Not an easy subject at all!!! Very difficult and you'll need to work a lot. Really hard to get an A.

Kind of hard. High recommend that you don't miss any classes.

Hamanaka-sensei is among the most knowledgeable, intelligent, personable, and caring professors that I have had the pleasure of knowing during my stay at Mesa. Her classes are difficult, but Japanese is not the easiest subject! Highly recommended.

Explanations are very clear and grading is not hard. She does waste a lot of time talking about her personal life & philosophy, though...

the class is not hard and she explains the stuff pretty well most of the time, but the only thing to get you an a is to get on her good side. she can be evil, major discrimination.

well rounded class, if you study you can get an A, if you dont then thats your problem, class seems easy enough if you put some time into it

If you are interested in learning Japanese, you'll love it. She's really a great teacher and cares about you a lot. However, if you are just going to taking her class without passion to learn Japanese, don't take this class.

if you're lookin' for easy, take spanish. if you want to learn, take her classes. doesn't matter if you're an independent learner or someone who needs to ask a thousand questions - she'll accomodate. she loves teaching, and always has a smile on her face.

She is an awesome lady and teacher. You really do have to have a passion for the language/culture to be there. If you're looking for an easy A in a language course, this isn't the one for you; a LOT of studying is required. Her personal stories and philosophies give great cultural insight.

This instructor is one of those where you either love her or hate her. The first semester I had her was the semester of the fire and she just made us cram more. She is extreemly thorough about what she teaches and uses cultural refrences to try and tie things together but often goes off on tangents.

She has a good sense of humor, and you basically learn what you want to learn / nothing 'textbook' like. You learn what is important. You can learn a lot from her in class, and learn a lot speaking to her privately. Her english is good, too, so unlike other teachers, she can explain clearer.

Great teacher. She doesn't just teach straight out of the book. The class is hard but very enjoyable. I wouldn't suggest taking it during the summer. THe only thing is that she had a test the day after spring break.

Rigorous but fun. Professor present during advertised office hours / available by appointment.Respectful students are nurtured, disrespect is treated coldly. Some call this favoritism but I don't think it is. Favoritism is arbitrary and subjective. This has actual basis.

Great teacher. Easily the best language teacher I have ever had. Nothing seems to be textbook like. Not only do you learn about the language but you learn about the culture too. The class is difficult but fun. I am never bored and I try to show up everyday.

Hamanaka-sensei no kurasu no ha totemo muzukashi, demo saigo de watashi ga hikoritakatta! Mai-nichi mai-nichi ichinichi-jyuu toshokan ya watashi no heya de nihongo no shukudai to furui shiken o benkyoshimashita. Sore kara, saigo no hi watashii ii guredo ni kuremashita! HO HO HO!! Wakatta?

great sensei!!straight forward and does her part of the game but its up to you. if you study you will do fine! its a very difficult course, req lots of memorization (definitions, stroke order..etc!) best person to take for jap! very fun and lenient. very helpful! tests are hard but its nothing she didnt go over. take note coz it helps on tests!

Very good teacher. Better than all other Japanese teachers. Class is fun. She not only teaches the textbook, but also Japanese culture.

Japanese is hard, but this is a great teacher. Really motivates you. Only take this class if you are serious about Japanese. She does not care for slackers. Compassionate and authentic. She is clear about her expectations. This is a must study class.

Hamanaka-sensei is a fantastic teacher. She expects you to be present and pay attention every class, but you will learn a lot of Japanese in her class. Speak up to earn extra points. In her class, I not only learned about Japanese language, but about life and culture.

practically aced all her tests. its black n white. just study the grammers/vocabs. tells u what will be on the test and she practices over and over in class. u have to attend class tho cuz she goes over a lot of stuff. she takes out a lil too much time explaining answers sometimes tho. got some frequent complainers in class becuz they dont study

Awesome teacher. Very helpfull and thurough, especially when asked questions. She would often sidetrack into stories and explanations that didnt relate to the topic; this is something that some may enjoy and others wont. Make sure to study grammer and alphabet. Complainers didnt study or cant grasp other languages. Great teacher!!!

