International Language Service was established in 2000 for the purpose of offering effective and practical Japanese language lessons to foreign businesspersons.

I have always felt that a wall between foreign countries and Japan existed. This was due to the small doubts and confusion, I constantly heard from foreigners. “There is a large difference between Japanese thinking and continental thinking”, “Japanese use indirect ways to convey messages and use ambiguous expressions”, “Europeans and Americans express themselves using very different gestures” were a few of the comments that kept coming up. Sometimes this confusion developed into big misunderstandings. I felt that trivial events or misunderstandings in daily life created the impression that Japan is a mysterious, incomprehensible, and strange country.

The uniquely Japanese way of thinking can be difficult to understand or to examine, yet it is the essence of Japan, with its respect towards another person or aversion towards conflict. It is a culture aimed towards communication that creates harmonious relations, reflects the Japanese sense of beauty and outlook on life, worship of nature, and may other things. Foreigners who live in this different culture, often find it difficult to understand the unique Japanese way of thinking and set of values, and this sometimes causes great stress.

However, I came to realize a need for foreigners to know there are reasons why such a uniquely Japanese culture arose, influenced by a complex history. By knowing these reasons, foreigners can deepen their understanding of Japan from just a mysterious, incomprehensible, and strange land, to having an appreciation for the profound culture embedded in this unique country.

Our mission is to provide Japanese language lessons which incorporate communication based on a firm understanding of Japanese culture, and we hope to act as a bridge between Japan and foreign countries to disseminate understanding among people from all over the world.

It has been over 20 years since our company started, but we realize our small company has a big mission to accomplish: to provide engaging lessons which introduce Japanese language and culture to people from around the world.

Currently, we provide a wide variety of content in our lessons on Japanese language, culture, custom, and business manners to more than 80 companies. We also customize our lessons based on client goals, needs and business requirements.

Some of our clients include foreign-affiliated companies, Japanese companies, embassies and a variety of other corporations and individuals.

Our instructors and staff continue to exert our fullest efforts to be of service to meet the needs and expectations of clients.

We hope you will take this opportunity to further deepen your understanding of Japan though our offerings.

International Language Service
President (Founder and CEO)
Tomoko Sugino