Anne Matsumoto Stewart was born in Washington D.C. and was raised in Hiroshima and Honolulu. She received an M.A. in Linguistics from the University of Hawaii, completed two years of graduate studies in Japanese pedagogy at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies in Japan and then taught Japanese at the elementary, high school and college levels in both Japan and the U.S. before returning to school in the U.S. She received a second M.A. degree in Japanese Literature from Cornell University before marrying and moving to Tokyo for 12 more years.
While in Tokyo, she taught Japanese at Waseda University and International Christian University, authored and co-authored several Japanese language instruction books and started a family. She also provided teacher training workshops for JET and REX program participants at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. She returned to the U.S. settling in the Seattle area and eventually joining Bellevue College in 2008. Teaching Japanese language is Anne’s life-long passion. She enjoys meeting new students and strives to make a friendly and relaxed learning atmosphere in her classes. Learning a language is learning a set of new skills, so good teamwork between the instructor and students is immensely important.
Anne is a board member of the nonprofit Eastside Nihon Matsuri Association, which sponsors the annual Aki Matsuri (Japanese Fall Festival) held at Bellevue College. When not teaching, she enjoys developing teaching materials, learning how to play Japanese taiko (drums), hiking and traveling with her husband and sons.
Last Updated July 11, 2023