Nishigawa Kobo · Profile

Welcome to Nishigawa Kobo

Profile

Nishigawa Kobo is produced by Chris Ryal and Yaemi Shigyo in Fukuoka, Japan. We publish interesting essays and self-study materials to help you improve your English. (Of course, our website is useful even if you do not plan to study!) We write about events in daily life, in Japanese and English. We also offer English conversation classes. For the story of how we chose the name ‘Nishigawa Kobo’, please click here.

Chris Ryal grew up in Manitoba, Canada, and lived in Vancouver, British Columbia for thirteen years before emigrating to Japan in February, 2000. He has a B.A. from the University of British Columbia (1990; double major in literature and history), a typography certificate from Vancouver Community College (1994), and a Cambridge CELTA qualification (1999) for teaching English as a second language. Since 2000 he has been teaching English conversation to Japanese adult students. He has also written and edited English textbooks and TOEIC study materials. In addition to teaching, Chris Ryal is a poet and short-story writer. He enjoys many hobbies, including music and photography.

Yaemi Shigyo is from Saga Prefecture. She graduated from Kyushu Zokei Art College, and worked as a graphic designer in Fukuoka. From 1994 to 2000 she lived in Vancouver, Canada, and completed courses in computer-assisted graphic design and English as a second language. She started to work with Chris Ryal in 1998. Since then she has designed opera programmes, magazines, and graphics for English study and teaching. She has also produced many illustrations on a wide range of themes. Yaemi Shigyo’s blog at Nishigawa Kobo has more than 500 entries, and she has been updating it regularly since 2005. Her hobbies include gardening and reading.

C.F. Ryal, 7 October 2009