#  Japanese Language Teaching Staff 

 



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##  Director 

 



  [### Wesley Jacobsen

 ](/people/wesley-jacobsen) <jacobsen@fas.harvard.edu>Professor of the Practice of Japanese Language

Director of the Japanese Language Program

On Leave Fall 2024

 

 

 Professor Wesley Jacobsen was born in Tokyo and raised largely in Japan, returning to the U.S. in his later high school years. After graduating from Wheaton College (Illinois) with undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Religious Studies, he pursued a... 

 

 

      ![A Caucasian man with short brown hair grins winsomely at the camera while wearing a suit and tie](/sites/g/files/omnuum3106/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-01/Jacobsen_Wes014_5x7_smaller.jpg?h=d47bb1bc&itok=A_EuvugG) 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

##  Senior Preceptors 

 



  [### Yuko Kageyama-Hunt

 ](/people/yuko-kageyama-hunt) <kageyama@fas.harvard.edu>Senior Preceptor in Japanese

On leave in academic year 2025-26

 

 

 Yuko Kageyama-Hunt has been teaching in the Japanese Language Program (JLP) since 2001, first as a preceptor, then since 2013 as senior preceptor. She has taught and/or revamped the curricula of several levels of instruction in the JLP. As senior... 

 

 

      ![Yuko Kageyama-Hunt](/sites/g/files/omnuum3106/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/ealc/files/kageyama-hunt_yuko_0.jpg?itok=gnMx0d2L) 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

##  Preceptors 

 



  [### Naomi Asakura

 ](/people/naomi-asakura) <nasakura@fas.harvard.edu>Preceptor in Japanese

 

 

 

      ![Smiling woman with long black hair pulled into a pony tail and wearing a pink cardigan smiles at the camera in front of a white backdrop.](/sites/g/files/omnuum3106/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/ealc/files/naomi_asakura.jpg?itok=w5TDsiND) 

 

 

 

   [### Asako Higurashi

 ](/people/asako-higurashi) <asakohigurashi@fas.harvard.edu>Preceptor in Japanese

 

 

 

      ![A Japanese woman with short hair smiles](/sites/g/files/omnuum3106/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/ealc/files/asako_higurashi.png?itok=-XmMCHn6) 

 

 

 

   [### Hana Ikeda

 ](/people/hana-ikeda) <hikeda@fas.harvard.edu>Acting Preceptor in Japanese

Language Instructor in Japanese

 

 

 

      ![A Japanese woman with long brown hair smiles broadly at the camera](/sites/g/files/omnuum3106/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/HanaIkeda.jpg?itok=nudD_65i) 

 

 

 

   [### Chikako Takehara

 ](/people/chikako-takehara) <ctakehara@fas.harvard.edu>Preceptor in Japanese

On Leave Spring 2026

 

 

 

      ![A young woman in a loose-fitting white top with shoulder-length straight black hair smiles at the camera in front of a background of flowering bushes.](/sites/g/files/omnuum3106/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/ealc/files/takehara_chikako.jpg?itok=MXBtMSeS) 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

##  Drill Instructors 

 



  [### Hana Ikeda

 ](/people/hana-ikeda) <hikeda@fas.harvard.edu>Acting Preceptor in Japanese

Language Instructor in Japanese

 

 

 

      ![A Japanese woman with long brown hair smiles broadly at the camera](/sites/g/files/omnuum3106/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/HanaIkeda.jpg?itok=nudD_65i) 

 

 

 

   [### Asahi Matsumoto

 ](/people/asahi-matsumoto) <asahimatsumoto@fas.harvard.edu>Language Instructor in Japanese

 

 

 

      ![A Japanese woman with long hair and wearing a dark blue coat smiles at the camera in a field full of snow](/sites/g/files/omnuum3106/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-01/matsumoto_asahi.jpeg?h=c2245d15&itok=Ki_HTOTG) 

 

 

 

   [### Maiko Nakatani

 ](/people/maiko-nakatani) [maiko\_nakatani@fas.harvard.edu](mailto:maiko_nakatani@fas.harvard.edu)Acting Preceptor in Japanese

 

 

 

      ![Nakatani Maiko](/sites/g/files/omnuum3106/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/ealc/files/maiko_nakatani_photo.jpg?itok=M7_x52DJ) 

 

 

 

   [### Sae Tagawa

 ](/people/sae-tagawa) <saetagawa@fas.harvard.edu>Language Instructor in Japanese

 

 

 

      ![A Japanese woman in a bright pink sweater smiles at the camera in the great outdoors](/sites/g/files/omnuum3106/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/tagawa_sae.jpg?itok=H7y3ZqR1) 

 

 

 

   [### Eiko Takeichi Hodes

 ](/people/eiko-takeichi-hodes) <ehodes@fas.harvard.edu>Language Instructor in Japanese

 

 

 

      ![A Japanese woman squints in the sun as she smiles at the camera](/sites/g/files/omnuum3106/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2026-01/hodes_eiko.jpg?h=34176e45&itok=UWvYLUSQ) 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 



 

 See also:- [ Japanese ](/language-programs/japanese)