If you studied for her class, then there should be no problem in doing well. She is nothing BUT nice and makes sure everyone's questions are answered unless they are incredibly long. She may move a little quick but that is because this is college. In addition to learning the language, you learn about the culture and more. Awesome and a very warm sm

One of the best instructors ever. Japanese is not an easy subject to begin with, You can know the grammar, vocab, and symbols, but if you haven't practiced "putting it all together", you'll get low grades. Disposition: she is amiable yet assertive; she discourages flashy behavior like in Japan but less harshly. Some strange people take her class.

I've had Hamanaka-sensei for 101, 102, 210, and 211. She had cancer and came back, even with a damaged nerve. She's dedicated, extremely helpful and courteous if you want to learn. If you're a slacker, she will treat you as such. The only "negative" thing I have to say about her is that she is very nationalistic. Otherwise, great prof and nice too!

For those people who hate her, they probably did not try hard in the class or they missed out on class often. It's a language class and of course it's prone to be more difficult. She's extremely helpful, kind, and will teach you not only the language but about Japanese culture as well. She had cancer and still came back to teach. She's dedicated!

Students with prior Japanese experience will probably enjoy her teaching, but first-timers might struggle a little...

Hamanka sensei was a wonderful teacher. I really enjoyed her style of teaching that blends language study with the study of the elements of Japanese culture. She had a unique approach to the material and even read the class traditional Japanese children's stories! As well as being a good teacher, she is a remarkable human being.

Prof. Hamanaka is one of the best instructors I have ever had. She teaches not only the language but also enough about the culture for you to engage in meaningful and productive interactions with japanese people, something that is very important if you are to advance in this field. She is tough in both respects since she wants to see you succeed!

Hamanaka Sensei is a really GREAT TEACHER. Her teaching style is so clear, and she makes good use of class time (to the point, clear, attentive). She is NOT a bad teacher at all! I think the last person to write that just wasn't interested in putting forth the extra effort needed in a language class. This IS Japanese; know what you're getting into.

If you did not do well in this class you did not study it's not easy and it is not the kind of class you can take for just extra credits you have to be into it Hamanaka is one of the best teachers i have ever had anyone who says otherwise was in her class for the wrong reason

Hamanaka is an awesome teacher! She makes sure you learn everything you can and gives you enough practice and assignments to help you learn the language properly. The class is pretty hard and you have to want to learn it to do well. Just make sure you do the assignments, study, and practice, and you'll do fine.

Anyone who did not rate Hamanaka sensei highly is an idiot. She is crystal clear, from the first day of class, about all that she expects. Yeah it's hard, if you don't study. There are three writing systems you have to learn that do not resemble english in the least. So long as you study, and make an effort to participate in class, you'll be fine.

Hamanaka-sensei is a wonderful teacher. She not only teaches all of the material in the book, but she also gives you extra useful info and also teaches you about Japanese culture. I definitely recommend her! All you have to do is study, practice speaking, and take notes. The tests aren't hard as long as you study and tests come more frequently.

Hamanaka sensei is an awesome teacher. Japanese is obviously hard, but she made it so easy and fun. LOVED her classes.

This class isn't for everyone. You have to be dedicated to work hard and learn from day one and keep at it or you'll end up with a bad grade. She doesn't leave anyroom for slacking on the tests, even the smallest errors can ruin your score so take your time. Overall she's a great teacher and I took alot out of the class.

DO THE HOMEWORK! That's my best tip. She will literally call you out and make you feel like an ass if you don't. She's a nice lady, makes the language easier to learn. There are SOOOO MANY anime nerds in this class though!!! Holy crap, I swear I was the only normal one in the entire class. Brace yourself if your normal, they're intense.

