KEC meets Japanese speakers of English around the globe.
The popular interview podcast blog, hosted by Emi Kamiya, a language coach and educator, has just expanded its reach with the addition of English summaries and highlights.
Continue reading “English Highlights Added! Discover How Japanese Speakers Mastered English”
An interview with Kento Maruyama, who works in corporate planning at a Japanese precision equipment manufacturer, about his deep fascination with the “sound” of English—music, voice, and pronunciation—as well as the lessons learned from setbacks and struggles, and the feeling of realizing his skills had improved almost without noticing.
丸山賢人 Kento Maruyama
Originally from Gunma Prefecture. His parents gave him a name with the hope that it would be recognized internationally, which sparked an early interest in the wider world. As a child, he became familiar with English by singing along to the Beatles. In junior high school, during his first trip abroad—a homestay in Australia—he experienced the frustration of being unable to communicate. This setback strengthened his resolve to master English, and he devoted himself to study, ultimately passing university entrance examinations largely through his English ability and enrolling at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. While at university, he spent a year studying in the United States.
After graduation, with the goal of building an international career, he joined a Japanese precision equipment manufacturer. From 2012, he spent five years on assignment in New Jersey, USA. After six years of working in Japan upon his return, he was posted to Manchester, UK, in 2024, where he is currently based. He now works in corporate planning at a regional headquarters overseeing sales companies across Europe.
An interview with Kaori Mizukoshi, who develops and delivers global leadership programs, discussing how her challenging experience with English as a student transformed, tips for working in English, and her perspective on navigating cultural differences and misunderstandings.
水越 香里 Kaori Mizukoshi
After graduating from university, Kaori Mizukoshi spent ten years managing projects for a major information systems company, both in Japan and abroad (Singapore and the U.S.). She then spent another ten years involved in launching and managing online services. Over the course of her career, she has lived in New York three times, totaling fifteen years. While raising her child in New York, she began studying at Columbia University to reflect on her international business and cross-cultural experiences and to consider the direction of her future career. Her academic background includes a Master’s in International Education and Intercultural Studies, and a Ph.D. in Adult Learning and Development. Currently, she leverages her professional and academic experience to support the development of global leadership, helping people work effectively and learn in complex, internationalized environments. She holds a Doctorate in Education.
Continue reading “#23. Kaori Mizukoshi, CEO of EdVisage and Developer of Global Leadership Programs”
An interview with Ayano Kimura, ballet dancer with The Washington Ballet, about her love–hate relationship with learning English, her experiences in Italy, and how she finds the motivation to keep going when she feels like giving up.
木村 綾乃 Ayano Kimura
Born in Kyoto, Ayano Kimura began studying ballet at the age of nine. At fifteen, she moved alone to Milan, Italy, where she studied for two years and was named the top graduate of her class. She was also selected to perform in the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Turin.
Before studying abroad, she had already won top prizes at international competitions in New York and numerous national competitions in Japan, also receiving the Tokai Television Award. In 2011, she joined The Washington Ballet. At the 2017 Benois de la Danse gala performance—often called the “Academy Awards of ballet”—she partnered with a nominee on the Bolshoi Theatre stage, earning coverage in Russian newspapers. With the company, she has danced mainly principal and soloist roles, including Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, performances at the Kennedy Center that were highly acclaimed. She also appears frequently as a guest artist throughout Japan, the United States, and Europe.
More recently, she has expanded her activities to teaching, training young dancers at The Washington School of Ballet. Her career and experiences have been featured in outlets such as Kyodo News, Yahoo! News, and Livedoor News.
Continue reading “#22. Ayano Kimura, Professional Ballet Dancer”
An interview with Mio Yamamoto, Representative Director of World in Tohoku, about her unwavering desire since childhood to communicate with people from abroad, her experiences in seeking out and practicing her own learning opportunities, and her tips for speaking up in front of a large group.
山本 未生 Mio Yamamoto
Co-founder and Representative Director of World in Tohoku (WIT). She pursues her life vision of building “Change-making Communities”—ecosystems where people across borders, sectors, and generations can take steps to create positive social impact.
As a university student, she worked at a nonprofit in Malaysia and witnessed how gaps in strategy, networks, and funding kept organizations from achieving their missions. After graduating, she joined Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. in sales and marketing, while also supporting social entrepreneurs with funding and management through SVP Tokyo. In 2011, following the Great East Japan Earthquake, she co-founded WIA (now WIT), which connects business executives from Japan and the U.S., nonprofits, social enterprises, and young business leaders to collaborate through partnerships, mentoring, and board matching.
She has given numerous talks in both English and Japanese. She earned her B.A. in International Relations from the University of Tokyo in 2005 and her MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 2013. She currently lives in Boston.
Continue reading “#21. Mio Yamamoto, Representative Director of World in Tohoku”