Molly Okawa takes in Mount Fuji, located southwest of Tokyo. Okawa moved to Japan in 2022 to participate in the prestigious Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. She taught in Takasaki before accepting a position at Mejiro International School in Tokyo in 2023. (Photos courtesy of Molly Okawa)

Molly Okawa (née Motes) had one goal when she graduated from the University of Missouri–St. Louis in 2021.

“I ended up falling in love with the idea of teaching English in Japan,” she said at the time of her impending graduation. “I’ve started working toward the goal of moving to Japan, ideally Tokyo, but anywhere, and teaching English as my career.”

Okawa’s hard work, determination and exceptional language skills have now made that dream a reality. After graduating from the UMSL Department of Language and Cultural Studies with a bachelor’s degree in Japanese, Okawa was accepted to the prestigious Japan Exchange and Teaching Program in 2022.

The program accepts between 2,000 and 3,000 Americans annually, and places them in Japanese classrooms as assistant language teachers. Participants also serve as cultural ambassadors to promote the JET Program’s goal of international cooperation and exchange.

During her yearlong JET assignment, Okawa taught English at an elementary school in Takasaki, a small city in the Gunma Prefecture about two hours northwest of Tokyo. From there, Okawa accepted a position at Mejiro International School in Tokyo, teaching grade two. Along the way, she moved to Tokyo and married her boyfriend, whom she met studying abroad as an UMSL student.

At UMSL, Okawa was highly involved in the Department of Language and Cultural Studies. She served as president of the Japan-America Student Association, organizing events on campus and even a virtual language exchange with Japanese students during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. She also tutored other students, helping them develop their language skills.

Okawa took advantage of study abroad programs offered by the department and UMSL Global, as well. She first traveled to Japan as part of the Japan Study Tour, a two-week summer trip, and then studied at Toyo University in Tokyo for the better part of the 2019-20 academic year.

Molly Okawa showcases Amanohashidate in Kyto Prefecture. The pine-covered sandbar spans the mouth of Miyazu Bay and is known one of the Three Views of Japan, celebrated scenic sites.

The rigorous course work and cultural immersion opportunities at UMSL prepared Okawa well for the JET program. To further prepare for her assignment, Okawa earned a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults, a gold-standard language education qualification from the University of Cambridge after graduation. She passed the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, as well.

While Japanese proficiency is not a requirement for the program, Okawa immediately saw the difference it made when she arrived at her school in Takasaki.

“I came into the staff room, I introduced myself in Japanese, and then the principal called me into his office to have a meeting with me right away,” she recalled. “The first thing he said to me was basically, ‘Thank God you can speak Japanese.’ He told me from day one, ‘Don’t be afraid to talk to the students in Japanese.’”

Okawa was more than happy to oblige, and once the word spread that the new assistant language teacher could speak Japanese, students came to her nearly every day with questions about the United States. It was obvious that her language skills helped her bond with students and co-workers on a much deeper level than previous individuals in the position.

At the time, schools in Takasaki were piloting an initiative to teach English to students beginning in grade one. Previously, English instruction began around grade three. The situation presented a unique opportunity for Okawa.

“There were some curricula already in place, but there was a lot of flexibility in it, especially when I was teaching those grade one and two classes because this was a test zone, if you will, for this new English program,” she said. “It was quite fun. It was cool working at the elementary school level. I was actually the only foreigner working at this school, so for a lot of the kids, I was probably their first real interaction with a person outside of Japan, which was interesting to see.”

After her initial assignment in Takasaki, Okawa felt called to Tokyo, the city she fell in love with studying abroad and her husband’s hometown. She accepted a position with Mejiro International School, where half the school’s staff are English speakers, like Okawa, from countries across the globe. Half the school day is taught in English while the other half is taught in Japanese. Like her stint in Takasaki, she’s played an integral role in guiding the instruction at Mejiro.

Molly Okawa stands at the foot of the “floating” torii, or gate, of the Itsukushima Shrine during low tide. The shrine is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

“I’m a big part of the curriculum development here,” Okawa said. “I’m bringing my experience from Takasaki, my experience from America, my experience from the CELTA, as well as meeting with all the other English teachers who came from similar backgrounds, and we’re all helping put together more solid curriculum for this school.”

Outside of her work as an educator, Okawa has integrated smoothly into life in a new country. Her study abroad experiences offered significant cultural immersion, but over the past few years, she’s truly lived and breathed Japanese every moment of the day.

“It’s very different when you sit down and every single coworker around you is talking about what’s going on at the school in Japanese, and then the staff meeting starts, and it’s just in Japanese,” Okawa said. “You’re talking to your students, and it’s in Japanese. It’s the first time I feel like every single second of my life is in Japanese.”

It took about a year to fully adjust, but now she navigates Tokyo city hall and Japanese legal documents without issue.

“It’s when I first caught myself thinking in Japanese,” she said. “Or I’d go to bed, and I’d have a dream, and the dream was in Japanese. It was the first time that level of true absorption of the language happened. In general, my first response to things has started to come in Japanese.”

The goal Okawa set before graduation – and so much more – has been achieved thanks to her time at UMSL.

“I truly am thankful for the education I received at UMSL,” she said. “We have such a speaking-based program at UMSL. I hit the ground running, speaking and listening. I think that really put me on the right foot for building confidence, making friends, being able to improve my language.

“I think, if I hadn’t had all that, I wouldn’t be where I am now, and I wouldn’t be having the same happiness that I have right now. I’m truly thankful. I feel like we’re really doing something right at UMSL, and I think a lot of people are being set up for success there. I’m very happy that I found this program and am able to enjoy that success.”