Hands down, the best Japanese teacher at Mesa. Hamanaka-sensei is great teacher and her class is fun to go to. You are expected to study on your own time and memorize the assigned characters, as well as take notes. If you do this, you should have no trouble with this class.

Hamanaka's a nice teacher. But you have to make sure to pay attention and study on a daily basis. Once you fall behind, it's hard to catch up. It's a very basic lecture and test kind of thing, her tests can be quite tricky so you gotta learn everything + a little extra. Know your vocabs and grammar structure. Other than that, it wasn't bad at all.

She is a very nice teacher. Attending and taking all her notes in the class are extremely important. I spent hours and hours to practice and listen to the tape and just barely caught up. This is a five units class and you should expect a lot of extra study after class.

Easy easy class. Spent most of the time goofing off and studying for other classes. The first 6 or so weeks are really slow though. Anyway, her class is fun, lots of info about Japan and way of life, the kanji sheets are useful. My advice? Memorize the alphabets and first 3 chapter vocabs the first 6 weeks and coast for the next 6.

She is an interesting teacher and makes her class enjoyable. The class itself is difficult but she tries her best to make it understandable for all her students. I am glad I had her as my sensei!

She definitely expects her students to work hard-with good reason. Japanese is very different from English, after all. If you're just here to get an easy 5 units, then you might find yourself dropping out by the middle of the semester. She does talk about her life, but it's to give us a glimpse of Japanese culture. She's awesome. Take h

I'm glad Hamanaka sensei was my Japanese professor. She answers any questions you have and tells you what to expect on the tests. She's really nice and explains things well. Not only does she teach you the language, but she'll also talk about the culture. This is not an easy class, but if you put the time into studying and practicing, it'll pay off

Hamanaka-Holden-Sensee expects you to be an adult. She's nice but strict. Spends a lot of time with Hiragana and Katakana, then there's little time left for the more difficult things. Once Kanji is introduced, there is an exam every week. So one Kanji Quiz and one Chapter exam every two weeks. 15-20 Kanji to read and 10-15 Kanji to write each week

Easiest A Ever. First quarter of the class is very slow which is good to take advantage of to master the basics. I HIGHLY recommend practicing Hira Kata kanji during her random talks to get extra practice in. Kanji is hard IF you dont practice it every so often. Tests seemed to be pretty easy and short.

She's a great teacher. She's strict but it's college so don't omplain whenthere are worse teachers out there. Most people who complain about her are people who dropped her class or recieved a bad grade. She's a great prffessor so don't get all pissy just because you didn't do well. She treats you like college students.

IF you're Chinese and you're taking a Japanese class, you are luck out. There is no way professor Hamanaka could fool you on any Kanji exams. But she keeps writing in Hiragana. Seriously. Her exams are exactly like that coming from an english professor. You can't expect a 101 student to write a full-length essay paper in Japanese.

Had her in 101 so I knew she was strict but nice. 102 is the hardest because there is much difficult grammar. There's a chapter exam every 2 weeks for 6 chapters. She knows it's a lot but there's really no better way to do it. You need to put effort into the class and work hard. Most students appreciate her. Those who don't are just lazy and rude.

Great teacher. Very funny and helpful. The class itself however is hard. Lots of memorization for kanji, grammar, stroke order, translation, etc. The exams are also very difficult and your entire grade depends on how well you do on them. Easy A to those with great memorization and understanding.

I had Hamanaka Sensei for Japanese 101 over 20 years ago, glad to see she's still teaching. I got an A in her class. Yes, I had to work for it, but I'm going to call bull on all the claims that she is subjective right now. Yes, she's tough, but she's fair - and yeah, stylish :-)

Hamanaka was a horrible math professor. The numbers and digit she used to calculate your final grade contain an error. The whole time, she was trying to manipulate your final grade for the class by deducting unnecessary points from your Exam.

