Build your own summer schedule — for returnees, for students at or preparing for international schools, and for students at local Japanese schools who want to level up their English for class or for junior- and senior-high-school entrance exams, where many schools award extra points for EIKEN 3, Pre-2 and 2. Pick your days, choose your sessions, and your total updates instantly.
Share a group lesson with a friend, sibling, or parent — a relaxed, encouraging way to learn together at a level that suits everyone.
Heading overseas this summer, this fall, or next year? Short, focused sessions are an ideal way to sharpen real English before you go.
This summer, every student gets free access to our online learning toolkit until the end of August.
A private lesson is one-to-one with the teacher; a small group is just 2–4 students at a similar level. Either way, lessons are taught at your exact level and pace, so every minute targets what you need next. Beyond exam prep, students can take intensive lessons to strengthen reading comprehension, writing and speaking:
By default lessons are Private lessons. Group Lessons can be selected for each session, but Group lessons need at least 2 students. If no one else has joined by 3 days before the lesson, it will either run as a private lesson at the private rate (¥10,560) or you can cancel that session for a full credit — your choice, and we'll always ask first.
Every student follows a balanced, four-skills program — reading, listening, writing and speaking — built around the exams that matter for their next step. Teaching is shaped by each student's school level and goal, in person at our Yoga (Setagaya) classroom or online via Zoom — whether that goal is keeping a returnee's English sharp, winning an international-school place, or building stronger English and EIKEN results at a Japanese school.
Exact levels and exam targets are matched to each student's goals — from first words in elementary through IELTS and TOEFL iBT for university abroad. In person in Yoga, Setagaya, and online via Zoom for students across Japan and Asia.
Pick any available day and the sessions offered that day — mornings, afternoons, weekday or weekend. From mid-July, when Japanese schools break for summer, daytime lessons open up to everyone.
From August 11–30, morning and afternoon sessions run every day, including weekends. Take as many 80-minute sessions as you like — a single session, or a full day.
Taught personally by James — one experienced teacher, from your first lesson to your last.
I've taught English for over 12 years and have run BumbleB English here in Yoga for more than 10. That experience — together with a background in business — shapes how I run the school and prepare older students for academic and professional English.
I was born and raised in Pennsylvania, hold a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California (USC) and an MBA from the University of Rochester, and have lived in Japan for the past 20 years. I speak Japanese at an above-average conversational level — so I understand the language my students are working from, and the hurdles that come with it.
Over the years, I've guided students to results I'm genuinely proud of — including EIKEN Grade 1, Pre-1 and 2, IELTS 8.0, and TOEFL iBT 110. Whether your child is keeping returnee English sharp, preparing for an international school, or building toward EIKEN and entrance exams, I'll teach to their exact level and goals.
— James · Founder & Teacher, BumbleB English
Tap any dates across the summer you'd like to attend — choose as many as you like. New days start unselected.
For each day, pick any of the 80-minute sessions offered — take a single session or several back-to-back. Each session is private by default (¥10,560); tick Make this a Group Lesson to share it with up to 4 students at ¥5,280 each. Times vary by date.
Sessions & pricing. Every lesson is an 80-minute session. A private session is ¥10,560 (税込). Any session can be made a group lesson — ¥5,280 per student for 2–4 students, which is 50% off the session fee only. Mornings and full afternoons run as two consecutive sessions, so you can take just one or both; a full day of four private sessions is ¥42,240. The one-time entrance fee is ¥8,250, currently 50% off (¥4,125) for the summer; it is charged once per student, is never part of the group discount, and returning students can untick it.
How booking works. Choosing a package here secures your place in three steps: (1) send your selection, (2) receive an invoice by email for the exact total — due before your lesson, payable by credit card or bank transfer, sent securely via Square (squareup.com) by our parent company, MakoStars (合同会社マコスターズ), (3) once it's paid, we confirm your schedule and add your lessons to your calendar. Seats are held only after payment, so slots are never tied up by unpaid requests.
Group lessons. Group lessons need at least 2 students. If no one else has joined by 3 days before the lesson, it will either run as a private lesson at the private rate (¥10,560) or you can cancel that session for a full credit — your choice, and we'll always ask first.
Changes & cancellations. Lessons canceled 24+ hours ahead can be rescheduled to another available time within the summer program, subject to availability. Cancellations within 24 hours, or no-shows, are forfeited. The entrance fee is non-refundable, and program fees are not refunded as cash — unused sessions remain available to reschedule within the program dates.