Guys, if you’ve read my site before you know I’m a big fan of JapanesePod101. I have used their Premium membership for a long time and definitely credit it with a LOT of my progress in Japanese!
Recently I have been testing out the Premium Plus plan for the first time, so I wanted to share my thoughts.
If you’re reading this JapanesePod101 Premium Plus Review, I’m going to assume you’re already familiar with JapanesePod101 and you’re wondering whether Premium Plus is worth it.
(If you’ve never used JapanesePod101 at all… check my other review which gives you a look at the Premium and Basic plans.)
Quick overview: should you get JapanesePod101 Premium Plus?
✅ YES, this is for you if:
- You are serious about learning Japanese
- You want accountability and a push in the right direction
- You want to be told exactly what to study and when, rather than sifting through materials yourself
- You want access to a native Japanese speaker who will answer all your questions
- You want feedback on your written Japanese
- You understand this is not private tutoring or 1-on-1 live lessons
❌ NO, don’t bother if:
- You want real-time tutoring
- You are already highly motivated to study
- You prefer researching questions yourself and won’t use the teacher
What is JapanesePod101 Premium Plus?
Premium Plus is the top-tier plan at JapanesePod101.
In addition to full access to all audio lessons and all the other tools you get with Premium, the main perk of Premium Plus is 1-on-1 access to your own teacher.
First of all, let’s be clear: this plan does not offer personal tuition. You do not get full 1-on-1 live lessons with a teacher. It is not a classroom-type experience.
What you do get is a personally-assigned, native language teacher who you can interact with via a chat box on the site or app.
They will set objectives, lesson paths and assignments for you, and give feedback and corrections on your reading, writing and speaking tasks.
You can also message them with questions about your learning or anything relating to the language.
Their job is basically to keep you on track and help you get the most out of the JapanesePod101 lessons.
Here’s what they say you can do with your teacher:
With the My Teacher messenger, you can
- Ask your teacher general language questions.
- Ask about which lessons to take.
- Practice chatting casually.
- Get corrections and explanations.
- Send in images of your writing.
- Send in audio or video recordings of yourself speaking the language, and get feedback from your teacher.
- Dialogue Role Play: Practice speaking and perfect your Japanese with instant feedback from our AI assistant Mina.
My experience
When you join, the first thing you’re asked to do is take a level assessment test (a multiple choice quiz that can take up to an hour, depending on your level).
Then, you’ll be assigned your personal teacher and asked to send a self-introduction (written or spoken).
You will be automatically assigned a learning pathway based on the results of your assessment. But if you have a particular goal or focus, you can ask your teacher and they will assign particular lessons for your based on that.
So basically, you are given a course of lessons to follow, out of the many (many!) courses and pathways already on JapanesePod101.
You are still expected to work through the lessons yourself in your own time. But this helps cut through the noise and keep you focused.
(One of the biggest criticisms of JapanesePod101 is that there is too much choice and it can be quite overwhelming, so this personalised pathway does help keep you on track.)
In additional, your teacher will give you weekly assignments (usually short writing tasks) and provide feedback and corrections.
You submit all this through the My Teacher messenger. As well as typing messages, you can send pictures (useful to send images of a handwritten exercise), audio or video clips.
This is useful so you can get feedback on your output in different formats, including speaking/pronunciation!
You can access My Teacher through the website or app (Android, iPhone/iPad and Kindle available).
I found it easier to use on the smartphone app, because you can easily upload pictures and recordings straight from your phone. Also, I find it easier to type Japanese on my phone because you can easily switch the keyboard.
Your teacher is supposed to get back to you within one business day, and I found this to be accurate. You can’t expect an instant response, or chatting in real time. But you will get a personal message answering your question within about 24 hours.
Sometimes in response to a question about a grammatical point they will just send a link to a lesson that goes into more detail. Again it helps cut through the noise and can be useful if you’re busy, but sometimes I would think that I could have just worked that out by myself.
Best things about JapanesePod101 Premium Plus
For me, I think the main advantage of Premium Plus is that it goes some way to fill the gap that many online courses have – writing and speaking.
Most online courses are very passive – you read, you listen, but you don’t output much (and if you do, there’s nobody to check it). But with this service, you will try harder to complete tasks and you get feedback too.
I also found it extremely motivating to have an actual person to message and to have tasks set!
Although it is not the same as having a ‘real’ teacher and you do have to do most of the work yourself, it adds a layer of accountability that can be very useful for self-learners.
Alternatives to JapanesePod101 Premium Plus
If you want real, live 1-on-1 online Japanese lessons (instead of just working through online content in your own time), consider these options instead:
JapanesePod101 live classes
Yes, in response to popular demand JapanesePod101 do now offer actual live classes! This is a separate service with a separate fee to any of their other memberships and the classes run for limited dates only.
The group classes are 1 hour weekly for 10 weeks, and for the private lessons you can choose 30 or 60 minutes weekly.
I haven’t taken these myself so can’t speak to the content, but you can learn more here:
italki
If you want an actual personal tutor for 1-on-1 private lessons, italki is the place to look!
There are hundreds of affordable Japanese tutors to choose from. Whether you just want casual conversational practise, exam prep or something else, you will find someone for you.
The website interface is also very easy to use. You can easily see teachers’ availability and book online at a time that suits you.
I have used a couple of different italki tutors for myself and my son, and although of course all teachers are different, I have always been very happy with the teachers and the ease of using the site.
Conclusion: is JapanesePod101 Premium Plus worth it?
JapanesePod101 Premium Plus is not a cheap service, and it’s not for everyone.
Some people find it somewhat misleading because they think they are getting 1-on-1 tutoring. While you do get 1-on-1 interactions with a real Japanese teacher, it can take about a day between messages so you are limited in what you can ask.
However, I think it is a useful service for those who want a little more structure and accountability in their Japanese studies.
Studying Japanese on your own can be lonely, overwhelming, and it can be hard to keep your motivation. JapanesePod101 Premium Plus helps to bridge the gap between self-study and taking classes by putting you in contact with a real person to answer your questions, grade your work and make sure you’re on the right path.
If that sounds like something you could benefit from, give it a try and let me know what you think!
Don’t forget to check this page for JapanesePod101 discount codes before you sign up!
Related posts
- JapanesePod101 Review (2026) – An Insider Look
- JapanesePod101 Price: How Much Does JapanesePod101 Cost in 2026?
- Is JapanesePod101 Free? Free Account and Resources Uncovered
Rebecca is the founder of Team Japanese. She spent two years teaching English in Ehime, Japan. Now back in the UK, she spends her time blogging, self-studying Japanese and wrangling a very genki toddler.