm currently a master's student from the Department of Civil Engineering and researching under the Earthquake Research Institute. I love trying new things and learning all kinds of stuff. Since coming to Japan, I've enjoyed taking strolls and relishing the charm of its changing seasons. When I want to just relax, I like to watch educational, comedy, or music videos in English and Japanese.

Whether you want to improve your communication and conversation skills or just want to chat about anything, I'd be happy to talk with you!

Daniel

Home: Canada

Language: English, Mandarin, Some Japanese

Interests: Cycling, Hiking, Scuba Diving, Travelling

Hello, my name is Daniel. I was born in China and moved to Canada in elementary school. Currently I am a first year masters student in the Department of Civil Engineering. When not studying, I love to travel around Japan. This summer I climbed Mt Fuji twice, went to Okinawa for a scuba diving trip and also completed a 600km cycling trip from Tokyo to Shizuoka. You can see me with my bicycle at a view point on Izu peninsula with Mt Fuji in the background in the photo.

Feel free to drop by for a fun chat with me. I would love to meet new friends, exchange cultures and talk about various topics.

Joy

Home: China

Language: Mandarin, English, Japanese

Interests: Reading, Dancing, Photographing, Traveling

Hello I’m Joy from China, and am currently a Doctoral student in the Department of Advanced Interdisciplinary Engineering. I love traveling and learning from both culture and nature. I’ve been to Kamakura, Atami, Mt. Fuji, Nagano, Nagoya and Kyoto since came here this April, and I’d like to keep exploring the City of Tokyo and all places in Japan.

Please feel free to drop by and have casual chat with me, we can talk about anything not limited to history, art, movies, etc. I’m sure we can get inspired from each other.

Ariane

Home: Switzerland

Language: German, English, French, Japanese (little)

Interests: running, cycling and hiking

I’m Ariane, a PhD student in the Department of Advanced Interdisciplinary Sciences. I came to Japan in April and have learned some Japanese since. I’m a very active person; I enjoy running and strolling in nature. In my holidays, I go on long hiking trips or cycle tours.

Drop me a message to talk about nature, sports, fantasy books and movies, or cooking.

Julia

Home: China

Language: English, Japanese, Chinese

Interests: Martial Arts, MBTI analysis and K-pop

Hi! This is Julia from China. I'm currently a master's student in the Department of Engineering, studying Technology Management of Innovation. I spent four years in Canada for my bachelor's degree and decided to continue my studies at Tokyo University. I know that speaking is the hardest part of nearly every language, and I am experiencing this difficulty with my Japanese as well. Feel free to chat with me about anything; it's always a pleasure to learn with you!

The TAs are friendly and can accommodate a wide range of guests, from those who need courage to speak English to those who can speak English well. Please broaden your experience by interacting with the TAs of different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Please respect each other and enjoy your exchange!

Please feel free to contact us via email if you have any questions or inquiries.

Contact

Garden of English, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

Office: Rm.324 via 2nd floor, Eng.Bldg.No.8, Hongo
E-mail: utokyo.garden[at]gmail.com
Phone: 03-5841-2323（Ms. Nemoto）