Took 101, starting 102 tmrw. Foreign language learning requires a lot of study outside of class, and Hamanaka Sensei makes this clear! Also requires getting over shyness and actually practicing in class! This prof is very smart, helpful, and caring. She does all she can do as a prof, but it's up to students to make the grades. Must study at home!

Hamanaka has an amazing knowledge on linguistics and the structure of language itself. Don't take her class if you want to learn Japanese just to understand anime and manga. Japanese is a difficult language and if you aren't willing to practice and study you wont pass.

Miyoko, the whole time, she was teaching Chinese when she should be teaching Japanese. This instructor spend most of her time correcting her students' behavior.

Hamanaka Sensei is an great teacher. Class was entertaining and you will most likely be participating every class but don't worry, it is fun once you get use to your class. Test will vary pending on the person. Some will think it's EZ others will not. She cares for students very much. Try your best to atleast learn hiragana and katakana. Good luck!

So Hamanaka-sensei is being downvoted because Chinese students are complaining that they need to learn Hiragana and Katakana and not just rely on their Chinese knowledge of Kanji? Looks like you guys need to man up and do your classwork instead of griping, because there ARE A+ students who walked in without knowing any Kanji or etc and still passed

Sensei is the best Japanese teacher . She is full of passion in teaching Japanese. She also likes to talk a lottttttttttt about her life experience. if u love Japanese culture , i am sure u wont get bored in her class. but make sure that u must keep in track and be hard working , cuz sensei is really serious about our assignment &performance.

Hamanaka Sensei is an amazing professor and has true talent in teaching. Yes her class is challenging but all it takes commitment and hard work. Do not take this class if you are not serious about learning Japanese and if you don't have a very good work ethic. For all of those bad reviewers, man/woman up. Don't blame your failure on the professor.

Sensei is so funny. I look forward to this class always. She really works in cultural lessons, which is crucial for a context-heavy language. Many people didn't take her course load and schedule seriously and so had to drop, but the ones left make class discussions engaging. Couldn't ask for a better introduction to the language.

This professor is super nice and helpful. 10/10 would take again.

She is a great professor. You'll have 4 test throughout the semester and 2 quizzes. Also included in her grading scale is your attendance and participation. If you really want to learn Japanese you will learn it in her class. If you ever need help she is always willing to help you. Just keep in mind that this is a 5 unit course so it is difficult.

This was by far my favorite class I've taken at Mesa. Hamanaka-sensei was an excellent professor, she made Japanese easy to learn and would also teach us about Japanese culture which made the class all the more entertaining! Can't wait to take this professor again next semester! 10/10 would recommend this professor.

She's absolutely fantastic. I can't possibly say enough good things about her, but... just be aware that this is japanese you're taking. It's not spanish, and watching anime won't prepare you for 101 or 102. You WILL have to work, and she doesn't cut corners, but if you complete the course, you will leave with a great foundation.

Great professor. Participate so you can practice speaking Japanese. Do all the hw & study your kanji. If you work hard, you'll be ok. She wants you to build a solid foundation so that you'll be ready for 102. She drops the lowest test score. There's an oral presentation as part of the final that's on the last day of class.

Do not come into this class expecting to do the bare minimum. The professor is so sincere about teaching, and she often has to contend with students who are disruptive and not serious about learning Japanese. She was devastated when a handful of students cheated on their final exam. Please give her your utmost respect, she won't fail you!

By far one of the most intelligent, caring, strict and friendly professors I have had. Although she may be strict with the writing, its a good thing because for a language thats a how you learn. The textbook is not used every class, probably because she has it memorized, but she definitely takes the time to give you the why things are done.

Hamanaka-sensei prepared me to live in Japan with my wife. I took all six Japanese classes at Mesa, and I learned the most in her 102 class. She expects you to give more difficult answers than the book asks for, and her tests are challenging. As a serious learner, you will be happy about it in retrospect. Sweetest yet scariest lady simultaneously.