Our Staff
Hitomi McKnight
Instructor / Director
Hitomi McKnight began her career in Japan, where she earned her BA in Education, worked as a nature interpreter at Oze National Park, and taught science at a public high school. On weekends, she hosted science workshops for children and taught Japanese to families from abroad. Her deep love for nature and animals, along with a simple daily appreciation for yogurt, has always kept her teaching full of warm and grounded energy.
After moving to Tucson, she first taught Japanese at a charter high school. Believing in the power of community, she co-founded the Tucson Japanese Language School to create a welcoming place where children and adults connect through language and culture. After earning her Master’s degree in Education from the University of Arizona and teaching science at a public high school, Hitomi focused on language education, completing her next Master’s degree in East Asian Studies at the same university.
Today, she works closely with local families and educational partners across both the United States and Japan. Her ultimate driving force is a simple passion to contribute to her community and see people smile through education, bringing people together to learn and build a brighter future.
After moving to Tucson, she first taught Japanese at a charter high school. Believing in the power of community, she co-founded the Tucson Japanese Language School to create a welcoming place where children and adults connect through language and culture. After earning her Master’s degree in Education from the University of Arizona and teaching science at a public high school, Hitomi focused on language education, completing her next Master’s degree in East Asian Studies at the same university.
Today, she works closely with local families and educational partners across both the United States and Japan. Her ultimate driving force is a simple passion to contribute to her community and see people smile through education, bringing people together to learn and build a brighter future.
Minami Espinosa
Instructor / Director
Minami received her BA in International Relations along with Japanese language acquisition as a minor from the Tokyo International University. In her college years, she worked as a Japanese tutor at local elementary schools. She also focused on multicultural exchanges and worked with exchange students. In the last year of college, she worked at United Nations Information Centre as an intern to experience work at the UN. After her graduation, she taught Japanese at Tokyo Bungo Gakuin in Tokyo and located in Salem, Oregon where she worked as a Japanese TA for two years. She met with Hitomi through her children and founded the Tucson Japanese Language School with her in 2015. She is also a founder of truly-non toxic cleaning company " Safi Home Works" which empowering local refugees. She is working hard to make good changes and putting effort to make this world a better place. She has two beautiful children and a wonderful husband. Recently she gave a birth to her third child. Outside of work, she enjoys cooking and gardening.
Rie Butler
Instructor
Rie (Leah) has been interested in Western art and architecture. After she graduated from interior design school in Japan, she traveled to Europe and met future husband. In 1980, she moved to Tucson where her husband lived. Her husband and she established a commercial art business for 20 years while she was raising three sons. In 2002, she realized that she wanted to help people and decided to go back to Pima Community College to study nursing. She retired after working as a CNA in the hospital and home health care setting for 15 years.Now she is enjoying babysitting her grandchildren. She loves children so she is very happy to interact and to volunteer at Tucson Japanese Language School.
Jyunko Sakoi
Instructor
Junko has many years of experience in education and enjoys working with children and families from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Originally from Hyogo, Japan, she holds a Ph.D. in literacy education from the University of Arizona. Junko loves teaching and has a special passion for children’s literature and family literacy. She enjoys using stories to spark curiosity, foster a love of reading, and create meaningful connections among children, families, language, and culture. She looks forward to getting to know her students and their families and learning together throughout the school year.
Katsuya Sato
Instructor
Coming soon!
Meg Nakamura
Instructor
Hello, I'm Meg Nakamura, who will be run for Kids with parents class starting this school year. This is my 4th years since I started helping/volunteering the Japanese school. I’m looking forward to get in touch Japanese with you at class!
Yasir Nemat
Instructor
Coming Soon!
Miharu Lee
Volunteer
Miharu Lee was born and raised in a rural area in Japan. In 2000, She came to the United States to study English at Arizona State University. After three years of living in Tempe, her husband’s job took them to many places around the world. She returned to Arizona and settled down in Tucson a few years ago. She has a daughter who attends at Japanese school.
Only after she had left Japan she finally realized the beauty of her home country and its culture, and she is excited to share this with others. She believes learning another language helps to better understand the culture and the people and to appreciate differences. She also likes working with children, and she has volunteered at her daughter’s schools. At the Tucson Japanese Language School, she is now able to enjoy working with children in her mother language, Japanese!
