Inspiring Conversations with Jeffrey Salazar of ATLJapanese

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeffrey Salazar.

Hi Jeffrey, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I majored in International Studies at DePaul University in Chicago, where I took my first Japanese class in 2012. I’d been fascinated with Japan for years, and the International Studies department at DePaul encouraged every student to study abroad. During my senior year I lived outside Tokyo with a Japanese host family and attended Kanda University. Only thirty minutes from Tokyo Station, I went into the city whenever I could and became enthralled with its maze-like streets.

After graduation I moved back to Tokyo to attend KAI Japanese Language School and lived in Harajuku. That year was full of daily contact with real Japanese: classes during the day, and explorations of Harajuku, Shibuya, and Shinjuku at night. When I returned to Atlanta the next year, I started teaching privately part-time. I paused for two years to earn an M.A. in Japanese at UMass Amherst, where I wrote my thesis on the music genre of city pop and its relationship to nostalgia and the internet. I’ve been teaching full-time ever since, developing an immersion-first curriculum that helps students build a real connection to the language and culture.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In the mid-2010s I was only teaching part time. To make ends meet I worked restaurant shifts, including a stretch on the ramen line at Ginya Izakaya, and I picked up freelance translation when I could. My first students came from Craigslist posts and flyers I taped up in coffee shops. I often biked or took MARTA across Atlanta to meet people at their homes or in cafes. It was scrappy, but it gave me an early view of the range of people interested in Japanese and helped me shape my approach to teaching.

As demand grew I built a website, ATLJapanese, and soon had more inquiries than I could handle. That solved one problem but created another. I needed to set up better scheduling systems, standardize materials, and track student progress. I kept refining my lessons, cutting what did not serve students, and building a clear path they could follow. I developed a curriculum centered on the Genki textbook and began scheduling bi-monthly lessons so I could work with more students.

When the pandemic hit I moved everything online. What started as an emergency measure quickly became a better model. Online lessons made immersion easier to support and allowed students to join from anywhere, so I never went back to in-person teaching. Today, through the private ATLJapanese Discord server, I host several weekly classes, one-on-one lessons, study halls, book clubs, and a few dozen guided self-study students.

We’ve been impressed with ATLJapanese, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
ATLJapanese is an online Japanese language school built around an active Discord community. All lessons, from group classes to private tutoring, take place inside the Discord server. It is a space where students meet, share resources, and support each other. The server also holds a large library of tools, reading lists, graded media, and study guides, which makes it easy for students to stay enveloped in Japanese between lessons.

I focus on helping English-speaking adults reach fluency through immersion. The program begins with material students can already understand, then slowly raises the difficulty of what they read, watch, and listen to, eventually moving into native media. This lets learners spend time in Japanese without the boredom of drills or heavy memorization. Grammar and vocabulary are taught as support rather than the main focus. We also use simple web tools for vocabulary tracking, sentence mining, and monitoring immersion time so students can see their progress.

What makes ATLJapanese different is its steady, realistic approach. There are no gimmicks or promises of fast fluency. Students work with content that interests them and build habits that last. Because I learned Japanese as an English speaker, I can explain grammar and nuance in a way that makes sense to them.

I am most proud of how practical the program is and how strong the community has become. Students know they will get clear guidance, honest feedback, and steady support. The Discord is not only a classroom but also a place where people trade recommendations, run book clubs, and practice speaking together.

For anyone thinking about studying Japanese, there is a way to make it part of daily life. Even a few minutes each day builds real skill. ATLJapanese gives students the structure, resources, and community to make that possible.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
The best way to work with me is to become part of ATLJapanese through our Discord. I offer private lessons, small group classes, and a guided self-study tier on my Patreon. Anyone who wants to make Japanese part of their daily life can join one of these paths and get steady guidance and feedback.

I am currently accepting applications for Fall Beginner and Intermediate Classes, starting in November.

Pricing:

• Class Lessons – $150/mo
• Private Lessons – $120/mo
• Guided Self-Study/Discord Access – $5/mo

Contact Info:

• Website: https://atljapanese.com
• Other: https://www.patreon.com/atljapanese