Tutoring and educational services in Tokyo and beyond
Founded by an international educator with over 20 years of experience in leading international schools, Tokyo Learning Lab offers tutoring and international education services to meet your child's learning needs and goals.
About
About Tokyo Learning Lab
Private tutoring (in-person or online) for elementary and middle school students.
Learn directly from an expert teacher with more than 20 years of experience in leading international schools.
Small-group, week-long programs during school holidays and summer.
Educational consulting and admissions assistance for international schools in Tokyo or abroad and American boarding schools.
Matt Kish - Founder
Certified American teacher with more than 20 years of experience
Taught at leading international schools - the American School in Japan, the American School in London, and Singapore American School
Attended top-ranked universities - University of Michigan and University of Pennsylvania - and America's top private school - Phillips Academy Andover
Master’s degree in educational leadership
Expert knowledge of current teaching curriculum and methods
Matt Kish is the founder of Tokyo Learning Lab and has more than 20 years of experience in the education field. Coming from a family that strongly valued education, he earned his high school diploma from Phillips Academy Andover (frequently ranked the number one private high school in America), received an undergraduate business degree from the University of Michigan, and completed his education training at the University of Pennsylvania. He also earned a Master's of Educational Leadership from the College of New Jersey.Matt’s education career spans over two decades teaching at top schools in four countries. He began his career by joining the prestigious Teach for America program, where he taught high school English. His classroom was chosen by the Mayor of Philadelphia to highlight teaching excellence in the school district. Later, Matt moved to New Jersey, where he was awarded the Meritorious Service Award by the New Jersey State PTA for the implementation of innovative programs. Matt has worked as a classroom teacher, teacher-leader, and as Director of Learning at top international schools including the American School in Japan, the American School in London, and Singapore American School.
Tutoring
Tutoring that meet your child's academic goals
One-on-one, in-person or online tutoring is designed to meet your child's specific learning goals. Whether your elementary or middle schooler needs intensive practice in a specific skill or wants to accelerate her/his learning, we carefully design a program to boost your child's ability and confidence. Throughout the process we clearly communicate progress with parents so you know exactly where your child is and where s/he needs to go.Click on each area to learn more about each area of our tutoring services. Tutoring fees and more information can be found below, and you can always contact us for more information.
Successful mathematics learning depends on building procedural and conceptual fluency so students can calculate and solve complex programs. Students who struggle with mathematics may not have cemented core skills, which can lead to cognitive overload when learning new concepts. With clear and organized instruction, we will help your child master the skills needed to raise their mathematical understanding and confidence. We also offer accelerated math for students who want to deepen, extend, and accelerate their studies beyond what they are learning at school.
Reading is a complex process that requires your child's brain to use multiple systems in concert to make sense of text. However, decades of educational research tell us that skilled readers are strong in two areas - word recognition and language comprehension - and their various subcomponents (such as vocabulary, fluency, and word recognition). By carefully assessing your child in the components of skilled reading, we will design a program to assist your child in becoming a stronger and more confident reader.
Explicit and systematic phonics instruction is key in helping children learn to read. We are experienced in teaching young children to read from the most basic sound and letter patterns. Additionally, as older children encounter more challenging words and texts, they may need additional phonics instruction to tackle more complex words. We will carefully assess your child’s phonics knowledge and design a program to help them master the skills needed to be a strong reader.
Strong writing is essential for school success and depends upon a mastery of language skills - such as sentence construction, vocabulary usage, spelling, and grammar - and process skills - such as planning, organization, revising, and editing. We will assess your child's writing abilities and design an organized program to help them write more confidently, fluently, and easily.
Exams and interviews are important parts of the international school admissions process. We will design a plan for your child to improve their scores and excel in standardized or entrance examinations including the ISEE, MAP, iReady, SSAT, and more. We will also prepare your child with planning and mock interviews to help them feel successful and maximize their chances for success.
We can design tutoring programs in any other areas of any interest. Please contact us for a consultation.
Click here for tutoring fees and answers to frequently asked questions.
Holiday and Summer Programs
Small-group summer and holiday learning programs
We organize and run small-group, week-long academic summer and holiday learning programs for students in Tokyo. More information and the schedule for the 2025-2026 academic year will be posted soon.
Services
Additional educational services
With a strong knowledge of international schools in Tokyo and across the globe, we can help you identify the right school for your child and navigate the complex admissions process. From research, to school selection, to application and interview preparation, we will support you and your child through the entire process. Our specialities include:
International school admissions in Tokyo
Relocation and admissions to schools when relocating from Tokyo to another country
American boarding school admissions
Our process includes:
Research - We identify a list of target schools and provide a report that includes a comparison of schools.
Admissions support - From contacting schools to supporting filling out lengthy applications, we can help organize and manage the application process across multiple schools.
Essay and interview preparation - We will support and coach in preparation of child and parent interviews and essays.
Testimonials
Parent and student testimonials
Thoughtful and caring
Matt stands out as one of the most thoughtful and impactful educators we’ve encountered. His genuine care for his students was evident in every interaction, leaving a lasting impression on our family.Read the full parent comment here
Patient and attentive
When our daughter struggled with English comprehension, we reached out to Mr. Kish for help. He always took the time to meet with her one-on-one, carefully review her notes, and thoughtfully discuss the issue with both our daughter and us. His patient, attentive approach gave us great confidence in his ability to support her. Mr. Kish truly goes the extra mile, not just in his lessons, but in every detail of his students’ progress.Read the full parent comment here
Fun and engaging
I had the privilege of being in Mr. Kish’s fifth grade class, and I can say with full confidence that he was the best teacher I have ever had. His classes taught me to be confident and excited to learn. They were always fun and engaging while teaching us something new every day.Read the full student comment here
Raising confidence
Thank you so much for everything you have done for A_____. Last year every day of math was such a struggle for her, but I can't believe how much things have changed. She is so much more confident and happy in school thanks to everything you have taught her. You should have seen how proud she was when she brought back her last math test!- Parent of a 4th grade student
School success
Matt has been an excellent teacher for our son. The way he makes learning fun is amazing. He also has been excellent at keeping us as parents apprised on our son's progress and has given us lots of advice to help him be more successful at school.- Parent of a 7th grade student
Student experience
On the first day of school, I was really nervous and I knew nothing. I thought that I would have a terrible year and would fall way behind. Little did I know that I was about to meet somebody that would change my whole fifth grade (that's you). I was falling behind but you kept on pushing me back up. When I was having problems you listened to me with open ears. You have taught me stuff that no one else could have. Thank you so much for EVERYTHING! I say this from the deepest part of my heart and this is definitely not just a cheesy "thank you" letter.-Student letter