Only after she had left Japan she finally realized the beauty of her home country and its culture, and she is excited to share this with others. She believes learning another language helps to better understand the culture and the people and to appreciate differences. She also likes working with children, and she has volunteered at her daughter’s schools. At the Tucson Japanese Language School, she is now able to enjoy working with children in her mother language, Japanese!
Tasha Waldorf
Volunteer
Nice to meet you! I’m Tasha Jahnsen. In 2017, I started studying Japanese at Crafton Hills College, and in 2019 I moved up in my education to the University of California, Riverside. Since graduating, I’ve continued through self-study. I will have 10 years total experience in Japanese as of 2027. In 2022, I moved to Arizona, and came to be a volunteer at Tucson Japanese Language School. I teach Japanese now as a private tutor. My students range in age from children to adults. I look forward to teaching Japanese every day!
Lumi Hisataka
Volunteer
Coming Soon!
Hana McKnight
Volunteer
I was born in Japan and lived there, learning to speak Japanese as my first language. I moved to Tucson when I was four years old and have lived here ever since. I have been attending this school since it opened and have many fond memories over the years, such as the annual sports festival and attending various Japanese events and participating in Japanese concerts. In 2023, I entered high school, so I ended my time as a student here at Tucson Japanese Language School and have since started volunteering here as a teacher's assistant. Tucson Japanese Language School also helped me keep my Japanese sharp, stay connected to my Japanese roots, and contribute to the community through various events and practicing speaking among fellow Japanese people. I am excited to continue my journey as a volunteer and an active participant in the Japanese community.
Emi McKnight
Volunteer
Emi is a student at a local high school. She was born in Japan and moved to Tucson in 2013 when she was 2 years old. She has been attending Tucson Japanese Language School since 2015. She stopped being a student at the school after 9 years in the summer of 2024 and is very excited that she is now a volunteer and that she has the opportunity to help younger children understand the language. She is interested in leading a career in education in the future and thinks this volunteer work will help to prepare her for that.
Hinako Uchida
Volunteer
Coming Soon!
Sasuga Nakayama
Volunteer
Coming Soon!
Jonathan Brunenkant
Volunteer
Coming Soon!
Maya Kurosu
Volunteer
Coming Soon!
Ayumi Uchida
Volunteer
Coming Soon!
Carmen Okazaki
Volunteer
Coming Soon!
Ryo Sato
Volunteer
Ryo was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. After finishing high school in Japan, he moved to the United States in 2008 to learn English and graduated from The University of Arizona with BA in Linguistics in 2013. He has worked as a Japanese interpreter for a while. Since 2014, he had an opportunity to teach and share his experiences in Judo and Japanese culture through a local Judo club, Tucson Judo Dojo, and a local nonprofit organization for youth. Sensei Ryo is currently leading Tucson Dojo’s youth program as a head coach and teaching Judo as P.E. in 2 middle schools in TUSD (Safford K-8 and Wakefield Middle School) He also offers free community Judo classes at 2 local BJJ academies in town (AU BJJ Academy and 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Tucson). His latest work includes teaching Japanese Language and Culture class at Abbie School of Tucson with special needs students.
Manami Okoshi
Volunteer
My name is Manami, and I’m a nisei. I attended Penn State University for my Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation and Human Services. Afterwards I graduated from Salus University with a Master of Science in Low Vision Rehabilitation. I moved to Tucson for a job in 2020 during the start of COVID-19. After a couple years of adjusting and enjoying Tucson, I decided to volunteer at Tucson Nihongo Hosyuko to meet other Japanese people and practice my conversational speaking.”
Kayo Orosco
Nihongo Cafe
coming soon!
Trimble Marlie
Nihongo Cafe
coming soon!
Jennider Shioya
Nihongo Cafe
Jennifer is nisei (second-generation Japanese American), born and raised in California. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in Computer Science and starting her career in San Jose, she moved to Tucson for her job at IBM in 2004, where she met her husband. In 2018, she enrolled their daughter in the Tucson Japanese Language School, and around the same time, started pushing herself to improve her basic Japanese skills, as well. When covid-19 pandemic hit and Nihongo Cafe shifted to virtual meetings with a group of volunteers in Anjo, Japan, Jennifer started participating in various conversation groups. She has been thoroughly enjoying meeting and getting to know the people in the group, as well as practicing her Japanese conversational skills.