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It Started With Games and a Question
Growing up in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Mike encountered Japan through games, anime, Pokémon, and the popular culture reaching American kids. What began as a childhood interest eventually shaped his education, career, and adult life.
As he chose to study Japanese seriously, some teachers questioned how useful it would be. Later, he encountered another question: why would someone pay an American who learned Japanese as a second language to teach it? His answer developed through the work itself. Remembering how it feels to learn the language became central to the way he teaches.
I’ve Stood on This Side of the Desk
When you are learning Japanese, a small detail can raise a big question. Why this particle? Why that verb form? Why does the sentence work so differently from English?
Mike remembers being the beginner, struggling with particles, verb forms, kanji, and sentence structure. He also remembers the gap between understanding a textbook explanation and being able to use it. Having stood on the student’s side of the desk, he teaches with those difficulties in mind: helping you understand the reasoning, notice patterns, and ask the next question.
From Texas to Studying and Living in Japan
Mike completed a minor in Japanese at the University of North Texas and studied abroad at Kansai Gaidai University. He went on to live and work in Japan before returning to Texas and founding Simple Gaijin.
His background includes ACTFL-rated Japanese proficiency, firsthand experience with the JLPT and Kanken examinations, and professional Japanese-English interpretation experience. He brings both formal study and experience using Japanese outside the classroom to his teaching.
Those experiences connect classroom learning with the practical demands of understanding and using another language. You can bring questions about the language and the situations in which people use it.
Bringing Japanese Home to Texas
Returning to Texas gave Mike a way to build on what he had learned. Japanese had become something he studied at university and used while living and working in Japan. In October 2015, it became the foundation of his own business.
Since founding Simple Gaijin in North Texas, he has taught complete beginners, university students, travelers, professionals, military personnel, JLPT candidates, and returning learners.
He built the business around a simple idea: students learning Japanese deserve individual attention, clear explanations, and room to ask questions without getting lost in a classroom. Private instruction gives the teacher time to know the student and understand how they learn.
You work directly with him in every lesson. Over time, that gives him a clearer understanding of your strengths, recurring difficulties, and goals.
Serious About Learning and Easy to Ask
Mike believes in correcting mistakes and challenging students. He also wants you to feel comfortable saying that you do not understand.
A lesson should give you room to try, get useful feedback, and ask another question. There is enough to learn in Japanese without spending the hour worrying about looking confused.
His Texas roots and occasional Samurai Cowboy humor bring personality to the experience. The focus stays on helping you learn.
A School Structure With a Personal Connection
Simple Gaijin combines a twelve-stage curriculum with individual instruction. You have an organized pathway, while the pace and explanations respond to you.
Reading and writing matter alongside conversation. The long-term aim is to help you become a more independent user of Japanese, with a foundation you can keep building on.
The Next Chapter Is in Japan
Founded in Texas in 2015, Simple Gaijin is beginning its next chapter in Japan. After more than a decade of private teaching, Mike and his wife officially arrived in Tochigi Prefecture on October 16, 2026. Beginning in November 2026, he will teach online from Japan while continuing to serve English-speaking students, primarily in the United States.
Students in other countries are also welcome when scheduling and payment arrangements are practical. The location is changing; the ongoing relationship with your teacher remains central to the lessons.
Mike once left Texas to learn Japanese in Japan. He came home and built a business teaching it to others. Now, after more than ten years of private instruction, he is taking that business back to Japan with him.
“I guess it wasn’t a phase after all.”
Find Out if Mike Is Your Kind of Teacher
Read student perspectives, explore the lesson options, or introduce yourself. Tell Mike what brought you to Japanese and what you hope to do with it.