Nitty Gritty English

Conversation in context.

One private evening in Washington DC. A small group of six to eight Japanese professionals navigating the same professional world you are, and three to four American or international guests chosen for their professional backgrounds and genuine curiosity about both cultures.

The evening is built around your group specifically. Before we meet you will fill out a form to explain your current challenges (not being able to read the room, too shy to speak up, not sure if the language is polite enough or how to interrupt someone). Your responses are read and the evening is designed around the real situations you and your cohort faces at work. Not a generic script.

For the seven days that follow, you have direct voice message access. When a professional moment comes up that week, send it. An email you are unsure how to write. A meeting you need to handle differently. You will hear back within hours.

Express interest →

01. Before

Your Brief

You share your professional context: your role, your workplace, and the moments where English stops working for you. Maida reads every response and designs the evening around your group’s specific challenges.

02. During

The Evening

You arrive thirty minutes before the American and/or international guests. Time to meet the others in your group, settle in, and set one intention for the evening: something specific you want to try, say, or handle differently.

Evening with a curated group of American and/or international professionals. Real conversation, real situations, real Washington DC.

03. After

Custom Support

For seven days after the evening you have direct voice message access to Maida for real situations as they come up that week.

Start here, wherever you are.

The Language Studio at Nitty Gritty English is a growing library of real English content built for Japanese professionals. Video analysis of authentic conversations, cultural commentary, and interactive practice. Not textbook English. The English that is actually happening in American and international professional and everyday environments.

Visit the Language Studio →

Maida

I have traveled to 30 countries and worked in a number of them, from Turkey to Italy to Vietnam. I understand at a personal level what it feels like to be immersed in a culture and language that isn’t yours. I have spent eight years preparing Japanese professionals for American rooms. I completed a U.S. State Department English Language Fellowship in Vietnam, where I organized professional exchange conferences with the U.S. Embassy and trained educators. As Assistant Field Director with Semester at Sea, I designed immersive cross-cultural experiences for over 500 participants across ten countries. I am based in Washington, DC.

State Department English Language Fellow, 2024–2025

East West Center Program Officer

Presenter, TESOL International Conference, Indonesia

MEd, University of Hawai’i

Working with Maida.

Real feedback, in their own words — from lessons built around each person’s specific goals.

“She tried to understand my goal and helped me determine it, then recommended exactly how to develop my conversation skills from there.”

“She helped me find alternative words to explain my job to someone unfamiliar with my industry, and we worked specifically on how to enter and interrupt a conversation.”

“The detailed feedback after each lesson genuinely impressed me. It’s really helpful.”

“She naturally corrects grammar mistakes without breaking the flow of conversation, and she’s patient enough to really listen.”

“I thought a short lesson wouldn’t be enough time, but I learned so much I’d recommend her to anyone.”

“She has a very structured way of improving your English, and takes real time in the first session to understand where you’re starting from.”

修正を細かくしてくれてとてもためになります。

“Her detailed corrections are extremely helpful.”

発音が聞き取りやすい。

“Her pronunciation is easy to understand.”

The Words Are Not The Problem