Japanese 

Konnichiwa, Monty Community!

My name is Ayako Kumakura. Students call me “Aya Sensei”.  I am very excited to teach Japanese (Nihongo) at MPS! I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself.

I was born in Gero City in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. I grew up in a small countryside town where everyone knew each other by name. I never encountered anyone from another country until I became a high school student.

I became interested in learning English and had the opportunity to study it on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland when I was a University student in Japan.

Long story short, I came to Melbourne in 2005 and have been living the dream ever since.

I now have three beautiful children who are 3, 5 and 7 years old. I used to play indoor soccer (Futsal) and still enjoy playing outdoor soccer with my kids. I also like cooking, when I’m not too tired from chasing after the children!

Please come say hi if you’d like to know anything about Japan! Our new Japanese room is located at the end of the Year 3 classrooms.

Ayako Kumakura

Japanese Specialist Language Teacher